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A Perfect Gentleman
In order to restore his family's fortune, Viscount Aubrey Wellstone becomes an honorable escort to the ton and finds himself falling for his latest employer, the lovely Ellianne Kane, who needs his inside knowledge of the upper class to find her missing sister. Original.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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146 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Metzger
93 books200 followersBarbara Metzger is the author of over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. She has also been an editor, a proof-reader, a greeting card verse-writer, and an artist. When not painting, writing romances or reading them, she volunteers at the local library, gardens and goes beach-combing and yard-saling.
Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.
Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...
Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.
Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 6, 2023
This author writes very nice humor. I have read another of her books and they fall in the same line, which I appreciate.
I was a bit shocked with a review saying that this book was way too scandalous and sexual that when I finished reading it I had to laugh. There's only one very hot embrace but no more than that. But regardless of the not quite so clean book I enjoyed every moment of it.
4.5 stars.
I was a bit shocked with a review saying that this book was way too scandalous and sexual that when I finished reading it I had to laugh. There's only one very hot embrace but no more than that. But regardless of the not quite so clean book I enjoyed every moment of it.
4.5 stars.
October 3, 2015
Metzger writes zero dirty scenes (as my cousin once delicately phrased it, "no spreading before the wedding") but there are pages and pages of clever innuendo, creative swearing, swollen ladybits and tight trousers. fucking adorable -- without the fucking.
July 20, 2015
A LAUGH A MINUTE
As usual a great book. A wonderful mystery, with drama, comedy, suspense and clean old fashioned romance. You will LAUGH out loud over the antics of our hero. He is charming, handsome,, kind and industrious. The heroine is beautiful, sweet, kind, independent and smart. The other characters are well developed also. You will never waste your money on this author, she. Has been one of. My favorites for years, I only wish there were more books I have not read by her.
As usual a great book. A wonderful mystery, with drama, comedy, suspense and clean old fashioned romance. You will LAUGH out loud over the antics of our hero. He is charming, handsome,, kind and industrious. The heroine is beautiful, sweet, kind, independent and smart. The other characters are well developed also. You will never waste your money on this author, she. Has been one of. My favorites for years, I only wish there were more books I have not read by her.
December 8, 2017
I found this on a list of clean reads, but I would not consider it clean. While there isn't outright sex, there's a lot of talk and daydreaming about it, a lot of innuendos, and far more touching than I consider clean. While I enjoyed the plot line and the repartee, I didn't enjoy the book overall because I went into it misunderstanding the cleanliness of it. Barbara Metzger is an excellent writer, but if you're looking for a clean no-more-than-kissing read, this is not the book for you.
October 4, 2022
One of the funniest Barbara Metzger books I've read! Miss Kane is a wealthy heiress, and Stony is the archetypal broke Lord.
What makes this book special is an entire menagerie of the funniest characters including Miss Kane's foul-mouthed, but invisible parrot (much to Stony's eternal surprise), Miss Kane's aunt who's supposedly mute, an ancient, yet horny butler, a host of balding, fat suitors for the heiress, and even a villain to round it all off. Hilarity ensues!
What makes this book special is an entire menagerie of the funniest characters including Miss Kane's foul-mouthed, but invisible parrot (much to Stony's eternal surprise), Miss Kane's aunt who's supposedly mute, an ancient, yet horny butler, a host of balding, fat suitors for the heiress, and even a villain to round it all off. Hilarity ensues!
November 3, 2010
Metzger's books are always fun to read and this was no exception. There is something about the tone of her books that I seem to find enjoyable. If you have ever watched Whose Line is it Anyway where they say and 'the points don't really matter', in this book the mystery's don't really matter but they are nice and add plot to the story.
April 23, 2025
new microtrope to love - swooning hero
December 7, 2009
I found this book on a clean romance shelf but found it was not what I would call clean. It wasn’t "R" rated by any means but it was a little too much for me. The story was good and an overall fun read but the sexual references were just getting worse as the book went on. I never finished the book so my two star rating is a little unfair but as for the "clean romance title" I would not have put it on the shelf!
