This is a short story with an interesting premise. The lord needs money and, after trying the old-fashioned way to land an heiress, desperation has him trying to force a wedding. Milly really wants to marry for love, so she avoids being a rogue’s target. When the unthinkable happens, her hopes for love are ruined. Considering I didn’t like the hero in the beginning, this turned out to be a pretty decent read. I enjoyed the hero and heroine fall in love and get their HEA in the end.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

After reading the first book in the Sins and Scandal series I was so excited to get my hands on the next book in this series, so when I got the chance to read Gentlemen Never Surrenders I was so excited and I dived into this book as soon as I could and it was fantastic. Milly and Owen story might not have started off with them falling heads over heels in love with each other but as the they got to know each other we quickly saw the romance between them bloom and I just loved that . I had so many favourate scences in the book I wish I could tell you all about them .. okay fine I will give you a clue ( Its the one with the Letters ) .This story was a sexy , swoonworthy historical romance . Once again I cant believe Lauren Smith fit all of this into such a short story . I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. If you love all these things in your romances then you should definately pick up this book as soon you can.Lauren Smith if you are reading this and want to leave a copy of your next book with me that would be wonderful lol .

If you’re looking for a nice book to unwind from your grueling day. Then you need to check out A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith. This is book #2 in her Sins and Scandals series.
In the story, Owen Hadley needs a wife. But not just any wife. He is in desperate need of a wife with rather a ton of money. In steps heiresses, Milly. She is getting tired husband hunting. Because she knows that once she gets married, her freedom goes out the door as soon as she says I Do.
When Owen enters Milly bedchamber they are forced to the altar. And come to realize that maybe getting caught wasn’t so bad.
Lauren Smith totally surprise me with this book. I was expecting something to the tune of her steamer offering but was taking a back on how different her writing style when it came to her writing historical fiction. She totally grabs you right from the start, but instead of the plot when it came to this story it was Owen and Milly who kept me reading.
A Gentleman Never Surrenders was my first ever Historical Romance that I read by Lauren Smith and certainly won’t be my last. I enjoyed this book so much that I will have to check out An Earl by Any Other Name.
I will certainly recommend this title to any reader who is into historical romance or just looking for a fun entertaining way to unwind for a few hours or however long it takes for you to read 147 pages

4 to 4.5 stars

Owen seems a bit of a cad in the opening chapter as he coolly contemplates what innocent young lady's reputation he can compromise in order to gain access to her dowry and save his estate, but we soon learn that he is not as bad as he initially seems. While Owen was off fighting a war, his family's estate and his beloved childhood home fell into a state of disrepair after his father's death. Now he must find a way to save the place that holds so many wonderful memories for him and supports the local economy with its farming activities. When his best friend Leo suggests Owen attend his house party with a specific young lady in mind to help Owen's cause, he reluctantly agrees.

Milly has had the good fortune to travel to France to be educated where she had a glimpse of a different kind of life- one where women are treated as chattel to be bargained off to the highest bidder in return for a man's financial gain and where their intelligence is actually valued rather than squashed. She has built up a prickly demeanor with the ability to cut down any man's interest as her suit of armor to avoid the fate afforded to so many ladies her age, and she counts herself as fortunate that her father will not force her to marry. Her younger sister just came out into society and is much more innocent, so when Milly sees fortune hunter Owen Hadley eyeing Rowena like a piece of meat that is the answer to his prayers she knows she has to step in to run interference.

Fate steps in to lead Owen into the wrong room at night, and suddenly Milly finds herself in the middle of her worst nightmare as she is forced to marry him. They may have mixed like oil and water when they encountered each other in the past, but they are about to find out they have more in common than they ever realized. Owen faces an uphill battle, but he is determined to have an amicable marriage at the least while hoping for something much more when he is afforded little glimpses of the real Milly who lives behind the armor. She is fiery, intelligent and passionate despite her fears about him breaking her heart. Milly is startled to find that Owen's estate is the reason behind his desperate quest for funds, and the more she gets to know him the more he continues to surprise her while breaking down her preconceived notions by not conforming to the societal norms of men of the peerage.

A Gentleman Never Surrenders was a really enjoyable read filled with heart, heat, love and humor. I really enjoyed seeing Milly let go of her anger and hurt to free the wild streak she has inside with Owen's help, and Owen's redemption from his actions in the first book of the series was well done. This second book of the series was much better than the first which was slightly underwhelming in my opinion, and AGNS provides a few hours of fun, entertaining distraction from the real world.

