I have absolutely loved reading this series by Anneka Walker! This book is my favorite so far!! The Gentleman's Confession is filled with hilarious moments, swoony moments, well as heartwarming moments and I loved every moment of this book!! Fans of a friends-to-more romance story will love this book!!

A million stars for The Gentleman’s Confession! Anneka Walker delivers another new favorite in the Matchmaking Mamas series. Childhood friends to more is such a fun trope & I loved the creative spin she put on it. Miles & Jemma have such a delicious slow build romance with Miles’ pining & unrequited love. The pages just flew by as I devoured their story.

Jemma Fielding’s sworn off marriage until she promises her grandmother on her deathbed that she’ll marry. Now to find a suitor. She turns to the matchmaking mamas for a match & they find a handsome neighbor newly returned from India. But, Jemma doesn’t know much about falling in love & so she turns to her best friend, Mr. Romantic himself, for lessons.

Miles Jackson’s a poetic, humble vicar who’s secretly been in love with Jemma since childhood. When she needs his help, though it pains him, he agrees to help his friend. But as he teaches her about love, he falls even deeper & has to determine once & for all if he’ll reveal his heart.

I LOVED this story! Miles is just the sweetest, swooniest hero. He’s got such a delightful personality full of a little mischief & good natured teasing, but also kindness, romance, & depth. I adored his letters to Jemma. I also loved reading his point of view. The achingly longing he suppresses while trying to help Jemma fall in love with another man tugged at my heartstrings. When he finally can’t hold back, I was cheering all the way!

Jemma is a fun, spunky heroine who though a bit naive, has a heart of gold. She loves designing clothes & wants to help others. I was fascinated by the little known Chios massacre through Jemma’s efforts to raise money for the victims & had to Google it. There were times I wanted to shake her though, as she fights her feelings for Miles all the way. But when she finally wakes up, I loved how she goes after what she wants.

I listened to an advanced listener’s copy & absolutely adored the narrators. I especially loved the male narrator. Both of them put in just the right amount of emotion & really made all the characters come alive. It’s a fantastic alternative if you enjoy audiobooks or don’t have much time to read a physical copy.

There are so many funny, sweet moments in this fantastic Regency romance. Definitely a not to miss read! Though it’s part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. But, you’ll definitely want to read the previous books in this favorite series. I received an advanced complimentary copy & audiobook from the publisher. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.

If you love slow-burn romance, prepare for a deliciously frustrating ☺️ (and swoon-worthy 🫠) ride! 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣’𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 is a classic friends-to-lovers story with so much heart, humor, & emotional tension, it’ll have you turning pages late into the night. Anneka Walker delivers everything you want—an adorable hero stuck in the friend zone, a clueless heroine, & a few hilarious moments that’ll leave you shouting “Just kiss her already!” at the book.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸:
💔 Unrequited Love: Miles has been head over heels for Jemma for years—she just hasn’t noticed.

🤣 Witty Banter: Their playful back-and-forth will leave you smiling like a fool.

💫 Slow-Burn Romance: The kind of tension that builds so perfectly, the payoff is chef’s kiss.

👩‍❤️‍👨 Friends-to-Lovers: Watching two people fumble their way out of the friend zone is just so satisfying.

📖 Regency Charm: A delightful backdrop of polite society, matchmaking mamas, & romantic misunderstandings.

🤦‍♀️ Clueless Heroine: Jemma’s obliviousness is both hilarious & maddening—but in the best way.

🌸 Lovable Hero: Miles, the humble rector, is sweet, selfless, & quietly pining.

🙌 Satisfying Payoff: When these two finally figure things out, it’s worth every moment of tension.

📝 Standalone Romance: Part of the Matchmaking Mamas series, but no need to read the others to enjoy this gem.

⚠️ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁/𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
• Mild romantic tension
• Brief mention of grief
• Emotional whiplash from all the will-they-won’t-they 😉

⭐ 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 stars
This book hits every note—sweet, funny, romantic, & deeply satisfying. If you love slow-burn romances with lovable characters & just the right amount of tension, The Gentleman’s Confession will steal your heart.

This is my absolute favorite book by Anneka Walker!!! It is fabulous!!! I loved it so much after reading it that when the opportunity to listen to an early copy of the audiobook, I jumped on it and listened to it right away!!! So yes, I've enjoyed this book twice now! And will enjoy it more!