May 8, 2017
4.5
The writing was great. I loved the banter between Ellianne and Stony. One of the scenes that stand out to me was Stony wondering why she was still talking about the gross medical lecture as if he wasn't gagging. This was when they were eating and the conversation put him off his dinner. I also liked how the conflict was resolved. I loved the parallel between Daniel and Strickland telling Stony to unhand their fiancee. Ellianne looked like her sister and Gwen was crying over a misunderstanding. Anyways, it was just clever writing and that is present throughout the whole book.
I think the best part of this book is the premise. I loved the hero as a paid companion. I like the subverting of the roles. I think this is the first book I have read that has a male paid companion a la poor gentlewoman to an old lady. Except in this instance, it is with debutantes. He paves the way for a successful debut and sort of guides them through the season. The premise makes me smile.
I really like the hero and heroine. I loved that Stony was giving an accounting of his financial accounts as a proposal. I liked that their shortcomings are understandable. Overall, I thought this book was great.
The story revolves around Ellianne and Stony. Elliane is searching for her missing sister. She is worried that something awful happened to her. Being estranged from the ton, she needed someone with an in. She hired Stony to accompany her in parties. She was investigating the possible whereabouts of her sister and she thought balls and parties would be hubs of information. She wanted to show her face to people because she and her sister had a remarkably red hair. She asked whether they had seen anyone like her. She also hired another runner to help with her search.
During her investigation, she found that women have been getting murdered. She came to identify the bodies and see if she would be met with bad news. They found that the victims were doxies and apparently, they had a serial murderer in their hands.
It turns out that the murderer was her suitor. He was a coroner who mistook her polite interest as romantic. He plotted out their life together where he would marry her and get her money. He continued to kill to get her to spend time with him. The last murder was to lure her in a secluded place. Luckily, Stony followed because he didn't have a good feeling about the coroner. He was just in time to save the day by shooting a man with a reticule. The gun he believed to be empty, but it was really loaded, went off. The coroner ended up dying by his own weapon in an accident.
They eventually found her sister. The story was that the sister fell in love with an officer. She wanted her aunt to recognize their love because she was increasing. She was sent away. She sent word to her lover but he didn't receive it. When news of her aunt's death spread and her noticeable absence, she was suspected of having something to do with it. She ended up staying at Strickland's unoccupied house. She said she was his mistress and she waited there for her sister. She sent letters but Ellianne didn't receive them. Daniel pursued her but met with the worst luck, having many things in his way go wrong. He met with Ellianne to find the sister and it wasn't until the talk turned to Strickland's lovenest that they figured where the sister resided.
Stony ended up with the reward money. A bulk of it was from Ellianne but some of it was from the doxies and some from the Coroner's office. He was no longer impoverished and was able to propose to Ellianne without her thinking he was marrying her for the money.
The book ended with Stony and Ellianne engaged.
The writing was great. I loved the banter between Ellianne and Stony. One of the scenes that stand out to me was Stony wondering why she was still talking about the gross medical lecture as if he wasn't gagging. This was when they were eating and the conversation put him off his dinner. I also liked how the conflict was resolved. I loved the parallel between Daniel and Strickland telling Stony to unhand their fiancee. Ellianne looked like her sister and Gwen was crying over a misunderstanding. Anyways, it was just clever writing and that is present throughout the whole book.
I think the best part of this book is the premise. I loved the hero as a paid companion. I like the subverting of the roles. I think this is the first book I have read that has a male paid companion a la poor gentlewoman to an old lady. Except in this instance, it is with debutantes. He paves the way for a successful debut and sort of guides them through the season. The premise makes me smile.
I really like the hero and heroine. I loved that Stony was giving an accounting of his financial accounts as a proposal. I liked that their shortcomings are understandable. Overall, I thought this book was great.
The story revolves around Ellianne and Stony. Elliane is searching for her missing sister. She is worried that something awful happened to her. Being estranged from the ton, she needed someone with an in. She hired Stony to accompany her in parties. She was investigating the possible whereabouts of her sister and she thought balls and parties would be hubs of information. She wanted to show her face to people because she and her sister had a remarkably red hair. She asked whether they had seen anyone like her. She also hired another runner to help with her search.
