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brokenrecord's review
3.0
3.5 stars. There were things I liked about this, but I had some issues with it. I wasn’t super into how And there was a lot I enjoyed about the romance and Connor and Adelaide’s interactions, but that stuff put a bit of a damper on my enjoyment.
Spoiler
after Connor proposes and Adelaide turns him down, he says she should kiss him goodbye and give him that at least and then he yanks her towards him before she can say no, and the kiss is described as not being gentle, just… no thanks. I like my romances a little less non-consensual than that. And I also didn’t really know how to feel about the reveal that it wasn’t just that he wanted to get back at Sir Robert, but that he also had fallen for Adelaide while watching her from his prison cell. I mean, this is more just personal preference, but I’m not into instalust or instalove, and I would’ve preferred if his motivations for pursuing Adelaide at first were purely from trying to hurt Sir Robert.freemajo's review
3.0
Alissa Johnson is especially good at portraying the complexities of being a human, just a real human. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of distrust between the h and H in this installment, and the plot focuses on revenge to the point of boredom.
witandsin's review
3.0
Blue Ribbon Rating: 3 out of 5
Original Review Link
With a brother in debtors’ prison and a sister and nephew to look after, Adelaide Ward feels that she has no choice but to set her sights on Sir Robert Maxwell and the security his income would provide her family. But on the very night that Adelaide believes Sir Robert will propose, something unexpected happens; Adelaide meets a charming stranger who threatens to sweep her off her feet.
Within twenty-four hours, the mysterious Connor Brice proposes and though she’s startled to discover that she’d rather marry a near-stranger than Sir Robert, Adelaide can’t risk her family’s future. Then Connor kisses her – in front of gossipy society members – and Adelaide no longer has any choice but to marry. But which man? Adelaide finds herself in the middle of a tug-of-war between Connor and Sir Robert, and she discovers that each man has secrets…secrets that involve their determination to ruin one another. To her dismay, Adelaide falls for Connor anyway. Yet how will she know if she will ever be more to Connor than a pawn in his quest for revenge against Sir Robert?
Deception and desire are the name of the game in AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN. Author Alissa Johnson takes some historical romance tropes and gives them new life, delivering a satisfying romance. Connor is a man who’s had his life made hell by Sir Robert over and over again, so it’s easy to sympathize with his determination to get revenge. Though he may or may not have used Adelaide to do so – I’ll leave that for the reader to find out – Connor isn’t careless when it comes to Adelaide. He does have feelings for her and the way Ms. Johnson shows his adoration for her ended up charming me. Adelaide, for her part, is sensible and puts her family first, both qualities I respect in a heroine. That doesn’t mean she’s perfect, and it doesn’t mean she can’t be swept away by passion; after all, her initial meeting with Connor proves otherwise. I enjoyed watching these two fall for one another.
AN UNEXPECTED GENTLMEAN does start off as a bit of a slow read, but happily, it picks up. There aren’t any grand surprises, but the story works without them. I will say that I did miss the sparkle of Ms. Johnson’s AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT and TEMPTING FATE, the only other books by Ms. Johnson that I’ve read. AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN didn’t have the energy of those books, which was somewhat of a pity. Still, a book that is simply a good romance is sometimes enough, and that’s just what AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN was for me.
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies.
Original Review Link
With a brother in debtors’ prison and a sister and nephew to look after, Adelaide Ward feels that she has no choice but to set her sights on Sir Robert Maxwell and the security his income would provide her family. But on the very night that Adelaide believes Sir Robert will propose, something unexpected happens; Adelaide meets a charming stranger who threatens to sweep her off her feet.
Within twenty-four hours, the mysterious Connor Brice proposes and though she’s startled to discover that she’d rather marry a near-stranger than Sir Robert, Adelaide can’t risk her family’s future. Then Connor kisses her – in front of gossipy society members – and Adelaide no longer has any choice but to marry. But which man? Adelaide finds herself in the middle of a tug-of-war between Connor and Sir Robert, and she discovers that each man has secrets…secrets that involve their determination to ruin one another. To her dismay, Adelaide falls for Connor anyway. Yet how will she know if she will ever be more to Connor than a pawn in his quest for revenge against Sir Robert?
Deception and desire are the name of the game in AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN. Author Alissa Johnson takes some historical romance tropes and gives them new life, delivering a satisfying romance. Connor is a man who’s had his life made hell by Sir Robert over and over again, so it’s easy to sympathize with his determination to get revenge. Though he may or may not have used Adelaide to do so – I’ll leave that for the reader to find out – Connor isn’t careless when it comes to Adelaide. He does have feelings for her and the way Ms. Johnson shows his adoration for her ended up charming me. Adelaide, for her part, is sensible and puts her family first, both qualities I respect in a heroine. That doesn’t mean she’s perfect, and it doesn’t mean she can’t be swept away by passion; after all, her initial meeting with Connor proves otherwise. I enjoyed watching these two fall for one another.