The Matchmaking Mamas series is truly delightful! These Mamas keep their children on their toes! And they all know it! The Mamas and the children! And the lengths they go to on both ends to facilitate everything or to avoid everything is comical and delightful. And to watch it all come full circle is so much fun! That whole adage of moms having eyes in the back of their head, or knowing everything...very apropos in the case of this series!

Jemma and Miles have been friends for years and years. When Jemma surprises him and all of their friends with the fact that she's ready to get married, Miles can't stand by and let anyone but him be the one to marry her. Of course it takes some time for him to come around to that. But Miles, aka Mr. Romantic, agrees to give her romance lessons and teach her how to fall in love with the man the Matchmaking Mamas have in mind for her. And what ensues is perfection!!! Seriously!!! All the heart eyes and swoons and sighs for this book! I just adored Jemma and Miles so much! They are both such wonderfully good characters with sweet and good hearts. You're not going to want to set this one down at all. You'll want to enjoy every moment of lessons and backfired plans and humorous moments!

And that kiss!!!! Oh! My! Heart!!!!!!! So worth the wait for these two!!! Read it! Or listen to it!!! You're going to love it!!! The narrators of the audiobook were so much fun to listen to bring these characters and story to life. I was very happily entertained while listening and enjoying this book that has been added to my favorite's list!!!

Content: Clean. Some kisses but nothing further.

I received a copy from the publishers, Shadow Mountain Publishing and Dreamscape Select, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading and Listening!!!

Favorite parts: 
- Jemma's confession
- Meeting Mr. Bentley
- After dinner at Mr.  Bentley's
- Peeking into the drawing room
- Miles pinned against the door
- At the pond
- Dancing
- Making deliveries
- Lesson on the power of touch
- Talking to herself
- Notes at the cricket match
- In the Gentleman's club
- At their bench
- Engagement announcement
- The Matchmaking Mamas

I love the theme of helping the poor and refugees in this story! I love the history that is interwoven into these historical romances - i learn history that I had never heard about before.

I love Miles and Jemma's love story! Miles is so steady, he's a good friend and loves deeply.  Jemma is headstrong, independent and tries so hard to do right by those sound her, especially those she cares for.

I love the courtship lessons and how they help bring Miles and Jemma even closer in the end.

It was so fun seeing all the wonderful characters from the previous books again, and the Matchmaking Mamas were great!

This is the 3rd book in the Matchmaking Mamas Romance series, it can be read as a stand alone.

London - 1821

Jemma Fielding is mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother who raised her when her parents passed away. The woman encouraged Jemma to think for herself and now she known as a bluestocking. While Jemma had always planned to remain unmarried to allow her to champion charities as she likes to do, plus her passion for fashion design, her grandmother’s last request is for her to marry.

Brookeside England - 1822

Now Jemma has come to her good friend, Vicar Miles Jackson, for advice. He has known her for many years and is secretly in love with her. Jemma knows of the Matchmaking Mama’s of Brookeside and they have found the wealthy Mr. Bentley who has recently moved to Brookside and now owns the Kensington House. They want to introduce Jemma to him but she needs Miles to help give her lessons on how to fall in love with someone since he has always been known as Mr. Romantic.

This is a clever book with lots of funny spots. Miles is simply a swoon-worthy man and Jemma is the one he has adored all his life. Now, if he can just convince her to realize that so he can be with this woman forever. Come read this story filled with lots of interesting characters as they follow society’s rules of the time period. I haven’t read the other books in the series, but I quickly caught up with what was going on. Enjoy!

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

“The truth was, she wanted to read his soul. She craved to know it backward and forward.”

“Finally, she was his. This moment was the beginning of the story he had longed not just to write but also live.”

* We’re only 1 paragraph into his pov and I already love him hahaha
* Ugh she’s so oblivious
* Not him spying on her 😂
* Oh these two…
* Ahh the tension!
* I absolutely love this discussion on kissing
* You truly just can’t force love
* I did not see that coming
* Ah! I knew it!
* If everyone could just have a conversation that’d be great

Oh man, I adored this story! This is the first one of the series I’ve read and now I must go back and read the first two!

Jemma is a delightful character. I love her spunk and her good heart that desires to do good and help others. She definitely has a tendency to get in her own way but.. it all worked out the way it was meant to.

And Miles? Oh, Miles. I love him. He’s so cute and so swoony and so.. pining. I love it! He’s a good vicar and a good friend and I loved that he was a writer!

And their friend group? And the Matchmaking Mamas? Hysterical! I loved them all.

