Historical Romance Review: A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey

I am a fan of Amelia Grey's Regency romances, so when I had the opportunity to read A Gentleman Never Tells, I was very excited about it.

Book Info:

When a lady is in a predicament...


Beautiful, clever and courageous Lady Gabrielle thwarts the shackles of her arranged betrothal by kissing a stranger in the park. But who is this man? Finding herself stuck in yet another forced engagement Gabrielle needs another strategy that isn’t so dangerous.

A gentleman may find himself in deep trouble...

Viscount Brentwood is walking in the park early one morning when a beautiful, enchanting young lady walks out of the mist and into his arms. Now Brent has no choice but to marry the delightful Lady Gabrielle.

Unfortunately his intended bride has other ideas, and the determined Viscount finds himself plunging into one scandal after another.

A GENTLEMAN NEVER TELLS

The Rogues' Dynasty #4
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN-10: 1402239750
ISBN-13: 978-1402239755
Released in July 2011

My Review...

I have read Ms. Grey's other books in The Rogues' Dynasty series, so I was excited to see some secondary characters previewed previously brought more to life: such as the twins who look just like Sir Randolph. But these are not the main characters of the story, rather the twins' older brother, Lord Brentwood.

This story started off with a bang! An intriguing plot and a hero and heroine who sizzled not only with their clandestine kiss, but their witty banter. The banter continued throughout the story, and kept the pages flipping. A cute story, with an interesting secondary plot of dog-knapping. Lots of sensual kisses, some funny twists--loved the scene with the "orbs"!! And you will too, but I'm not telling you what its about, you'll just have to read it!

The ending was satisfactory in that Gabrielle and Brent do get together despite her, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, type motivation, and her nasty ex-fiance's schemes. The mystery of the missing dogs is resolved satisfactorily and actually helps the characters to grow and change which I enjoyed. I did have some tears toward the end, there is a sad moment, which if you are a dog lover, you will cry too! But there was one thing that I wished had been different--Rosabelle, Gabrielle's selfish sister. I did not like that she had what appeared to be a happy ending. She did nothing but torture her sister the whole book, and Gabrielle just took it. Gabrielle had such a strong backbone, I didn't understand why when it came to her sister she let her walk all over her. It was reminiscent of Lydia from P&P, the way she was so selfish and willing to do whatever it took to get her way. I wish her ending had been more like Lydia, that after walking all over everyone, she wasn't so pleased with herself. My dislike of her sister did not detract from the story however, but rather had me itching for Gabrielle to rat her out--which I will not tell you whether or not that happened else it would spoil the story!

Another great story by Ms. Grey! Cheers to you!

Guest Author, Amelia Grey: To Search or Not to Search

Today I am pleased to welcome author of An Earl to Enchant, Amelia Grey!  You can read my review of her latest release by clicking here.  Amelia has written a fascinating article for us today on research, which for writers or historical fiction (romance or not) is extremely important!  Readers are not always aware of how much time and energy can go into finding one piece of pertinent information.

To Search or Not to Search

Good morning! Thank you for having me at History Undressed. I’m very happy to be here.

You know, one of the most confounding things about writing a book is the research. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes I just want to pull my hair out because I can’t find that one tiny bit of information that I’m looking for. I’ve published over twenty historicals from time periods ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Industrial Revolution, so I’ve certainly done my share of research in libraries and online. It took me a few books to realize that with every different time period I went to, I had to do weeks of research before writing the book. Finally, I caught on to what I was doing wrong, and I happily settled into the Regency time period. It’s been many years and nine books now since I completed the major research for the Regency, but I still find that with each book there is some bit of research eluding me and I must go searching.

With the first book, in my Rogues’ Dynasty Series, A Duke to Die For, I wanted my heroine to believe she was cursed. Quite frankly I didn’t know anything about curses. I was asking myself, what kind of powers does a person need to put a curse on someone and how would you know if someone put a curse on you? Anyway, there’s a ton of information out there and I read some very interesting stuff, but I finally decided that there are no hard and fast rules when you are writing about curses. Almost anything goes as long as you make it sound logically to the story you are telling.

In my second book in the Rogues’ Dynasty Series A Marquis to Marry, I wanted to write about a true, famous strand of pearls—The Talbot Pearls. I wanted them to be lost, found, and then stolen. In my author’ note at the end of the book I wanted to tell what actually became of the pearls, but no amount of research, including hiring a professional researcher, checking books, museums’ lists, and old account records of the Countess of Shrewsbury, led to the final resting place of the pearls. My researcher and I finally had to give up and assume the strands of pearls were probably sold or pawned and were eventually broken up to make smaller necklaces. But it was most disheartening not to be able to say for sure what became of the pearls.

