Title: An Unexpected Gentleman Series: Haverston Family #2
Author: Alissa Johnson
Published: December 6, 2011
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 312
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Adelaide Ward has but one goal- to obtain an offer of marriage from the respectable, if less-than-appealing, baron Sir Robert Maxwell before her family is ruined. But it's the devilishly handsome Connor Brice who captures her imagination- and a kiss in broad daylight- in front of a dozen members of the ton. Now Adelaide must decide if the charming scoundrel who stole away her reputation might still be trusted with her heart.
Connor Brice seeks a long overdue revenge on the baron. And what better way to launch his campaign than to steal the lovely Miss Ward for his own? A quick "compromising" and an even quicker wedding ought to do. But if Connor wants to establish any sort of domestic tranquility, he'll have to regain Adelaide's trust and choose what means more to him- his thirst for vengeance or his need for Adelaide.
This is not the perfect book, but it’s very, very close. An Unexpected Gentleman is sweet and tender and funny. Alissa Johnson’s writing perfectly characterizes those emotions, and the story she tells is extremely satisfying. This book is on the lighter side of things but no less genuine because of that.
I definitely loved both of the protagonists in this book, but especially Adelaide, the female lead. 27 years old, a step away from the poorhouse, Adelaide is practical and intensely loyal to her family. She agrees to marry Connor because he appears to be a somewhat decent wealthy man, and she’s fine with it. The woman Johnson portrays Adelaide to be is 100% admirable. She’s brave, loyal, clever, and honest. She doesn’t take crap from other people, even when she loves them.
Connor, on the other hand, has been infatuated with Adelaide for quite some time but is just unwilling to admit that out loud. Not to be sexist, but typical man, am I right? So he comes up with this scheme to trick Adelaide into marrying him because he can’t bear to be without her. Marriage machinations aside, I liked Connor a lot as well. He wasn’t a perfect guy, obviously, but he meant well most of the time. He genuinely cared for Adelaide, was willing to give her anything, let her family (including a toddler) live in his house, and in the end sacrificed all other ambitions in favor of keeping their marriage alive. I can work with that, definitely.
An Unexpected Gentleman did suffer a bit from the communication issues that tend to plague romance novels, but not to an extreme that was terribly frustrating. Most of the tension in the book came from Connor not really understanding what Adelaide needed from him or what he wanted to give her. He was happy with sex and having her in his house and didn’t really look past this veneer of happiness and instead focused his attentions on other things. Which, of course, didn’t work out because Adelaide isn’t really the sort of person to sit around and wait while her husband ignores her.
And just a quick note on the topic of sex: Adelaide is a virgin when she marries Connor. Naturally. However, after that first night, she and Connor…wait a reasonable amount of time before they do it again. I know, right? A romance novel where people are rational about a woman’s first sexual experience and the possibility that maybe she doesn’t want to do it 18 times in a row the first night? Color me shocked.
All in all, An Unexpected Gentleman was quite good. I loved the characters and the relationship they built over time. Alissa Johnson certainly knows how to write a feel-good story that seems real and true, and this is an excellent piece of historical romance, all told.
