Meu Cavalheiro Notório

Inferno Club #6

by Gaelen Foley, Regiane Moreira (translator)

O ex-espião e membro do Clube Dante, Lorde Trevor Montgomery, está prestes a enfrentar o maior perigo de o casamento! Sim, todas as damas da cidade estão loucas por ele, mas ele não tem o menor interesse em nenhuma delas, exceto pela tímida e calorosa Srta. Grace Kenwood - a filha do pároco.

Ela poderia roubar seu coração - se ele acreditasse ainda possuir um.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance, Fiction

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2013

About the author

Gaelen Foley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty historical romances set in the glittering world of Regency England. Her books are available in sixteen languages and have won numerous genre awards, such as the Bookseller's Best, the NJRW Golden Leaf (three times), the CRW Award of Excellence, the National Reader's Choice Award, the Beacon, and the Holt Medallion.

A Pennsylvania native, Gaelen holds a B.A. in English literature with a minor in Philosophy from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, a quaint lakeside village where Mark Twain once owned a home. It was here, while studying the Romantic poets, such as Wordsworth, Byron, and Keats that she first fell in love with the Regency period in which her novels are set. Gaelen lives in western Pennsylvania with her college-sweetheart husband, Eric, a schoolteacher, with whom she co-writes middle grade fantasy adventure novels under the pen-name, E.G. Foley. (See www.EGFoley.com.) She is hard at work on her next book.

Reviews

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 'don't give up on me' stars!

My Notorious Gentleman is book #6 in Gaelen Foley's Inferno Club series, a historical romance meets special ops meets small town life story. This installment has all the facets I love most in my escapism reading; humor, passion, romance, and a great storyline, all centered around my very favorite thing - a hero in need of love and the heroine who will stop at nothing to make him believe he's worthy of hers.

If you haven't experienced Ms. Foley's historical romances, you're missing out on some great reading.

Blurb...

Former spy and Inferno Club member Lord Trevor Montgomery is about to ace the greatest danger of all—marriage! Yes, he has every lady of the ton swooning, but he doesn’t have a jot of interest in any of them, except for shy, warm-hearted Miss Grace Kenwood—the parson’s daughter.

She could steal his heart—if he believed he still possessed one.

Note... I'd like to say this can be read as a standalone, but to really enjoy it, it's best read in order.

An ARC of this story was provided by Avon Books (a long time ago, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it) and to show my appreciation I'm giving them an honest review!

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a strong 4 for the most part.

But the romance got a bit diluted by everything going on in between, and then it went off course at the end which seemed to have been written to fatten up the book.

Such a shame.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

With its excruciatingly slow pace and less than charming leads, A Notorious Gentleman was a joyless read and my least favorite Gaelen Foley book thus far. In fact I almost forgot that it even was a Gaelen Foley book because I usually have an abundance of happy book feels after finishing her books but not this time sadly.

As with most HRs that don’t click for me, a majority of my issues here center on the main couple. Grace was super judgey, saint-like to an unbelievable degree and had no spine when it came to people taking advantage of her or treating her poorly. Trevor, our whiny self-centered hero, meanwhile actively went on and on and on some more about how much he hated women (save for the heroine of course) after his fiancee (whom he hadn’t even liked to begin with, let alone loved) dumped him. And I’m supposed to be expected to root for these two to fall in love? NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Also Grace and Trevor’s ~romance was pretty much instalove in nature which only made matters worse.

What infuriated me the most however was the horrid portrayal of women throughout the book. Every single female character that appeared came off as either selfish or shallow and it all seemed to be in a cynical attempt of making our already perfect preacher’s daughter heroine look better by comparison. The fact that this seemed to be done mostly for the benefit of the jackass hero made me want to break things. All types of ladies should be equally but THOUGHTFULLY represented and definitely not used as bad plot devices.

I’ll admit that there were a few, VERY brief moments when I thought that maybe, JUST MAYBE, the story would make a turnaround and become more Gaelen-esque but it never happened. To say I was disappointed would be putting it mildly. I think I’ll be taking a break from The Inferno Club for a bit after this.

[Alba Turunen · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad 3'5 Estrellas. La estrella que falta es por culpa de la pésima edición que he leído, lo cual es una lástima, si el resto de la serie se hubiese seguido publicando en España, tendría las 4 estrellas fijo.

Admito que al empezar el libro tenía algo de miedo porque no sabía qué me iba a encontrar en él, sobre todo tras lo que ocurrió al final del libro de Beau y Carissa. ¿Habría más historia de la Orden? Al fin y al cabo ésta serie va sobre un grupo de espías muy especiales. Bueno, pues en realidad éste libro es más sencillo que todo eso.

Lord Trevor Montgomery vuelve a la vida de civil tras acabarse la guerra. Como reputado héroe y miembro del "infame" Club Inferno, todas las féminas de la sociedad le revolotean por todas partes. Trevor se cansa de ésta situación tan notoria, y una noche, en el baile del marqués de Lievedon, se encuentra con una joven a la que toma por otra cosa, y que con su voluntad, le hará ver que no es como las demás.

Grace es la hija de un párroco rural, pero ella y su padre están pasando unos días en Londres, invitados por sus patronos, los marqueses de Lievedon. Grace es una joven buena, tímida y caritativa, justo lo que debe ser una hija criada por un sacerdote, pero tiene veinticinco años y pocas perspectivas de futuro salvo cuidar de su anciano padre. En Londres se halla fuera de lugar, y en un baile escapa a refugiarse de la vorágine de invitados aristocráticos. Allí será cuando Trevor la encuentre, y ella le haga ver que no está dispuesta, como el resto de mujeres.

Sí, el libro empieza en Londres, pero enseguida cambia de aires y nos presenta una historia mucho más sencilla. Alentado por el padre de Grace, Trevor decide visitar el pueblo donde viven, y allí toma una decisión, establecerse. Es el hijo menor de un duque, de modo que aspira a llevar una vida humilde como caballero rural. Compra una casa desvencijada para reformarla y convertirla en un hogar, y aunque al principio parezca creer que su decisión es por la necesidad de asentarse, no engaña al lector que sus motivos son mucho más profundos, y tienen que ver con cierta persona.

