Never a Gentleman

Wow. This was intense. I don't even know where to start. So much happened. It was just blow after blow after blow. The author has a lot of talent. Her characters felt so utterly real that I was heartbroken by this book.

Grace was amazing. She reminded me a lot of Jane Eyre. I just wish she had been in a different book, with a man that actually deserved her. Because Diccan, most definitely did not. It started out forgivable - but by the end it had turned into unforgivable. So unforgivable. She did have some moments of self respect - like the bit where she shoots his hat off - I loved that bit. But his reasons for what he does are just not good enough. At all. And I don't feel that he tries to redeem himself either. He only had to be show more distant. He didn't have to cut her down the way he does. He could've told her the truth even. But he doesn't and it is appalling the way he treats her. I wanted to kill all the men in this Drake's Rakes club because they're all total assholes. I did like that all the household staff back Grace rather than Diccan.

But even though the author has a lot of talent - I can't bring myself to read any more of this series. It's just too much for me. show less

Hmmmm. I debated the review for this one a bit. I waffled between one star and five. I ended up going with one star since that is more unusual for me when it comes to rating books.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love me an insecure, unattractive, self-deprecating heroine (hence the notion of giving it five stars). The plainer the better (none of this "I wear glasses but am otherwise traditionally attractive" crap). While Grace is an amazing, brilliant, smart, courageous, inspired lady, she took the utter lack of self-respect too far in my opinion. I like a somewhat broken heroine who benefits from the hero showing her how amazing and desirable she is. But I am too much a feminist not to bristle at Grace being a pathetic doormat. I love angst show more and mis-matched pairs and drama, but Grace just tolerates no end of inexcusable (based on her knowledge) behavior from Diccan. It was embarrassing really. It made me almost put the book down despite the amount of tropes I love that it catered to. So while there was so much that I loved about this book, and the characters, the inexcusable douchebaggery makes me mark this down from an almost-favorite to a cringe-worthy shame. And makes me dislike men a bit. Why are so many allergic to honesty?? show less

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website:

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This is the second book in the Drake’s Rakes series from Ms. Dreyer. Last year she gave us BARELY A LADY, and it was easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. A warning to all hard core romance lovers: NEVER A GENTLEMAN is a very, very hard read. At one point in the story, I got so emotional that I had to stop and scream!

Grace’s story, like her life, is heart wrenching. I truly felt this woman’s pain, heartbreak, and utter humiliation, from not just the Ton, but from Diccan, as well. I actually could see a bit of all of us women in her. We’re brought up to do exactly what Grace kept doing—putting everyone and everything before our own show more wishes, wants and dreams. It’s in our genes to please and take care of others. Grace hid so well who she is that she almost lost her personality all together. She kept sacrificing her own dreams, first for her father, then for Diccan. It took a very traumatic incident for our Grace to emerge. I was so proud of this woman!

Diccan Hilliard is such a complex man that, at first glance, you’ll think him all cool and suave, and that is exactly what he wants you to think of him. He’s one of Drake’s Rakes; a spy extraordinaire, deep undercover for a very long time, so long that his true self is completely gone. Diccan is a man of action; a restless soul. He’s one of those men that can’t stay still.

As a reader of romance, I found that we tend to compartmentalize our heroes. We accept them if they’re ‘good’ and also if they’re ‘bad’, but we shy away from those that are not quite easily described in black or white. We tend to dislike those that fall from grace and fall in the category of ‘gray’. Diccan is one of those heroes that Ms. Dreyer gave all shades to and brought him down from a pedestal to make him human. She gave him heart and soul, flesh and bone. This man lives for his country and his pleasures, exactly in that order. He’ll do anything to protect the Crown and his King, and if that involves satisfying his lusts, so be it. No excuses does he offer, nor does he want to. When he finds himself compromised and is forced to act a gentleman and propose marriage to a woman he hardly knows, let alone is attracted to, his world starts to slowly unravel. All this man can see is years of devoted service to the Crown and his cover of a perfect rake being compromised. He doesn’t need nor want to bring a wife into this dangerous situation.

Left with no choice, these two extremely complex characters are doing their best to make their situation work. It’s not easy for either as the plot to overthrow the Crown and assassinate Wellington takes Diccan away from his new wife and even more under cover. The scene at the Half Moon Street was the hardest to read, and I cannot imagine it being easy to write. I applaud Ms. Dreyer for leaving it in and showing us what a real spy must go through, even though it left me bereft and emotionally drained.

If you’re like me and hunger for a romance that will take you on a roller coaster of emotion, please take a ride with NEVER A GENTLEMAN. You’ll be glad you did.

Melanie show less

Hmmmm. I debated the review for this one a bit. I waffled between one star and five. I ended up going with one star since that is more unusual for me when it comes to rating books.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love me an insecure, unattractive, self-deprecating heroine (hence the notion of giving it five stars). The plainer the better (none of this "I wear glasses but am otherwise traditionally attractive" crap). While Grace is an amazing, brilliant, smart, courageous, inspired lady, she took the utter lack of self-respect too far in my opinion. I like a somewhat broken heroine who benefits from the hero showing her how amazing and desirable she is. But I am too much a feminist not to bristle at Grace being a pathetic doormat. I love angst show more and mis-matched pairs and drama, but Grace just tolerates no end of inexcusable (based on her knowledge) behavior from Diccan. It was embarrassing really. It made me almost put the book down despite the amount of tropes I love that it catered to. So while there was so much that I loved about this book, and the characters, the inexcusable douchebaggery makes me mark this down from an almost-favorite to a cringe-worthy shame. And makes me dislike men a bit. Why are so many allergic to honesty??

