1.5 stars ( )

Interesting for the most part. Armand was an interesting character although his back story could have been explained a little bit more. Also since he had been in prison since he was 11 years old, I sort of thought that he recovered a bit too fast. Most of the scenes of him regaining his speech and such were told and off camera and not shown or seen by the reader. Maybe it wouldn't have seemed so quick if we'd seen more of it and frankly that was the most interesting part of the book. I did enjoy how insistent Armand was that he wanted Felicity and how he naively went about making it happen. The part about the treasure and why he was kept in the prison didn't make a whole lot of sense and needed more explanation. The bit with the betrothal might be hard for modern readers to swallow sense most people are not used to the fact that those sorts of things were binding contracts back then and breech of contract suits could be filed over them. Maybe some more info about those practices would have helped. On the whole though I enjoyed it. ( )

Started out good, but -- about midway through -- devolved into a sloppy, boring mess. The characters are never well-developed, and the plot drags and drags and drags...

The story is this: Armand was a French aristocrat captured during the French Revolution, when he was 11. He was put in a prison cell and left to rot, growing up with only a pet rat for companionship. Somehow, 12 years later, Armand's brother rescues him and takes him to the family's new home in England (they can't very well go back to France, sadly). Armand, of course, is uncouth and dirty and childish in behavior, having been forced to grow up in a prison cell. He also refuses to talk or be touched. So, the family gets him a tutor. A young, nubile, blonde female tutor. Yeeeaaahhh, I don't know. It's an incredibly flimsy plot, just so you know.

Anyway, the story unfolds from there. Armand is, obviously, hot for sexy teacher, Felicity. There's also some sort of ridiculous spy plot or something about treasure. It's dumb and poorly executed, that's all you need to you know. Also, the chemistry between the two leads starts out strong, but then heads to Lukewarm City because the author never bothers to flesh out the characters. They are superficial; there are no hidden depths or motivations. Everything they feel or think, they express. There is no introspection and nothing to indicate that these characters are anything more than Stock Hero and Heroine #25,8897A, ripped straight from the Harlequin vault of characters. Totally bland, completely generic -- ALL THE CHARACTERS, too. No one had a lickspittle of real, genuine personality.

The writing wasn't awful, though. It was competent. However, the story, characters and plot were sub-par. IF you're looking for a rich, deep story with wonderful characters, though, look elsewhere. 2 stars = D grade. ( )

At first, I almost stopped reading this book because I fount the main character, Armand, a bit strange. BOY, am I glad I continued! I fell in love with him! He became such a sweet, endearing character once I gave him a chance.
This book (number 2 in the series) has action, suspense, heartache and joy. I can't wait to read the 3rd book in the series. I just have to get my hands on a copy. ( )

The Making of a Gentleman is the second book in The Son's of the Revolution series by Shana Galen and it is a story that I will never forget. The very first meeting of Armand and Felicity is so full of unspoken emotion, and so beautifully crafted that I had to read that chapter twice. I cannot recall ever reading a chapter twice, unless I was confused about something. When Armand and Felicity meet the earth stands still for a little bit, and the reader gets a glimpse of something special. The Making of a Gentleman is full of intrigue, action and elemental passion. This is a book that should be experienced and not dissected, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. ( )