Couldn't help but think Owen was some sort of a fortune seeking dirt-bag at first, but as I got to know his reasons, I couldn't help but soften towards this man. Owen wanted a marriage of love no matter the crappy start, so I admired his efforts. Loved Milly soooo much! She was a sweetheart despite her initial goals and dreams being dashed (in her mind, only at first) by Owen's ruining. The physical part was no problem for these two and very hot, but the emotional bonds took a while to build, and I loved every step!

There was a surprising amount of emotional depth for such a short amount of pages. Loved this story so much, and I'll be checking out more by Lauren Smith for sure.

A copy was kindly provided by Forever via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

I don’t know if it is this author or the time frame she set her book in (early 1900s) but it felt like a refreshing take on a traditional historical romance. There were still lords & ladies, balls & waltzes, country parties & homes that went back generations. But it felt a little more relaxed, including a hero that was not titled, cars instead of horses, and a woman yearning for independence.

Milly wants to be an equal in her marriage and since she’s not been able to find a man who thinks the same she’s content to live her life as an old maid. Unfortunately a mix up at a house party finds her engaged to her worst nightmare – a fortune hunter. There’s nothing in Owen’s past that would suggest that he’s going to be anything like the husband she’s dreamed of.

Owen needs money badly to set his family property to rights. The sharp-tongued Milly is the last woman he hoped to be wedded to but she does come with a sizeable dowry. And the more time they spend together, the more Owen finds himself seeing a different side to his wife.

I only have one complaint (and this may just be an indication of the times) but how can Owen really expect to compromise a woman, forcing her to marry him, only to have her be warm to him right away. I know that women were little more than property, which is most of Milly’s fear in tying herself to a man, but that doesn’t mean that they are going to be super open in their feelings for him. Luckily for him, he got himself a smart, albeit stubborn, bride.

For all their trouble, there really isn’t a ton of drama between these two. They are smart enough to get read the signs that maybe they misjudged the other and are willing to put the effort in to try to make their marriage work. It’s not easy but it is entertaining for the reader :)

(Part of a series but can easily stand on its own)

London - 1911

Owen Hadley, age 32, needs money. His family estate, Wesden Hall, in the Cotswolds is in disrepair and he needs to marry a wealthy heiress quickly.

Owen recently stayed with his friend, Leo Hampton, at Hampton House. There, he met the pretty and rich Ivy Leighton. But when he tried to show her attention, his friend, Leo, hit him and sent him back to London. It appears that Leo is attracted to Ivy and wants her for himself. However, the two men are still friends and Leo decides to invite Owen to a house party where the lovely Rowena Pepperwirth will be making her come out. Owen is familiar with her older sister, Mildred (Milly) and knows her to be a rude and cold woman whose estate is next to Leo’s.

Milly has adopted a cold exterior to deter men looking for a wife simply to be a brood mare. She is fascinated by the suffragettes and abhors the thought of some man forbidding her to support them. She is trying to avoid Owen Hadley as his reputation for considering only a wealthy woman for a wife has quite deterred her. Seeing him eye her little sister, Rowena, truly angers her. Worse yet, their hostess is trying to push Owen and Milly together.

When Owen seeks to enter Rowena’s bedchamber at night to compromise her, he ends up in Milly’s room instead and is immediately discovered by her mother. Thus, Owen must ask for Milly’s hand and they are quickly married. But with their different ways, will they be able to have a loving and lasting marriage? Time will tell.

This is a cute story and one of discovery and understanding. I’m sure that readers will enjoy it immensely.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the second book in this series by this author. This is a scandalous story which will have you hooked from the first page. This is a historical romance story, I don't usually read this genre but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I loved the characters, I just fell in love with them from the beginning. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book

After reading An Earl By Any Other Name I was super excited to read the next story. When found out the next story was about Owen, I couldn't wait. I mean Owen did something extremely stupid in the first book, and he kind of deserved what he got. I mean desperate times call for desperate measure. Anyway, when I read the blurb I was like who's Milly. Still super excited, then I started reading I was like, "Oh it's her". Yes, I wasn't too sure about the heroine. If you read An Earl By Any Other Name you might agree with me on this. Serious, Milly happens to be Mildred Pepperwirth, and she's definitely not a pleasant kind of person, or so I thought.

