REVIEW: A Gentleman Never Tells by Eloisa James

In A Gentleman Never Tells (Essex Sisters #4.5) by Eloisa James, Widow Lizzie Troutt has been keeping herself secluded since her husband’s death. It’s not that she’s been grieving. No, after his lies and the fact that he died in bed with his mistress, she’s more ashamed than anything. So when Lizzie’s sister Cat talks her into attending a house party in the country, she’d rather spend her time in her room reading. But the moment she meets Oliver Berwick everything changes. The secret she’s been hiding, that she remains a virgin, becomes evident as Oliver makes his attraction and his intentions known. Lizzie plans to never marry again after the disaster her first marriage became. That doesn’t mean that she can’t see where their chemistry may lead, though.

‘His smile was pure wicked delight, spurring the irrepressible thought that Lizzie didn’t have to marry a man in order to enjoy him. She was a widow, after all.’

Somehow Oliver’s niece Hattie has convinced him that traveling seven days to attend a house party in the middle of nowhere is a great idea. At least he will get the benefit of facing someone from his past who he wronged, someone to whom he owes an apology. To Oliver’s delight, he also spots a beautiful woman upon his arrival who immediately captures his attention. Lizzie may have become a widow over a year ago but he senses that she is an innocent, so he will need to take his time wooing her. Oliver intends to make her his bride when all is said and done, no matter how patient he must be and what he has to do to prove his sincerity.

“Oliver,” she said, frowning at him. “I can see that you are–you are–well, I’m not sure what you’re doing.”
“Planning to marry you.”
“Absolutely not!”
“Seduce you?”
She looked rather horrified, which made Oliver grin.

What fun! A Gentleman Never Tells was a quick but absolutely enjoyable novella in the Essex Sisters series that can be read as a standalone. In it, we had a country house party where they played croquet *inside* the house, a virginal widow who’s sworn off men, and a second son who wore his heart on his sleeve. Sounds pretty interesting, right?

Whether this is your first time reading Eloisa James or if you’re already a fan, it will be obvious upon reading this short story how wonderful an author she is. No one can craft a historical romance quite like she can. The bits of humor, the witty bantering, and the heartfelt scenes as our protagonists fell in love all balanced out together to create a story that had me laughing as well as sighing happily. The secondary characters, especially Lizzie’s sister Cat and Oliver’s niece Hattie, were all well developed and added something unique and wonderful to the mix.

This being a novella length story (about one-hundred-sixty pages) meant that Oliver and Lizzie fell for each other fairly quickly. But I think it worked well in this case. They were of course physically attracted first but it became clear that they admired other qualities in each other as well, like Oliver’s honesty and Lizzie’s charming wit. I thought they made an exceptionally cute couple. But honestly, my favorite part was seeing Lizzie take a chance with Oliver and face her fears over becoming emotionally involved with–and physically attracted to–him. Not only did they have some fun flirty moments but they were also passionate and tailor-made for each other.

I think historical romance fans will have a grand time with Oliver and Lizzie’s story. With a solid plot and memorable characters (plus an actual bodice-ripping scene!) I think this will turn out to be one novella that gets re-read over and over.

Book Info:

Expected publication: June 28th 2016 | by Avon Impulse | Essex Sisters #4.5

Eighteen months ago, Lizzie Troutt’s husband died in his mistress’s bed, leaving her determined to never marry again… and unfortunately virginal.

Eighteen years ago (give or take a few) the Honorable Oliver Berwick blackened his own soul, leaving him hardened and resolutely single.

When the chance for redemption in the form of a country house party invitation comes his way, Oliver is determined to prove himself a gentleman.

Until he breaks all the codes of gentlemanly behavior…once again.