Tartly elegant. . . . A vigorous, sparkling, and entertaining love story with plenty of Austen-ite wit.” -Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review“Matthews ups the ante with a wildly suspenseful romance…” -Library Journal, STARRED review“This page-turner shouldn’t be missed.” -Publishers Weekly, STARRED review“Readers who love lots of intrigue and historicals that sound properly historical will savor … of intrigue and historicals that sound properly historical will savor this one.” -NPR
She Couldn’t Forget…
Wealthy squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it’s bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father’s estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nicholas escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nicholas never returns. A decade later, he’s long been presumed dead.
He Wouldn’t Forgive…
After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he’s on a mission to restore his family’s honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn’t reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She’s bold and beautiful–and entirely convinced he’s someone else.
As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain other? Or, with a little daring, will he find a way to have them both?
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Mimi Matthews is a new favorite of mine. Fast-paced, clean, second-chance romance, with deep characters and scene.
Mimi Matthews has a way of being gentle and intense all at the same time as she moves her characters through her chess board of a plot.
This one is all hearts for me…and I’m not typically a romance reader!
When squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell’s father dies, her abusive neighbor and prospective husband Fredrick Burton-Smythe gets total control of her. He has challenged a stranger to a duel and Margret finds he looks the spitting image of her childhood friend. Events spiral into a race of jealousy and revenge, where Margaret is stuck in the middle.
Getleman Jim is the standalone regency romance by Mimi Matthews set in Somerset 1817 about squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell who has been left in control of her abusive guardian and neighbor Frederick Burton-Smythe. Through his will, her father forces her to marry Fred and have the estates joined or she will lose all her assets. But Margaret has her heart set on illegitimate son and estate groom Nicholas Seaton, who went in search for his father years ago and never returned.
When Margaret tries to prevent Fred from dueling, she is shocked to meet John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, who looks just like Nicholas but denies having met him. Fred picks up on a connection between the two and becomes even more bullying and controlling towards Margaret. She finds herself stuck between the two men trying to prevent them from hurting each other.
Main character John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, has a secret history having grown up in Europe. I feel for him as the plot progresses and he is not able to tell Margaret the truth.
Secondary character squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was verbally assertive but suffered health challenges following her father’s death. Descriptions of her health I felt made her character come alive and be relatable. She is my favorite character of this story.
I felt this plot included some unique elements. The terrible lack of judgment and next level cynicism in the will added excellent dramatic effect. I particularly felt surprised and relieved by how Margaret’s closest friend Jane acted reminiscent to her lawyer in the early parts of the story. She certainly needed one as the plot progressed. The writing was captivating with thoroughly engaging dialogue and great character building. All this made me fly through the pages and wish for more.
The best part of this story was when Margaret tried to stop Fred’s duel by visiting his opponent. This serious surprise became the center of the plot. The effects of the will were by far the worst part.
The heart wrenching feelings between St. Clare and Margaret I felt were particularly well written. St. Clare offered Margaret 3 forfeits which I felt gave the story an element of fairy tale I’m sure would appeal to younger readers.
This unique story with several fresh elements would captivate readers of regency romance and fans of Mimi Matthews. Similar authors might be Michelle Griep or Erica Vetsch.
Thank you to publisher Perfectly Proper Press and for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.
Conclusion: this unique regency romance includes captivating drama, legal issues, mystery and romance as St. Clare and Margaret tackle difficulties of secrecy, jealousy and revenge.
‘She couldn’t forget…
Wealthy squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it’s bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father’s estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nicholas escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nicholas never returns. A decade later, he’s long been presumed dead.
He wouldn’t forgive…
After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he’s on a mission to restore his family’s honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn’t reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She’s bold and beautiful—and entirely convinced he’s someone else.
As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain the other? Or with a little luck—and a lot of daring—will he find a way to have them both?’
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Gentleman Jim is a stand-alone novel by Mimi Matthews and is a historical fiction which takes place in England.
I loved this book. I have said it about each and every one of Mimi Matthews’ books, but Gentleman Jim is quite unique from the other books she has previously published and so holds a special place in my heart. This is largely because of the sense of adventure threaded through the book and I’m a sucker for a historical adventure. So pairing that with Matthew’s writing style and I was hooked. I believe it may be a tie between A Convenient Fiction and Gentleman Jim as my favorite of the books she has written.