And with the third book in the series, An Earl To Enchant, which is currently on sale at your favorite local or online bookstore, I wanted my heroine to have spent several years in India.

One of the most interesting things I discovered was that in India they don’t wear black for mourning and they don’t mourn for months which fit right in with my plot very well. Also young ladies wore brightly colored clothing while during the Regency it was frowned upon for an unmarried lady to dress in bold, vivid colors. And it took more than a day or two of researching for me to figure out the route my heroine would have taken from India to England which I found out would have most likely included a stop in Alexandria, Egypt.

So sometimes it can easy to find out what I need and sometimes very frustrating. Why don’t you tell me, does it frustrate you if an author doesn’t clear up missing facts in her author’s notes?

Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Amelia's book!  (2 winners, US and Canada only)

The first chapter of my third book in the Rogues’ Dynasty Series An Earl To Enchant is available on my website. I invite you to stop by and give it a try. I’m always happy to hear from readers. Please e-mail me at ameliagrey@comcast.net or visit my website at ameliagrey.com.

AN EARL TO ENCHANT by AMELIA GREY—IN STORES APRIL 2010

He’s determined not to be a hero…
Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist the lure of her fascinating personality, exotic wardrobe, and tempting green eyes…

She has a deadly secret…

Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, one that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately…

About the Author

Winner of the Booksellers Best Award and the Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, Amelia Grey's books have been sold in Europe, Russia and China. Married for twenty-five years to her high school sweetheart, she has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and now calls Panama City Beach, Florida, home. For more information, please visit www.ameliagrey.com.

Historical Romance Review: An Earl to Enchant, by Amelia Grey

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading Amelia Grey’s book, An Earl to Enchant, which is the 3rd story in THE ROGUES’ DYNASTY trilogy. It was preceded by A Duke to Die For (#1) and A Marquis to Marry (#2).


About the Book…

HE’S DETERMINED NOT TO BE A HERO . . .

Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, exhausted after a grueling journey, he cannot resist the lure of the fascinating beauty, her exotic wardrobe, or tempting green eyes . . .

SHE HAS A DEADLY SECRET . . .

Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, a discovery that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately.

Available Now from Sourcebooks

ISBN: 9781402217616

My Review…

An Earl to Enchant is a quick and enjoyable read. The characters are witty and entertaining. The only thing I would suggest is that you read the books in order. Reading the 3rd book in the series first left me a little confused when they mentioned happenings from the previous stories that I was not privy to.

Ms. Grey is a veritable talent in creating memorable characters, whose personalities leap off the pages.

Arianna is a feisty heroine. She’s smart, quick witted, funny and daring. Growing up in India, she’s embraced the Indian culture, including their zest for color, scents, and especially their dress and dancing. But beyond the talents she’s honed, which entice the Earl further, she’s trying to solve a mystery--and remain safe from the skeletons that haunted her in India and threaten to end her life in England.

Lord Morgandale, known as Morgan, is a rake of the first order! His plans for a week of secret debauchery are foiled when sweet Arianna, whom he likes to refer to as Arianna Tart, shows up on his doorstep. He doesn’t know why, but there is something about her…

The chemistry in An Earl to Enchant sizzles. (Keep a fan nearby!) Morgan and Arianna are perfect for each other, no matter how much they fight it with their own internal conflicts, and with outside forces who try to tear them apart. A true love story with a bit of mystery thrown in.

There was a rich blend of English and Indian culture, which I found unique. I haven’t read a lot of authors who broach Eastern cultures, and I enjoyed reading about it, and feel I may have learned a few things too. Ms. Grey has a knack for using the senses. I could almost smell Arianna’s unique perfume, and feel the silkiness of her sari as if it were on my own skin. (Let’s face it, what woman want to be the heroine for Lord Morgandale?)

I look forward to reading more of Ms. Grey’s work, and in fact plan to go and read the first two books in the series, as Blake and Race have captured my interest.

About the Author…

Amelia Grey (aka Gloria Dale Skinner) grew up in a small town in the Florida Panhandle. She has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over twenty-five years. She has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire and now lives in Florida.

Amelia has won the coveted Romantic Times award for Love and Laughter, the prestigious Maggie award for best historical and Affaire de Coeur's best American historical award. She has been a finalist for the Golden Heart and the Holt Medallion awards which are given by Romance Writers of America and numerous other awards. Her books have been sold to many countries in Europe, Russia and China.

Amelia likes flowers, candlelight, sweet smiles, gentle laughter and sunshine.

Visit Amelia at www.ameliagrey.com

Don’t forget! Ms. Grey will be guest blogging here on History Undressed this Wednesday, April 21st! Make sure to stop by for your chance to win a copy of the novel, two winners will be chosen! (US and Canada only).