At last! A good story….mostly!
Anything but a Gentleman is the 8th book in the Rescued from Ruin series. If you’ve read any of the other books in the series, you should be familiar with the leads, Sebastian Reaver and Augusta Widmore. Both of these characters were eye-catching secondary characters in those stories, and I will be honest, this was one of those times I had high expectations for these two characters when they had their own story. I was happy that Ms. Braden didn’t disappoint.
Sebastian is a Romanceland gambling establishment owner. Hence he’s rough around the edges, and at first glance, he seems to be pretty menacing. He is also someone it is never wise to cross. But, he is about to meet someone who doesn’t abide by his rules…Augusta Widmore.
Alert! Augusta is one of those Romanceland women. You know the ones I’m talking about! Those red-headed females with long legs! Oh no, not long legs!!! Not vibrant red-hair! Of course, she doesn’t know what a beauty she is, but I liked her too much to care. Was she a perfect heroine? Of course not. She had a number of qualities which I didn’t care for, the most important of these not being able to listen to her sister. But, I forgave her, eventually. It seems that her younger sister, Phoebe, is pregnant, and not married. The man responsible for is a cad, a real bounder, and he’s also a gambler. And, not a good gambler. He has left a lot of “markers” at Sebastian Reaver’s gambling establishment. Augusta has a plan! I’m sorry, my little Petunias, but heroine think up Romanceland plans too. Yes, she has a Romanceland plan, and it’s a doozy. She means to get those markers from Reever…somehow. She hasn’t really thought out the how. Anyway, once she has the markers, she plans on forcing the “cad” to marry her sister. There is so much wrong with this plan, I don’t even know what to say. But I will go ahead anyway.
One of the things I disliked about Augusta was her mind-set on forcing her beloved sister, Phoebe, into wedlock with the “cad/bounder/worthless creep.” Augusta is rather strong-willed, as Sebastian finds out. She needs to talk to him, he refuses. Ok, he refuses to talk to her, so she will find ways to get into his establishment, and force him to pay attention. She keeps breaking into his gambling house. He keeps kicking her out. At one point, even throwing her over his shoulders and tossing her out. Augusta does not give up. Eventually, he comes up with a plan. His plan is to scare her into running away. He offers to give Augusta the markers if she will become his mistress. And, he waits for her to turn tail and run. He waits, and waits. Much to his surprise, she accepts.
Now, we get to watch the menacing Sebastian turn into a cuddly bear. I enjoyed the relationship between Sebastian and Augusta. There were misunderstandings, snappy dialogue, and an occasional chuckle. The only fly in the ointment was the sister, Phoebe and the secondary romance she becomes involved in.
I found the secondary romance between the weaker Phoebe and Sebastian’s partner Adam Shaw a distraction. I was never fond of Phoebe. She waited too long to find her voice. Adam Shaw was an incredible scene stealer and deserved a book of his own, and a heroine who wasn’t so wishy-washy. The secondary romance didn’t add anything to the overall voice of the book.
In conclusion. So far, this has been my favorite book in the Rescued from Ruin series. I thought Sebastian and Augusta made quite a delightful couple. I would have given this book a higher rating if not for the secondary romance. It was a bit of a distraction, and Adam deserved his own book. The other issue which bothered me was Augusta’s stubbornness in insisting her sister marry such a blackguard. She should have talked things over with Phoebe. Her assertion that she had all the answers was frustrating. Also, Phoebe could have grown a backbone sooner. But I do recommend this book.