The tension of this book is introduced in the first few pages and holds stong throughout the book. And by tension I mean both between our two main characters and the conflct of the story. I adored Maggie, she had the perfect balance of strength and independence against her vulnerablilty. And Nicholas? He felt like such an emigma, to the extent that he even left Maggie guessing and I was so invested in getting the answers to all the questions he was raising. Working extra and doing so from home as I was while reading this book, it was hard to be responsible and not read during my working hours to learn how everything would come together.
Gentleman Jim is very different from Mimi Matthews’ other books, but you will recognize it as her writing through the elegant writing style and the strength of her characters. I recommend this book to all historical fiction readers. As always I am looking forward to her next book and I very much hope we’ll see more books like this one by her in the future.
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I would like to thank the author, Mimi Matthews for sharing an eARC of Gentleman Jim with me. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Oh, what a love story — and what a mystery. This is one of Mimi Matthews’ best, and that is saying a lot because her books consistently soar. Well-researched and plotted, they draw the reader in and transport them to another time and place. Gentleman Jim is superb. We meet the main characters as children — Margaret Honeywell is the daughter of a wealthy squire; Nicholas Seaton is a base-born servant, perhaps the son of highwayman Gentleman Jim. Yet Margaret is supposed to marry the son of a neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, despite her friendship with Nicholas. They are torn apart in a particularly nasty manner and when the story resume, the vibrant, daring Margaret is older and a shadow of herself. She has been sick, stuck in the country and seems to have lost her spark. Enter John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare, back in England and dedicated to restoring his family’s reputation. He meets Maggie, finally in London, and the two share an undeniable connection. This is where the mystery comes in, and along with it, a woman who remained true to her first love despite the circumstances of his disappearance. This is a woman who knows who to love. The unraveling of the mystery, the blossoming love story and the most satisfactory conclusion make this a must-read. Just wonderful. But that’s Mimi Matthews. (This is my opinion; I received an ARC from NetGalley.)
I was so anticipating this book and it did not disappoint. It has everything love, adventure, mystery, and intrigue. The story flowed so well and had great twists and turns. Definite keeper.
Once again Mimi Matthews writes a story that presents the h & H with insurmountable odds. However, in the end she resolves conflicts and tension so well it’s as if she wrapped the story neatly with a bow for the reader to feel fully satisfied. The story story didn’t feel formulaic or on the nose. The h has some spunk and was feisty. I enjoyed the twists and turns. Mimi Matthews has the ability to write so I can feel the array of emotions the characters are feeling. I would give this a 4 out of 5 stars. The quality of the writing is very much still there for 5 stars. For me personally, this story did get a bit spicier my personal preference in a scene than her other novels. (Steamy Clean?) Though things are kept above the belt so to speak. A couple of times I thought does h’s actions fit the era. Though, I do know the author is does a lot of research so I’m willining to admit I could be off base.
I will keep reading her stories. I haven’t missed one yet!
I found this to be rather different from Mimi Matthews previous books. Not better or worse, just a different change of pace. I loved it! It had me up late into the night reading page after page.
The start is jarring and had me worried for Nicholas. Frederick Smythe-Burton plays the slimy villain well, a typical bully who uses his superior position to browbeat Margaret. She has declined after illness and mourning her father; her seemingly unavoidable future further dampening her spirit.
Enter John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare to inadvertently draw Margaret out of her stupor. Is he Nicholas or is it just an uncanny resemblance to the love of her life?
I read a free advance copy I received from NetGalley; the thoughts expressed are my own.
I Loved Every Single Word of the Book!
I am one of Mimi Matthews biggest fans. She is a uniquely classy writer. Her stories have “real” characters. They are believable and likable! Especially the characters in this book–their plight pulled at my heart. After reading it through once, I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I read it all over again. (And this is not the first time I have done this with one of MM books.)
I felt a connection to the characters. Their deep bond was palpable, and their dialogue was clever and effervescent! Their HEA came about perfectly without any silly misunderstandings/miscalculations/or deus ex machina interventions. The plot was brilliant. Throughout the book, I was rooting for Nicholas who was deserving of Maggie. I can see why other reviewers saw this as a Cinderella-in-reverse story.
I just absolutely love Mimi Matthews and cannot to read anything she writes.
If you enjoy adventure, great storytelling and clean, passionate romance then you will love Mimi Matthews’ upcoming release, Gentleman Jim! Set in London and on the heroine’s family estate, you will have a front row seat to balls, rides in the park, and lots of sparring, both verbal as well as physical. With Matthews’ attention to historical detail and excellent writing talent, you will find yourself turning page after page in this touching and riveting drama to get to the very satisfying conclusion.
I received an advanced copy from the author and was not required to write a review. The opinions above are voluntary and my own.