Once a Gentleman

May 15, 2004
Nicholas Parrish had always thought of quiet, shy Prudence Armitage, assistant editor of his sister's popular ladies' magazine, as a friend-when he thought of her at all, that is. But when Pru falls asleep one night while working late in her office, which just happens to be in Nick's house, and her aristocratic family declares her thoroughly compromised and demands that they wed, he resigns himself to a lackluster marriage-and, much to his surprise, ends up with the wife of his dreams. It is not easy to make an unassuming, somewhat insecure heroine appealing or to make her blossom realistically, and it is no easier to take an initially angry, resentful, though honorable hero and make him truly "heroic," but Hern has done a masterly job of both. Good writing, the effective use of dual viewpoints (hero and heroine), and marvelously colorful secondary characters, both old and new, make this final volume in Hern's "Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet" trilogy charming and especially memorable. Although this book stands on its own, readers will also want to read the earlier books in the series (Once a Dreamer, Once a Scoundrel), the second of which was one of the Romance Writer of America's (RWA) Ten Favorite Books of 2003. Hern writes exceptionally well-done Regencies and Regency-set historicals and is gaining a growing fan base. She lives in San Francisco.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.