Upon re-read, I had to go the other route and bump up the rating. While I still maintain that Grace desperately needed more self-respect - especially since she wasn’t privy to Diccan’s inner monologue - I just cannot hate on the sweet, delicious angst. My heart broke over and over. Too relatable. Still, it is really, really hard for me to forgive that Diccan full-on cheats on Grace. Sure, it’s for King and country or whatever, but he bones a woman repeatedly and even disparages Grace as he does it. He really should have had to grovel so much more. Also, Grace almost lost me with her complete lack of self-respect when she gets turned on by watching Diccan fuck someone else while he talks shit about her. Instead of being hurt or outraged, she’s titillated and wishes to experience the same, no matter Diccan’s supposed lack of regard for her. COME ON GIRL show less

Oh my...where do I start? For at least 80% of the book, I hated the characters. All of them. (Well, maybe not Kate.) The "hero" is an ass, the heroine is TSTL, and the plot is convoluted enough that I kept going back and saying, "Wait, what?" Basically, you have an accidental ruining/quickie marriage/mismatched couple, an espionage plot, cheating (which is SO not my cup of tea), and post-Napoleonic War, Regency era manners drama. Now, I *love* Regency/post-Napoleonic war period dramas, but this one just combined too many plots and elements for me. The only way it could have been worse is if they had included Steampunk or time travel.

At least I just borrowed it from the library. If I'd spent money on this, I would be furious.

Never A Gentleman is an absolutely scrumptious read that blew me away with how fun, emotional, and different it was. My heart wept, broke, raced, and leapt for joy as the pages turned and the main characters struggled to be honest with each other. Delicious, delicious, oh my goodness, DELICIOUS!

I loved Grace and her strength to put others' wants and needs before her own. Even though she finally had the chance to break free from society's obligations and sink into her little slice of country paradise with all her exotic treasures from traveling abroad. No more mockery of her limp, no more snide comments about how plain she looked or dressed, no more Diccan who seems to blow more cold than hot and threatens to shatter everything Grace show more holds dear - including her spirit.

While Diccan does the inexcusable when it comes to flaunting his affair in Grace's face, the reason behind it softens the blow. Too bad no one really knows that he is simply trying to protect Grace by sleeping with the enemy. Yeah... I sorta feel bad for Diccan, but he sorta dug his own grave really. When Diccan comes clean with all his despicable truth, it was a relief for all involved - most especially Diccan himself. It does bring to question as to how far Diccan should have taken his assignment and how honest he should have been with Grace in the very beginning.

I know that Never A Gentleman may not be for everyone. It is not your delicate or pretty romance - no, not by a long shot - but there is great heart within this story that will appeal to those who enjoy well-developed characters. Grace and Diccan each had a vulnerability that made me want to hug and slap them at the same time.

The intrigue storyline was all right, I suppose. Can't really say too much since I jumped in the middle of it. I will be reading Book 1 (already bought!) and will keep an eye out for Book 3 to come out before I make any final judgment. I don't think this plays a major role in the romance arc except for giving Diccan reason to be so horrible to Grace. If anything, I think the romance itself stands on its own quite nicely - and the intrigue is just bonus thrills.

And one last thing - I totally loved their wedding scene! It was so unique and colorful and cultural - and so totally them - that it has be to the cutest wedding ever written! :) show less

"Grace Fairchild is aptly nicknamed Little Colonel. Raised on the battlefield with her soldier father, she is selfless and continuously puts others needs before her own. Content to spend her life as a childless spinster until she wakes up in bed with Diccan Hilliard. It is apparent both Grace and Diccan were drugged, but in order to protect both of their names they decide to marry. Grace is upset to give up the dreams of a simple life on the land she inherited from her aunt. Diccan isn’t thrilled to be stuck with a wife when he prefers the life of a bachelor. They move to London where Grace with her bum leg and plain appearance faces ridicule and teasing. Diccan is wrapped up in political intrigue, and forced to shun his wife and take show more a mistress to protect her. Neither planned to have genuine feelings for each other, but find it happening regardless.

I have such mixed feelings when it comes to Never a Gentleman. This was a very hard one to rate and review. I absolutely adore Eileen Dreyer’s style of writing. It is so descriptive and thoroughly captivating. She also creates such well developed characters. With that said, the plot took so many turns that I truly didn’t anticipate. I loved the political side and the tender moments witnessed between Grace and Diccan, but the situations he found himself in for his mission left a bad taste in my mouth. There was one scene in particular that made me especially uncomfortable. The author gave justifiable reasons for his mistreatment of Grace, but this wasn’t what I usually look for in a historical romance.

I also discovered while reading that I don’t like to spend most of my time feeling pity for the main characters. Poor Grace was continuously made to feel ugly and worthless. She didn’t emanate the strength I’d expected from the “Little Colonel”. I even felt (a little) sorry for Diccan. He seemed sincerely remorseful for his behavior and I think he did an OK job of redeeming himself at least partially, but I really need more sigh worthy moments and warm fuzzies with my romance novels.

Even though the romantic elements weren’t what I had hoped for, there is still top-notch story telling in Never a Gentleman. The ending was also what I’d consider angsty perfection. I’ll definitely pick up the next book in the series which features my most favorite character, Kate. show less