Years earlier, Leo Fitzmanning's father had left his wife to live openly with the equally married Countess of Linwall. They had lived their free-spirited, bliss-filled, yet unwed, life together for twenty years. Leo and his two sisters had been a product of that life while the duke also had two legitimate sons. Their reputation was such that society referred to them as The Fitzmanning Miscellany, although they knew better than to say it to Leo's face. There was also a half-sister, Justine, by a French woman his father had met prior to making the countess' acquaintance. They had grown up at Wellbourne Manor and even the two legitimate sons had spent a great deal of time there, so they were all close. But Leo has no wish for scandal and is trying to gain society's respect by producing the finest horses in England, even finer than his brother, Stephen's, horses.

Leo is the illegitimate son of the Duke of Manning, and has been working hard to overcome his family's scandalous reputation. He has his own horse farm and believes it will be a most profitable journey. But one night,a fire ruins most of his dreams, his horses and farm are burnt to the ground. A careless act, but he will do anything to support the love of his life, Mariel Covendale. They are secretly betrothed.

When he goes to her father to ask for her hand in marraige, her father tells him that she is already betrothed to another, which is a lie. Miss Mariel Covenant is brokenhearted when her father informs her that Leo has not shown up to ask her father's permission for them to wed, but he has lied again. Hearing that Leo had left the country, she figures he has deserted her. So both their hearts have been broken by her lying father.

Leo finds a way to make his fortune and returns to England, but soon learns that Mariel has not married in those 2 years, but is once again betrothed to another, Lord Kellford, a monster of a man. Leo will not let this marraige happen. He will not let her live a dreadful life with a devil of a man whom only finds pleasure in causing pain to his women. He is determined to help her. But her father also has many hidden secrets and does not care who she marries as long as his betting debts are paid.

Determined to put a stop to it, Leo tries to warn her father, who turns a deaf ear. So he approaches Mariel, but she is still mad at him. As all of his feelings for her return, he knows he must find a way to stop the wedding. However, he figures they do not have a future together as he is no longer the same man who left London two years earlier. Not knowing any other way, he decides to re-enter society...with the help of his family. But he doesn't have much time left. Can he find out why she is being forced to marry Kellford and figure out a way to correct the situation before the wedding day? Does Leo have reasons of his own for stopping the wedding...reasons he is not even admitting to himself?

A fast-paced tale, A NOT SO RESPECTABLE GENTLEMAN, the latest novel by RITA award winning author Diane Gaston, is an intriguing, passionate historical romance. I could not put this book down, read into the wee hours of the morning! Leo and Mariel are wonderful together and I could not help rooting for them. But I did not like Mariel's father at all and was looking forward to his comeuppance. As for the Fitzmanning Miscellany, the entire family was warmhearted and loving, making me eager to read more about this wonderful family. There was also a beautiful, secondary romance between Leo's valet/batman and Mariel's personal maid. Packed with suspense, blackmail, mystery, betrayal, complex characters, family dynamics, passion, true love and a scrumptious ending, this story is a winner. I enjoyed A NOT SO RESPECTABLE GENTLEMAN immensely and look forward to reading more of Ms. Gaston's works.

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