Title:  A Hero and A Gentleman
Series:  Gentlemen Under Cover #1
Author:  JoMarie DeGioia
Genre:  Historical Romance
Published:  November 17, 2015
Publisher:
My Rating:  2 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Taylor Shelby has fled her home. She needs help and there’s only one man she can trust. Blake Thompson. He’s also the only man she’s adored since childhood.

Blake is shocked to see Taylor on his doorstep in the dead of night after so many years. He remembers her as a carefree young girl chasing ducks around the family estate. He, on the other hand, was always causing mischief with Taylor’s older brother Robert. When he invited Robert to join his private investigations firm, it was more of a lark than anything else. He never thought his best friend would go missing while on a case, and he certainly never expected to see Robert’s proper sister at his inn, The Hideaway, with a bruised eye and an air of desperation about her.

Blake can’t deny the beauty Taylor has become. But she’s his best friend’s little sister! How can he find Robert, solve this dangerous case, and protect Taylor, all while trying to ignore her captivating allure?

After all, he’s no hero . . . and he’s certainly no gentleman.

Read on for my thoughts on A Hero and A Gentleman.  No true spoilers, promise.

A Hero and A Gentleman will be a difficult novel for me to review.  And in fact, this review will be very short as I’m not going to give a “my perspective” teaser of the start of the story.

I didn’t love this novel, certainly didn’t hate it either – I’m so middle of the road on this one that I have to say it was an alright novel that I simply didn’t connect with for several reasons.

My first issue, being that this is the first time that I’ve read any works by this author, is a simple one that could have been easily rectified.  Just reading the story blurb there is no way to know that this is an Historical Romance.  Nome.  It could be, and I thought it was a Contemporary Romance.  Even the title could span several genre.  The only clue that I missed was on the cover – that bit of lace on the hero’s cuff…and it’s hidden behind words.  I have nothing against Historical Romance, I love them and read them regularly – I simply would have liked to know what genre this was before I started it.

Taylor is sweet and charming – and in trouble.  She turns to the one man she’s loved since childhood.  Okay so far.  But then our anti-hero is in many ways, to my view, almost as much of a cad as the evil cousin.  I’ll just mention his paying relationship with a woman who works at his Inn while he is charming Taylor and leave it at that.

And I’m not going to go any further.  This was a story that simply wasn’t for me.  As we all know what one reader loves another loathes.  So I’ll simply conclude with I didn’t connect with the characters or the story and say that this wasn’t a story that I personally enjoyed, but you might.

*I received an e-ARC of A Hero and A Gentleman from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*