Improper Gentlemen

by Diane Whiteside

Unsuitable. Forbidden. Oh-so-seductive. These gentlemen are hardly respectable. But they are the very, very best...

Talbot's Ace Diane Whiteside

He rules Colorado's most glittering, anything-goes gambling palace. And Justin Talbot never does something for nothing. But if daring Boston aristocrat Charlotte Morland needs his protection from a dangerous enemy, he'll have no choice but to make her business his pleasure...

To Match a Thief Maggie Robinson

Ex-pickpocket Sir Simon Keith can finally afford the best of everything. But London's most-desired courtesan is his lost love Lucy. Now Simon will need his wits and his considerably large...wiles to win his way back into her bed-and into her heart.

A Knack for Trouble Mia Marlowe

Lord Aidan Stonemere didn't go from prison to a title playing by society's rules. If he wants something, he takes it, and Rosalinde Burke didn't object to being taken. Once. To keep her from marrying a staid viscount, Aidan's about to remind her how deliciously good being bad feels...

Genres: Historical Romance, Anthologies, Historical, Romance, Short Stories

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

By day, Diane Whiteside builds and designs computer systems for the government. By night, she escapes into a world of alpha males and the unique women who turn their lives upside down. Noticing the lack of a husband to keep Diane in line, her Tibetan Terrier stepped up to the plate and makes sure that Diane does everything The Right Way which means lots of walks and dog treats. For more information about Diane plus her alpha males, unique women, and Tibetan Terriers, her website.

Reviews

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three unusual, hardly respectable heroes, in this anthology of historical romances by Diane Whiteside, Mia Malone, and Maggie Robinson.

The Stories
Diane Whiteside's "Talbot's Ace" wasn't particularly believable, but it was fun with its fiercely independent female poker player who winds up needing protection in a Colorado mining town.

Maggie Robinson's "To Match a Thief" is rather sweet, at least at the end. I liked the idea of an inventor who makes good.

Mia Malone's "A Knack for Trouble" was certainly different with its Caribbean convict who turns out to be a viscount with a knack he must hide from his lady love. It certainly does have a nasty twist at the end.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a surround of white, mostly the white shirt hanging off the arms of the barechested, ripped hero holding his pink-clad heroine — don't get excited, we only see them from shoulder-to-waist. Sigh. Meanwhile the title is in a deeper pink across his arm while the authors' names are in purple below it.

The title is all about three very Improper Gentlemen.

[Booklover1335 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talbots Ace by Diane Whiteside 2.75 stars( I thought it was a complete mess especially considering this was the headlining author)

To Match a Thief Maggie Robinson 4.25 stars (my favorite read of the anthology and returns to Jane street. loved it!)

A Knack for Trouble Mia Marlowe 4.00 stars (also a very good read with an Irish hero which is hard to come by. definitely worth your time)

Overall it's worth it to pick up this anthology for Maggie Robinson, and Mia Marlowe's stories in the book, but was extremely disappointed by the Diane Whiteside story. It was much shorter, all over the place, no real connection that would justify deep and abiding love within one day, and really was just not good. It made a potentially great historical romance anthology by some of Brava's brightest romance writers into some average with the inclusion of Ms. Whiteside's story (used to love her books).

[Habrewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Improper Gentlemen by Diane Whiteside, Maggie Robinson & Mia Marlowe
* I received a copy of this book from Kensington in exchange for an honest review*

"Talbot's Ace" by Diane Whiteside: He rules Colorado's most glittering, anything-goes gambling palace. And Justin Talbot never does something for nothing. But if daring Boston aristocrat Charlotte Morland needs his protection from a dangerous enemy, he'll have no choice but to make her business his pleasure..."To Match a Thief" by Maggie Robinson: Ex-pickpocket Sir Simon Keith can finally afford the best of everything. But London's most-desired courtesan is his lost love Lucy. Now Simon will need his wits and his considerably large...wiles to win his way back into her bed - and into her heart. "A Knack for Trouble" by Mia Marlowe: Lord Aidan Stonemere didn't go from prison to a title playing by society's rules. If he wants something, he takes it, and Rosalinde Burke didn't object to being taken. Once. To keep her from marrying a staid viscount, Aidan's about to remind her how deliciously good being bad feels...

