[The Gents Books 1-3 + Christmas Novella]: A Series Review

Hi y’all!

Fall is in the air and I am here for it! This is my favorite time of year. I love fall!

I am thrilled to be sharing a review of the first part of The Gents series by Sarah M. Eden. If you’ve been here this year, you know I am loving Sarah’s books this year and these are absolutely fantastic!

The Gents follows the love stories of Lucas and Julia Jonquil and their friends. If you’ve read the Jonquil Brother series, you will love getting to know their parents in this series. And if you’ve read the Lancaster Family series, you’ll recognize a young Duke of Kielder. The Gents make an appearance in Charming Artemis and we also see Digby Layton in The Best Intentions in the Huntresses Series. It’s a delight to get to know them all as young men and see them fall in love. I especially love seeing Lucas and Julia together as they fall in love and begin their family.

So far, there are 3 of 6 books published plus a darling Christmas novella featuring Adam, Duke of Kielder:

Forget Me Not
Lily of the Valley
Fleur de Lis

The Holly and the Ivy

Book Summaries: Forget Me Not: “Nottinghamshire, 1785. Julia Cummings has long been acquainted with loss—her mother, her brother, her sister, her friend, all gone too soon. But the loss that pushed her grief to the limit as a young girl was that of her best friend, Lucas Jonquil, who abandoned her without looking back. Now, eight years later, Lucas has returned to Lampton Park, and Julia has steeled herself—she will never forgive the man who broke her heart.

After losing too many of his friends and family to early deaths, Lucas vowed to live life to the fullest. And after traversing the world, he has returned from his adventures to find his family and home as he left them—except for Julia. The little girl he left behind has blossomed into a captivating lady, a lady who makes it clear she despises him. With little hope of reconciliation, the former friends are blindsided when their parents make a shocking announcement. Lucas and Julia have been betrothed without their knowledge and are to marry immediately. Now Lucas must rely on the help of his closest friends to win the heart of a lady who loathes him—a lady he’s coming to love more deeply every day.“

Lily of the Valley: “Cumberland, 1786. Amateur inventor Kester Barrington prefers the peace and quiet of his estate to the bustle of Society. But when his tight-knit group of friends, the Gents, descends on Livingsley Hall for their annual gathering, he stoically joins in their activities. It all seems exhausting—until an unexpected addition to the party catches his eye: his new neighbor, the lovely Violet.

Violet Ridley longs to make friends in this new corner of the country, but her family’s fortune was made through investments rather than inheritance, and Society can be fickle. So when tragedy forces her family to shelter at neighboring Livingsley Hall, Violet is delighted to receive a warm welcome from the Gents. In particular, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kester. The pair is a study in contrasts: Violet, with her sunny disposition, and Kester, with his prickly facade. Their connection is impossible to deny, but both Kester and Violet harbor heavy constraints. As their association becomes increasingly tangled and confused, their only hope of pursuing a life together is to trust one another with the very truths that could tear them apart.“

Fleur de Lis: “Thirteen years ago, Henri Fortier left a tumultuous life in France to begin anew in England. His adopted country has become home, and his dearest friends, the Gents, are family. Unfortunately, ties to the past still plague him, and he’s forced to live in near destitution. Henri secretly publishes his poetry to supplement his meager income, but it is both insufficient and risky. A house party with the Gents promises a welcome distraction until he realizes that one of the guests is none other than Nicolette Beaulieu, the woman who stole―and broke―his heart years ago.

Nicolette has traveled to England for reasons far more pressing than a house party. As part of the Marquis de Lafayette’s secret network, she has been tasked with preparing for revolution. Though she has a pristine track record with the organization, her romantic history is far from perfect. This is particularly evident when she is reunited with Henri, the man who once declared his love for her. Drawn together through adventures the Gents have devised, the couple begins to tiptoe toward more tender feelings. But as sinister threats loom from all quarters, it may be too late for Henri and Nicolette’s second chance at love.“

The Holly and the Ivy: “As nursemaid to the eight-year-old Duke of Kielder, Robbie will spend her holidays with her young charge as a guest of Lord and Lady Jonquil. While the couple makes the child’s holiday magical, the handsome gardener works his own magic on Nurse Robbie’s heart.“

Getting to know the Gents is an absolute delight! I have been intrigued by this band of brothers since first meeting them in Charming Artemis. And they are as delightful and fun as I hoped! Every book we get to know a different Gent and his lady. The dual perspectives are well written and fun to see their relationships from both sides. They all have beautiful depth and complexities to their characters. I loved their different nicknames for each other and their easy friendships together. The way they adopt Julia as “our Julia” so quickly is so lovely and their letters to her are absolute treasures! Getting to know Kes and his interests in inventing was so fun. And understanding Henri’s background and search for a true home was beautiful. I love how the Gents are always there for each other and support each other in the best and worst of times.

The love stories are beautiful in each novel. I love the moment when Lucas realizes he has fallen in love with his wife — how much she really means to him. Simply beautiful! And loved the stolen moments in the closet, reading to help her fall asleep, the round sitting room, and all their little moments that build their friendship into something more. I enjoyed seeing Kes and Violet open up to each other about their innermost thoughts and dreams. His declaration of love is so beautiful — I read it several times just to experience it more than once! The romance between Nicolette and Henri is so beautiful. They find hope, peace, and strength with each other and I love that! I love that they trust each other from nearly the first moment they are reunited and how they are able to communicate about their difficulties and hopes for the future. Their first kiss in the book room is fantastic! And seeing little Adam, Duke of Kielder, giving his blessing for Nurse Robbie. Such a tender, sweet love story. I love the happily ever afters!

These stories offer so many beautiful lessons and experiences for all the characters and readers. I loved the beautiful lessons in these stories about building friendship, communicating with each other, and offering forgiveness. In Julia and Lucas’ story, we have so many contrasting experiences and emotions — tragedy and joy, despair and hope, loneliness and love. Both Julia and Lucas have experienced hard things but they are able to find joy and peace and hope together. I loved the discussions of prosthetics and inventing with Kes and Violet and how their experiences have shaped their lives. They work hard to improve life for themselves and others. Henri and Nicolette teach us about finding your self worth in yourself and not in what others say about you. They teach us about strength in the face of difficult circumstances, overcoming abusive pasts, and sharing your struggles with those closest to you. I love that we get to see the same characters as the series progress and we see how they have changed and how much they continue to love and support one another. And how they bring others into their circle of love and friendship. Such a beautiful message!

I love these books so much and can’t wait to read more in the series. The characters are well developed and feel like my own friends and family. I love seeing the Jonquil family start to grow as Philip and Layton are born. And I can’t wait to see whose story we get to read next — Puppy? Layton? Aldric? It’s so much fun to read these books and experience these stories! Can’t recommend highly enough!