The Gentleman by Dianna Roman

Touches on all the emotions. Pete and Cam are two guys that start with a big lack of communication and it gets funny from there. A rainbow potted plant brings these two together in an unexpected way.


From the The Gentleman blurb:

Cameron Fairway has a secret.

Before he shares it with the world, he’s determined to build the confidence he wants to live life as a gay man and the experience he’ll need to snag Mr. Right. For that, he requires a mentor--someone experienced. Someone with manners. Someone discreet enough to be able to mix business with pleasure under the watchful eye of his father’s empire--a gentleman. Pete Carver is without a doubt that man.

Pete Carver has a problem.

Pete doesn’t mix business with pleasure because there is no pleasure in business. There’s only order and discipline if you want to succeed. When the boss’ youngest son approaches him with a proposition that rattles every one of his sensibilities, Pete is determined to get to the bottom of the ploy. Because that’s all it can possibly be--why else would the ruthless John Fairway’s son proposition a straight man in his father’s company? The apple can’t fall far from the tree.

* This story contains the following elements: slow burn, hurt/comfort, awakening, homophobic/racist parent, familial emotional abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder


Reed Kaye's review:

This story has so many layers to it. I laughed, I had tears, I got mad and I was sorry it ended.

Pete, who has a few issues of his own, decides on a career that has nothing to do with the family business.
Cam, who is a standout in his family and not for in their opinions a good character trait, just wanted to be an artist. Yet, he is forced to join the family business.

Both come from opposite types of families. Pete is lucky enough to come from a family who is loving and accepting. Cam is unlucky to come from a family who seems to be unaccepting and doesn’t appear to know what love is.

Pete is straight or at least he believes he is when Cam presents him with a dilemma that makes him reexamine himself. Cam knows he is gay he just doesn’t know how to be gay.

I laughed so hard at the toy section of this story. Had tears so many times and was mad at the same time. I love this story. I wish it were part of a series that revisited these characters.


Angel's review:

Cam and Pete's story starts off in an unexpected way, and continues to defy what's 'normal'. Cam's character is so sweet, and innocent, and so pure, I adored his character. Even when he had no idea what he was doing, and despite him being scared, he still did the things that he wanted to do even though he was scared. One of the parts I enjoyed most about his character was how he grew as a person throughout the story. He started realizing his own self-worth, once he met Pete's family he was shown love and care that he hadn't known of prior.

I strongly dislike all of Cam's family members, they are all so cruel and spiteful. I was so happy when Pete's family took Cam under their wings and treated him like family. Cam's character wasn't the only one to grow, Pete also grew as a person as well. I found his character really interesting, cause while at times he came off as brash, he really was trying to be as thoughtful and kind as possible even when it might've not come off that way. I learned quite a bit about myself from reading about Pete's character, I could relate to a lot of the things he described, which was really eye-opening for me.

I personally don't love when a book is full of a bunch of steam. I like there to be a balance of a relationship dynamic, (i.e, dates, talking about likes, dislikes, etc), with steam woven in every so often. That's not what happened with this story, this was more steam and less romance, in my opinion. Which is great if that's what you enjoy! And I still recommend this if you do prefer high-steam books; however, if you don't prefer books with a lot of steam, then perhaps this might not be the story for you.

I think that the last few chapters were my favorite, we really got to see how these characters work in a relationship with each other, in addition to them planning their future. They started really talking about other things aside from their steamy times, which I liked. I just wish there was more of those moments.

Zakiyya's review:

The scene at the urinal had me blocking my eyes and blushing with an impossibly wide grin... 🙈
The scene where Cameron proposed his idea to Pete in Pete's office had me covering my mouth and giggling like a little girl with Cameron’s word vomit…🤭

This was such an awesome read – it was so captivating that I felt as if I couldn’t read fast enough - impatient to see how their relationship plays out.
And I have to say I found it thoroughly entertaining.
Pete and Cameron were smoking hot together, their chemistry was intense and steam levels high enough to really heat you up.

With perfect amounts of fun, drama, swoon-worthy and heartfelt moments, this felt like one complete package of total entertainment.


Alyssa P's review:

The story is enjoyable and cute, with Pete being a difficult character initially but eventually likable. Cameron, a nice man with a homophobic family, is a nice person. The book has potential for angst, but it resolves it painlessly. The author doesn't have OCD but finds the disorder handled respectfully. The author appreciates the book's balance between humor and seriousness, but wishes for more chaos. The author acknowledges that there is no right way to handle mental health issues, but overall, it's a good read.

Heather's Review:

We normally go into a romance with a pretty fixed meet-cute to dating to steam mindset, but Dianna Roman turns that idea on it's head, giving us a meet-cute at a urinal and then going straight to the steam... not even allowing for the inevitable bi-sexual awakening angst that never materializes...

I love that Pete and Cam get to do their relationship their way... OCD, sweetness and chemistry for the win... 

If you go into the story with expectations, you may be disappointed, but if you go in with an open mind, you may find that mind expanded to the possibilities of The Gentleman.

The Gentleman is currently available as an e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription