An Unexpected Gentleman,

by Alissa Johnson

[Amanda]

Alissa Johnson needs a little more love from historical romance fans, I think. She finds the perfect balance with misinterpretations of characters' motivations and emotions, so that you never want to shake the characters for not talking to each other.

Or rather, if they hold back, they hold back for what appears to be a valid reason, and it's even more fun when they hold back the same exact secret for different reasons. Knowing both sides like that as the reader made them all that more sympathetic -- made me believe in their relationship and want them to get together.

Because I think it's important to understand a character's motivations for wanting to be with the other, even if it's not communicated to that character. Connor Brice, who wants to "steal" Adelaide from Sir Robert, could have been cold and awful, and in it for nothing more than revenge. And while it appears that way, perhaps, to Adelaide, we know it's not the full truth. And the full truth is far, far better. (And also worse, but whatever.)

Poor Adelaide. She's not exactly keen on marrying Sir Robert, but her family is in desperate need of money or they risk being sent to the poorhouse. When Connor weasels his way into her life, she doesn't know what to think. He makes her want things that are impossible, and when she finds out what Connor's been up to, well... she does try to make his life unbearable. Until, you know, she goes and falls in love with him.

She chooses the better man, after all. An Unexpected Gentleman is a well-woven story with events at the end that are only obvious once you're there. (Which is the best kind of story culmination, by the way. The one you don't think of until you're in the thick of it and it makes complete sense.) The only thing I missed was an epilogue of some kind -- the ending was good, but a bit abrupt.