BLOG TOUR - Gentleman Jim

Join the virtual blog tour of GENTLEMAN JIM; A TALE OF ROMANCE AND REVENGE, Mimi Matthews’s highly acclaimed new historical romance novel, November 9 through December 6, 2020. Forty-five popular blogs specializing in historical fiction, historical romance, and Austenesque fiction will join in the celebration of its release with exclusive excerpts, interviews, spotlights, or reviews of this new Regency-era novel set in Somerset, England. 

DESCRIPTION:

She Couldn't Forget...

Wealthy squire's daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it's bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father's estate, Nick is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nick escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nick never returns. A decade later, he's long been presumed dead.

He Wouldn't Forgive...

After years spent on the continent, John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare has finally come home to England. Tall, blond, and dangerous, he's on a mission to restore his family's honor. If he can mete out a bit of revenge along the way, so much the better. But he hasn't reckoned for Maggie Honeywell. She's bold and beautiful--and entirely convinced he's someone else.

As danger closes in, St. Clare is torn between love and vengeance. Will he sacrifice one to gain other? Or, with a little daring, will he find a way to have them both?


ADVANCE PRAISE

"Tartly elegant. . . A vigorous, sparkling, and entertaining love story with plenty of Austen-ite wit."— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Matthews ups the ante with a wildly suspenseful romance..."— Library Journal, starred review

"Equally passionate and powerful...Mimi Matthews proves once again that she is a master of historical fiction in Gentleman Jim."— Readers' Favorite

"Rollicking and romantic, passionate and intriguing...Regency romance does not get any better than Gentleman Jim."— Relz Reviewz 

BUY LINKS:
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS 

MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   Gentleman Jim

Author:  Mimi Matthews

Publisher:  Perfectly Proper Press

Genre:   Historical Romance

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   3776

Date of Publication:   November 10, 2020

My Rating:   4 Stars

On the shelf. Ten years and multiple offers of marriage. Yet Margaret Honeywell remained single, and is for all intents and purposes, a spinster. She promised her heart to Nicholas Seaton when they were teens, but he has been gone for years. There is no one else that Maggie could possibly love, not even her guardian and ardent pursuer, Frederick Burton-Smythe.

A woman knows her heart. when John Beresford, Viscount St. Clare arrives on the scene after years spent away, Maggie's heart beats a familiar drum. THIS is why she waited. This is why she is alone. Her Nicholas is back. But, is he? Why is St. Clare claiming to be someone else, a man with prospects, and not the troubled Nicholas who has been long thought dead.

In a battle between love and vengeance, St. Clare has something to prove, even if looking into the beautiful eyes of Maggie brings tears to his own eyes. He has a mission, and that mission might keep them apart forever, making those ten years away ever more painful to consider.

What a great story by Mimi Matthews! I loved Maggie. Strong and determined from beginning to end, not willing to take no for an answer, no matter how steep the difficulties. I also enjoyed St. Clare, and his history ad reasonings, all the while hoping this couple could overcome the major obstacles facing them to find their forever happiness. This delightful story was an easy read, one that made my heart leap for joy and comes highly recommended. 

Many thanks to Perfectly Proper Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following excerpt:

