The Naked Gentleman [Paperback]

Sally MacKenzie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

John Parker-Roth cannot believe that marriage is necessary for his happiness. He would far rather pursue his interest in horticulture, but if one day he should find a female who shared his passion for flowers - a level-headed, calm sort of female - he might reconsider. Certainly the lovely young woman who has just tumbled into his lap will not do, as she possesses neither of those admirable qualities. Yet Miss Margaret Peterson does have many things in her favor. To begin with, she is a true English rose, blushing a delectable pink. And she is not entirely clothed. Her full mouth begs to be kissed. If only she would not wriggle so...oh, dear. He cannot ignore the sudden vision of her in his bed, but he must.What? Is Meg actually asking him to kiss her? Well, well, well. John Parker-Roth is a gentleman, first and foremost. And he cannot turn down a lady's request...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Meg Peterson had come to London searching for a husband, hopefully one with considerable horticultural assets. John Parker-Roth had spent the last few years immersed at his country estate, working with plants and avoiding his matchmaking-mad mother. But when Meg finds herself in a socially ruinous situation, John unexpectedly finds himself playing hero. Now a very annoyed John has no other option but to offer to marry the delectably distracting Meg. Much to his surprise, Meg refuses his proposal. He should be pleased, but John doesn’t want to even consider the idea that Meg might marry someone else. MacKenzie’s latest Regency romp is wickedly enjoyable. --John Charles

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082178076X
• ISBN-13: 978-0821780763
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #779,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Sally MacKenzie writes the Naked nobility series--funny, hot Regency-set historicals--for Kensington Zebra. Her sixth Naked book, The Naked Viscount, arrived on bookstore shelves June 1, 2010, and the seventh, The Naked King, will be out in June 2011. There are also two novellas, "The Naked Laird" in Lords of Desire and "The Naked Prince" in An Invitation to Sin (February 2011). Sally graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame in the first class of women. She's a Cornell Law School dropout, former federal regulation writer, recovering parent volunteer, and mother of four mostly grown sons. A native of Washington, D. C., she still resides in suburban Maryland with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awkward and poorly written.., April 22, 2008

By 

Hoolia (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Gentleman (Paperback)

I picked this up while out shopping one day, hoping for a few hours of light entertainment. Well, it started out good, quirky and funny, I enjoyed both characters, Meg and John. I was excited for the remainder of the book, however it quickly took a nose dive from there. The characters meet in another book, then meet back up and get "Close" in the first 50 pages, but don't come face to face again until page 200! In the mean time we are forced to read about almost 5 different subplots, multiple characters, and a lot of stuff from previous books that i had not read. By the time they get back to the main guys, I had lost interest. Both characters were whiny and rather pathetic, and the plot was flimsy at best. (The leading lady is compromised in the first 20 pages, but refuses to marry the guy, although she is still looking for a husband, it's weird) The plot is forced, the characters are flat and whiny, and I found myself skipping pages towards the end, just wanting it to finish. It did, thankfully. I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you have read the other ones in the series and enjoy her work, but I won't be buying any more of "the naked...." series ever again!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sexy and laugh-out-loud funny, May 9, 2008

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Naked Gentleman (Paperback)

Meg Peterson has decided she's ready for marriage and she's developed a plan to make it happen. One by one, she lures possible suitors into the gardens at the many events in the Regency Ton. But when Viscount Bennington decides to push matters and Meg is rescued by the one man she really doesn't want to consider, her reputation is ruined and sexy John Parker-Roth, the man who rescued her from the Viscount but who then proceeded to utterly ruin her reputation by sitting her on his lap is linked with her ruin.

Parker-Roth is nothing if not a gentleman. He knows that any woman of society would prefer a title, and he was already abandoned once on the altar by a woman who found a better (and titled) match. But he's still flabergasted when sexy Miss Peterson turns him down. After all, she didn't seem to mind the kisses they shared and it is her reputation in tatters. It can only mean he was right all along--marriage is a necessity for a man with a title. For a mere gentleman, it's an inconvenience, a leg-shackle. As soon as he can get his mother situated, he'll head back to the country where he belongs, where he can work with his plants. Except fate, his mother, and Meg's relatives seem intent on throwing Meg and him together. While his resolution is firm, his body has other ideas.

Author Sally MacKenzie spins another sexy and laugh-out-loud funny story of manners battling with libido set in Regency England. Meg, with her love for gardening, her habit of dragging potentially eligible men into the bushes, and especially her spirit, is an enjoyable heroine--if a bit of a ditz. Parker-Roth makes a wonderful foil--stiff and reserved, Parker-Roth never knows what's hitting him and his own feelings are more of a mystery to him than just about anything else in the world. Without the relatives and Scottish servants who populate the novel, it's likely that Parker-Roth and Meg never would find the happiness they both so desperately want--even when Meg manages to ruin Parker-Roth's reputation even more completly than he ruined hers.

If you're looking for a sexy and breezy regency-era romance, do yourself a favor and check out THE NAKED GENTLEMAN.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny but frustrating., April 20, 2008

By 

Jill-the-Ripper (PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Gentleman (Paperback)

While this book was cleverly written and fairly humorous, it left me feeling left out.
If you like light romance I suppose this would be appealing.
Not having read the other books in the series, I was unfamiliar with several secondary characters.
It started out quite juicy but dried up until practically the very last page, and by the time I read that, I no longer cared about the characters.