En éste libro no me he encontrado con personajes que engañen o escondan sus sentimientos, y eso me ha gustado porque lo hace variable. Aunque la historia romántica tarda en surgir y no es demasiado evidente, ha sido bonita y discreta. Todo lo que me enfadó de la pareja del primer libro, en éste Gaelen Foley lo ha resuelto. Tenemos en Trevor a un hombre bueno y honrado, que no esconde lo que es ni se engaña, no es un libertino cínico del amor ni nada parecido. Es un hombre que espera enamorarse y formar una familia. De hecho en el anterior libro supimos que estuvo prometido, y en su ausencia durante una de sus duraderas misiones, le dieron por muerto, de modo que su ex-prometida no tardó en irse a por otro, y aunque éste echo le destrozó el corazón y le llenó de rencor, Trevor decide seguir adelante.

En cuanto al resto de personajes secundarios, pues los ha habido que me han gustado, y otros no tanto, Calpurnia era para darla de collejas y a George alguna más, pero la moza de la taberna, Marianne, ha aportado su granito de arena que tendrá que ver mucho con la resolución final. En éste libro no encontraremos una historia de trasfondo secreto de la Orden, tiene una pequeña parte con acción que ha animado al final el libro, pero repito, es una historia muy sencilla, tierna y bonita que se desarrolla en un pueblo, y no en el bullicioso Londres de la Regencia. Lo bueno es que me ha convencido y me ha gustado porque llevaba muchísimo tiempo buscando una novela de Regencia de las de antes que tanto me gustaban, y hacía mucho que no encontraba, por supuesto Gaelen Foley es una apuesta segura.

En cuanto al final, pues ha sido un poco para tirarse de los pelos, porque admito que no me intriga mucho un libro sobre el traidor de Nick, pero con lo que se desvela al final, y que estoy segura de saber quién será su pareja, me dan ganas de leerlo, pero, no sé cuándo será eso.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story in the "Inferno Club" series.
Trevor, Lord Montgomery has had enough of adventure and danger in his life. Now that their top secrets as assassins are the hot topic among nobility and commoners alike, he's ready to retire and have a peaceful life, maybe find a kind woman to marry and build her another house.
Grace Kenwood is quite content in her station in life. She's settled in her spinster status, adores her father and loves taking care of him and if she spends a little too much time meddling in her neighbour's affairs, well, where's the harm in that?
I really liked how they both complimented each other's character and forced them to venture outside their comfort zones. Grace dared to dream of a different future and started to believe that she is worth more than just a daughter of the local vicar and Trevor found himself taking responsibilities in matters that had never crossed his mind before. I dare say that they make one of the top couples in this series.

What didn't sit well with me (and that's why this book didn't get a 5th star) is that I didn't like how the intimacy between them progressed. I know that we get to expect certain things from our authors and smut certainly is one of them, but I felt that in this story and of these characters I didn't need it. Trevor is too much of a gentleman to compromise Grace like that and Grace is too much of a vicar's daughter to throw caution to the wind and allow things to progress this quickly. It is just out of character from both of them. Also I didn't like how she behaved towards her friend Callie, keeping secrets and openly deceiving her, I found it totaly hypocritical.

Onto the last of this series, now. I'm really intrigued of how the bad boy, Nick Forrester, will find his match, in, none else but, Virgil's daughter...

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"he caught Grace Kenwood giving him a cynical little smirk... it seemed to say: You are so full of shit, my lord. Though, of course, the virgin saint would never use such naughty words.

Well that's completely anachronistic speech, but yes, Trevor is full of shit. The first half of this book was pretty terrible I must say. Trevor and Grace were extremely unlikable and spent most of the first half yelling at each other or bitching about other people. Trevor was a massive bitch baby with his women hating bullshit. Grace was better, but super judgey about everyone.

The writing for most of the female characters and the super archaic virgin/whore complex was so prevalent through this book and also the Not Like Other Girls trope. Like Callie was supposed to be Grace's friend but all both of them did was to slag each other off in their heads or with other people. Their friendship was a MESS. Callie could have been an interesting, amusing side character, but instead she was written as this shallow harpy, and I knew Gaelen could have done so much better with her, if we were supposed to CARE about what happened between Callie and George.

Anyway the second half of the book got better. I liked the whole plot of Trevor and Grace working together to fix the town up, and them bonding over it seemed believable. But then everything about their romance later was super rushed. And then the stupid nonsense with George at the end offending the gang felt just shoehorned to put Trevor and Grace in a dangerous situation to get some plot mileage out of it.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaelen Foley is one of my favorite authors and when I finished all her series (Ascension, KM, Spice and Inferno club) well I was more than just a little devastated. I was DISTRAUGHT.



The days and weeks I spent without knowing that My Scandalous Viscount was not the end of the series was pure AGONY.



I tried to look for other novels to past the time, but you know hard it is to trust another author, there are just some stories with such promising plot but just get ruined by how it was written.



So when I found out about My notorious gentleman, I was so ecstatic.





All I can say is Thank you GAELEN! and to my sister who told me about this:


JULY 30 I can't ait for you to come sooner!

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...

After reading and despising book 5 of this series, I thought it’s time I took a vacay from GF’s books. So here I am, after 2 years, trying to finish up the series that started out as a disappointment. In fact, and I know I’ve exhausted this line, that Inferno Club is an overall disaster. If you’ve read her earlier works, you’d know what I mean. Comparing those, this series is full of melodrama, annoying characters with over the top storyline, almost on the verge of being silly. Worse thing is that, all the while I felt that this series had potentials to be something darker, with the author having the talent to make it so. By now I’ve given up any hope for any kinda improvement. As a result, when I started My Notorious Gentleman, I had no great expectations. I just wanted to see how Trevor’s story plays out. Just glad to say that it was much better one; fast paced, yet more of a comfortable read without the sillyness.