This was such a good book! 100% recommend.

“It was no simple kiss but a love letter to his heart.”

“Romance does not take talent; it takes love.”

“Her every movement caught his gaze, her words his attention, and her presence his heart.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook. A positive review wasn’t required and all opinions are my own.

Jemma’s intentions to live life as a charitable spinster is challenged after a promise made to her grandmother to find love. Her life long friend Miles knows her better than anyone else, but is assumed as intended for someone else. Jemma seeks Mile’s help in love lessons to prepare to marry - but Miles has only ever wanted her. This friends to lovers story is adorable and sweet - but has some angst as well!
My ultimate favorite scene is the cricket. Hello, swoon alert!
Tender love, heart realizations, and the gentleman turned into ardent pursuer make this story a worthy read.
Can be read standalone but may be fully appreciated in context of the series.

The third installment of Anneka Walker's Matchmaking Mamas series, "The Gentleman's Confession" showcases the romance of Jemma Fielding and Miles Jackson. Both belonging to a group calling themselves "The Rebels", they discover love despite themselves.

This series features an unusual premise in which a group of older women pull others' strings to effect loving marriages. While this requires a certain suspension of disbelief, it's still amusing to see events unfold. The first two books were charming. This one, although entertaining, pushes the "disbelief" envelope a bit too far. A clueless Jemma asks Miles to teach her how to love someone. This is NOT how it works. Instruction on making eye contact, touching, or feigning interest in the "target's" thoughts and opinions, is disingenuous and just plain weird. As close cousins, Jemma and Lisette apparently don't communicate very well. That aside, the friends' group and new spouses are engaging.

Walker's prose is enjoyable and like her other works, this book is clean. She cleverly incorporates the tragic Chios Massacre of 1822 into the story. I look forward to Ian's tale.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for an ARC of this novel.

A sweet friends to more love story!

He risks his heart teaching her how to fall in love with another man...
But what if he risks it all by confessing his feelings?

Love these characters and this so cute storyline!

"The Gentleman's Confession" is a romance set in 1822 in England. Some aspects of the story were so absurd that it didn't feel realistic. I know it's supposed to be humorous, but one scene had several women cornering Miles in public, and one of those women repeatedly ran her hands through his hair while demanding a lock of his hair. His stepfather or some of his congregation surely would have taken them all to task for behaving so badly, but everyone just excused it as Miles is so perfect that the women couldn't help themselves. Hmm.

When Miles was young, he saved Jemma's cousin from dying. The cousin understandably was half in love with him afterward. Jemma started the rumor that Miles was going to marry her cousin, and now she and his friends all believe this even though Miles has refused to marry her. The cousin has even resigned herself that he isn't going to marry her. I just kept thinking "Gee, what friends--they don't really know him and care more about pressuring him to marry the cousin than about his happiness."

For the first half of the story, I also kept thinking that none of this would happen if he'd just get a backbone. He'd tell people "no" but was "too kind" to firmly convince people that he really meant it. But he did finally realize this and started to change, which redeemed him in my estimation. As Jemma was the cause of her own misery and refused to even consider changing her stance until her cousin took things in hand, I had a little more trouble feeling pity for her.

However, all of the characters were generally likable. Historical details served more as a backdrop than as necessary to the story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this humorous story.

I love the Matchmaking Mamas series by Anneka Walker. It releases next week!

First I love the cover so much! This whole series has amazing covers that pop and the colors are vibrant with floral in the background. I loved having a male model on the cover and the next book cover has been revealed and it’s another male model too! 👏🏻

Jemma loses her aging grandmother and one of her grandmother’s last wishes is for Jemma to marry and experience love. She asks the Matchmaking mamas for help and within a few days - so conveniently a new gentleman has moved into the village and agreed to marry Jemma. They’ve given themselves time to get to know each other before anything formal is announced. Jemma goes to Miles, her BFF - he’s like a brother, practically engaged to her cousin - for help on getting Mr. Brantley’s heart. But she doesn’t know that Miles has unrequited love for her. If this doesn’t sound like a Shakespeare plot then I don’t want to be wrong 😉

It was fun to see the uncomfortable moments where out of politeness, many characters held their tongues and refrained from making declarations.

I do feel it started to slow in the middle and I wanted more tension to hurry up. But it ends in lots of drama and HEA. I didn’t see how Miles loved Jemma so much. She was an okay character. I really felt for Lisette, for being passed over so much and not getting her own book even though she’s in the Rebel group.

