Review: Secrets of a Viscount (Gentlemen of Honor #1) by Rose Gordon

Print Length: 237 pages

Publisher: Parchment & Plume, LLC (January 14, 2014)

From Goodreads.com:  One summer night, Sebastian Gentry, Lord Belgrave hauled the wrong young lady to Gretna Green. When her identity is exposed, the only obvious solution is to get an annulment. Only, just like his elopement plans, things didn’t go as planned and while she has reason to believe they are no longer married, he knows better. Wanting to make things right for her, he offers to help her find a husband—what neither counts on is it just might be the one she’s still secretly married to.

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My Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5


Warning: This book does include sex within marriage.
Its been quite awhile since I've last read anything by Rose Gordon. With an ever growing "to-be-read" pile, I keep finding myself have to push my favorite authors to the side in an attempt to clear out some of the backlog. However, since I am eagerly anticipating the second book in this series, I knew I had to sit down and get to know this new set of characters first.

And boy am I glad that I did!

Ms.Gordon has done it again! She has a way of weaving such an intricate story that you find yourself lost within its pages from beginning to end. Her characters are flawed, which only makes them feel more real to the reader. I was immediately caught up in Belle's story, heartbroken for her when Sebastian turns her away and immediately tries to get their marriage annulled, angry on her behalf when her parents exile her, and confused when she finds herself in the middle of the attentions of two men - neither of whom seem to be a good match for her. 

Sebastian was a strong character in his own right, and while I may not have agreed with his actions in certain situations, his feelings for Belle were real - he genuinely did care about her and trying to help her find a husband that would suit, even when that very action went against everything that he wanted for himself. There were times when I wanted to bash him over the head, and yell at him to "just tell her already", but I think the fact that there was all that buildup between them leading up to the ending that it worked. It wasn't one of those novels where the relationship seemed "rushed", even though they had been childhood friends, and were in fact still married to one another.

My only complaint with this novel is that I wish there had been a scene between Belle and Simon where she was able to explain things to him. He shouldn't have left without at least asking her if what Giles' had told him was true. I also wish that we had seen some interaction with her Father and her sister. Why did he send her into exile? How did Rachel feel about Belle running off with Sebastian effectively leaving her trapped into a marriage she was trying to avoid? Don't get me wrong, the story is wonderful without these aspects, but I feel as though those certain points would have added more to the overall story.

I can't wait to read the next books in this series Desires of A Baron (Giles' story) and Passions of a Gentleman (Simon's story) to see if these other strong men can find strong women to call their own. I also hope this is not the last we've seen of Sebastian and Belle - I can't wait to see what the future holds for them as well!

Filled with witty dialog that will have you laughing out loud,this first installment of her new series is a must read!

Secrets of a Viscount (Gentlemen of Honor #1) is available for purchase from Amazon.com