Talbot’s Ace by Diane Whiteside
Charlotte “Ace” Morland is left home after a dispute with her step-mother and hasn’t looked back since. She is well known on the poker tour but she has made some enemies along the way. She has come to town for a big Poker Tournament but she soon realizes her enemies will stop at nothing to get her.

Justin Talbot owns the Hair Trigger Palace and takes care of business in town. He is known for his quick draw and short temper. He and the mayor have been friends and business partners for years but that relationship will be tested when one feisty young lady rides into town.

Charlotte finds herself in serious need of protection and Justin is just the man for the job. He is sexy but more importantly, he makes her feel safe. He stands up to his business partner to protect her and starts to realize that there is something wrong with his friend. Being with Charlotte makes him crave more than this lonely life he is leading, he wants a future with her.

The chemistry between these two was evident from the beginning. I loved Charlotte’s character, she was smart and funny but she wasn’t a helpless female. She was able to get away when she was captured by remaining calm and using her head. She didn’t panic and was able to use things around her to say safe. She also knew when to ask for help and that’s where Justin comes in.

To Match a Thief by Maggie Robinson
Sir Simon Keith is a long way away from Simon Grant, renowned pickpocket and thief. Simon has always been good with his hands so he moved up the ranks of the army quickly. He ended up in the War Office where he made a name for himself. Now he is a respected businessman.

Lucy Dellamar worked in her aunt’s millinery shop growing up. She made beautiful hats that were in high demand but her aunt took the credit for them. She met Simon while working at the shop then he left and never came back. Now she is the famous Courtesan for Lord Ferguson, at least she appears to be. Lord Ferguson and Lucy share many things in common, the bed just isn’t one of them.

Because of poor investments, Lord Ferguson has to sell his house on Jane Street. They have sold everything they could possibly sell and Lucy has been swiping things from her neighbors to help buy food. Now she is losing her home unless she is willing to become the courtesan for Lord Simon, little did she know that Lord Simon was “her Simon” from years ago?

Simon is elated to be reunited with Lucy and is determined to make her his again no matter what. He wants to marry her and have a life with her forever. Lucy is still drawn to Simon but she insists that she will not stay there and be with him. They had a wicked time at the Opera that they continued when they got home. Now Simon just has to convince her that he wants her as his wife, not just as his mistress.

A Knack for Trouble by Mia Marlowe
Lord Aiden Stonemere fell in love with Rosalinde Burke while he was the leader of the Irish convicts. She was the Commissioner’s daughter and she was the only bright spot in his day. After a night of shared passion, Rosalinde was sent to live with her Great-aunt in England.

Aiden inherited Stonehaven and became the new Lord. He has a plan to flush out the real killer of Peg Bass during a party at the estate. He has all the key players there from years ago and if things go according to plan, he will clear his name and be able to court Rosalinde properly.

Rosalinde has never forgotten her stolen night with Aiden. She is drawn to him, even though she should be trying to match with a respectable man like Edwin Musgrave. Her aunt has agreed to provide her with a dowry and give her father money to live on if she makes a respectable match. In her heart though, she knows that no man will satisfy her like Aiden will.

Overall I enjoyed all three of the stories. I think I liked the last one the best because there was love, murder and mayhem. They were all fun stories about gentlemen with a whole lot of bad boy in them. I would definitely recommend this book to others. I give Improper Gentlemen 4 Flaming Hearts.

[Renate Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

three very enjoyable stories with a good humor

[SidneyKay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throbbing, Twitching, Pounding, Thrusting, Spilling, Spurting, Sucking!

You would think this was an adventure story with all the action verbs being thrown around. But it just an anthology published by Brava with a plethora of descriptive sex verbiage. Whenever I buy an anthology I always keep my fingers crossed, because you never know what you're getting. However, in this case, since it was a hot Brava publication, I had a pretty good idea of what I was purchasing. Since this is a trade-sized book, the price was a tad bit higher than a normal paperback. In the back of my mind was also the apprehension that because this was a Brava anthology, the sex in the book might have a tendency to overwhelm the storyline. Short story+Lots of sex=Tiresome.

Talbot's Ace by Diane Whiteside
So, let's begin. Our hero and heroine: Charlotte and Justin. Yup. Sorry to say, this proved to be my least favorite in the trio of offerings. First of all, the storyline takes place in the American old west, my least favorite romance land. Yeehaw, yup and howdy ma'am moments are not my cup of tea. That aside, what could have been a good story just didn't work. The dialog was awkward, the plotting rushed and the sex overwhelmed the narrative. The whole thing had the feel of one of those old B cowboy movies from the 50's, but with oodles of sex. Interesting idea, just didn't grab me.

To Match a Thief by Maggie Robinson
The second story. Hero and heroine: Simon and Lucy. After reading this story, I've decided to check out Ms. Robinson's upcoming full-length novel. Even though this was a short story, it still delivered. The characters were well-written and there was plenty of sexual tension. Even though it had tons of sex, some of it in unbelievable places, it still did not overpower the story. And, there were some humorous moments - always good in my book. This is also one of those stories that could have been so much better in full-length format.

A Knack for Trouble by Mia Marlowe
The last in the group and my favorite. Hero and heroine: Aiden and Rosalinde. This story is complete. It is a short story that had the feel of a longer tale. We have likable characters with funny dialog. We even have room for a red herring when it comes to solving our mystery. I would have liked to have known more about Aiden's supposed supernatural gift, but you can't have everything in a short story. I did have an EEEWWWW moment that threw me out of the story with a giggle and a raised eyebrow. (Spoiler: for some reason the mentioning of a hairy scrotum just doesn't do it for me...especially on the hero. My hero's don't have hair there and it doesn't stand on end. I don't know, maybe that's just me or maybe it's one of those words that I find hilarious and not romantic. (And, I'm not talking about the word hairy).

In the end the book turned out to be pretty much what I expected. Short on character study and long on sex (so to speak). Some of the stories handled that better than others and I found a new author that I'm going to check out. I already have Mia Marlowe on my list. If you don't mind the higher price for a trade book, this is a fair read. Also, remember Improper Gentlemen is not a light-weight fluffy historical read, but a Brava scorcher - be prepared to have the fan on.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

This steamy anthology begins with Talbot’s Ace by Diane Whiteside. Justin Talbot is the owner of Hair Trigger Palace, the gambling hall in the small town of Wolf Laurel, Colorada. Charlotte “Ace” Morland is a Boston socialite running from a dangerous past. When the two literally run into each other during Wolf Laurel’s gambling tournament, the sparks…didn’t really fly for me. Whiteside’s writing style made the dialogue seem stilted and she struggled to connect trains of thought. While trying to give background information on the characters, we were given glimpses of an intriguing story that failed to come to fruition. Although the story came to the expected HEA, the process wasn’t as satisfactory as it could have been.

To Match a Thief by Maggie Robinson introduces the dashing and respected Sir Simon Keith, who was once Simon Grant, a pickpocket and con. Now that he can afford the best of everything—through mostly legal means—he finds that what he wants most can in fact be bought. Because what he wants is London’s most mysterious courtesan—and Simon’s onetime love—Lucy Dalhousie, now known as Lucy Dellamar. But once Simon has purchased her services from Lord Ferguson, her longtime benefactor who has fallen on hard times, can he earn his way into her heart? The sexual tension really heated up in this story. Robinson did a very good job of creating an atmosphere of desire, while also introducing us to interesting characters. How did they once know each other—and how did one rise so high and one fall so low? And although Lucy carries a secret that might actually benefit her to tell Simon, they somehow find HEA without her confiding in him, which left me feeling bereft with this bit of unresolved issues.

They definitely saved the best for last with A Knack for Trouble by Mia Marlow. Aidan Danaher, the baron of Stonemere, has the Knack, a psychic ability that allows him to bend others’ wills. It is a large part of how he got from convicted murderer to titled lord. But he finds himself reluctant to use his gift to gain him want he really wants: the love of Rosalinde Burke. She had fallen for his sweet whispers and soft touches once��but will she risk following her heart into Aidan’s arms? Or will she follow the path that she knows will lead her to a secure future if not a complete HEA? Marlow had witty dialogue and very steamy scenes. She gave a strong foundation for her characters and built them into solid, dynamic people in the reader’s mind. I just wished she had explained a bit more about Aidan’s Knack—like where it came from, when it first developed, etc. Otherwise a very fun and sensual story that wraps up this anthology quite satisfactorily.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