Even though I like recapping the earlier installments to give you the taste of what has been before, there’s no way in hell I can do it here. So in a nutshell, the whole series revolves around a bunch of rakehells, who, as the society know them to be, a part of a club called The Inferno Club. They give the society the illusion that Dante House, where they meet, is their ‘playground’, or so to speak; a den of debauchery. Well, Dante House is a playground of sorts, it’s a mixture of debauchery and something far more secretive. Though not all the rumors regarding their ‘escapades’ are rumors, what the others don’t know is that they’re working for the crown as spies. But they’re a special breed of spies who were trained since early childhood, sort of ‘sacrificed’ by their families to become a part of an Order that they follow; the Order of the St. Michaels. They have an ancient nemesis too, the Promethean Council. We’re talking about thousands of years of enmity that started since the day of the William the Conqueror. Both sides have been in action for that long, the Prometheans trying to unleash their evil on the world and rule it, while the heroes of the Order trying to save it from their clutches.

The original 4 members that had the first 4 books (in correct order) were the Marquess of Rotherstone, Max; the Duke of Warrington, Rohan; the Earl of Falconridge, Jordan and the Earl of Westwood, Drake.

Max and Daphne’s story is in My Wicked Marquess, book 1 that started it all. I didn’t love it, neither did I hate it. I gathered a starter of a series is always a bit confusing, so it was an ok read.

Rohan and Kate’s story is in My Dangerous Duke, the one that I hated the most before the next came along. Rohan was the ultimate manwhore of the bunch (until Beau) and the whole story was a mess. The only interest, for me, was the action that GF writes (or used to write) so well, so I kept going with the series to know where the conflict between the Order and the Council is going.

Mara and Jordan’s story, book 3, was My Irresistible Earl, which I really enjoyed. Their chemistry was amazing, as were the characters wonderful. For the first time, I saw some hope that the series is going to be better... unfortunately, not. Though the action was good, I had probably expected way too much for the next.

Drake and Emily’s book, #4 was My Ruthless Prince. This was going to be the big showdown between the Order and the Council, with all sorts of intrigues and actions, especially because Virgil was killed and Drake was caught by the Prometheans. He was acting as if he had betrayed the Order. I actually thought this will be the last installment, with maybe a spinoff series from it following the rest of the secondary characters.

But book 5 comes as a part of this series. My Scandalous Viscount was THE WORST book so far, which featured Beau and Clarissa. He was a junior member of the Order, who had been handed down some serious responsibilities when the Promethean Council, apparently, was destroyed in the Order’s last strike. All the heroes went into hiding after that, so Beau was supposed to be running the place. But from what I saw, he was busy shagging anything that moves in skirt on every nook and cranny (yes, I hated that one that much). The dialogue was ridiculous, so were the characters. The story, at this point, kinda veered away from the main course. We come to learn about 2 more junior Order agents, friends to Beau, Trevor and Nick, who were never once seen or been introduced before. It seems both were in trouble, Nick being the wild one while Trevor the ‘nice one’. Beau was, again, awarded the task of saving them. Nick wanted out of the Order, which is a big no-no, so he did some crappy stuff, including holding a wounded Trevor as a hostage to gain his freedom; a plan that ultimately backfired. In the end, after a conspiracy to murder the Prime Minister is foiled, with Nick being hit to save the guy, the Order’s identity is finally revealed to the world. All the agents, including Nick and Trevor, are then recognized by Prinny and given the respect and rewards as that of heroes.

Not that it really saved Nick from being convicted for treason since he was entangled in the mess which lead to the murder plot. He was meant to go to the gallows but was saved only because Beau, and later Trevor, spoke on behalf of him. Beau was already married to Clarissa, so while Trevor goes to recuperate from his ordeal, Nick is sentenced to a long prison term, in Order-style.

When this one starts, it’s been a while since all those actions. We don’t see the older Order agents but only by mention. Trevor has been back to the society, or so to speak but he’s one truly unhappy man. He was engaged to this society belle for a while, a neat arrangement where no love was lost between them. The Golden Goddess that he thought would be a great possession, had since moved on to find a new beau when Trevor was declared dead after his disappearance.

Trevor is not your pretty boy type. He’s a tall, big man with rough good looks (or so I assumed). He’s also one of the most responsible of the Order agents who is what you’d call the ‘nice guy’. Yah, he hasn’t been a saint but in comparison to his fellow brethren, he has lived like one, yet he was happy with this arrangement. Now, the abandonment of his ex-fiancée, Laura, is grating on Trevor. He feels lost in this ball where the society mamas are keeping their daughters away from him as if he’d bite them, while the Ton widows and bored wives are giving him those ‘come hither’ looks. Trevor is here only to see if Laura would attend, to satisfy the morbid curiosity of finding out more about her new beau. Little did he know that instead of facing his ‘past’, he’d end up meeting the prim and proper vicar’s daughter, one Miss Grace Kenwood, his ‘future’.

Grace is, indeed, the duty bound daughter. A spinster at an ‘advanced age’ of late 20s, she has no great aspirations, neither does she hope to marry. Being the only child, ever since her mother passed away, Grace’s days have filled with helping her father in his parish duties. She has also been trying to help the bratty heir to an Earl, Lord Brentford, one of the 2 influential families of their little village. Grace would’ve been happy to live her days in all the peace and quiet she can have, had she not met this insufferable man. This ball she’s attending, given by the Brentfords, is sort of a courtesy invitation. She or her father doesn’t belong here, yet the family reluctantly decided to invite them, mainly because people around here respect the vicar. She, having an almost saintly reputation, also shares some of that respect.

When Grace meets Trevor, they didn’t know anything about each-other. He was hiding in a darkened room from two sluts who were in pursuit of him. But, after his ordeal, meaningless shagging was the farthest thing from Trevor’s mind. On the other hand, Grace somehow finds herself alone in the same room with that insufferable man who seem to mock her with each word as if he dislikes women. Yet she can’t help but be intrigued, especially when his crude invitation leads to a lusty kiss. Grace had nothing in her mind, yet the man seems to nurturing the idea that she followed him here for... er, that. She’s horrified at the thought, but not disgusted in the least. Apparently, the tall and well-built man has awakened a part of her that she didn’t think even existed in her!