During her investigation, she found that women have been getting murdered. She came to identify the bodies and see if she would be met with bad news. They found that the victims were doxies and apparently, they had a serial murderer in their hands.
It turns out that the murderer was her suitor. He was a coroner who mistook her polite interest as romantic. He plotted out their life together where he would marry her and get her money. He continued to kill to get her to spend time with him. The last murder was to lure her in a secluded place. Luckily, Stony followed because he didn't have a good feeling about the coroner. He was just in time to save the day by shooting a man with a reticule. The gun he believed to be empty, but it was really loaded, went off. The coroner ended up dying by his own weapon in an accident.
They eventually found her sister. The story was that the sister fell in love with an officer. She wanted her aunt to recognize their love because she was increasing. She was sent away. She sent word to her lover but he didn't receive it. When news of her aunt's death spread and her noticeable absence, she was suspected of having something to do with it. She ended up staying at Strickland's unoccupied house. She said she was his mistress and she waited there for her sister. She sent letters but Ellianne didn't receive them. Daniel pursued her but met with the worst luck, having many things in his way go wrong. He met with Ellianne to find the sister and it wasn't until the talk turned to Strickland's lovenest that they figured where the sister resided.
Stony ended up with the reward money. A bulk of it was from Ellianne but some of it was from the doxies and some from the Coroner's office. He was no longer impoverished and was able to propose to Ellianne without her thinking he was marrying her for the money.
The book ended with Stony and Ellianne engaged.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2021
(3.5 stars) - Fun but overly bawdy
Metzger's story has an entertaining Georgette Heyer flavor to it. Ellianne & Stony are oil & vinegar opposites, but eventually realize that their differences give them a delightful complementarity.
Unfortunately, the author lets that aspect of the story get swamped by the depiction of a growing lust between the two which quickly passes from an amusing wink to a constant eyeroll that left me seeing out the back of my head. It went too far & went on for too long.
The ending was good in several aspects, (SPOILER) except for Ellianne's lust leading her to be willing to be Stony's whore if that's all he's willing to give her. That was a complete surrender of the person we're to believe that Stony fell in love with - a sacrifice of her identity as well as her morals, & was very disappointing.
So, in sum, it's an entertaining story but a bit on the shallow side & crosses into R-rated territory.
*Romance level: passionate kisses, slightly graphic descriptions of lusty thoughts & semi-graphic descriptions of hard bodies & groping cleavage
Metzger's story has an entertaining Georgette Heyer flavor to it. Ellianne & Stony are oil & vinegar opposites, but eventually realize that their differences give them a delightful complementarity.
Unfortunately, the author lets that aspect of the story get swamped by the depiction of a growing lust between the two which quickly passes from an amusing wink to a constant eyeroll that left me seeing out the back of my head. It went too far & went on for too long.
The ending was good in several aspects, (SPOILER) except for Ellianne's lust leading her to be willing to be Stony's whore if that's all he's willing to give her. That was a complete surrender of the person we're to believe that Stony fell in love with - a sacrifice of her identity as well as her morals, & was very disappointing.
So, in sum, it's an entertaining story but a bit on the shallow side & crosses into R-rated territory.
*Romance level: passionate kisses, slightly graphic descriptions of lusty thoughts & semi-graphic descriptions of hard bodies & groping cleavage
August 5, 2022
This book started very strong. I loved the antagonism between the main characters and was having a laugh per minute. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was perfect for this story. Unfortunately, the book starts going downhill once the romance starts in earnest. At that point, I was just ready to finish it. That said, both protagonists are great, especially the competent heroine. This book definitely had more sexual innuendo and sexual situations than other books I've read by Barbara Metzger. It does not add to the story and, in fact, is part of the reason I didn't like the second half of the book (not that I mind the language, it just wasn't needed).
May 29, 2023
Too much talking about physical attraction and body parts for me to be comfortable with. And it got old.