Fred fixed his gaze on Maggie. A muscle worked convulsively in his cheek. “I’ve never denied you anything, so long as you asked me in a polite and civil manner. Go to the dressmaker and the milliner, by all means, and have the bills sent to me. But not today. Today you’re to retire to bed. Tomorrow, if you have recovered your strength from the journey, you may go shopping. But you’re to take Bessie. I shall have a word with her before I go. She knows her duty.”  He took his leave of them, then. Jane summoned a footman to fetch his hat and cane and show him out. As the drawing room doors closed behind him, she muttered, “How generous you are. We are both so very much obliged to you.”  Maggie leaned back in her seat. As a girl, she’d been energized by arguments. Fueled by raised voices and heated words. Now such things only served to exhaust her. “What a colossal waste of time.”  “Not entirely.” Jane sat down across from her in Fred’s vacated chair. “He’s given you leave to purchase as many new clothes as you like. And if he thinks I mean to take you to Grafton House for a bargain, he’s much mistaken. We shall go to Madame Clothilde, that new French modiste in Bruton Street that everyone’s raving about. Très exclusif, apparently. She only dresses the richest and most beautiful ladies in town. You’ve lost a bit of your bloom, I know, but she’ll not turn you away.”  “How can I think of shopping? There’s still the duel to consider in the morning, and I haven’t the faintest idea what I…” Maggie closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead again.  “A headache?”  “No, no. Well, that is…yes, my head does ache, but I think I have an idea.”  “To throw yourself between them?”  “Indeed not. But it occurs to me that, if I can’t reason with Fred, the only course of action left is to try and reason with the viscount.”  Jane stilled. “Lord St. Clare? But how can you? You haven’t even been introduced to him. And even if you had…he’s a single gentleman. You can’t simply pay him an afternoon call.”  “Of course not. By tomorrow afternoon, it will be too late. I must go today. Or tonight, rather, for I can’t be seen paying a call on him in broad daylight.”  “My dear, you cannot go at all. There’s your reputation to consider.”  “I suppose I shall have to go under cover of darkness,” Maggie said, thinking aloud. “When I’m least likely to be observed.”  “If you won’t consider your own reputation, you must at least consider mine. I’m your hostess and responsible for your—”  “I won’t ask you to accompany me, if that’s what you’re afraid of. And I won’t involve your servants, either. I can very well take a hackney to the viscount’s residence.” Maggie hoped that would be enough to protect Jane’s good name. “Unless…Gad, he doesn’t live in bachelor rooms in St. James’s Street, does he?”  “No. At least, I don’t think so. I’ve heard he’s staying at the Earl of Allendale’s residence. A big mausoleum of a place in Grosvenor Square.”  “But that’s not very far from here at all.”  “Yes, I daresay you might walk there,” Jane said dryly.  “I know you disapprove, but you must advise me. Is St. Clare as unreasonable as Fred, do you think?”  “I haven’t the slightest notion. We’ve never been introduced. Though I have seen him twice at the theater. He was sitting in a box with his grandfather. I must say, he didn’t look like a particularly amiable gentleman. On the other hand, I can’t conceive of anyone being as disagreeable as Fred.”   Maggie considered this. “Well, I suppose the worst thing that can happen is he’ll laugh in my face. Or refuse to admit me altogether. It’s very likely a fool’s errand, but if there’s a chance he might call off this stupid duel, I must make the effort to see him.”  “The worst thing that can happen…?” Jane was incredulous. “Margaret, no one knows the viscount well enough to judge his character. He’s been on the continent for ages. For all you know, he’s a rake and a libertine. A vile seducer. To go to his house alone—and at night, too—you’re practically offering yourself to him on a silver platter!”  “I shan’t go alone,” Maggie said. “I shall take Bessie with me.”

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE: 
Nov 09 Relz Reviewz (Character Spotlight) 
Nov 09 Life of Literature (Review) 
Nov 09 Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (Review) 
Nov 10 Savvy Verse and Wit (Interview) 
Nov 10 Greenish Bookshelf (Review) 
Nov 11 Library of Clean Reads (Review) 
Nov 11 Silver Petticoat Reviews (Excerpt) 
Nov 12 Bookworm Lisa (Review) 
Nov 12 Heidi Reads (Review) 
Nov 13 Lu's Reviews (Review) 
Nov 14 The Green Mockingbird (Review) 
Nov 15 Bookish Rantings (Review) 
Nov 15 The Lit Bitch (Review) 
Nov 16 The Historical Fiction Reader (Review) 
Nov 16 Austenesque Reviews (Review) 
Nov 17 Inkwell Inspirations (Review) 
Nov 17 Robin Loves Reading (Review) 
Nov 18 Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review) 
Nov 18 My Jane Austen Book Club (Excerpt) 
Nov 19 Laura's Reviews (Review) 
Nov 20 Jorie Loves a Story (Spotlight) 
Nov 20 Foxes and Fairy Tales (Review) 
Nov 21 Gwendalyn's Books (Excerpt) 
Nov 22 Romantically Inclined Reviews (Review) 
Nov 22 Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina (Review) 
Nov 22 Vesper's Place (Spotlight) 
Nov 23 Fiction Aficionado (Review) 
Nov 23 Historical Fiction with Spirit (Review) 
Nov 24 Let Them Read Books (Interview) 
Nov 25 The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Review) 
Nov 25 So Little Time… (Spotlight) 
Nov 27 Among the Reads (Review) 
Nov 28 Chicks, Rogues and Scandals (Review) 
Nov 29 Book Bustle (Review) 
Nov 30 Cup of Tea with that Book Please (Review) 
Dec 01 Nurse Bookie (Review) 
Dec 02 Confessions of a Book Addict (Review) 
Dec 02 Impressions in Ink (Review) 
Dec 03 From Pemberley to Milton (Review) 
Dec 04 Relz Reviewz (Review) 
Dec 04 Rosanne E. Lortz (Review) 
Dec 05 Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen (Review) 
Dec 05 Probably at the Library (Review) 
Dec 06 The Calico Critic (Excerpt) 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Her next romance, The Siren of Sussex, will be out in 2022 from Berkley/Penguin Random House. 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK 

PINTEREST | BOOKBUB | GOODREADS