I was glad that they were introduced very soon, when Grace finds her father talking to Trevor, the ‘Hero’ as everyone at that ball keeps referring to. She sees him, immediately knowing it’s him. Not only that, Grace also detects his uneasiness at all the attention, quite visibly unwanted, though he is trying his best to put up a straight face. He didn’t like their curiosity, yet people kept asking him things that obviously made him uneasy. Being very good at healing the hurt, injured creatures, Grace could detect the darkness inside this man. People around him just don’t understand. It calls out to her, but what can she do about it? Then the fun begins when they’re introduced and Grace glimpses all sorts of deviltry and promises in his eyes. Oh, he was enjoying this a lot, as well as remembering that kiss that almost landed her on her back, on a couch!

Then the vicar invites Trevor, or Lord Montgomery, to a Grange near their home. The place has been sitting vacant ever since the lone master died in a war. Their village is still suffering from that mad man’s schemes. He encouraged most of the able-bodied men to join him in the war, a cause that only brought misery. Most died, leaving the families to suffer and the village economy in shambles. Grace’s village needs a man to take up the challenge of putting things right. And it seems her father thinks Lord Montgomery, who apparently has an interest in purchasing the Grange, is that man. Grace isn’t that sure though. Why would a rich man, an Order hero, a man of the sophisticated society leave all the glory and rusticate in some nowhere? But boy, Grace can’t help but secretly hope that he at the least considers this offer, and it doesn’t really have much to do with the village or her father’s wish. She finally may have found someone who makes her feel alive.

In a few days, Trevor visits the Grange and decides to buy it, ironically, his intention not only to improve it, but also to have his beautiful new neighbor as close as possible. He wants a complete change in life, nothing like how he has lived in his Order days. All in all, Trevor viewed this purchase as a new beginning for himself. He even makes a point of visiting Nick in his dank, dark and solitary prison to make peace with his old buddy, to his utter surprise and secret joy. After he returns to the Grange with a plan to make it a home for himself, and if God willing, for his family, Trevor thought his wooing of Miss Kenwood go smooth. But he was oh-so-wrong, for he catches the eyes of the spoiled little pretty daughter of the other influential family of this area, one Miss Callista. This whiney girl thinks the world revolves around her and every best thing in this area should be her property (thanks to her parents and upbringing). Trevor certainly was a prize to be had! And so, she instantly sets her sight on him, doesn’t matter if he wants her or not. *eyeroll* But the news was, she was engaged to Brentford until very recently, when he got entangled with a local tavern girl. The gossip and the humiliation were too much for the ‘perfect’ Miss Callista, so she broke the engagement immediately. But it seems she doesn’t have to worry about her ‘future’ anymore, as her mother too would agree, now that an exciting, worldly man is in her neighborhood, much to Grace’s chagrin.

I really disliked how Grace sort of cowed behind this family but I also got that they were the one who paid her father’s wages and the other expenses of the parish, so she, sort of, was forced to be biddable. But inside, she’d be annoyed at Callista’s activities where Trevor was concerned, most especially as her pea-sized brain wouldn’t bother about others’ wishes or interests. But I was glad that she didn’t let Trevor slip past her. She can also thank him, for Trevor was equally annoyed with the family’s forwardness. Callista would throw herself at him on every occasion they met. Then there was the very unsubtle matchmaking by her mama as if they already owned him, and that he should feel grateful to become their SIL! From the moment he saw Grace around he made it quite clear, if not by words but by actions, that he prefers her over the pretty young Miss, yet nothing would stop them. The dinners and other invitations, that both Grace and Trevor were forced to endure were pretty trying for both, especially because they had to hide their mutual feelings.

Yah, mutual feelings. It began to grow slowly, even though there were some bumps in the beginning. The vicar clearly approved of Trevor, who had already won over the village by announcing his intentions of making improvements. He knew it won’t be easy at first, after what the people here was forced to suffer for a long time now. But he’d try his best. Trevor is also an architect, though he never had the chance to work on this passion of his all that much. Now that he has a house to built, with the incentive of Miss Kenwood around him, he’s more than eager to practice. If only he could get rid of Callista and her whining family!

I’d say both Callista and Brentford were waste of space for this story. I was super annoyed and pissed at times at both, they were that spoiled, immature to the bone and oh-so-loud in everything they did, not caring a whit about their surrounding, or the people that occupy it. It was like a match made in heaven, one that I didn’t care for! I just wished them gone, for they occupied too many pages. I even disliked Grace trying to validate Callista’s self-centered b!tchyness with ‘oh she’s so beautiful, an only child and heiress, she’s used to acting and expecting this way bla bla bla bla’. No Grace, you being the daughter of a vicar should know better! Nothing validates bad parenting and selfish behavior. But Grace got enough of Callista’s whining when she was so eager to catch Trevor, if not anything but to show Brentford that she has moved on. Oh Good God!

Fortunately for Grace, though she had her doubts about Trevor’s intentions, he put those to rest once they made love, that she’s the ONLY one he wanted, not some girl fresh out of schoolroom. That it was largely because of her that he decided to come here to settle down. He wants a smart and caring woman who’d understand him, who had the strength and personality to be with him every step of the way in this new beginning. Trevor knew Grace understood many of the subtle things about him that people didn’t. He knew off the bat that she’s good for him and was smart enough to know he can’t let her slip away. And somewhere along the way, with all the activities in and around the village, alongside his house, as Trevor begins his improvement work, Grace and he fall in love. It was that simple, and I totally loved it! There were no complications, no coyness, no melodrama (if you leave Brentford-Callista out) in it. And thankfully, no OWs to come and ruin things for them.

But they couldn’t avoid trouble even if they wanted to. For one, after a bad day arguing with Brentford, Callista the B!tch comes in search of Trevor, only to find him with Grace. She runs out, calling Grace a ‘whore’ and then sets about spreading this tid-bid, while painting herself ‘the victim’ of Grace’s machinations. It never mattered that Trevor, not ONCE, told her or even showed any sign of interest in her. At all. That ought to give you an idea of what we were dealing with. Brentford was just an idiot so I’m not even going to comment on him.

This lets Trevor approach the vicar for Grace’s hands sooner, rather than later. But the damage was already done. Grace is painted as a ‘scarlet woman’, but for once, Grace doesn’t care that her reputation is in shambles. She’s in seventh heaven right now, knowing she’s going to marry the man she’s been dreaming away. That finally she has found love, and soon, would have her own family too; a thing she thought would never happen to her.

