[.ca] The Dangerous Gentleman: The Rogues of Regent Street (ISBN 0440235618)

Teetering over a fine line:
Adrian Spence was abused by his father as a child, as was his mother. He is conscious of the preference of his father for his younger brother Benedict and knows that his father is simply waiting for an opportunity to disinherit him - not that wealthy Adrian will be left a pauper, but he is very fond of the entailed family estate. Sure enough, one of Adrian's best friends, Phillip, who has been on a downward spiral for some time, manages to manipulate Adrian into defending his own life by taking that of Phillip's. Although clearly self defence, Adrian's father seizes the opportunity to replace Adrian with his brother in the succession. Adrian is already weighed down with grief and guilt - now he can add rage to the mix. In retaliation, Adrian marries the woman his brother is about to offer for - Lilliana Dashell. Lilliana has long held Adrian as her ideal, and it doesn't take much for her to be persuaded to marry him. After the wedding the mask is off, and Lilliana realises that the ideals Adrian was spouting when he proposed were not how he really feels - indeed she begins to wonder if her new husband has any feelings at all. Adrian recognises the mistake he made in marrying a 'country bumpkin' to get back at his brother. Benedict shows up with his own agenda to influence the two. And then Adrian lets Lilliana know the real reason for the marriage - revenge, and that only. All this and we're probably only a quarter into the book. Adrian is a very complex, damaged character. Contrast this with Lilliana, who is open, kind and compassionate, and is it any wonder Adrian lashes out at her? It is only after Adrian is blinded in an accident, he comes to truly 'see' the value of his new wife. He has often regretted how badly he has treated her, but can't seem to stop himself. The book shows well the effects of grief, anger and guilt. The treatment of Adrian is very well done - his character is undergoes an essential change and growth by the end of the book, so that he is finally able to feel and express himself. Lilliana also grows from a rather naive country lass into a more assured woman, able to see (at last!) the potential motivations of others and to dip below the surface to discover the truth. Adrian, however, is genuinely damaged through most of the book. He says some truly appalling things to the woman he persuaded to marry him (no one forced him), and it's a testimony the excellent writing that I felt the blow of his words myself. Physically, too, he intimidates his wife in one bedroom scene in particular. It is in these two aspects of Adrian that treads a fine line between highlighting how Adrian is guilt ridden, hurt and full of suppressed feeling with no healthy way of expressing it, and having him lash out at his wife and not losing the reader's sympathy. Personally I felt that sometimes the line was crossed - even when Adrian knows he has tender feelings for his wife, he seems unable to stop verbally hurting her. And he knows it. Both of these characters grow over the course of the book, especially Adrian, and it is this that made the book worth reading for me as the action of the plot was pretty transparent. There is much about the relationship I found disturbing. But I felt that especially Adrian was a well written character, a believable individual who truly lived between these pages. The book is also an interesting look into conventional Regency life - the behind the scenes neglect and abuse that unfortunately probably was a part of life for many of the time. There is much to think about in this book, it's not your standard Regency romance.

Pretty Good:
Julia London is generally a good storyteller, and there are parts of this book that are extremely well-written and humorous, especially those where the heroine attempts to shake the hero's disinterest; these are amusing enough in themselves to justify reading the book. However, I do not consider this book on par with some of her other novels. I really didn't like the hero that much, nor did I find all of his psychological problems particularly interesting. I find it implausible when 18th century characters spout 20th century college psychology. And I find one of the basic premises, that he would kill his best friend, to lack credibility. With that disclaimer, this isn't a bad read, just not as good as some of her other books.

If you can afford the time and money.:
I have recently bought a few hundreds of romance novels based on the lowest and hightest rating reviews I gathered from this website. It's very helpful indeed. I always read the lowest ratings first and see if I still want to get the book despite of that. The Dangerous Gentleman was my first book by Julia London. She is quite a new talent. There were moments in her book that made me laugh aloud. She certainly knows how to write but she can never equal Judith McNaught in style. If you have read Miss McNaught's books, you will surely find Miss London's lacking in many aspects--like those in the low ratings. I don't think that this book is deserved to be rated four or five stars unless you have not yet had the pleasure to read the same romance genre written by other truly talented authors, such as Judith McNaught, Amanda Quick, Andrea Kane, Julie Garwood, to name a few. I don't think that I will pick up more of Miss London's book now that I have satisfied my curiosity about her writing style. Don't read those talented authors I mentioned above first if you really want to give Miss London a try.

