A Gentleman by Any Other Name (Romney Marsh Trilogy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Thirty-year-old Chance Becket remembers his horrid beginning. He has spent most of his life trying to forget. He married well in Society, had a daughter, and even landed a prestigious position with the War Office. Now chance is a widow, as of six months ago. Alice, his five-year-old daughter, needs the attention Chance does not believe he can give. Therefore, he quickly hires a nanny, Julia, and off they go to Romney Marsh on the coast. Chance full expected to simply drop Alice and Julia off at Becket Hall, when his large, motley collection of adopted family members reside. However, the War Office, charged Chance with looking into the smuggling situation and other possible problems within the Romney Marsh area. So Chance's plans to escape back to London are no null and void. Chance will have to face his past, smooth over all rough family matters, and help the family deal with a serious gang problem.

Julia Carruthers knows all about smugglers. She may be a vicar's daughter, but neither she, nor her father, condemned the people in their village for how they survived. They even helped a bit. When Julia finds herself alone in the world, she is relieved to be hired as Alice's nanny. She is also happy that they are leaving London for the coast. However, even before they reach Becket Hall, Julia has seen too much, heard too much, and she is just too smart for her own good. So even if Julia wanted to leave the marsh, Chance and his family would not, could not, allow her to. Besides, before Julia was fully hired by Chance, they were arguing, and the clashing of wills is just as passionate in the bedroom. Still, Julia is the outsider. She will have to earn the Becket family's trust.

Everything better get settled quickly. The family will soon deal with the Red Men Gang. It is a large, well-controlled, strongly led, and generously financed organization that now controls all the smuggling for miles of the coast. The only section left for the Red Men to seize is Romney Marsh.

***** OMG! Non-stop action from start to finish! It seems that author Kasey Michaels does nothing half way. Many could have made a dozen novels out of the characters and plots within this single book. Yet it looks as though this will only be a trilogy, with the next two books being released within the next two months. Of course, each book will be a stand alone story. You do not HAVE to read them all. But I pity anyone who misses them! I wonder, if enough fans write the publisher, perhaps the author can be persuaded to create even more novels about the Becket family. How easily I came to care for every single member of this odd family, even the voodoo priestess. (Yes, she is part of the family too.) A fabulous story that I hated to see end. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I am a big fan of Ms Michaels. She usually writes spunky heroines, dapper heroes, and has a flair for humor that adds so much depth to the romance genre. I was disappointed by A Gentleman by Any Other Name, however.

In retrospect, I figure she was trying to write some sort of gothic romance, with windswept moors and brooding, complicated characters. A mass market Wuthering Heights. This story of Chance Becket, the eldest of Ainsely Becket's children (some adopted, some not) was melodramatic and oftentimes boring. Julia Carruthers, who happens to hail from nearby Chance's ancestral home, applies for and gets the job as Chance's daughter's nanny in London. But then they go back to the Marsh where Julia shows everyone how well she fits into the culture and goings on of this somewhat isolated village. Julia is nosy and annoying and has a tendency to be overbearing without having any of the other qualities in a heroine, such as humor, self depreciating or otherwise, which make the annoying traits bearable. The attraction between her and Chance is forced, and the book is quite frankly way too long. It's also obvious this will be one in a long line of books for every orphan, maybe with one or two of them pairing up with each other (ew, just because they aren't blood related, doesn't mean they aren't siblings!). I picked up another one at the same time, and just finished skimming it. Pretty much the same thing.

What saves this book is the host of secondary characters, including a cast of retired privateers, who make the story more interesting and fun. I won't be getting of the others in the series, and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who enjoys the whimsical regency Ms Michaels often treats us too. This book, and it seems this series, are for readers who prefer long passages with no action, dark and brooding characters (seriously, most of them are), and irritating main characters.

Chance's wife died six months ago and he is currently looking for a
nanny for his daughter Alice. So far, every candidate he has seen has
been unsuitable. Until Julia arrives. Chance thinks Julia is
beautiful and head strong, and since she is the last woman interviewing
for the position, he is desperate, so he hires her.

Julia thinks Chance is an intriguing and maddening man, but she finds
his daughter Alice delightful. Chance intends to take Julia and Alice
to Becket Hall, his family home in Kent. There Julia and Alice will
stay with his father and his large and slightly odd family. He planned
to come back to London to continue work with the War Office but
coincidentally he now has work to do in Kent so he is staying. Chance
is needed to investigate the smuggling that is taking place there.

Chance's family appears to be involved in the secret activities and
Julia is quick to discover what is going on. To assure her silence and
protect his family, Chance seduces Julia. He was not counting on his
feelings growing for her in the process though. As the Beckets try to
solve the problems of gangs and smuggling while keeping their family
safe, Chance comes to realize that he wants Julia forever and so he has
the added task of keeping her safe and by his side.

A Gentleman By Any Other Name is delightful. Chance and Julia are very
likeable
characters. I was drawn to their witty banter and their passion. I
felt they were very well suited to each other. The entire Becket
family is a colorful mix of characters, each having their own
fascinating story to tell. Drama, intrigue and romance combine
creating a really enjoyable story, A Gentleman By Any Other Name is the
first book in what promises to be a fantastic series!

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed