The Gentleman's Confession - Review

The Gentleman's Confession (Matchmaking Mamas, # 3)

By: Anneka R Walker

Publication: October 22, 2024 by Shadow Mountain

288 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--Inexperienced in courtship and love, Jemma turns to her best friend, Miles, for guidance on how to win a man’s heart—not knowing that Miles has secretly loved her for years.

Brookeside, England, 1822

Jemma Fielding has always considered herself an independent woman, but to honor her beloved grandmother’s dying wish, she makes a promise that she will marry and fall in love. To fulfill her promise, she turns to the Matchmaking Mamas Society for assistance and is paired with the charming Mr. Bentley. Though he is everything Jemma could hope for in a match, she is clueless about how to win his heart. Desperate to make a good impression, she seeks guidance from her dearest friend, Miles Jackson, a humble rector with a talent for understanding matters of the heart.

However, Miles’s secret affection for Jemma has spanned years, and teaching her to love someone else threatens to betray his own heart. Despite his selfless nature, Miles fears he will never be more than a humble rector in her eyes.

Even as he gives Jemma lessons in love, Miles grapples with the challenge of convincing her that Mr. Bentley may be a perfect gentleman but he is not the perfect match for her. Will Miles’s advice in romance jeopardize their years of friendship, or will it reveal the attraction that has quietly blossomed between them, proving that this time, the Matchmaking Mamas may have made a mistake? Miles must decide if he’s brave enough to confess his feelings to Jemma before she is whisked away forever.

The matchmaking mamas strike again. When Jemma's grandmother passes away, she extracts a promise from Jemma on her deathbed. Jemma agrees to marry when she was previously against the idea. She's an independent woman after all, and her financial stability doesn't rely on a man's income either. But that's not all. She promises her grandmother to marry for love. And the truth is she wants what her grandmother had. Love and family. 

Miles has been in love with Jemma since they were kids. But she was always against marriage so he never thought he (or anyone else) had a shot with her. When she up and changes her mind, he's thrown into a tailspin. Especially because she asks him to teach her how to fall in love with the man the Matchmaking Mamas have picked for her. 

To make matters worse, Lisette, Jemma's cousin, has been in love with Miles since he saved her from drowning as a child. Jemma would never stand in the way of Lisette's happiness. And over time, expectations have risen that Miles and Lisette will eventually marry. Miles has never wanted to marry Lisette though, and he has always struggled with balancing their friendship with not raising her expectations. I'm a firm believer that two people cannot be friends when one of them has feelings for the other. No matter how careful the person without feelings is the other often reads too much into every small interaction. 

I don't love books where the main characters are willing to forego their happiness for the sake of someone else--especially when a little communication could clear up many misunderstandings. I mean don't get me wrong. I'm not a "happiness reigns supreme" kind of person. I don't believe happiness comes before moral rightness. But in cases like these, simply having a conversation with someone, and being open and vulnerable would have prevented a lot of heartache. So in this way, I don't think The Gentleman's Confession was executed in the best way. 

My heart ached for Miles. Unrequited love is so hard. And he's been watching his love from afar for so long. Once his secret was out, he got a little saucy with his flirting. But Jemma probably needed the directness to force her not to ignore him or her feelings. I also felt his lessons on love could be useful for just about anyone. He gave some of the most quotable moments which I'll share below.

Favorite quotes:

-"I'll write the words across my heart, never to be forgotten," she quipped. His forehead creased. "If only you would."

-"Misunderstandings are easy, are they not? They can make a wedge between a couple and prevent love from blossoming or even kill it completely."

-"Get her to talk about herself. Then based on your conversation, think of something nice to do for her. When you serve someone, you start to think differently about them. It's an amazing thing."

-"The theme this time is sacrifice. Think of something dear to you that you can give up for a time."

-"If love is solely self-serving, it chokes the other person."

-"...work too much or not enough. This is the same for both the poor and the rich. There seems to be a fine balance in which relationships hang on the pendulum. When out of balance, the couple suffers. Frivolity, relaxation, or social engagements, whatever form of play it is, can be tiresome in its excess. It, too, requires the utmost care of balance."

-Life was more than just keeping others happy.

-...giving is the only service compensated from the heart.

-"Remember not to settle for the easy road. Not when the harder path takes us toward a greater happiness."

-"I cannot give you the world, but this hand is yours if you want it."

One small pet peeve: Nowhere in Scripture does the Bible teach that humans become angels when we die. There was only one passing statement about this, but it bothered me all the same. 

The Gentleman's Confession was another enjoyable installment in the Matchmaking Mamas series. I don't love when characters know their behavior could hurt others. A simple, open conversation is more likely to be respected and appreciated. That being said, I still enjoyed The Gentleman's Confession and things couldn't have worked out better for all involved. And I can't wait to see what gets cooked up for Ian in the next book. The Gentleman's Confession gets 4 Stars. Have you read The Gentlenman's Confession? What did you think? Let me know!