Lady Brinley discovers shocking news that will leave her in despair…
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Her father is in possession of someone else’s horse.But… it is not just someone else’s horse.
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The horse belongs to the third son of the Duke of Curbain – one of the oldest and most respectable homes in England.Lord Lore Curbain.
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And what’s worse…
Her father will only be willing to return the beast if the … Curbain – one of the oldest and most respectable homes in England.
Lord Lore Curbain.
He must flirt with her in public just long enough for Brinley to gain someone else’s attention.
Before long she’s wondering…
Is it really just a game?
Thankfully, the curvy woman is not hard on the eyes and with every passing day, Lore discovers more to like about her.
Yet while he enjoys her company and even a stolen kiss, he knows where to draw the line.
He’ll never give his heart to another again.
But love cannot always be in control and soon the two will have to decide:
Was it all just a game?
And what happens when it comes to an end?
For fans of regency romance, THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN is an absorbing and gripping story that will tug at your heartstrings.
Lady Brinley has resigned herself to be a spinster and has a secret that will enable her to live by her own means. With a house party held by her sister’s in-laws, she meets Lore. He has a history that he wishes to avoid. With her Father’s interference, Brinley and Lore are pushed together and become unlikely allies. But both of them are in for a huge surprise as they learn that love and friendship can come at most inconvenient times.
Deborah has delivered another tasteful and lovely story of life for the ton and the conventions women were forced to endure. A lovely read with no swearing or characters acting in poor taste. This is a good clean read that reads easily and offers an engaging and humorous storyline. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves regency novels.
Another brilliant story in the series
This is another brilliantly written story that continues the series. This clean plot has some wonderful characters, some who feature in the first book. They are crafted with great strength and determination to overcome their fears and misgivings to achieve their desires.
I really enjoyed this book & the characters were so much fun & likable! Brinley, our heroine, is confident, strong & is not beautiful but she becomes that way after people get to know her. Her Mother has done nothing but berate her for her entire life – but she is strong & has overcome her Mother’s constant harping! Brinley does have a eye for fashion & put her talent to work designing clothes (unbeknownst to anyone but her best friend) for the ladies of the Ton to earn her independence. Lord Curbain, youngest son of the Duke of Curbain – a very old & respected family in London, loses is favorite horse to Brinley’s father in a card game. Her father bribes Curbain to flirt & act interested in Brinley until she gains notice from some eligible suitors & he will return Curbain’s horse to him. It seems easy to Curbain, then he feels guilt & then he feels love – can 2 lost people find happiness among ex-lovers, well meaning friends & siblings & can he succeed in getting his horse back without losing Brinley. It was a great story & I highly recommend it to all historical romance readers!
SETTING: We rejoin the Curbain family we met in “The Perfect Lady” as we learn Laurel’s story, the 3rd son who left the ministry due to a hidden scandal. Now, he seems resolved never to marry. Enter Lady Brinley Soulden, the 24 year old daughter of Lord Tellock, the man to whom Laurel (Lore) lost his favorite horse, Jupiter. In order to earn back his horse, Lore must agree to show attention to Brinley to garner interest in her from other eligible young men—not necessarily marry her himself. Unfortunately, Brinley overhears this conversation, is cut to the core, and prepares herself to guard her heart against pain when Lore begins to show her he attention demanded of him at a 2 month-long house party.
CRITIQUE: This story is well developed, giving ample time for development of a gradual change of heart by both Lore and Brinley. Your heart will ache for Brinley as time and again her mother (and others) make disparaging remarks about her, failing to appreciate her kindness, bright mind and good looks hiding behind the cap and drab clothes. She has taken steps to build an independent future for herself, by making use of her abilities to earn a living.
Will Lore be able to show enough attention to Brinley to cause other men to appreciate Brinley as a possible wife? Is that even acceptable to Brinley? Why is Brinkley’s mother so cold and intolerant of Brinley? Why is nothing she does ever “good enough”? Will Lore ever overcome the shame of having to leave his church and be able to trust anyone with his heart? “The Perfect Gentleman” takes us on a journey into 2 troubled hearts, allows us to watch them heal, and gradually reach out to each other for a sweet HEA.
Lore and Brin – what a romantic couple. Well, not in the beginning – in the beginning, she hated him and he just lived to irritate her. But as they grew to know each other, that’s when the roots of romance began. She understood the irritation, he understood why he wanted nothing to do with him. This couple was everything – funny, sweet, romantic, unique, you just get all the feels from them.
Lore and Brinley
Really enjoyed read Lore’s tory. He is an interesting character and I wanted to know more about him from his brothers book. He seemed to have had a deep hurt in his past that he really did not let others get to close.
Brinley’s character was the daughter that was never given any positive emotion from her family. The mother was a serious piece of work. My one pet peeve with her is that she never stood up for herself with her family.
Having read The Perfect Lady, I was interested in seeing how The Perfect Gentleman panned out. I was very pleasantly surprised as my experience is that the first book in a series is often the best one. However, The Perfect Gentleman captured my heart and intrigued me from beginning to end. As they say, eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves and Lady Brinley is devastated when she overhears her father’s plans for her as they are in direct opposition to her own goals for her life. Lord Lore is the last person she wants chasing after her, but as the unlikely pair get to know each other, they are surprised by the attraction that develops. They still adamantly hold to their views on marriage, but it gets more difficult with each passing day. It is only when Brinley’s own plans are derailed that Lore realises that he may just have a chance with her after all. While I loved Lore as a hero with his wicked sense of humour and outrageous remarks, Brinley is a woman to be admired, especially given her history. She is determined to take life on her own terms and to create a future for herself. Even having her security stripped away does not deter her from embarking on a new plan. This book is well written and kept my interest all the way through. Although characters from the previous book appear in this one too, it is nevertheless a standalone and comes to a happy conclusion.
I’m actually reading this series in order! The Perfect Gentleman is Book 2 in the Valiant Love series. This book is about the youngest son of the Duke of Ayers, Lord Laurel, or Lore, as he is called. He is from a wonderful family with much history behind their name. I won’t tell of the story, only that I thoroughly enjoyed both book 1 and book 2, and am currently reading the third book in the series. There are some minor editing issues, but nothing that slows down the story or confuses the reader. I highly recommend this book and this series, as there are in depth characters with realistic problems and interesting ways of going about solving them and falling in love, and solving those problems that arise.
Loving this series and can’t wait for the next one!