A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith

A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith
on September 12, 2017
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Scottish, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian, Fiction / Short Stories (single author)
Pages: 164

Love is worth a little scandal.

Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune -- luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen.

Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . .

Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but -- and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last.

A Gentleman Never Surrenders is book two in the Sins and Scandals series. This is a well-written story. My favorite trope is enemies-to-lovers and Owen and Milly certainly fit the bill. This is the second in the Sins and Scandals series. I highly recommend reading the entire series. Smith does a lovely job of showing the plight of women of the aristocracy. Women were viewed as weak, needy creatures. Most men believed that they needed to be taken care of and so the need for them to use their minds was totally unnecessary.  Why would a woman need to attend a university, after all she has men in her life to think for her. Unless they were very wealthy, women were dependent on the men in their lives.  Once married they no longer had any rights or ownership of their own property. The heroine Milly in this particular story has avoided marriage by putting on a mulish, prickly  disposition and so most men have avoided her.  Consequently, when Owen marries her, he is uncertain that they will get along.  Overall, this book is well-written. I did think that the introduction of Owen’s friend Jack came a little too late in the story. Considering that he is a main participant in the climax, this fact seems a bit neglectful on the author’s part. I wish there had been some more back story here. I did enjoy the way Milly and Owen’s relationship progressed. There were some twists to the plot that I didn’t expect that kept the pace brisk. Just be aware that there are many steamy scenes in this book. Looking forward to more from this author.