All right so Owen needs funds and Milly has a ton of funds; however, Milly wants to marry for love. After all she wants a relationship like her mother and father. She thought that if any guy wanted to get to know the real her would try to see past her prickly exterior. Yes, Owen is a fortune-hunter, but it wasn't his doing. He wants a wife who is willing to share her fortune to help restore his land. Basically, he tries to compromise Milly's younger sister, but got Milly instead. Now he's trying to make the situation the best he can. Milly is devastated, because her dream is over. Yes, I can go on, but I think you get the gist.

Actually, Owen and Milly are a better match for one another, and they do get to know one another. However, it's not all sunshine and roses, they have to learn to get to know one another and build trust. Seriously, not an easy task when one decided to try to compromise the other.

Overall, I did like A Gentleman Never Surrenders, because we get to see sides of Milly and Owen we didn't get to see. Milly is an actually a decent person. She's not the mean cold-hearted person we see in the first book. I have to say that I actually love Owen. He's a really good guy, stupid at times, but an overall good guy. Now I do have one grip. This story should have definitely longer, or at least an epilogue. Seriously, something happens at the end I'm like "What the heck, seriously!". So, I'm hoping one of the characters does get a story, and maybe it would give a better understanding of the ending of A Gentleman Never Surrenders.🤞 Other than that it was a pretty good read, and by the end I liked Milly and Owen.

Copy provided by Forever Romance via NetGalley

Wow Milly starts the book off very cold and standoffish. As you get into the story she is seen as wanting romance, respect and love. You see how she wants her husband to be an equal partner and want her to work with her and not dictate. She is really caring and sweet. Super smart and independent.

When Owen first comes into the picture he is desperate for a wife who has money. But he doesn’t want to dominate the person. He isn’t after the money just for greed. It is because of his passion for his home. He has gone through alot and is now trying to save the one place he feels safe and secure. He is a good guy but comes off as a rake at the beginning.

You see though as these two are off on their adventure to marriage who they both are. They were in a situation that was caused by Owen’s desperation but do get to know one another. They take the time to learn who each other is. And they see what each other truly wants and who they are. Milly sees a man who cares and loves deeply. He respects her as well. He showing kindness and understanding. He also shows her his passionate side. Milly shows him her intelligence and kindness. He sees that she isn’t icy but reserved and wanting to protect herself from being hurt. This is their story and how they find partnership with one another and respect. How they found a home with one another and each other. How they find love.

We see them work together and ask each other things. We see them become intimate in ways that are beautiful through becoming equal partners in their marriage and talking with one another. We see their passion as well for each other but it doesn’t overwhelm the story but enhance it as they explore marriage and falling in love. A wonderful story of finding the right person and falling in love even when it begins in the wrong way.

A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith was definitely a great read!

Owen and Milly will definitely pull at your heart! Yes, there are moments where you really dislike Owen (At least I did), however, he always finds a way to win me back over. In the end, I truly did enjoy reading about his journey.

I am generally not a huge fan of historical romances, however, Lauren has definitely swayed me!

I cannot wait to read more from Lauren in the future!!
4/5 Stars!

“A Gentleman Never Surrenders” continues on with the characters who were introduced in “An Earl by Any Other Name”, but can be read as a standalone. I love how Lauren Smith brings her characters to life and immerse you into the time period. The hero, Owen Hadley, was not easy to like at first, but obviously it opens up some room for improvement. And Owen did improve, he is definitely not a bad guy. He is in dire financial straits, his family estate has fallen in disrepair and he needs money urgently. Marrying an heiress would solve his financial problems. As it happens, the heroine of this story, Milly Pepperwith has a sizeable dowry.

Milly is the fiery and independent type of heroine. She longs for a loving husband and she has done everything she could to discourage fortune hunters, with her feigned standoffish and arrogant attitude. She is forced into marriage by Owen’s manipulation, though, to save her reputation. Milly dislikes her new husband, and she is determined to give him hell. Owen and Milly butt heads frequently and fight over everything.

Owen feels guilty, he wants to make their marriage work. He intends to prove he can be trusted by being honest about his initial motivation for marrying Milly. I enjoyed watching this couple come together. The passionate way they love and the fiery way they clash. These two definitely had a love-hate relationship and I knew that they would be explosive when they finally got on the same page.

