I have read books by this author more of the ones set in the present and found them entertaining

Now it seems everyone is jumping on the Bridgerton band wagon some do it justice and some do not this the latter

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Ever since his family moved into the stylish Belmore Square, Frank Melrose has been on the look out for a story. He's about to take his family's printing business global, but his new obsession of the highwayman causing havoc on the ton is taking his time and energy away from his goal. And the clashes he has with the beautiful Taya Winters, someone completely out of his reach, don't help either. Will Frank risk it all to discover the truth, even risking his heart?

I liked the first book in this series, but wasn't blown away by it. Even so, I felt like continuing the series, so was happy that I was approved to read A Gentleman Never Tells on NetGalley. This time the main couple are the siblings of Johnnie and Eliza. Eliza's brother Frank, who had been the one putting his name to her articles, wants to do his own investigations, mainly into the mysterious highwayman terrorising the ton. He has a feeling that they are linked with Belmore Square, and sets out to discover the truth. But he could never expect that the culprit is a woman, and a Lady at that. Lady Tara Winter may be the sister of the Duke of Chester, but she finds joy in riding, and has someone become involved in the highwaymen. She also has no intentions of doing what society wants, and takes her own pleasure where she can. Again, I liked this book, but something was missing to make it a 4 or 5 star read.

This is only my second read by this author, the first being the first book in this series and I have to say I am a fan of her writing style.

The quick hilarious chaos that is Frank really made the pacing so easy to just race along with. It seemed like he faced one thing after the other.

I loved the sass and strength of Taya, the perfect match for dear old Frank, a rake just awaiting the right woman to tame him.

I have to say, I did guess the twist but I was still here for all the revelations and renaissance gasps.

I loved the after ever after check in we got with Johnny and Eliza, I always love when we get to see a couple navigate marriage in a Sequel. Even in the background they were gold!

I really adore how this series seems to give a voice to women in a time where they had none. Perhaps not very realistic but idealistic all the same.

I am hoping there is to be a book 3 but will it be Sampson or Clara? Or indeed both, if the theme of Winters and Melrose is to be kept up.

Frank Melrose brother of Eliza from book one never wanted to write for the Times but he took credit for his sister’s stories as a woman journalist would be a huge scandal. He's under pressure from the newspaper to unmask the mysterious trio of highwaymen causing havoc in Belmore Square, but his infuriating clashes with Lady Taya Winter, his sister’s sister in law, keep slowing him down.
A well written very enjoyable book with humour interlaced with romance. I really liked both Frank & Taya & I loved how their relationship developed. The pace is very good , there are exciting incidents & also a surprise is revealed when the mystery is solved. An engrossing read, which I thoroughly enjoyed
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Who doesn’t love a regency romance novel and if you’ve read the Bridgerton series and have a gap in your reading schedule, this may just be the book for you

This book is terrible and I'm really frustrated about it.

Concept-wise, it's strong. The story is told from the perspective of Frank Melrose, Eliza's older brother. He has this fantasy of unmasking a highway-woman that tried to jilt him and his sister on the side of the road and nearly kissed him. Based on the way the book is written, the identity of said woman is pretty obvious from the get-go. Unfortunately, the writing is just awful and the choice to use first person present tense perspective gives way for the author to overwrite, use exposition like it's going out of style and completely ignore basic structure. By 20%, Frank is already having sexy fantasies about a woman he barely knows - and there's been maybe two interactions between them.

The chapters feel long and rambling, with far too much inner monologue going on. The first two chapters are just exposition to catch you up to the world, and they're told at you rather than showing you. In another author's hands, this would have been an excellent book that stood out amongst a highly saturated genre. Frank comes off, initially, as a far more sensitive and thoughtful male lead - in fact, Malpas seems to have switched the classic 'he's brooding and mean, she's sweet and naive' and I loved that! But it's let down by a novel in desperate need of an edit and a change of direction. Much of the novel just follows Frank's perspective, so Taya never really gets much development beyond how he sees her and objectifies her.

Also - the way Frank thinks and talks about his sister gave me the biggest ick. He was on the border of having to call the cops because it was so creepy. I don't know what was going through the author's mind when she was writing this, but he sounded like it was Eliza he was in love with.

I'm frustrated because I enjoyed the first book in this series (this is not the first time this has happened - even this year, it's not the first time) but reading this now feels like such a letdown. "A Gentlemen Never Tells" needed a better direction and better writing to deliver on an exciting concept.

A Gentleman never tells is the second regency romp in the Belmore Square series. Frank Melrose, Eliza’s brother from the previous book has never wanted to write for the London times although he has taken the credit for Eliza’s much sought after stories in the newspaper as it would be scandalous for a woman to be writing for a newspaper. A complete philanderer he gets himself into all sorts of scrapes, but suddenly he realises he does want to write particularly at this moment when a trio of highwaymen are causing havoc amongst the ton and Frank is convinced after seeing them one is a woman so he decides to investigate.
Meeting Lady Taya who is Now Eliza’s sister in law he is knocked for six in his attraction towards her and realises he wants to stop his rather debauched lifestyle.
With lots of humour, some exciting moments and a surprise reveal this story with its cast of wonderful characters is a great read. I look forward to the next in this series.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.