Earlier this year, Carolyn Twede Frank’s To Be a Gentleman came out. This book is the sequel to To Be a Lady. In this book, Timothy travels to the United States to sell cattle for his employer (also his brother-in-law). Because of the mistakes Timothy’s father made, Timothy’s family no longer has the same social standing that they had when he was growing up. Now, he is trying to find his own way in the world, which involves working for his money.
Social Standing Connection
Soon after arriving in the United States, Timothy encounters a man who tries to steal the cattle Timothy is taking to sell. The man also threatens Timothy and the man who is helping Timothy. In the scuffle, Timothy ends up shooting and killing the potential cattle stealer. Being the gentleman that he is, Timothy insists on taking the body back to the man’s family and apologizing. Only then does Timothy encounter Beatrice, the wife of the potential cattle thief. Timothy soon realizes Beatrice is a British lady. Why is this British lady hiding out in the American frontier? How did she fall from her previous social standing?
Some Thoughts and Warnings
This was an enjoyable story. For me, it’s a 4.5-star book. This is one of those books where you’ll find yourself wanting to shout at the main characters that they just need to communicate. Both Timothy and Beatrice clearly like each other early on in the novel, but both are reluctant to admit it.
I feel like you can read the first part of the book without having read the first book without any issues. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, the later part of the book might be a little confusing at times. The last part is where Timothy returns to England, and then you get to meet his family. While the last part might be slightly confusing if you haven’t read the previous book, it can definitely be enjoyed on its own.
This is a clean novel. There’s no swearing, sexual content, or graphic violence. Our two main characters do have a few conversations toward the end that are just short just short of going into material that some readers might find offensive, but the author chooses to stop the conversation before it veers into that area.
Overall, I would recommend this book. I would suggest reading the series from the beginning so you can enjoy the whole story, though. I did like the first book in the series slightly more than this one.