This book can be read as a stand alone, past characters makes appearances. And I can’t wait for Ian’s book! 🎉

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, I was able to listen to the audio and loved the narration. Both narrators brought the story to life with soothing voices. I received an e-arc and paperback from the publisher. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Despite her determination to stay unmarried, Jemma has promised her grandma in her deathbed to get married, and not only that, but also find love. To fullfill her promise, she ask for help to the Matchmaking mamas society, who arrange the charming Mr. Bentley as a perfect candidate. But Jemma is so inexperience at love matters that she request the help of his best friend Miles, the rector of Brookside who has a knack for matters of the heart.
For Miles this task is not easy at all. He secretly has loved Jemma all his life, and helping her win the heart of another man is just impossible to bear.
But Jemma is so resolved and persuasive that he just feels obligued to gives her lessons in love. But those lessons don't help him to restrain his feelings for her, just encourage him to see that Mr. Bentley is not the perfect match for her. The perfect match only could be him. But Matchmaking mamas are always right, or are they not? Time is running out and the possibility of losing her forever is more real. Miles has to decide if now is time for him to make his own confession, a confession of love.
I have enjoyed this book a lot! The characters are amazing and there are many swoony moments. I love Jemma's personality, her vivacious ways and how Miles supports and loves her. This series are great and I can't wait to read the Next book, Ian's story

This was a very sweet romance. Both were trying to deny themselves to make others happy, but all came right in the end. While it looked like the HEA was an impossibility, I could see the resolve coming a mile away and it was perfect. I enjoyed how it all played out. It was a lovely romance, and I think everyone was happy in the end except maybe Ian. And of course, all the ladies who had hoped to capture the vicar. Jemma's assistance in batting them away from Miles was rather amusing. She was quite clever about such things.

I always like matchmaker stories. These matchmakers aren't too invasive really, but they are spot on in their choices.

Very enjoyable read and listen.

No sex, language or violence

This series is so much fun. This is Miles, Jemma and Lisette's stories. The Rebels are going down like flies to the Matchmaking Mamas but this just might be the Mamas best feat yet. I love the characters. They are all so complex and interesting. Miles is the local vicar and is known as Mr. Romance to his friends in the Rebels group. Jemma is known as vixen and has the determination and stubborn spirit to show for it. Lisette is all kindness and is more quiet in nature than the rest of the group. Hearts are put to the test and lessons are learned in this sweet romance. I don't want to ruin the story, so I will just say this is a must read book and series. I highly recommend it.

4.5* Relationship development was the strong suit in this book. I feel like I really know these characters and their motivations - both are noble and loyal to what they believe to be right. The writing is clear and flows well, making this book enjoyable to read! This book can stand alone, though understanding the friends' interactions is enhanced by reading the earlier books in the Matchmaking Mamas series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Soo good! I enjoyed every minute of this book! The premise is that the mom's of 'The Rebels' get together under the guise of a music group to matchmake their children. Each one of these books have been very different and good in their own right. They all have no swears, no alcohol, and kissing only.

This is book 3 in the series but it definitely works as a standalone. However, the other two are fantastic so I recommend them! Anyway, this time we are back with Miles and Jemma. Poor Miles, he loves Jemma so much but she just doesn’t see it or want to see it. She thinks Miles and Lisette are destined to be married. Jemma made a promise to her grandmother to fall in love and marry. So she enlists the matchmaking mamas help and they find her a suitor. But she doesn’t know the first thing about love so she asks for Miles to teach her. Again, poor Miles, but he agrees. As they spend more time together, Jemma realizes she may have feelings for Miles!
I really loved this story! I felt bad for Miles, he tried so hard to get Jemma and she just keeps being stubborn! I thought it hilarious that Miles was a vicar and had so many women after him. I really enjoyed how Miles and Jemma got together it was so sweet. I can’t wait for the next story!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Wow, definitely a book of managing and meeting expectations. A lovely book of friends who fall in love but are forced into situations some beyond their control. Good dialogue, good characters, overall, a nice feel-good book. The narration was great, but I am a huge fan of Mary Jane.

#netgalley #TheGentlemansConfession

I enjoyed this book but I would definitely recommend that you read the books previously in the series before picking this one up. I think a lot of this story can be confusing without that prior context from the other books.
It’s a bit of a slow read but overall enjoyable with a happy ever after ending. I look forward to future books in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.