What a Gentleman Wants

Written by Caroline Linden

Narrated by Heather Wilds

Two strangers are swept into a sizzling, spellbinding world of daring deception and unexpected passion . . .

Marcus Reese, Duke of Exeter, has spent most of his life pulling his twin brother out of trouble. A thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar's widow with a mind of her own, and the first person in Marcus's well-ordered life to make him feel . . . completely out of control.

Dire straits have led Hannah to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she's embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged, exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in her-not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly, Hannah agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the undeniably attractive Duke unsettles her well-guarded heart-making her want to do so much more than "act" the role of blissful bride . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541433755

Caroline Linden

Caroline Linden knew from an early age she was a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer code before turning to fiction. Her books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award, the NJRW Golden Leaf Award, and RWA’s RITA® Award, and have been translated into seventeen languages around the world. She lives in New England with her family. Find her online at www.CarolineLinden.com.

Reviews for What a Gentleman Wants

[UchennaEzeh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caroline Linden is my favorite author now. I really loved this story. I would not have been as lenient with Lilian but its all good. The book was better than I expected reallyq

[jorgeousjotts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars. This is in the bottom half of the 14 books I've read by this author. I didn't entirely like the characters, or believe the plot, or feel the chemistry. It wasn't terrible, just all-around lackluster. My least favorite part was the heroine's decision regarding a debt, and my favorite part was with her and a brick. Overall I was a little disappointed, but I'm going to continue with the series.

[invincible005 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting read. I liked the way it started with David forging Marcus signature on the marriage licence. The story was enjoyable especially the mystery and suspense, the only problem i had was the romance, i felt like Hannah and Marcus didnt really have much attraction together, he spoke to her daughter only once in the entire book, David was more of a father to Molly in the 4 weeks he spent at the vicarage than the entire time MArcus and Hannah were supposedly married. Apart from that the book was enjoyable. Although i didnt care for david's character in this one i hope in the next one he matures well enough.THANKS TO NETGALLERY AND KENSINGTON ZEBRA BOOKS FOR THIS ADVANCED READERS COPY

[absent_librarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a pleasant read with well written characters, humour and all the drama and refuse-to-admit-we-have-attraction a good romance requires. I particularly enjoyed that the female characters did not fall headlong into stereotypes of the period or genre. They remained feminine, somewhat bound by societal rules but also had intellect, compassion and strength. Hannah, as a vicar's widow, is able to explain some of her meeker behaviours on upbringing and her station during her first marriage yet leaves no doubt as to her true feelings and is willing to bypass propriety when warranted. Linden writes her as a flushed out character who has a belief code that she lives by but who also has true emotions, reactions and considers her instinctive reactions against public expectation rather than swooning or turning to hysterics as other authors would have her do. Marcus and David Reece are also more than stereotypes once you turn a few pages, bringing dimension to the various relationships in this novel. The inclusion of Hannah's daughter, Molly, is handled very well. She serves as motive for Hannah's actions and as a means to explore the personalities of several characters by way of their interactions with her. Any good romance needs some drama to sustain it and Linden opens the story with a dramatic trickery that forces our reluctant lovers together. She is correct in knowing that more adventure is needed later to urge the characters to their final realizations, but the sub plot concerning counterfeit money and a nefarious challenger to out hero did not fit as well as it could have. Hinted at from the beginning, too little detail was given to the reader until the end. It made it hard for this reader to care very much about this part of the story. The only merit I found in this 'mystery' was in the brief interactions between brothers David and Marcus and then between Hannah and Marcus. I did enjoy seeing the brothers interact as a team rather than their usual adversarial relationship. A nice Saturday read...and yes, I am curious about the continuation of the Reece family romances in What a Rogue Desires (David's story) and A Rake's Guide to Seduction (little sister Celia's story). Perhaps I'll look one of them up some other Saturday.

[ladywesley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book isn't bad; it's just built around unbelievable behavior. I simply couldn't accept that Marcus would pretend to be married to Hannah just to keep his stepmother and sister from finding out what a rotten trick David had played.

[halo776 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of two brothers: Marcus, the Duke of Exeter is proud, arrogant, and in-control; younger brother David is wild, carefree, and constantly in some sort of trouble. One day David is injured in a small hamlet outside London, and Hannah Preston (the vicar's wife, now a widow) takes care of him. David sympathizes with the young widow and her daughter and comes up with a plan to help her. He proposes a marriage of convenience, but signs his brother's name on the wedding register. After taking Hannah to London and then leaving, it is revealed to her that she is married to Marcus, a duke who is an absolute stranger to her. Marcus and Hannah cannot deny the marriage, as it would cause a great scandal. (David has published a wedding notice in the paper.) Marcus decides the only solution is to pretend to be married for a while until she can leave without speculation. However, Marcus finds himself drawn to the intelligent and kind widow and he wonders how convenient a marriage to her really is.... This is, essentially, a book about an arranged marriage. Neither Marcus nor Hannah are delighted with their situation, but they try to keep up appearances. Of course, it doesn't take long before the act becomes real. It's not a particularly complex or original idea, but it is still a delightful read. What made it so interesting to me was the hero, Marcus. He is abominable at first. When he first meets Hannah, he is rude and condescending. You wonder how on earth he could be a romantic hero. Later, he becomes more real. Hannah starts to realize that he cares deeply for his family, and this causes her to alter her opinion of him slightly. The most surprising thing about Marcus is that when he does finally fall in love, it's the real thing. He becomes protective and is determined to not let her go. In this sense, he reminds me of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. He seems to be arrogant and aloof in the beginning, but he loves with his entire heart. There is a small mystery in the plot as well. It's a rather minor part in the story's beginning, but it takes on a major role at the end of the book and helps to bring about the conclusion. I particularly enjoyed the book's ending. David shows up and redeems himself, and Hannah fights for what is hers. Although I thought it was an enjoyable read, the romance is a bit lacking. It took Marcus and Hannah a long time to decide they were in love, and then it happened suddenly. I didn't understand what caused the sudden change. I thought this could have been developed better. However, for a light romantic read, this doesn't disappoint.

[doxiemomx2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked these characters! Marcus strongly reminded me of Mr. Darcy (probably no accident). I liked the build-up of the relationship. I loved it when they finally connected -- it was like a dam burst! Wow! The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because the plot was a little convoluted and improbable. However, I will give the author credit for creating a new twist on the marriage of convenience theme. Good book!