Then, Brentford goes and gets himself into another trouble, this time with said tavern girl’s ex-pimp and his gang of thugs. He also drags that trouble into the village when he runs back here. Though he apologizes to Grace for breaking his vow of secrecy about her relationship with Trevor (that’s why I said, the Dumbo went and told everything in a feat of rage, to the B!tch, just to show her that Trevor didn’t care for her... which was true of course *shrugs*) and all that happened afterwards. When trouble follows him there, it was up to Trevor (of course) to save the day. Though not one of his Order duties, it sure came close enough for Trevor, as he had to fight kill and maim a few to save Grace and Brentford from the clutches of those men.

Overall though, it just proved that Trevor wanted Grace so bad that he’d do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And though he had his moments of doubt, knowing Grace might not forgive him for killing men in front of her, even in self-defense, Grace put his doubts to rest after it was all said and done. I mean, yah, she was shocked, which I’d count as very normal but she already knew she had a purpose too; to love and heal Trevor, a journey that could only start by trust and forgiveness. I thanked GF for not creating a ridiculous ‘big mis’ out of it to ruin things for them, and for me.

4 stars, and I’d say again that My Notorious Gentleman was better than what I had originally expected. I enjoyed Trevor and Grace’s banters, and definitely their budding lovestory. Also loved reading about the older Order agents, though I’d rather GF updated me with their news, rather than repeating herself on Beau and Clarissa’s ‘happily married state’. Yah right! Thankfully, those scenes were very few so I persevered.


For the next installment:

1. Since the storyline has completely veered away from the original Order-Promethean setting, now Nick has his own journey ahead of him. Nothing was really hinted about his fate, except for that one brief appearance, so expect anything.

2. Nick’s story is the last installment of this series.


Addendum: I sure as hell hope that this is the last time I saw anything of Brentford and Callista, as I don’t really remember the fate of their ‘doomed’ relationship (eye-rolling even as I’m typing this).

[Flor · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh.

[Gnome Claire *Wishes she was as cool as Gnome Ann* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just found this really predictable, Grace is the perfect reverend's daughter who can do no wrong to anybody ever, she has no faults at all (pretty much no personality either), her hobbies consist of being kind to small children (she sometimes cares for injured puppies as well), cooking for the poor and ill in the village and trying to redeem former courtesans by teaching them to read. Grace is naturally unaware how beautiful she really is.

Every other women that we meet in this story is selfish, thoughtless or greedy making Grace the only person in the whole world who Trevor (our hero) can ever care for after he was abandoned by his ex fiancé.

Trevor is also a case of the typical wounded romantic hero, his time serving his county has scared his soul and he needs a caring woman to love him. To sum up neither of them has much personality and not much really happened.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sorry to say I was very disappointed in Trevor's story!! After being jilted by his betroth Lara Trevor moves to a small country improvised village. He falls in love with the Parson Spinster Daughter Grace. I am sick of Spinsters. But Grace was kind. She just didn't fit the type of women The other Order members have married.

The story is slow boring and all over the place. Its about everyday life in a very small town. The story has not connection to the Order or there dangerous mission has Spies for the Crown. It doesn't even seem like this story should be a part of the Inferno Club!!

Sorry I Won't bother to Read Nicks story which is next!

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Notorious Gentleman is the sixth book in Ms Foley’s Inferno Club series, and is a well-written and well-characterised romance in which the handsome and battle-hardened war hero, Lord Trevor Montgomery, meets and falls for the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Kenwood.

I enjoyed reading it – but have to admit that I didn’t find it to be anything out of the ordinary. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t mind formulaic when it’s done well, and this certainly was. Grace and Trevor were engaging, well-rounded characters and while there was a danger of Grace’s being rather too perfect, with her good works and determination to put everyone else first, I’m pleased to say that she had just enough imperfections to keep her on the right side of the “too good to be true” line.

Trevor is – or was - a member of the Inferno Club, which, as has been revealed in earlier books in the series, isn’t a club for men who wish to indulge in debauchery, but rather the cover for a group of crack spies and assassins who were trained since boyhood to serve the crown. This is the penultimate book in the series, so the war is over, and Trevor is struggling to adapt to civilian life. I liked that aspect of his character, and that Grace was able to see beneath the handsome, urbane surface to the man beneath who is unsure of his place in the world and who carries the weight of so many black deeds.

Naturally, such an exciting and attractive addition to local society excites the interest of the debutantes and their matchmaking mamas, the foremost of which are Lady Calpurnia Windlesham and her formidable mother. Callie unashamedly sets her cap at Trevor who couldn’t be more disinterested – he’s just been jilted by his beautiful, blonde, superficial fiancée and the last thing he wants is to become ensnared by an equally self-obsessed carbon copy of her.

Besides, he’s far more interested in quiet, unassuming Grace, who, at twenty-five believes herself to be firmly on the shelf and incapable of attracting the attentions of such a gorgeous man.

I enjoyed watching their friendship develop and blossom into more, and seeing Trevor find a new purpose in life as he came to realise that there was much he could do to help improve the lives of the local villagers. The romance was gentle and I particularly liked the fact that Trevor was as smitten with Grace as she was with him, right from their first meeting. She didn’t have to spend too much time pining uselessly, as he was fairly up-front about his interest in her, which was another bonus; although I did find her “a guy like that can’t possibly be interested in a girl like me” attitude to be a little wearing at times.

Another of the things I particularly liked about the novel was the portrait Ms Foley painted of the difficulties of rural life at the time, just after the Napoleonic wars. Not only was it a time of great hardship and scarcity because of the war, with many families devastated by the loss of fathers, sons and brothers, but in 1816, freak weather conditions combined with a volcanic eruption in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) had a wide-reaching effect across Europe which meant that summer never arrived and the temperatures throughout the year were much colder than average. As a result, harvests were poor or failed completely, only adding to the shortages that had already been occasioned by blockades and the other effects of war.