July 5, 2023
Clean Regency Romance with a side of steam
Handsome, charming Stony, a viscount, is broke thanks to the debts piled up by his deceased father. Given to fainting on seeing blood, he's not suited for a career in the army or indeed the church or law. So he sets himself up as a discreet escort for young ladies of the ton; being hired by fathers, brothers and sundry male relatives to accompany their charges in dancing, promenading in the park etc to increase their social cachet and hopefully catch the eye of suitable husband material. Stony is very effective and highly trusted by these men of the aristocracy and the fact that he's remunerated remains hush hush. Also he's extremely fond of his young step mother Gwen, who keeps house for him.
Enter a dowdy female, Miss Kane who wants to hire Stony to help trace her younger sister who went missing in London after their aunt, with whom she was staying for a short while, passes away quite suddenly. Ellianne, Miss Kane, has a head for numbers and after her father's death, is actively managing the family owned bank. She's a rich heiress and so is the missing sister, Isabelle.
Ellianne is clear headed, clear sighted about what she wants from the arrangement - her sister. She's prickly, insistent about terms and conditions of contracts, and disconcerted by her attraction to Stony who in turn is in lust with her glorious silky long flaming red hair, but is too principled to act on it. Their search embroils them in the pursuit of a serial killer, who seems to be inspired by Jack the ripper. And through the misteps and mistrust and forced time together in the quest, each slowly begins to appreciate the real person behind the mask. The mystery of the missing sister is resolved finally in an unexpected way, and that story has more twists than seen on the dance floor in the 60s!
The story brings out many difficult dimensions of life in London in that era including the class gap between the ton and trade, the abysmal conditions of poverty, the brutality of the flesh trade etc. In this it does an exceptional job. A great read, heartily recommend to readers of clean historical romance.
Handsome, charming Stony, a viscount, is broke thanks to the debts piled up by his deceased father. Given to fainting on seeing blood, he's not suited for a career in the army or indeed the church or law. So he sets himself up as a discreet escort for young ladies of the ton; being hired by fathers, brothers and sundry male relatives to accompany their charges in dancing, promenading in the park etc to increase their social cachet and hopefully catch the eye of suitable husband material. Stony is very effective and highly trusted by these men of the aristocracy and the fact that he's remunerated remains hush hush. Also he's extremely fond of his young step mother Gwen, who keeps house for him.
Enter a dowdy female, Miss Kane who wants to hire Stony to help trace her younger sister who went missing in London after their aunt, with whom she was staying for a short while, passes away quite suddenly. Ellianne, Miss Kane, has a head for numbers and after her father's death, is actively managing the family owned bank. She's a rich heiress and so is the missing sister, Isabelle.
Ellianne is clear headed, clear sighted about what she wants from the arrangement - her sister. She's prickly, insistent about terms and conditions of contracts, and disconcerted by her attraction to Stony who in turn is in lust with her glorious silky long flaming red hair, but is too principled to act on it. Their search embroils them in the pursuit of a serial killer, who seems to be inspired by Jack the ripper. And through the misteps and mistrust and forced time together in the quest, each slowly begins to appreciate the real person behind the mask. The mystery of the missing sister is resolved finally in an unexpected way, and that story has more twists than seen on the dance floor in the 60s!
The story brings out many difficult dimensions of life in London in that era including the class gap between the ton and trade, the abysmal conditions of poverty, the brutality of the flesh trade etc. In this it does an exceptional job. A great read, heartily recommend to readers of clean historical romance.
October 30, 2021
forgot it as soon as closed the cover. only a reviewer's review of the plot brought back what I had read. the villain was easily identified but not his insanity. Ellie and Stony were Metzger's typical H/h with indubitable outcome. some very disturbing content of murders of women of no count, shaving their hair and keeping in separate boxes. yuck. Final scene of Stony saving Ellie at the morgue? Sister safe with all letters gone astray? Sister's lover having difficulties getting to her that were beyond belief, like humorous trials of Odysseus. thus a desperate read as our democracy continues to unravel with the deepening plot of Trump attempting to sabotage elections while 78% of pubs actually believe him, thus their elected officials to keep their jobs, must echo the insanity of their voters. But caution, the South believed they were right against the North, and though the Union was preserved, the South won the legend.