Witty banter, great character development, taking into account the novella format, flawless writing, slow-burn chemistry, this story has it all! It is a great addition in Lauren Smith’s Sins and Scandals series.

picking up soon after an earl by any other name, a gentleman never surrenders continues the story of owen hadley. he's in desperate need of a wife with a fortune and has reached the point where trapping a woman into marriage is his only option. his actions here and in the previous novella are less than gentlemanly, but over the course of the story he does redeem himself.

owen isn't a bad guy. he's just a guy who has no other recourse. when he accidentally creeps into milly pepperworth's bed he doesn't expect to end up with a happy marriage. but milly surprises him. she'd been holding out for love, and is horrified by the turn of events that force her into marriage. but she does give owen a chance to make things right. and he surprises her by being more progressive than she could have expected.

he trapped her into marriage, but he doesn't want a cold marriage filled with contempt and he goes a long way to find ways to connect with milly and make their marriage work. even in the short format of the novella, this story works and i don't feel like anything got short shrift. owen and milly improve from their initial first impressions in the first novella, and they are well-suited here.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

A Gentleman Never Surrenders by Lauren Smith
Book Two of the Sins and Scandals series
Publisher: Forever Yours
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Love is worth a little scandal.

Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune---luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen.

Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . .

Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but---and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last.

What I Liked:

I requested this book from NetGalley on a whim. I'd not read the first book, but I saw it on Twitter when the publisher tweeted a picture of the cover. The cover of book one is so delightful and I had a little fun with making up what I thought the characters were thinking about. It's a great cover! When I saw that a new book by Smith was on NetGalley, I decided to give it a try. I love the marriage of convenience trope (or inconvenience, in this case), so I had a feeling that this book would be for me. And it was!

Owen Hadley is a fortune seeker - but he's not as bad as everyone thinks. Sure, he is looking to compromise and marry a rich heiress as soon as possible. But his reasons are honorable. His methods... maybe not. He sets out to seduce the younger Pepperwirth sister, Rowena, but accidentally winds up in the older sister's room. He and Milly are forced to marry, much to the their mutual chagrin. Milly wanted to marry for love, and she certainly never wanted to marry a man of such a reputation. But as they begin to build a life together, they realize that marriage isn't so bad, and neither is falling in love.

This is a short book - probably around 150 pages - but it is a complete story. Owen and Milly get married early in the story due to being caught in a compromising situation, something neither of them wanted. They don't like each other and would rather never speak again, but marriage is the only choice. The rest of the novel focuses on their marriage, on the way to Owen's home and life on his lands.

Owen has a reputation of being a merciless fortune seeker, trying to poach a rich heiress by any means possible. He has left a trail of women behind him, as the rumors would say. But is he so bad? The answer is no. While I can't say I loved his methods of trying to get married (i.e. trying to seduce heiresses), I understand why he was so determined. With his lands and estates having deteriorated while he was at war, he desperately needs the money to puts things in repair. Since he isn't nobility, the only way he can get a large amount of money quickly is by marrying an heiress with a large dowry. Owen is actually a very selfless guy, contrary to what he might seem. He cared only about his estates, lands, tenants, and his staff. When his friend needed him, he left immediately to take care of him. Owen deserved better than his awful reputation. I really liked him and was rooting for him!

Milly seems like a cold and uninterested young woman to every potential suitor, even Owen, who is desperate enough to marry anyone. Owen doesn't even consider Milly because of her external nature (instead he wants to seduce Rowena). Milly is actually a complete sweetheart, and she guards her heart because she doesn't want to marry like a business transaction. She wants to fall in love with the man, and she wants her freedom. Marriage seems like a prison to her and she doesn't want that. Especially when she is forced to marry Owen, someone she warned her sister about. Milly is prickly and opinionated, and she is a great match for Owen.

I liked these two together so much. Owen is charming and a little wicked, and Milly is strong-willed and sweet. They match well. Owen does everything and anything to please Milly, not only because he knows that they are in the situation because of him, but because he wants to take care of his new wife. The way he dotes on her is so sweet. Milly is apprehensive and scared and upset at first (as she should be), but she grows to love Owen faster than he does. This may have been a short book, but the progression of the romance is so well-written. I loved watching them fall in love - it was wonderful to watch unfold. They bicker and fight a lot initially, and they have a lot of hesitation and tentativeness as newlyweds, but they grow and learn about each other and figure things out together.

This sweet romance has some hot chemistry to it! The attraction grows and grows from the first encounter. Smith cooks up the tension and the sexy times are just that. I like how the lovemaking really matched the couple - sweet, but also fiery hot and a little rough.

The conflict leading up to the climax is not bad at all and I love how the author reveals information bit by bit. There is very little drama and the ending is so good. I only wish that there had been an epilogue or something, because I really wanted a great peek into Owen and Milly's future. But this book was excellent and definitely what I needed at this time. I'll be looking out for the next book, featuring Rowena and a Scottish lord!

What I Did Not Like:

Like I said earlier, I wanted an epilogue! But maybe this couple will make some appearances in the third book. I want to see them as a married couple who are totally in love and comfortably moving through life together! The ending of this book seems like just the start. More please!

Would I Recommend It:

If you're in the mood for a short, sweet, steamy historical romance story, this is a great one. I'm sure the first book was also good and I may check it out sometime soon. I love the usual length HR novels, but this abbreviated one was pretty fantastic! It was a complete love story and it was very satisfying.

Rating:

4 stars. I am excited about the third book! It'll be an especially fun book since there are different tropes in the book than in the previous two. For one, the hero is Scottish, which I love! I adore Scottish-British pairings and I can't wait to see Lord Forres and Rowena fall in love.

I'll be the first to say, I wasn't sure what to expect with Owen as the hero in this novel. He didn't leave the greatest impression on me once I finished An Earl by Any Other Name for obvious reasons. But if anyone could get me to fall in love with an unlikely hero, Lauren Smith is that author.

And she definitely succeeds!

I immediately fell in love with Milly and Owen's story--and their romance. I adored Milly's independent spirit and her drive to be something more than what society deems. Watching her get that confidence and grow as a character was such a treat. And learning more about Owen's motives and seeing him evolve as a character helped erase my previous misconceptions about him and love his characters.

Those misconceptions I had about him were the same ones that Milly had as well at the start. She's apprehensive about the situation she now finds herself in and that brings out these fantastic moments between them. You get these heart-warming moments where they discover there is something more to the other than they ever thought and they fall that little bit more in love. They have a fantastic chemistry and have these delicious moments of sexual tension that I just adored.

These two charmed me completely and I absolutely loved this story!

Thanks Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and netgalley for this ARC..

I love these novelas so much I wish they were longer. I loved reading Milly's story. Hot, Hot and more passion with love at the center. These two needed one another and their story will surprise you.

Publisher's Description:

Love is worth a little scandal.

Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune---luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen.

Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . .

Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but---and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last.

My Thoughts:

He ruined the wrong sister, or did he?
Owen needs a wealthy young lady to become his wife. His home is in a shambles and her money would help him to restore it to it's original glory.
Milly wants no part of marriage. Her seasons, yes multiple ones, have been disastrous. All these foppish gentlemen seem to want is a rich bride that they can put on a shelf. She wants her independence and not to be some mans idea of the perfect wife.
When Owen accidentally stumbles into the wrong sister's bedroom they become embroiled in a scandal that forces them to wed.
Owen gets his heiress, just the wrong one, or is she the better match for him.
This book's time frame however is not the usual regency but situated in the early twentieth century. Our hero is not the usual lord but a roguish gentleman none the less.
Will the union of this unlikely pair lead to love?
This is another winning story by one of my favorite authors. Lauren Smith always entertains me.
I gave this book 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 3.75 of 5.0 flames. The heat between this pair is palpable.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this novella length book from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Lauren Smith has a gift for taking the misfortunes of social class from long ago and making them relevant, as she turns on the charm with her wise words and humorous spirit. A Gentleman Never Surrenders is a breath of fresh air. A little more scandal, a bit less danger and a whole lot of heart. Owen and Milly are more than just a scandal, they are a sensation.

A Gentleman Never Surrenders is a scandalous little read that had me hooked from start to finish. I must admit, I was weary of this series at first because I didn't know how the author would pull off the stories as novellas (I love a full length historical!), but have to say I am pleasantly surprised as to how much I ADORE these books! The story lines as compelling- the author can easily pull them off at such short lengths, and still make them feel full. and the characters are divine! I really loved being on the journey with them and can't wait for more!