Customer Reviews

What A Gentleman Wants (Zebra Historical Romance)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I won't rehash the plot as the other two reviewers did so well, but let me just tell you that you don't want to miss this one! If you like your hero's ala proud Darcy types and bold heroines with a bit of steamy love scences added to the mix, you'll love this one! Marcus, Duke of Exeter is the arrogant snob who looks down upon his plain provincial 'wife'. Seeing Hannah be able not only to stand toe-to-toe with him, but slowly peel away his crusty layers to show the true man he really is, is priceless. When the truth of his identical brother's trickery is publically revealed, will either of the two want out of their 'marriage'?

Excellent regency historical! A must read!

Marcus Reece, duke of Exeter, had always acted to preserve the family name, and his twin brother's along with it. To keep his brother, David, from being called out for a duel of honor, Marcus again cleans up David's mess and sends him out of London for awhile. But David ends up injuring his leg when his carriage wrecked during a race in a small town called Middleborough. The vicar's widow, Hannah Preston, takes care of David as he heals. David comes to care for Hannah, and for her small daughter, Molly. David is sincere when he proposes to Hannah, but the day before the wedding he panics.

Hannah curses her own idiocy. With few choices open to her, she weds a gentleman she hardly knows. David escorts Hannah and Molly to London, says he must be away on business for a bit, and promptly disappears. Hannah does not learn that David forged Marcus's name to the marriage license until the cold and aloft duke appears before her in person with accusations. Of course, Hannah is ready to simply walk out. But before she can, David and Marcus's sister, Celia, and stepmother, Rosalind, arrives and proceeds to gush all over Hannah and Molly.

Reluctantly, Hannah agrees to play the part of Marcus's duchess for a while. In doing so, Hannah will help secure Molly's future and Marcus can keep his relatives from hating David. The entire mess would sort itself out within only a month or two. Meanwhile, Marcus can continue his investigation with Bow Street of a counterfeiting ring. David seems to be mixed up in entire counterfeiting scheme and Marcus hopes to prove his brother innocent. But with tempting Hannah nearby, Marcus is having trouble concentrating. Marcus learns that by playing the part of husband, he has a chance to claim happiness.

***** Caroline Linden's characters are so vivid that, for awhile, I forgot they were all part of a fictional piece. As I read, I could easily see the events unfold before me and felt as though I were a part of everything. An outstanding story that I hated to see end. BRAVA! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This book was fascinating for me. I didn't know if Ms Linden was going to be able to keep me interested in the "deceived into marrying the wrong man" theme for long enough but, Boy, did she ever.

Marcus and Hannah are mature enough that they made logical decisions regarding their marriage. Hannah actually tried to leave and go away when she found that David had signed his brother's name in the parish registry. She had no place to go but her conscience would not allow her to stay and let the Duke be responsible for her. The author was able to convince me that she really would have left and wasn't just giving lip service to the things she was saying. Marcus was willing to make great sacrificies in order to protect the honour of his family. By having the counterfieting plot woven into the story Ms Linden provided a bridge for these two characters to get to know each other and fall in love. Very, very cleverly done.

Marcus seems to be a cold, unfeeling member of the English aristocracy. Hannah seems to be a provincal, plain widow. It was wonderful to watch this author move these characters toward the outcome we wanted to happen. I might have liked for Hannah to have been a widow for more that six months. That short time period bothered me a little. Wonder why the author didn't give her more time to get over the death of a husband she is portrayed as really loving?

Read it. Judge for yourself. It is well worth the time and money.

I finished this book in a few hours and enjoyed it...the plot seemed slightly contrived at times and the "reveal" of the hero's feelings seemed slightly off, and I didn't care a whit about the "mystery" that intertwined with the story (linden could have absolutely left that out--i'd skip it if I had it to read all over again), but I enjoyed the book overall, and will purchase the other David's (the hero's brother) story.

Hannah Preston is an unassuming widow of the late vicar to Middleborough, twenty-five miles from the jaded influence of London society. When David Reece barrels into town one fine spring day, she's dismayed, though not surprised, to find herself the caretaker for the spoiled aristocratic man after he injures himself while carriage racing. As the weeks pass, the two form a genuine friendship that ends up in a most unexpected way--marriage. Unfortunate circumstances led her blindly to the alter and she winds up married not to a man she thought she could live with, but to his cold and haughty brother instead!

Marcus Reece, duke of Exeter, has pulled his brother up by the collar all their lives, but this time his reckless sibling has gone too far. In a bold move that may well be the worst affront to his ducal personage, his brother has gone and gotten married--but using Marcus's name! To the world, he and this provincial vicar's widow are legally wed, and he cannot break his family's heart by denying it. When he purposely embroils Hannah in a thin web of lies, he finds beneath her country demeanor a woman far more capable of grace and wisdom than many ladies frequenting society's soirees. What's a strict, emotionless duke to do with a willful and headstrong pretend wife? It shall not be anything involving tender emotions! Or will it?

The main ingredient that caught my attention right off was the characters. From the duke, Marcus, and Hannah to Marcus's stepmother Rosalind, this book shines with characters that make the story come to life. Marcus is a cold and guarded man, but with good reason. He is the caretaker of his family and he takes his job seriously. Author Linden does an excellent job of penning him a heartless man, but not long into the story, she reveals his true inner workings and securely lodged the burdened man into my romantic heart. Hannah comes along at a time in his life when he feels the pressure of family and duty perhaps the greatest. She brings to his home a sense of reality and down-to-earth sense. Together with her daughter Molly, she quite charms the frown right of Marcus's face and his emotional unveiling to her was so beautiful to read. There is a mysterious plot involving David that moves nicely in the background and really does a spectacular job of supporting the main characters instead of overtaking them. The focus of this romance is all about the love.

