Finding out that you are marrying a recluse 10 minutes before the ceremony is perhaps not the best start to the day. But having your fiancé defy you 10 minutes before the ceremony might be worse. Having truly fallen in love at first site, he is tongue tied and is unsure how to approach the young lady. But following and rescueing her at random times might be the way to her heart.
This book was a bit stilted and kind of quirky. But I found it refreshing change from other books and a great pick me up that love conquers all.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

This story did not have me rooting for the heroine – Lady Harriet Hillstow. Harriet is unaware her name appears in the betting book at White's - being an heiress and unmarried was a recipe to have all the fortune hunters come out of the woodwork to try to get their hands on it. She is unaware her father and the Marquess of Leeds have already drawn up the paperwork for the marriage and Will arrives that morning to meet her and get married by special licence.

William Fitzgerald Hamilton, the Marquess of Leeds who has been in love with Harriet for the longest time but has always been unable to approach her due to a stutter that had all the girls teasing him as a young boy and made him self conscious. He has admired her from afar and has attempted a few times to approach her to request a dance but always becomes tongue tied at the very last second and walks away. When her name appears in the book at White’s, he is determined to protect her, marry her, and approaches her father, unknown to Harriet.
Will’s best friend Carlton is hysterical! He has always had Will’s back and even in this instance when Harriet runs away prior to even meeting her betrothed, decided to accompany him and goes so far as to jump into the Thames with Will to swim to the ship bound for America with Harriet on it. The interaction between the two of them on multiple occasions are the scene stealers in this story.

Eventually, Harriet marries Will, after destroying a few marriage contracts and making his life extremely difficult. She does come to fall in love with him and realise the treasure she has in Will and have her HEA.

Overall, an ok read for me. I received an ARC from NetGalley and submit my honest review.

A Historical Romance with Humor

She boarded a boat to America to escape him. Did she hate him that much? No, what Harriet hated was that her father arranged the marriage without her knowledge or consent. She promised her mother she would wed a man who fought for her. Harriet would not be so easy to win. She was attracted to Will, but she was about to give him the fight of his life.

How far would Will go to win his lady? Why did he not court her instead of going to her father and getting a marriage license so they could marry quickly? It turned out that Will had a secret. What happened when he shared it with Harriet?

Will and Harriet would take us on a romantic adventure full of humor and mischief. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to those who like historical romance.

This is the second book in a series, but apart from a certain stolen book, that might appear in all of them, each book can be read on it's own.
Our heroine in this one is certainly a strong and independent young lady. Not at all what society believes her to be. She definitely gives our hero a run for her heart. Our hero thought he was going to be able to cut corners. Just how wrong can a man be ?
Lots of adventure, giggles and fabulous characters.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Great fun.

I must first disclaim this is my favorite genre. This was one that gave me all the romantic feelings. It was such a fun, fast paced, quick read. It had a common thread that neatly tied it all together running all the way through the book. The men of the ton have set up a betting book at White’s the men of the ton’s social club. The idea is to bet which heiress will be next to marry. The winner to take all monies in the betting pool. The book opens with the Marquises of Leeds asking for his daughters hand in marriage. Of course, there is one misunderstanding after another. This made for a page turning book to find out what’s next. As I said this is my favorite genre and this did not disappoint in the least. I highly recommend this book! This is abook that gives you all the romantic feels. Thank you to the following for allowing me to review and write my own review.
#NetGalley
Publisher: #DragonbladePublishing
Author: #TanyaWilde
#ByNoMeansaGentleman
Publication Date: March, 6, 2024
Go and get your copy to read this weekend. What a happy escape!

Harriett discovered her father set up a marriage of convenience without her being involved. She hadn't even been introduced to the marquess. Will was in love with her and wanted to marry right away. She didn't make it easy for him. His friend the duke was right behind him to help him get her. She agreed to marry and they got to know each other as they lived together and became friends first. There is quite a bit of humor in the story. Thank you NetGalley.

I'm a big fan of a brave/feisty lead female. She definitely stands up for what she believes in. This story was very entertaining from beginning to end. Hopefully there will be more in this series!!