AN UNEXPECTED GENTLMEAN does start off as a bit of a slow read, but happily, it picks up. There aren’t any grand surprises, but the story works without them. I will say that I did miss the sparkle of Ms. Johnson’s AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT and TEMPTING FATE, the only other books by Ms. Johnson that I’ve read. AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN didn’t have the energy of those books, which was somewhat of a pity. Still, a book that is simply a good romance is sometimes enough, and that’s just what AN UNEXPECTED GENTLEMAN was for me.
Note: My review was written for Romance Junkies and is cross-posted here courtesy of Romance Junkies.
lisajo85's review
5.0
This was an absolute delight! It's 3:30am...I've stayed up all night to finish this book if that is any testament to how much I enjoyed it. I thought it was cute...I thought it was romantic. You had wonderful characters and extremely witty dialogue. I was smiling throughout the whole thing. The story picks up right away and the book moves quickly with interesting twists and turns along the way. I loved the cast of characters because you really feel the two protagonists struggling with their emotions. It just captivates you and these people tunnel a way into your heart. You relate to them and wish fervently for their happily ever after. I loved the pace of the story because you were always desperate to discover what happens next. It made me laugh...it made my sigh...it made me glad to have found this treasure of a book.
One teeny tiny thing, I would have loved an epilogue...but the book does fine without it.
Otherwise...excellent! Five stars! Now I'm off to get some sleep.
One teeny tiny thing, I would have loved an epilogue...but the book does fine without it.
Otherwise...excellent! Five stars! Now I'm off to get some sleep.
rani_reeds's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bunny_watson's review
4.0
Adelaide, about to sacrifice herself on the matrimonial altar to save her family from the poor house, gets diverted from her course by Connor, a man bent on revenge against the half brother who betrayed him who also happens to be Adelaide's intended. Traditional historical romance tropes with immensely appealing characters and a great writer's voice.
amshofner's review
4.0
Alissa Johnson needs a little more love from historical romance fans, I think. She finds the perfect balance with misinterpretations of characters' motivations and emotions, so that you never want to shake the characters for not talking to each other.
Or rather, if they hold back, they hold back for what appears to be a valid reason, and it's even more fun when they hold back the same exact secret for different reasons. Knowing both sides like that as the reader made them all that more sympathetic -- made me believe in their relationship and want them to get together.
Because I think it's important to understand a character's motivations for wanting to be with the other, even if it's not communicated to that character. Connor Brice, who wants to "steal" Adelaide from Sir Robert, could have been cold and awful, and in it for nothing more than revenge. And while it appears that way, perhaps, to Adelaide, we know it's not the full truth. And the full truth is far, far better. (And also worse, but whatever.)
Poor Adelaide. She's not exactly keen on marrying Sir Robert, but her family is in desperate need of money or they risk being sent to the poorhouse. When Connor weasels his way into her life, she doesn't know what to think. He makes her want things that are impossible, and when she finds out what Connor's been up to, well... she does try to make his life unbearable. Until, you know, she goes and falls in love with him.
She chooses the better man, after all. An Unexpected Gentleman is a well-woven story with events at the end that are only obvious once you're there. (Which is the best kind of story culmination, by the way. The one you don't think of until you're in the thick of it and it makes complete sense.) The only thing I missed was an epilogue of some kind -- the ending was good, but a bit abrupt.
Or rather, if they hold back, they hold back for what appears to be a valid reason, and it's even more fun when they hold back the same exact secret for different reasons. Knowing both sides like that as the reader made them all that more sympathetic -- made me believe in their relationship and want them to get together.
Because I think it's important to understand a character's motivations for wanting to be with the other, even if it's not communicated to that character. Connor Brice, who wants to "steal" Adelaide from Sir Robert, could have been cold and awful, and in it for nothing more than revenge. And while it appears that way, perhaps, to Adelaide, we know it's not the full truth. And the full truth is far, far better. (And also worse, but whatever.)
Poor Adelaide. She's not exactly keen on marrying Sir Robert, but her family is in desperate need of money or they risk being sent to the poorhouse. When Connor weasels his way into her life, she doesn't know what to think. He makes her want things that are impossible, and when she finds out what Connor's been up to, well... she does try to make his life unbearable. Until, you know, she goes and falls in love with him.
She chooses the better man, after all. An Unexpected Gentleman is a well-woven story with events at the end that are only obvious once you're there. (Which is the best kind of story culmination, by the way. The one you don't think of until you're in the thick of it and it makes complete sense.) The only thing I missed was an epilogue of some kind -- the ending was good, but a bit abrupt.
brandylyons's review
2.0
Were there any characters in this book to like other than Isobel and George? The lot of them frustrated me every damn step of the way. Rude and selfish and mean and thoughtless.
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