The Making of a Gentleman Book Review *Shana Galen*

Felicity Bennett has been hired to tutor Armand Harcourt, the comte de Valere. The former vicar's daughter thinks she’ll be teaching a young boy, and has no other choice but to accept this work, although she isn't too thrilled working for an aristocrat. Felicity is being blackmailed by her deceased father's former caretaker, Charles St. John, who is threatening her. She must find a way to give him twenty-five pounds or marry him. Why he needs that exact amount in some sort of mystery that I found a bit silly, but hey, we need a nasty villain to threaten the heroine and her virtue after all. Felicity had no clue that her father and this man signed a marriage agreement before he died. And because Felicity has no where else to turn for help, she may have no choice but to accept marriage to this nasty, “I’m channeling my twirling mustache, let me tie you to the train tracks” suitor.

When Felicity arrives and is met by the Duchesse de Valere, she’s incredibly nervous but is soon put at ease. That is until Felicity is left alone and begins to play the pianoforte where she is met by a strange man who comes into the room and starts to howl. Even though she is frightened by this hottie wolf singer, the Duc and the Duchesse comes to her rescue. She won't be tutoring a young boy as she was led to believe, but will be teaching this howling man who has lost the ability to speak and is close to wild. Due to the French Revolution, the comte has spent the twelve years in a Parisian prison starting when he was only eleven-years-old. His brother the Duc and his mother were able to escape, and have spent all that time looking for Armand and another brother who also went missing.

Armand can't stand to be touched by anyone, that is until Felicity, the pretty woman with the yellow hair comes into his home. He can’t bear to hear people speak and dare not speak himself. But with Felicity, he does want to communicate with her through touch and with her music. Armand finds Felicity more than pleasing, and although he barely has had any contact with women in general, he wants Felicity to teach him about the passion a man and woman can share with one another.

Felicity wants to help Armand function in society again. But his past comes back to haunt him and soon he and Felicity are caught up in a dangerous world of intrigue. There are those who will stop at nothing until Armand can lead them to a buried treasure only he can find.

The Making of a Gentleman (The Sons of the Revolution #2) has a true tortured and scarred hero who learns to live again thanks to his teacher. Felicity becomes part of a very strange family due to the past horrors they have endured because of war. Armand has suffered the most and longs to be free from the mental and emotional chains surrounding him. The way he and Felicity interact makes for wonderful reading, especially when Armand decides he wants Felicity as his wife. Armand has no idea how to court or romance a woman. As he tries to make sense of the "rules" of society, he also tries to make Felicity want him as much as he wants her. Armand has never been with a woman on an intimate level, and when he meets Felicity, he decides she will teach him in the ways of love. *insert swoony sigh here*

I really wished Shana Galen had stuck to the growing relationship aspect of Felicity and Armand and not this whole subplot of French spies who stalk Armand for this own nefarious reasons. Also the drama regarding Felicity and St. John doesn't make sense at all. Felicity has nothing worthwhile that St. John would want. There really is no reason given why he is forcing her into marriage, as well as the need for specific amount of money that he feels only she can get. His motivation simply didn’t make sense to me as a reader. It felt so out of place along with Armand's enemies who come out of nowhere. The whole basis of the story changes in such a way that you can't help but wonder if Shana got to a certain point and found herself boxed into a corner.

I've read Shana Galen's past works and I can say her writing has vastly improved with The Making of a Gentleman even though some of the plot devices are far fetched and out of place. This book has so much promise, but then lost it more than half-way through. Shana has created a wonderful hero with Armand, even though Felicity is a bit too wishy-washy and simplistic in a way where she faded into the background.

The Making of a Gentleman may have had me asking too many questions on why certain things were done, but I would recommend you read for the characterization of Armand and how he tries to lay claim to Felicity, the only woman he allows not only to touch his body, but also his heart and soul. (Sourcebooks)

Final Grade: C+

A few other The Making of a Gentleman reviews:
Luxury Reading
Rundpine
Queen of Happy Endings