A really vindictive hero:
I devoured The Dangerous Gentleman in less than a day. As I read the first three-fourths of this book, I knew I had a five star rating in my hands. However, in the end, the misery over the continued perils of the leads' relationship was so relentless that I had to reduce it to four stars. Regardless, it was still a very engrossing read and packs more than one big surprise. Adrian Spence, the Earl of Albright, is one vindictive hero. In the opening pages, he has just killed a man in a duel. Deciding to hide out for a while, he travels to his family's country estate. There, he encounters his enraged father. Adrian knows his father has never loved him and realizes he wants a reason to disinherit him. He wants to give his unentailed properties to his favorite son, Benedict. When Adrian's father hears of the fatal duel, he uses it as a reason to finally disinherit Adrian and tells him to never return to the family country estate. Adrian is very upset although the actual disinheritance does not surprise him. His greatest sorrow is that of losing his beloved country estate. While departing he stops in the nearby village and discovers that his spineless brother, Benedict, is planning to marry Lilliana Dashell, the daughter of a local country gentleman. Apparently Lilliana's father is seriously in debt and has agreed to give Benedict 60% ownership of his estate in exchange for payment of his debts. Adrian sees his father's sordid manipulations in all of it and knows the marriage would be very advantageous for his father since the rich farmland property adjoins his. Adrian decides to wreak revenge on his father and brother and immediately makes a much more attractive offer for Lilliana's hand. Adrian has wealth of his own and can easily afford this well-planned revenge. His offer comes with only one condition - he and Lilliana must marry immediately. He knows that he has probably met her at some time during their childhood but does not remember her. But oh, this is such a fine revenge. Lilliana is a spunky yet gentle heroine who has always been in love with Adrian Spence. She doesn't really want to marry his brother. But since the marriage is probable and will help her family's finances, she has resigned herself to it. When she is informed of Adrian's request to marry her, she is ecstatic. She can't believe it is really happening and is somewhat suspicious. After all, he doesn't even know her, does he? As he pours on the charm, he convinces her to marry him. He knows he is a highly desirable candidate for marriage to a titled lady much less the daughter of a country gentleman. As soon as they are married and in his coach heading toward Adrian's own country estate, his charm disappears. Adrian makes no effort to converse with Lilliana and seems not interested in her a bit. As we see into his thoughts, we realize that he thinks she is just a boring, country girl without any attractive attributes. He thinks she talks incessantly. He feels no guilt over using her so badly. And as each hour, then day, passes, we really, really want him to get his comeuppance. Lilliana senses something is wrong as soon as they depart from their wedding. But she is an optimistic sort of gal and keeps hoping for the best. Then she discovers that he didn't even know who she was before he sought her hand. Later she realizes he totally avoids all contact with her during the day. After that, understanding dawns as his superior attitude towards her penetrates her optimism. The only time he seems to appreciate her is during the night before he retires to his own bed. At first she is distressed, then devastated, and finally believes her life is ruined and feels such a fool. At last, she decides she is not going to take it anymore. Her gentile manners are laid aside and she lets her naturally adventuresome personality take over. It is totally entertaining as she surprises Adrian and then silently crosses him or disobeys his edicts. He, in turn, attempts to conceal any emotion towards her actions. This is a thoroughly enjoyable part of the book. Then, gradually, the real problems begin (yes - it can get a lot worse). Benedict begins to visit the couple frequently and since the brothers have never been close, Adrian is highly suspicious of his brother's actions. Benedict was a real pain - deliberately causing even more problems between Adrian and Lilliana and he finally gets very tiresome. Unfortunately, this is a book that relies heavily on The Big Misunderstanding formula. And it is not just one misunderstanding, but one piled on top of yet another. During all of this, Adrian and Lilliana's sensual relationship is interwoven - on again - off again. These scenes rate about a 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). The Dangerous Gentleman is the first in a series of three books referred to as the Rogues of Regent Street. The second - The Ruthless Charmer and the third - The Beautiful Stranger. This is the first of London's books I have rated less than five stars. She is a favorite author and although this book had some aggravating pages, I have to highly recommend it. It is not often that I praise a book that has The Big Misunderstanding unresolved for so long. But it is just a testament to London's writing skills that it still captivated me totally - right to the last page.

1st book in the Rogues of Regent Street series:
I had never read any of Julia's books but was happy that someone recommended her to me. This is a series that you do need to read in order. The books all tie in with each other. This one is about Adrian Spence, Earl of Albright. He has just done a deed that will haunt him for the rest of his life. He is struggling with that and his scheming father when he comes across a great plan. He will marry and hurt his father. Lilliana Dashell is being courted by his brother Benedict. He sweeps in and makes an offer for her that her family cannot afford to pass up. Lillie soon finds herself married to the handsome yet cold Adrian. He fills her bed with passion and heat but then in the light of day is as cold as ice to her. Only when a terrible accident happens and Adrian is forced to depend upon her does he thaw. She is utterly confused by his actions. She has fallen in love with him and can't understand what makes him act the way he does. Adrian is also confused. He is afraid to reveal his feelings to Lillie and so actually turns her away from him. the struggle for them to find the love they share is so well written that you feel as though you are watching it on a screen. I cried at this story and laughed a bit too. I look forward to reading others in this series.