Author Linden has literally captivated this reader with a wonderfully written tale! I look forward now to backtracking to her previous title, "What a Woman Needs". Looking forward to many more, Ms. Linden!

K. Montgomery
Official Reviewer for The Mysic Castle

This book is written by someone who knows how to write. What a shame then that Ms. Linden didn't take some time to research and plot her novel better. Anyone with a passing understanding of English aristocracy (all info that can be gleaned from reading good regency romance- no need even to delve into dry history non-fiction!) knows that nobility would never NEVER EVER consider marrying the common widow of a country vicar. The premise of this book is completely unbelievable. It could POSSIBLY have been saved had Rosalind, the step-mama and her daughter, Celia, snubbed our poor country vicar's widow. But no, they gush over her and adore her in a most un-English way at the very first meeting. This flaw is so huge and so central to the premise of the novel that it destroys all that follows. It's a house built on quicksand. Listen, I understand that romance is fantasy but in the same way that I buy Lotto tickets knowing it's a one in a billion chance I'll win I still buy them because I know it's a real chance not a fraud. This plot is like a fraudulent lotto ticket.
The pacing is off too. It's agonizingly slow in connecting the two lovers and when they finally have physical contact it's completely unbelievable. No buildup, no chemistry, you completely feel the authors motor switching into physical intimacy gear. The heat is not at all plausibly generated by the character's motivations.
What a shame.

Duke Marcus Reece is outraged and exacerbated over his brother David's latest stunt that could lead to a duel of honor. Still he has spent his life cleaning up after him so Marcus ships his wastrel sibling out of London to rusticate while he scours the latest mess.

In Middleborough David injures his leg in a carriage race. Hannah Preston, widow of the vicar, helps David heal. He soon proposes to his "nurse" and her daughter, Molly, but just before the wedding, he jilts her before vanishing. An irate Marcus accuses Hannah of forging his signature on the marriage license. She denies doing so, but apparently David did. When Marcus's sister and stepmother meet the two Preston females, they convince the "married" couple to pretend they are married to prevent a scandal and insure Molly's future. As Marcus falls in love with his "wife" and stepdaughters, evidence mounts that David is a major player in a counterfeiting ring.

WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS is a terrific Regency romance starring two likable responsible lead characters, who find love with one another in spite of the capriciousness of his twin. The story line focuses on the problems caused by frivolous David especially the shocker of the forged document. Though David is over the top with his behavior that scandalizes his family, sub-genre fans will enjoy the romance between Hannah and Marcus, encouraged by her offspring and his two female relatives.

Harriet Klausner

This is the story of two brothers: Marcus, the Duke of Exeter is proud, arrogant, and in-control; younger brother David is wild, carefree, and constantly in some sort of trouble. One day David is injured in a small hamlet outside London, and Hannah Preston (the vicar's wife, now a widow) takes care of him. David sympathizes with the young widow and her daughter and comes up with a plan to help her. He proposes a marriage of convenience, but signs his brother's name on the wedding register. After taking Hannah to London and then leaving, it is revealed to her that she is married to Marcus, a duke who is an absolute stranger to her. Marcus and Hannah cannot deny the marriage, as it would cause a great scandal. (David has published a wedding notice in the paper.) Marcus decides the only solution is to pretend to be married for a while until she can leave without speculation. However, Marcus finds himself drawn to the intelligent and kind widow and he wonders how convenient a marriage to her really is....

This is, essentially, a book about an arranged marriage. Neither Marcus nor Hannah are delighted with their situation, but they try to keep up appearances. Of course, it doesn't take long before the act becomes real. It's not a particularly complex or original idea, but it is still a delightful read. What made it so interesting to me was the hero, Marcus. He is abominable at first. When he first meets Hannah, he is rude and condescending. You wonder how on earth he could be a romantic hero. Later, he becomes more real. Hannah starts to realize that he cares deeply for his family, and this causes her to alter her opinion of him slightly. The most surprising thing about Marcus is that when he does finally fall in love, it's the real thing. He becomes protective and is determined to not let her go. In this sense, he reminds me of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. He seems to be arrogant and aloof in the beginning, but he loves with his entire heart.

There is a small mystery in the plot as well. It's a rather minor part in the story's beginning, but it takes on a major role at the end of the book and helps to bring about the conclusion. I particularly enjoyed the book's ending. David shows up and redeems himself, and Hannah fights for what is hers. Although I thought it was an enjoyable read, the romance is a bit lacking. It took Marcus and Hannah a long time to decide they were in love, and then it happened suddenly. I didn't understand what caused the sudden change. I thought this could have been developed better. However, for a light romantic read, this doesn't disappoint.

It is such a rare to read a story that is full of laughter, humor, and romance. i really enjoyed reading it.

You should Read it.
Can't wait to read David's story. lol just remembering him makes me lauagh!

The plot was clever and even how Hannah ended up married to Marcus instead of David was believable. What I found difficult is how it ended with Marcus doing something so totally stupid and out of character as to set off on his own to confront the bad guys and this is made worse by David coming to his rescue in an equally less-than-clever way (with Hannah in tow only? no footmen or servants?). The powerful and influential Duke of Exeter going off on his own to confront the bad guys?! He who has an army of servants, who is calm, clever and calculating, goes off all on his own and puts himself and Hannah's daughter at risk?! I also found some parts a little draggy (I kept thinking they should just get on with it!) although I am sure the author meant those parts to be suspenseful. Nevertheless the book is still a decent read on a long journey or during a holiday by the beach. I would think 3.5 stars.