See My Review on Nocturnereads.com

Like all anthologies there are good parts and there are not so good parts. All three stories have a few things in common: improper sexy men, improper sensuous ladies, and hot steamy sex.
In Talbot’s Ace, the setting is great, but the story itself lacks connection. The story had a good start, but the emotional pull to a story just wasn’t there. To Match a Thief on the other hand was great. Setting, character connection, and climax were all there; this story had potential until the last page. The ending left me literally saying out loud “you have got to be kidding me, there is no way that can be how it ends.” Then we get to A Knack for Trouble, and this story is the reason the rating is bumped up to 4 HOOTS. I loved this story! Aidan and Rose are perfect for each other, and the secondary characters fit well also. This well told, well written, story has us guessing, wondering, and hot from beginning to end. Mia Marlowe is definitely the author to be watching for from this anthology.

[Donna]

I have a love/hate relationship with anthologies. I’ve found some great authors through them and some of my regular authors sometimes offer up something to keep us happy until the next book comes out.
I purchased Improper Gentlemen because I enjoy Diane Whiteside’s work and she had the lead story.
Talbot’s Ace by Diane Whiteside - It fell way short of her regular standards. The story had too many back stories that were left unexplained. Her hero and heroine were tolerable and the ending was way too abrupt. I believe it could have been a good full length story but in this format not so much.
To Match A Thief by Maggie Robinson – Had a few good moments but again not anything to write home about.
A Knack for Trouble by Diana Marlowe – This was the best of the lot. Ms. Marlowe is a new to me author. I will look into her backlist. She made the most of the short format and told a good story.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

IMPROPER GENTLEMEN by Diane Whiteside,Maggie Roberson, and Mia Marlowe is three exciting historical romances set in 1875 Wolf Laurel,Colorado,1820 London, and 1827 Bermuda. These three authors have done an outstanding job at writing three historicals full of romance,love,a bit of danger,a little suspense,sweet sensuality,a lot of passion that will keep you turning pages well into the night. With sexy,unsuitable,forbidden gentlemen,and not so respectable,but beautiful,fiesty ladies who know what they want and go after it and the men they love. A fast paced selection of stories that you will not regret reading. "Improper Gentlemen" is just what the title suggests improper gentlemen with improper ladies. A must read for all historical romance readers. This book was received for review from the publisher.Details can be found at Brava Books,published by Kensington Publishing Corp.and My Book Addiction and More.

[Ltlmer2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

All 3 authors were new to me.

Didn't really like the first story, Talbot's Ace. It's not really a favorite genre of mine to start and the writing was too simplistic and weird insta-lust/love. Just ok. I probably won't look for anything else by this author.

To Match a Theif was my favorite of the three. I liked the flow of the story; it felt complete for a novella (and it always helps that the characters have a history with shorts). Nice amount of chemistry and heat. I'll check out more from Maggie Robinson.

A Knack for Trouble grew on me as it went on. I read a little bit of paranormal but not often. This one had just a hint of it with the romance and it ended up working for me.

[Diane Sallans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has three stories.
The first takes place in Colorado with a lady gambler from Boston, a fastgun from the south who went west after the Civil War, and a couple of nasty villians.
The second is a story in Maggie Robinson's Courtesan Court series.
My favorite was the story by Mia Marlowe. I hadn't read her stories before, but I'll be watching for them in the future. I liked the characters, the romance and the bit of a mystery and adventure. With a bit of a paranormal element called the 'Knack'.

[Maria Almaguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed two novellas in this collection, "To Match a Thief" by Maggie Robinson and "A Knack for Trouble" by Mia Marlowe, two of my favorite authors. Review for "To Match a Thief": http://bit.ly/JHh8qr
Review for "The Knack:" http://bit.ly/1ddOhnD

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talbot's Ace-- very hard to get into and took me a while to care about it.
To Match a Thief -- was good!
A Knack for Trouble-- excellent! Loved it wished it was longer and I enjoyed the characters, plot and I don't really enjoy mysteries. But best story of it all!!

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very much to say about it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was overall a good read. I just wish the stories were a little longer.

[MK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very, very meh. Mia Marlowe's was the strongest story, but even that seemed thrown together with little polish.

[Sofie A]

Talbot's Ace
by Diane Whiteside
(★★1/2)

To Match a Thief
by Maggie Robinson
(★★★)

A Knack for Trouble
by Mia Marlowe