Ms Foley incorporates this detail into her book to good effect, as Trevor comes to realise that by buying the Grange, he now has a responsibility to the local people, and he and Grace work together to try to make preparations to help the villagers to mitigate the likely effects of the poor harvests and the approaching winter.

The one thing in the story that didn’t work for me was the final section in which an angry criminal gang from London descends on the village (seeking retribution for the actions of Grace’s friend, George), and proceeds to kidnap Trevor, Grace, and George and take them away so they can dispose of them without witnesses. I suppose this section was partly there to provide a bit of adventure and partly to remind us that for all his distaste for the things he was required to do during the war, Trevor is still capable of being a lean, mean killing machine who is prepared to get his hands dirty if he has to. But it happened so suddenly, and with so little build up that it didn’t fit with the overall tone of the rest of the story, which was a character-driven romance in which an emotionally scarred hero was able to set down roots and find someone who would see him as a person rather than as a collection of heroic – or, in his eyes, not so heroic – endeavours.

That quibble apart, I found Ms Foley’s writing to be immediately engaging, her characterisation consistent, and thought there was plenty of humour in the dialogue. The pacing was fairly slow, but I didn’t find that to be a problem, as it allowed the development of the romance to take centre stage. My Notorious Gentleman was a gentle, undemanding read, and I enjoyed it enough to want to read some of the other books in the series.

[Ilze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never really related to any of the main characters or the story and finally left the book unfinished. My verdict on the story: boring.

[Sombra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Al igual que el libro anterior, me ha gustado sobre todo por la historia de fondo y no por los personajes, que, aunque adorables los dos por separado, juntos no me han llegado a convencer del todo.

La historia comienza cuando Trevor, tras el desengaño amoroso de su prometida de toda la vida, quiere cambiar de aires y empezar de cero en un lugar en el que no tenga que estar acechado por todos y cada uno de los miembros de la sociedad Londinense. Y es que tras el libro anterior, todos los miembros de la Orden son tachados como héroes y por lo tanto los solteros son diana de las madres de las debutantes desesperadas. Es en una de las últimas fiestas que Trevor conoce a Grace, la hija del Pastor de un pueblo pequeño. Por una equivocación, él la confunde con una de sus admiradoras y para quitársela de encima utiliza sus artes de seducción, haciendo que Grace a partir de ese momento quede obnubilada y a la vez prejuiciada por él.
El destino querrá que sea el pueblo de Grace al que Trevor vaya a vivir y a partir de ahí comience una historia entre ellos.

Como digo, la historia me ha gustado mucho. Totalmente diferente a los anteriores, en esta ocasión la autora no se centra en la Orden ni en espionajes, sino en la pacífica vida de un pueblo que antaño fue próspero y debido a uno de los vecinos más poderosos de la comunidad acabó en un estado de precariedad que hará que Trevor vaya poco a poco dándose cuenta de que sus problemas no son nada en comparación. A partir de ahí, él junto con la ayuda de Grace empezará a hacer mejoras para el pueblo y trabajará hombro con hombro con todos hasta que una amenaza ajena a él entre en el pueblo y amenace su nuevo hogar y a lo que él más ama.

Trevor y Grace a lo largo de la historia tienen unos momentos muy tiernos, otros muy fuertes y otros muy sensuales, pero no he logrado ver ese paso del "odio" al amor. Ambos son orgullosos y prejuiciosos desde el primer momento y no tardan más que una sola escena en cambiar sus pensamientos y declararse su mutua atracción y casi inmediatamente su amor eterno.
Los libros históricos en los que el romance express es común abundan y en muchos de ellos no voy a mentir y decir que no me han gustado, pero en un libro de estas características, me habría gustado ver esos pequeños pasos en su relación así como he podido ver el avance de Trevor con respecto a sus propios sentimientos. Unos sentimientos que al final ves que solo eran pertenecer a un lugar y tener a alguien a quien amar y que le amara independientemente de su condición de héroe y posición económica.

Entre los secundarios, destacar sobre todo a Callie, sus padres, George y Marianne. A pesar de sus comportamientos a veces deplorables, me ha gustado mucho esa "realidad" histórica.

Deseando leer el último de esta serie y que corresponde con Nick, sobre todo ahora que en este libro se descubre que Virgil tenía un as bajo la manga y no sé por qué me da que Nick va a encontrar esa pieza del rompecabezas.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series, the Inferno Club, is not even close to the author's Knight Miscellany series in quality of its titles. The romances in the books were uninteresting as were the H/h. This title was dull, dull, dull.

One book of this series was dyn-o-mite, My Ruthless Prince. My Scandalous Viscount was ok. I will say that the subplot that continued from books books 1-4 was awesome and culminated with a spectacular finish in My Ruthless Prince (bk 4). Book 5 was a sort of denouement for the subplot.

In the case of this series and her last, GF comes up with compelling subplots. However, with the Inferno Club, I was _only_ interested in the subplot. I just didn't care about couples themselves and I see no reason to read the last title of the series.

[Shauni · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Notorious Gentleman is book six in Gaelen Foley's Inferno Series and it was an absolute delight. Ms. Foley's books to me represent another almost gothic aspect of post regency England.. After the war has ended and just a bit past that.. So when she writes a story about romance and love and finding your place it is a wonderful respite from dark and dangerous ways.. Don't get me wrong.. My Notorious Gentleman is a wonderful story about finding your way back from war and discovering love but this time, there is a softer aspect to it. The kind where well...

Miss Grace Kenwood is a lovely woman, shy, demure, kind, sweet, the perfect parson's daughter.. so when she accidentally finds herself in a compromising situation with the man every woman wants.. she is confused and slightly bemused before she realizes that with this man her passions ignite. To Grace every person has a purpose and hers is not to dally with handsome eligible men in darkened rooms but to help keep her neighbors in line, to find charity for those returned from war and to give respite to the widows and families left behind.

Lord Trevor Montgomery had his life all planned out.. unlike the rest of the Inferno club.. he knew who he was going to marry.. the pretties girl in the ton. Only when he was held in captivity and considered dead, she found someone new. Now that he is back to life, needless to say he is just a little bit peeved. It doesn't help that every woman he meets is practically throwing themselves at him. So when he discovers a saucy minx in a darkened room he goes for it, why not? She's asking for it, isn't she? Well.. umm... NO.. Discovering Grace Kenwood and her father saves a part of Trevor that he thought was forever lost. His purpose, his sense of self, more his sense of humanity.

Grace and Trevor fight to bring a forgotten shire back to life. When families have been destroyed, children left fatherless, women widows.. when the crops are failing and life is not looking good is the time for a man of action to take charge. Instead of rebuilding his new property and bringing it to glory, Trevor and Grace revive the community. And on the way fall in love..

Trevor realizes that he has let bitterness rule his life and he has to find ways to forgive those who hurt him. To find a way to accept that life doesn't always go as planned and that sometimes what we don't plan for ourselves is so much better. I liked Trevor and Grace they are just decent people..not lost in the graduer of the ton or the glitter..

Even with the simple country life they manage to find a few bumps in the road but the love they share, the integrity they have shines through.. making this Inferno Club member a fellow survivor!!

Be sure and check out the Inferno Club, it's decadently delightful!! And take a chance on Trevor and Grace, I promise they don't disappoint

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of My Notorious Gentleman provided by edelweiss and scheduled for release on July 30, 2013

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently received a ARC copy of My Notorious Gentleman by Avon through Edelweiss. I can not say how much I enjoyed reading this one. If you have yet to read one of her stories, you are missing out...big time!! There is nothing I like better than sitting down, relaxing, and reading a romance from Gaelen Foley. Such remarkable talent and drama and intensity, its bound to captive you from the get go. My Notorious Gentleman is the sixth of the series, but I am not sure if its the last one, in fact I am thinking there might be a next installment considering it had a small bit of a cliffhanger. Only small enough that has me intrigued.

Grace is a ministers daughter, and as such, she has a desire to help others. When she finds herself in London, helping a family friend from drinking and gambling his life away, she comes across Lord Trevor Montgomery, who has the mistaken impression that she is after him, and practically seduces her on a couch, and what is a woman to do except defend herself and attack him with a hair pin. Then later at the party her father introduces her to him, and now she has no idea what to think of him. But when her father encourages him to buy a piece of property that is right next door, she is appalled, that is the last thing that she needs, a man who is more tempting than anything she has ever encountered. Travis, has decided to retire fully from the War Office, he has dedicated his whole life to serving his country, and now he is ready for peace and contentment. When he goes to the countryside, and finds the perfect place, he is intrigued by Grace. She may be a pastor's daughter, but she is beautiful and has a heart of gold. Grace doesn't understand why Travis is so interested in her. But when life seems to spiral out of control, he is her rock and more than anything she desires to have him forever.

A completely memorable story with fascinating characters that only end up capturing your heart. A heart warming and deeply riveting story of a tender and romantic love between this pair that warmed me up inside and out. I loved the setting of the story, and there was so much I enjoyed about this. It didn't have a whole ton of intense espionage drama like you are used to with this series. However it did have some suspenseful moments that will definitely get your attention. A remarkably written story, and this just might have to go on as top of the list of favorites from this author. An enriching and passionate love tale that is bound to stir up all kinds of emotions. A KEEPER!!

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siapa gadis yg tidak mendambakan suami seperti Lord Trevor Montgomery, pria tampan berambut hitam yg gondrong dan juga pahlawan bagi Inggris. Apalagi kedatangannya ke Tishelton utk membeli Grange, tempat terbengkalai yg kebetulan bertetangga dgn Grace Kenwood, putri pastor di desa tsb.

 

Saya suka cara author mendeskripsikan suasana pedesaan Tishelton lewat aktivitas-aktivitas yg dilakukan Grace yg didampingi Trevor. Adegan ini mengingatkan saya pada adegan awal Belle di film Beauty and the Beast



Kekurangan dari novel ini adalah saat Grace tidak bisa tegas kpd ibu Callie, ketika diminta tolong utk "mencomblangi dan mengawasi" Callie Windlesham kpd Trevor. Tapi saya bisa memaafkan dan memaklumi hal ini karena 3 hal:
1. Grace dibesarkan sbg putri pastur yg menjadikan dirinya panutan dan teladan, jadi rasa sopan santun berlebih membuat dirinya tidak bisa serta merta menolak permintaan Lady Windlesham.
2. Setting genre Historical Romance "menyelamatkan" dirinya dr penilaian kejam diriku. Saat itu blm ada perjuangan feminitas dan rasanya juga tidak pantas kalau Callie menolak tugas dari Lady Windlesham dimana strata sosial sudah menempatkan derajat Grace dibawah kebangsawanan Windlesham.
3. Author langsung "mengakui" sifat pengecut Grace ini di sela-sela rasa bersalah Grace pd pengkhianatannya terhadap Callie.

Di luar faktor diatas, saya kagum pada cara author yg menggambarkan kualitas ketabahan dan "trik keberanian" Grace pd para penjahat di saat genting, tidak serta merta dadakan muncul saat klimaks cerita. Author dgn cerdik sudah menyusupkan kehebatan Grace ini di pertengahan cerita, saat dia "menyelamatkan" Trevor dr pertanyaan yg polos dan keji yg tdk sanggup dijawab Trevor. Atau saat menghadapi si pemabuk di desa. Jadi tidak terkesan "magical" alias mendadak langsung jadi hebat.

Seri ini sukses di mata saya sebagai pembaca setia author. Rata-rata stars yg saya berikan berkisar 4-5 stars. Good job author. I LOVE SO MUCH THIS SERIES!!!!

[Jane Mercer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find Foley a bit hit or miss this is mostly a miss
It would have worked fine as a western, since there were far too many Americanisms hitching to a post to go to the dry goods store, baking biscuits to go with lunch to name a few. And the gang from London who all knew how to ride and had horses (though they could have stolen them I suppose).
Plot wise it was ok but the preachers daughter was far too keen to throw her cap over the windmill and jump into bed with the hero. That bugged me a bit the americanism of calling the reverend's daughter the preacher's or parson's daughter all the time. She does use Reverend once or twice but seldom as well as vicar the more normal way of looking at it.
Foley's books centered in town are mostly ok (there's an Americanism for you :-)) but she seems to fail in the English countryside.
Maybe I'm picky not everyone can be Heyer but definetely not one of her best

[Vashti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay latest entry into the "Inferno Club" series.This is Trevor's story.Liked,not loved this one.Much prefer her" Knight Miscellany" series.

[Beebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series :)

[Ylva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to knock a few series off my currently reading list. Inferno club among them.

It's been a few years and I remember few details from the previous books, but it really didn't matter. These books, especially the latter part of the series, are companion novels. The first few books had a more overarching plot.

Grace and Trevor didn't blow me away, and periodically I liked the characterization of neither, but despite a faintly ridiculous climax to the story, I am pleased to move this title to my read shelf.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a fun and heart fluttering book. It’s been fun reading this series! And after that last part, I’m super excited to start the final book.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I somewhat enjoyed this book, but I certainly didn't love it. The characterization was good, but nearly all of the characters annoyed me. Especially Grace. Her pious, holier-than-thou judgments were fitting, but since I have a really hard time empathizing with such a character, I'm afraid I couldn't really get close to her. It's been possible for me in the past to empathize with characters whom I found completely different from myself, but this book is not all that deep, so my first instinct was not to understand, but to slap Grace upside the head for being such an uppity bitch. The thing that really infuriated me was that she stood up to Trevor with little trouble at all, and judged him unfairly, while simultaneously allowing the assholes in her little utopia to run roughshod over her at every turn. Calpurnia, George, the twins, Mrs. Windelsham....they all took advantage of Grace and abused her trust and her friendship, but she just sat back and allowed it to happen. While Trevor got the short side of her temper merely for existing. He was nice to her, respectful (after their initial encounter, anyway), charming, generous, etc., and all he got for it was her looking down her nose at him and passing judgment because he'd killed people in the past.

She does change, I'll give her that. She eventually realizes she's been completely unfair to Trevor and even wholeheartedly embraces his talents. That was nice. Still, her initial reluctance to accept him while hiding her feelings and aiding and abetting one of the most selfish young women of her acquaintance didn't endear her to me.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never read any of the previous books in Gaelen Foley’s Inferno Club series, but this did not impair my enjoyment of the latest addition, My Notorious Gentleman. Grace Kenwood is the preacher’s daughter and spinster content with her lot in her life until a chance meeting with former spy, Lord Trevor Montgomery leads her to believe that she can have something more. When Trevor buys a crumbling estate near Grace’s home, the two slowly get to know one another.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it does make me want to take a look at the rest of the series. In terms of the characters, I thought Trevor was more developed than Grace. His life was complicated as a spy and he’s dealing with the aftermath now that he no longer has that employment. With Grace, I felt she was a little too good to be true; she was just so nice all the time. I would have liked a little more after Trevor and Grace had decided to be together. We had a great slow build and then the conclusion rushed forward. But, it was still a fun novel and I’ll be keeping my eyes pealed for the next one in the series.

What I also liked was the mention of the year without summer. This was great because I was actually reading a book about the volcano that caused the summer of 1816 to be rather chilly. I thought it was cool that Foley mentioned this in her book and it just goes to show that you can learn intellectual facts from romance novels (take that, naysayers!).

A Review copy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Nisa F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awal baca ini takut nggak nyambung bacanya. Karena ini adalah bagian dari seri novel The Inferno Club. Novel ini seri keenam. Ternyata novel ini bisa dibaca tanpa membaca seri novel sebelumnya. Membaca novel ini pada awalnya sih masih datar, lalu sedikit gemas, sampai akhirnya benar-benar gemas dengan sikap congkaknya Calpurnia dan sikapnya Grace yang terlalu membentengi dirinya untuk selalu berperilaku baik yang selalu menjaga perasaan orang lain. Khas anak seorang pemuka agama.

Untuk karakter Trevor sendiri, dia seorang pria dewasa yang benar-benar menjadi pujaan. Tentu saja. Dia mantan mata-mata yang begitu memukau. Makanya, novel ini banyak menunjukkan hal-hal tak terduga yang dilakukan Trevor yang jauh di luar ekspetasi Grace.

Selain itu, novel ini juga menyajikan konflik yang ditata tidak terlalu terburu-buru. Justru terasa ringan, khas historical-romance, tapi menegangkan di waktu yang begitu pas. Dan pemaparan si penulis dalam konfliknya itu mudah dipahami, dan bahasa terjemahannya pun tidak jelimet. Jadi, pembaca begitu santai tanpa perlu memeras otak dalam-dalam saat membaca bagian-bagian menegangkannya.

Dan tak lupa, sisi humor yang menurut saya muncul di saat yang tak terduga. Emosi pembaca benar-benar dibuat naik turun. Sedetik dibuat tegang, dan detik selanjutnya dibuat terkikik. Penyajian keromantisan novel ini disajikan tidak berlebihan tapi mengena. Yang tentu saja membuat iri.

[María José · Rating 2 out of 5]

Realmente no es un libro que recomendaría, de hecho es muy probable que me sea muy fácil olvidarlo porque no tiene ningún elemento, personaje o escena destacable, ciertamente tuvo sus momentos, me hizo creer que podría funcionar pero definitivamente no fue así, no tuve tanto problema con Trevor, no enamora....pero no es malo, Grace por otro lado......simplemente era demasiado "la hija del predicador" a veces parecía que no podía hacer o decir lo que realmente quería o pensaba porque Dios o su padre no lo aprobaría, llego a exasperarme demasiado! fue una historia aburrida y hablo muy en serio, me alegra haberlo terminado.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaelen's books are not as good as they used to be for me. This one was very boring until the very end, when the pace picked up. I also just wasn't very invested in the two characters at all. Looking forward to the last book in this series (I think that one will hold up), then I can't wait for her to start something new. (Still gotta give it 4 stars because I just love GF overall.)

[Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trevor seemed a little forced as a character at times, and while I liked Grace, the fact that she could put up with Callie at all was a testament to her character. Decent book, but not one that I would reread. The ending came out of nowhere and seemed out of place in comparison to the other books in the series.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es uno de los que más me ha gustado de esta serie, pero no sobrepasa al libro anterior.