3.5 stars

This might've been one of the best stories in this series. Oliver is one of the gang who gave Josie the nickname "The Scottish Sausage," and he's making amends! Though not to the gang's victims (as they're married...), but to one of the victim's sisters.

This was the first book I have read by Eloise James and did not know when I originally signed up to review the book that it was part of a series. That said, I will absolutely be going back and picking up the series at book one and this book could definitely be read as a StandAlone. It is clear that we missed out on one relationship but nothing is given away you will still happily be able to go back and pick the series right up with out missing a beat.

Widowed Lizzie is falling deeper and deeper in to self exile after her husband's death and no it's not because she is sad he's gone in fact good riddance. The damn man was found dead in the bed of his lover leaving poor Lizzie not only a widow but a virginal widow and deeply ashamed of her self and convinced she could never either make a man happy nor want to.

I loved Lizzie! She's a bit of a feminist in a decidedly un-female friendly era. She is a great reader (another aberration for the time and something that makes me love her all the more), she's intelligent, kind, and even though she doesn't feel she has he trait, quick witted.

Into her depressed state walks the handsome, quiet spoken, gentleman who has a history of bad behavior and the bearing of man who is fighting his past rakish behavior and striving to be a man that his niece and others can look up to.

"Lizzie's understanding was that polite society was made up of people treating each other in astonishingly impolite ways."

I really enjoyed all the characters (minus perhaps Lizzie's father, of course I wasn't a fan of either Shady Sadie or Lizzie's deceased husband, but none of them play a large role in this story), the banter between characters kept me laughing, the love between the families as sweet, the courtship though fast between Lizzie and Oliver never felt contrived or ingenious. These are people you would have wanted to know and a society you would have throughly enjoyed, I mean who doesn't want to play rousing (which my auto correct tried to turn into arousing and if you read the story you will know why that is quite apropos, haha) game of cricket in the house.

This was a light, fun, sweet, a bit heartbreaking, but also heart warming love story. It's novella length so you will get it read quickly and if you haven't read the series before now you will want to start one clicking right away. If you have, I think this will give you jus the little hit of historical romance you need while you wait for more! A Gentleman Never Tells is a wonderful read for any fan of Romance in particular Historical Romance.

~HAPPY READING ~

http://www.readsallthebooks.com/2016/07/a-gentleman-never-tells-by-eloisa-james.html

At this point, I'd forgotten all about the Essex sisters. There have been a lot of books under the bridge since then, as it were. However, this book achieves something a novella rarely does--the ability to stand alone. Oliver and Lizzie's story is the perfect confection for a miserable summer day. Though they do fall in insta-love, it's believable. I may change my mind upon reading it a second time, so we'll see how it holds up.

A charmer novella about love at first sight.

I expect much more from this novella, the author being Eloisa James and all. But I guess many problems I had could have been better developed if this was a whole book and not just a novella. Also, as I haven't read any other books from the Essex Sisters series, I may have been a bit lost about the characters and situations described. Maybe I'll eventually read this again and the rating will go up, but so far, it is what it is.

So boring. Thank goodness it was short. Lacked all of the lightness and fun of the Essex sisters books, which shouldn't be a surprise, as Eloisa James hasn't written something light and fun since the Duchess series.

Related: What is with all these writers going back to their old ideas? The Bridgertons should have been finished with Hyacinth's book. The Smythe-Smiths and the new Bridgerton book were all excruciating. Now Eloisa James is writing new "Essex sisters" books, and Lisa Kleypas is about to write Sebastian & Evie's son. Forget it. The question is rhetorical. They're going back to those good ideas because none of them seem to be able to write decent new stuff, and so they're relying on the moneymakers. This novella reads like that.

You ladies all wrote amazing books in the past -- why not try to come up with a new idea now? This is why I'm waiting for new Tessa Dare & Sarah MacLean books. At least when they write a stinker, it's because it's a new idea and not some rehash of something they wrote 20 years ago.

Alright read. 13 chapters. And a nice happy ending.

Oliver was a bit too much of a Mary Sue. Lizzie was a bit too much of a victim. Their story was sweet though.

Wait, I have to subtract a star because the description of the story literally says that Oliver “blackened his soul” and it turns out he had laughingly gone along with some mean names a friend gave two debutantes. I mean, come on!

‘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.’

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.

Read More