Lady Harriet Hillstow discovers her father had arranged a marriage for her with William Hamilton, the Marquess of Leeds, she is astonished to find the marriage is planned for the very same day. Having vowed to her mother that she would never marry a man who would not fight for her, Harriet is determined to escape such a marriage. William cannot bring himself to tell Harriet, that she is the woman of his dreams, for fear that she will discover the reason for his sudden proposal. Realising that Harriet loathes him, William must do all that he can to win her over.
I liked the character of William who does all that he can to show that he cares for Harriet, without revealing his true feelings. However, I found Harriet quite difficult to like as she does all that she can to dismiss William, despite her attraction to him. At times, her behaviour and manner were quite erratic.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an absolute gem this is! From the very first page , it is non-stop, take no prisoners type of shenanigans for these two. Harriet is out for blood for being left out of a very important decision in her life. Will, uncomfortable with speaking to ladies due to an impediment, loves her from afar and will do anything to protect her. The game of cat and mouse does not even cover what happens between these two and it is hilarious fun! I loved the banter, the enemies to lovers trope , and the very surprising ending! I will admit that Harriet did get on my nerves a little, not giving Will a chance to truly explain, but the antics were funny, the love blooming was adorable and the semi-closed sex scenes very well written. NEVER would have thought her “first time” would be like THAT! I really didn’t want this story to end and the very last statement of the book was absolute perfection!! Enjoy! GREAT STORY!

I received this ARC for free and these are my own opinions

I do not read too many historical romances and this book is going to absolutely change it. I completely fell in love with this book almost immediately. This was such a fun read and I couldn't put it down.

I loved Harriett and Will. Their banter was just absolutely brilliant. I loved seeing Harriett warm up to him after everything. Because my heart was absolutely MELTING because of Will. The secret pining?? Him being shy?? God he truly was the sweetest thing. The two of them, along with Calstone and Rohan just kept me laughing through this book.

I know some people weren't a fan of Harriett and her actions, but I feel like it made sense. She had a great point in my opinion. Why would she trust him when she doesn't know him and thought he didn't know who he was. Was she a little extra by trying to run to America? Yes, absolutely but I also completely love her for it lol I'm so excited to see where the rest of this series goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for providing me an arc copy of the book in return for my honest review.

A Reluctant Bride

I loved every page of the book, it was great fun to read! The plot is very nice with marriage of convenience and He falls first tropes, and the characters including the side characters are endearing. The chemistry between sweet cinnamon roll hero Will and defiant heroine Harriet is delightful. I really enjoyed her esprit and his resilience and patience. Their battles of wills, their banters and the way she riles him up were very amusing and made me laugh out loud.

Lady Harriet Hillstow is a romantic wallflower. She always believed in Prince Charming who would fight for her and sweep her off her feet.
When she is learns from her father that she is to marry aloof William Hamilton, the Marquess of Leeds, she is furious. But nothing seems to deter Will. So she runs away…

Will falls in love with Harriet at first sight, but because of his stutter and awkwardness with women, he is unable to show or express his feelings. But he never would have thought that his fiancée would be so reluctant and keep him on his toes...

Absolutely worth reading!

I loved the first entry in Tanya Wilde's "Ladies Who Dare" series, so was excited to dive into the second book, "By No Means a Gentleman". I did really like the latter, but not as much as the former.

"By No Means a Gentleman" opens with heiress Harriet learning that she is to be married - that day - to William, Marquess of Leeds, a man to whom, from her recollection, she has never spoken. Will is secretly in love with Harriet, but positions their marriage as him saving her from a number of nasty bets about her and other heiresses that are making the rounds at the infamous White's. Harriet is (unsurprisingly) unimpressed and chooses to run away instead. This is a convenient choice because she promised her mother to marry only a man who would fight for her - and Will's chase becomes that fight. Back together in London, the pair have to figure out their future together.

Harriet is not my favorite at the beginning. She seems a bit petulant and impractical. But she comes into her own once Will brings her back to London. She is honest with Will about (almost) everything, making no secret of her goals in and thoughts about their marriage. Will took a minute to grow on me, too - he was almost too willing to let Harriet have most of her way at the beginning, but again, he came into his own as the book progressed. His wooing of his wife is simply adorable, as is his acceptance of her as she is. The side characters here are also fantastic - I would love to see Calstone get a book of his own.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonsblade for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

I loved this story. Will is my favorite as he struggles with his amazing love for Harriet, who has no idea. She is a wallflower who isn't appreciated by her parents and therefore can't understand who, what or why Will is interested. The chemistry, wit and humor between them as they work through life is great. This writer has brought reality as well a creative story to life. Lots of joy went into this book and it's really easy to see that as the reader goes from page to page.