May 10, 2020
When I started this book I was so sure that I was going to love this little romp. Unfortunately, what started out as a fun, frothy book took a really gruesome turn towards the middle. The mystery involved some really graphic and disturbing imagery, which marred my enjoyment of the book. Otherwise, it was good fun.
The romance was slow burn and adorable, but the highlight of the book for me was the heroine. It's rare to see strong, capable, efficient heroines in romance novels, and Ellie was surely someone I'm going to remember for a long time.
The romance was slow burn and adorable, but the highlight of the book for me was the heroine. It's rare to see strong, capable, efficient heroines in romance novels, and Ellie was surely someone I'm going to remember for a long time.
April 26, 2024
pretty disappointed by this one—it was missing the usual tongue-in-cheek wit from metzger and the extra length (in comparison to her other books) definitely didn’t help.
both leads were disrespectful to each other from the beginning and way too much time was spent on unlikable side characters and their interactions with our protagonists. the “mysteries” were extremely predictable from the get-go and no one was particularly compelling despite having so many plot lines going on at the same time. you know it’s not a winner when even the token dog isn’t delightful in the least!
both leads were disrespectful to each other from the beginning and way too much time was spent on unlikable side characters and their interactions with our protagonists. the “mysteries” were extremely predictable from the get-go and no one was particularly compelling despite having so many plot lines going on at the same time. you know it’s not a winner when even the token dog isn’t delightful in the least!
April 18, 2019
BM al meglio, con i suoi bizzarri personaggi (tra tutti, spettacolare l'idea della zia 'chaperon da angiporto') e una storia sufficientemente intrisa di colpi di scena. Il suo debole, come spesso, è nel finale, fuori posto e arrangiaticcio. Ma glielo perdono volentieri: non mi capita tutti i giorni di farmi una sana risata su qualche pagina di romanzo.
October 15, 2020
A funny, fun, romantic story. This story is full of hea and hijinx and happy couples. I love all of the main characters. The secondary characters are fun too. A little mystery but nothing too suspenseful. A perfect romantic comedy to listen to while doing projects or driving! Rated pg13 I would think for innuendo and adult conversations.
March 24, 2022
Barbara Metzger is my absolute fave Regency Romance novelist. Love, love, love her humour! And I don't care one teeny bit that the story line is way outside of believable.....that's part of the charm, for me. And her characters are gorgeous! So, thank you Barbara, laughter you bring to me with your writing!
April 12, 2020
A great premise for a regency book. A gentleman who was down on his luck and money, and started helping out fellow peers by squiring young debs around town. Enter a banking heiress, looking for a lost sister. Good regency read.
November 17, 2025
Disappointed with this one. Although the writing was good and the Audible narrator was excellent after about 50% I found it became repetitive and a bit boring. Also the H and h lusted after each other too much for my taste. I didn’t like the scenes in the morgue very much either.
December 22, 2025
New edition, usual joy. A happy, joyful read, where you can laugh out loud. Funny and loveable characters, unusual situations and a mystery or two.
Enjoy, while I am going to pick more books by the author.
Thanks netgalley for the arc (of the new edition). Opinions are my own.
Enjoy, while I am going to pick more books by the author.
Thanks netgalley for the arc (of the new edition). Opinions are my own.
January 18, 2020
Too many morbid scenes spoiled the otherwise light-hearted story. The secondary story line was underdeveloped, considering how much if affected the main story. The ending felt rushed.
April 3, 2020
This book was funny..
May 11, 2020
3.5 stars
December 13, 2020
Metzger's writing is enjoyable, but I haven't really loved any of her characters yet.
April 19, 2022
Funny, scattered, romantic and mysterious. This author has a keen and quirky sense of humor..
September 14, 2024
I enjoyed this book, not as hilarious as Miss Lockhart's Letters but a good read none the less. A bit more sensual which I enjoyed. Will definitely read more of Barbara Metzger's books.
December 17, 2024
3.5 almost a four. A good listen, a bit drawn out. It took time to get used to the reader's voice, but I adjusted and then enjoyed her.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews