Friday, September 1, 2017

Review: A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith


A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith
Book Two of the Sins and Scandals series
Publisher: Forever Yours
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Love is worth a little scandal.

Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune---luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen. 

Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . . 

Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but---and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last. 

What I Liked:

I requested this book from NetGalley on a whim. I'd not read the first book, but I saw it on Twitter when the publisher tweeted a picture of the cover. The cover of book one is so delightful and I had a little fun with making up what I thought the characters were thinking about. It's a great cover! When I saw that a new book by Smith was on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try. I love the marriage of convenience trope (or inconvenience, in this case), so I had a feeling that this book would be for me. And it was!

Owen Hadley is a fortune seeker - but he's not as bad as everyone thinks. Sure, he is looking to compromise and marry a rich heiress as soon as possible. But his reasons are honorable. His methods... maybe not. He sets out to seduce the younger Pepperwirth sister, Rowena, but accidentally winds up in the older sister's room. He and Milly are forced to marry, much to the their mutual chagrin. Milly wanted to marry for love, and she certainly never wanted to marry a man of such a reputation. But as they begin to build a life together, they realize that marriage isn't so bad, and neither is falling in love. 

This is a short book - probably around 150 pages - but it is a complete story. Owen and Milly get married early in the story due to being caught in a compromising situation, something neither of them wanted. They don't like each other and would rather never speak again, but marriage is the only choice. The rest of the novel focuses on their marriage, on the way to Owen's home and life on his lands. 

Owen has a reputation of being a merciless fortune seeker, trying to poach a rich heiress by any means possible. He has left a trail of women behind him, as the rumors would say. But is he so bad? The answer is no. While I can't say I loved his methods of trying to get married (i.e. trying to seduce heiresses), I understand why he was so determined. With his lands and estates having deteriorated while he was at war, he desperately needs the money to puts things in repair. Since he isn't nobility, the only way he can get a large amount of money quickly is by marrying an heiress with a large dowry. Owen is actually a very selfless guy, contrary to what he might seem. He cared only about his estates, lands, tenants, and his staff. When his friend needed him, he left immediately to take care of him. Owen deserved better than his awful reputation. I really liked him and was rooting for him!

Milly seems like a cold and uninterested young woman to every potential suitor, even Owen, who is desperate enough to marry anyone. Owen doesn't even consider Milly because of her external nature (instead he wants to seduce Rowena). Milly is actually a complete sweetheart, and she guards her heart because she doesn't want to marry like a business transaction. She wants to fall in love with the man, and she wants her freedom. Marriage seems like a prison to her and she doesn't want that. Especially when she is forced to marry Owen, someone she warned her sister about. Milly is prickly and opinionated, and she is a great match for Owen.

I liked these two together so much. Owen is charming and a little wicked, and Milly is strong-willed and sweet. They match well. Owen does everything and anything to please Milly, not only because he knows that they are in the situation because of him, but because he wants to take care of his new wife. The way he dotes on her is so sweet. Milly is apprehensive and scared and upset at first (as she should be), but she grows to love Owen faster than he does. This may have been a short book, but the progression of the romance is so well-written. I loved watching them fall in love - it was wonderful to watch unfold. They bicker and fight a lot initially, and they have a lot of hesitation and tentativeness as newlyweds, but they grow and learn about each other and figure things out together.

This sweet romance has some hot chemistry to it! The attraction grows and grows from the first encounter. Smith cooks up the tension and the sexy times are just that. I like how the lovemaking really matched the couple - sweet, but also fiery hot and a little rough.

The conflict leading up to the climax is not bad at all and I love how the author reveals information bit by bit. There is very little drama and the ending is so good. I only wish that there had been an epilogue or something, because I really wanted a great peek into Owen and Milly's future. But this book was excellent and definitely what I needed at this time. I'll be looking out for the next book, featuring Rowena and a Scottish lord!

What I Did Not Like:

Like I said earlier, I wanted an epilogue! But maybe this couple will make some appearances in the third book. I want to see them as a married couple who are totally in love and comfortably moving through life together! The ending of this book seems like just the start. More please!

Would I Recommend It:

If you're in the mood for a short, sweet, steamy historical romance story, this is a great one. I'm sure the first book was also good and I may check it out sometime soon. I love the usual length HR novels, but this abbreviated one was pretty fantastic! It was a complete love story and it was very satisfying. 

Rating:

4 stars. I am excited about the third book! It'll be an especially fun book since there are different tropes in the book than in the previous two. For one, the hero is Scottish, which I love! I adore Scottish-British pairings and I can't wait to see Lord Forres and Rowena fall in love.


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

45 comments:

  1. I have a weakness for Scottish-British pairings too so I'm really tempted to buy this book!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't read HR in a long while, but this sounds like a lovely challenge, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
    Epilogues do not always work, so I will have to see if I'm going to be of the same opinion as yourself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds exactly like something I'd love. I kind of like that it's only 150 pages as I'm so short on time. Glad to hear it was developed well even with few pages. Wonderful review, Alyssa! I'm gong to check this out! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow that is a short book! You always make me wonder if I should try more romance fiction, maybe someday.

    Great review,
    ~Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles

    ReplyDelete
  5. I sometimes really enjoy a short romantic read. This one sounds really good. I will have to keep it in mind. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome review, Alyssa!! You've definitely convinced me to pick this one up as soon as it releases! I'm adding it to my list now :)

    Hope you have a great weekend!

    Ashtyn @ Wonderland’s Reader!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hurrey! Finally I completed my Graduation and now I will prepare for the Bank Jobs 2018 . Many of my friends will be helping me in searching for the Latest Bank Vacancies 2018

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is a very cute cover! This one sounds like a good one to pick up when I need something quick. great review!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I guess every gantleman have to read the book like that. If you really want to be happy choose one. Come here http://buyessay-s.com/writings_services.php take a look at it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yay for enjoying this book so much :D Lovely review Alyssa. <3 And aw, I'm sorry there wasn't an epilogue :\ I feel like every book should have one. Hmph. Rude :) Thank you for sharing about this one. <3 And yess, that cover is awesome :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hey what a brilliant post I have come across and believe me I have been searching out for this similar kind of post for past a week and hardly came across this. Thank you very much and will look for more postings from you.
    David Muera

    ReplyDelete
  12. I must say that post is great for new user like me who want to learn something about education portal. mahadiscom

    ReplyDelete
  13. As we all know that all the major board has announced the result in the month of May. Now Gujarat Board also going to released GSEB Result in last week of may or first week of june.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The information provided by you is very knowledgeable and useful.
    ojas

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families

    ReplyDelete
  16. New web site is looking good. Thanks for the great effort.
    David Muera Jurist

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great novel.If your a big fan of mini cooper cars and looking for more information click here

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be exciting to read articles from other authors and use a little something from their https://kbcgameshow.biz/ web sites.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice blog post on this topic.This is really a nice and informative,containing all information and also has a great impact on the new technology.visit@:-mcafee activate | |
    |mcafee.com/activate
    |webroot.com/safe|
    webroot login|webroot.com/geeksquad|mcafee activate|Router Support Number|webroot geek squad|webroot login

    ReplyDelete
  20. Connect with QuickBooks experts-
    There are few more solutions that you can try to Fix QuickBooks Error H505. However, if you still face issues on using the software and see Error H505 flashing, then connect with QuickBooks Support Phone NumberThe support team will assist you in solving the issue and using the software easily.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is really very informative and helpful post, I really want to tell you thanks for this. And, protect your system in advance from the virus by installing mcafee.com/activate in your system.


    www.mcafee.com/activate

    mcafee activate

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is really very informative and helpful post, I really want to tell you thanks for this. And, if you are experiencing any problem with roadrunner email, read the blog that has written by me.


    roadrunner email settings

    ReplyDelete
  23. Users should ensure to follow the above steps for a quick solution to the problem of QuickBooks Error PS060. For further guidance, If you have any doubt or query related to the above content you can speak to a technical expert at QuickBooks Customer Service Phone Number

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sage 100 is the best software for retailers, manufacturers, and distributors. For the big business in a huge firm sage 100 ERP, sage contractor and many more are the powerful software. Sage 100 ERP is used broadly for a wide range of manufacturing, distributing and services, Sage is more compatible with Windows OS and it uses Microsoft SQL server. If you have any issues on downloading, installing, upgrading, processing, analyzing, working then call us for our Sage 100 support service. The User can contact us, call our sage 100 support phone number for experts’ advice and Sage customer/tech support, you can call us on our toll-free number 1800-796-0471.

    ReplyDelete
  25. The Norton software is easy to install on the link norton.com/setup. One of the key features of the Norton setup is that it automatically blocks anything unwanted trying to enter the system. It will always ask for the user's permission to allow that particular file or data before entering.
    norton.com/setup
    norton.com/setup
    norton.com/setup

    ReplyDelete
  26. QuickBooks has stopped working or not responding error message display on the screen when user try to open QuickBooks Desktop. Here we will tell you how to resolve this type of issue. if you can not get your issue resolved in this article, you can contact our support team or Call @ 1800-796-0471

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am Grateful ™ that you shared this informational post. Website Your website has everything that I have been looking for so long. Your knowledge about this topic is quite impressive. I am amazed by the content you shared on this website.? I loved this page so much that I have bookmarked it for future reference. Thank you for this valuable piece of information. Sadly I could not find any additional information on this page. The information available here is similar to other websites. I like that your understanding about this subject is very deep.
    Visit office.com/setup

    ReplyDelete

  28. If you are looking office software downloading, then you will receive a Microsoft Office product key, in your registered email address, which will be required at the time of product activation. If you have purchased the Office product Offline, then you can contact now.
    office.com/setup

    ReplyDelete
  29. Webroot, a Carbonite company, harnesses the cloud and machine learning to reliably predict and protect against cyberattacks in real time.
    www.webroot.com/secure | webroot.com/secure | Install Webroot With Key Code

    ReplyDelete
  30. Do you know what’s essential for an online business to succeed? It’s SEO; don’t be surprised, Search Engine Optimization helps websites to get the desired visibility in the search results making visitors to click them when they look for the product or service like yours. Moreover, SEO goes deeper into a website and make it user-friendly by working on the navigations, embedding Meta keywords, description, and title (that helps the search engine to know what the page is all about), focusing on the quality of the content, and more.

    And, if you also own an online business and want to acquire the top positions in Google, Yahoo, and other search engines, then avail Sarahbits SEO services. We are one of the best digital marketing agencies known for delivering result-oriented services that work for your business growth and success. You will find our name on the top while searching for a local SEO company or SEO companies near me in the search engines.
    Local SEO Company

    SEO Specialist near me

    ReplyDelete
  31. Microsoft Office setup has a wide range of products with different features at Office.com/setup. These versions include office 365.

    Norton.com/setup - For Downloading, Installing and activating the Norton product, visit www.norton.com/setup and Get Started with Norton Antivirus at norton.com/setup.

    ReplyDelete
  32. We are providing the house cleaning in Columbus ohio and if you are searching cleaning services near me
    that's you are in the right place because we have the professional and deep residential cleaners tools, products and Cleaning services at an affordable and efficient price list. You Book Online as well on call after the checking all price list because we have multiple price lists according to customer budgets and home length. 100% Clients Satisfaction Service and 24/7 customer service available. For more details call us: +1614 3522 809
    house cleaning services columbus ohio
    local handyman near me
    furniture assembly near me

    house cleaning services columbus ohio


    ReplyDelete
  33. Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you, However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I cannot join it. Is there anybody else having the same RSS issues? Anybody who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks!!

    kbc mega lottery winner

    ReplyDelete

I love comments! I will always try and reply to your comments, as well as leave some comment love on your blog! :)

Also, this an award and tag free blog. While I am flattered that you would think of me, I really do not have the time to follow up. Thank you!