Angry with her father and prospective groom, Lady Harriet takes umbrage when maneuvered into marriage without consultation or warming. Taking matters into her own hands requires some quick planning, but she did not reckon on the Marquess of Leeds and his best friend, who come after her and before she knows it, she is married to William Hamilton. William is an honorable man, but even he can see that forcing Harriet into a marriage she had no say over is not well done. I chuckled at the number of times he was forced to get a special license, but loved how he set out to woo his new bride, despite his limitations. Although Harriet fights her own rising attraction to William, she begins to understand that she has married a man she can trust and knows that his efforts are sincere. Unfortunately, there is still the matter of the missing Betting Book of Whites to deal with and ultimately the culprit who set things in motion is severely dealt with. I received a copy of this entertaining book as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

An unrequited love story for Will the Marquess for Harriet, a woman not valued by her family.
Easy to enjoy the humor and banter between the two as they struggle to learn about each other.
My heart went out .to each of them for their personal struggles but loved the HEA.

Lady Harriet Hillstow never imagined even in her wildest dreams that she’d discover her father had arranged a marriage for her with the wicked and wily Marquis of Leeds on the very day he shows up with a special license! Harriet made a vow to her mother that she would never marry a man who would not fight for her. William Fitzgerald Hamilton, the Marquis of Leeds, has never been an opportunist. Until the moment a chance to marry the woman of his dreams fell into his lap.
The second book in the series & I’m on the fence with this one. I really liked William who would walk through fire for Harriet but the same couldn’t be said for her. I disliked her & almost didn’t finish it but I was intrigued to see if Harriet could be redeemed, whilst she did open her mind & heart to William I wasn’t totally convinced. That said it was a well written book, the characters were well portrayed, the pace was good & there was some humour. It just didn’t give me all the feels
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

It took me a little while to put together that this book was pretty much overlapping with the first book. We briefly met Harriet and Will in the first book and it was clear there was a story there so it was nice to get to find out about their entire history. It also took me a little while to like Harriet. I was completely on her side over how she was treated by her father and had the wedding sprung on her, but she was so busy being upset she didn't really look at Will as anything more than her enemy. Her plan to sail to America completely alone was not only poorly thought out, but she never seems to really understand just how dangerous it was. Even when Rohan turns up practically the next day and tells her that he was planning to settle down in London for the time being she doesn't seem to realize what a huge mistake she almost made (and was only saved from making by the actions of Will). Luckily she wasn't so stubborn as to not open her mind to the idea that maybe Will was a good guy and she needed to give him a chance. And how many more ways could he have proven himself to her? And how could you not fall in love with Will? He proves wiling to do just about anything for Harriet and supports her participation in what is going on with the book from White's. All he asks is that she keep him in the loop so he knows what he may have to protect her from. There are some very amusing moments in this book - primarily brought on by Calstone and Rohan, but Will and Harriet both turn out to have pretty good senses of humor as well. And oh how I wish we could have found to Will's reaction to Harriet's final confession! Looking forward to the next book in the series!

This was the best book !!! It had all the things a story should have. You get a good share of laughter with a great story line to keep you reading with a good feeling till the last word. Please enjoy like I did.

I feel torn on this book. I loved William; he was great so kind , considerate, and caring. My enjoyment of the story increased when they married, but Harriet made it hard to root for them as a couple. She was dismissive of William and seemed to reject everything he said. I understood it to a certain degree but the first 40% of the book, I’m not sure Harriet was worth it. Once she begun to trust him, I appreciated how strong that bond was but her prior actions were just more than concern. And then at one point she seems almost upset that her husband has show her so much respect. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed Almost A Scoundrel last year and I was expecting the same experience with By No Means A Gentleman. I was disappointed by the heroine and her horrid actions towards the hero throughout the novel. Having protagonists kicking and screaming their way to the altar makes me so sad. How can you expect me to root for a romance when the character wants nothing to do with it? I can expect hesitancy when the love interest is a monster, not when he is a waving green flag of the deepest verdant. William was a soft, sensitive marquess who was deeply infatuated with Harriet and was too self-conscious over his stutter to ever talk to her. He didn't deserve the awful way she treated him in this book. She tore up multiple marriage contracts, made him jump into the Thames after her, and got drunk on her wedding night to protest her nuptials. This guy can't catch a break!

Frustrating heroines aside, I did read this book in one sitting. I was desperate to know the ending and see if Harriet ever got over her misguided prejudice. William was so sweet and willing to withstand her poor treatment because he was so dedicated to her. I liked the way he called her "love" the first few times, but it became repetitive as it occurred in every other sentence he spoke. I won't continue with this series or this author, but it was nice while it lasted. Harriet's nasty interactions with the darling marquess really turned me off and I felt awful for him. It may have been called By No Means A Gentleman, but Harriet didn't act like a lady either!