Meg Peterson has quite a reputation of going off with eligible men and kissing them in the shrubbery during balls and parties. Meg is conducting an experiment, trying to find the right man to marry from the way he kisses and how nice his gardens and plant life are. See, Meg is a lover of horticulture and everything to do with flowers and plants. She doesn’t care one fig if the man has a title or money. She is more concerned about how well he can make his plants grow.

But this time Meg has gotten herself into a bit of a problem. She takes the wrong man into a secluded area and as he slobbers all over her, he won’t take no for an answer. Before Meg can be forced into more amorous pursuits, John Parker-Roth comes upon them and rescues Meg. Meg and Parker know each other since they share the same love for horticulture and run with the same circle of friends. Parker gives Meg a harsh lecture about going off with strange men, but one thing leads to another and soon Parker is kissing Meg in the most passionate way! This time they are caught by one of the biggest gossips in the ton and will have to be married.

Neither Meg nor Parker wants to be married even though they can’t stop thinking about each other and every time they are alone they happen to fall into each other’s arms. And with Parker’s mother and Meg’s sister, Emma, working as a team to get these two together, they may not have a choice. Meg annoys Parker to no end, but Parker can’t help but search her out whenever they are in the same room. Parker must soon decide what he has to do with Meg because she wants to go trouncing off to the Amazon and if Parker has his way, Meg will stay put and the only trouncing she will do will be in his bedroom.

Sally Mackenzie can sure write adorable and loopy romances. The Naked Gentleman is yet another trademark novel by MacKenzie and the laughs roll off the pages; I couldn’t help myself as Meg gave Parker a run for his money. And if it wasn’t bad enough Meg’s friends like to put their two cents in on what she should do. These women can’t help but give Meg advice since they are married to their own amorous husbands. And don’t be surprised if you see many other couples going off into the shrubbery just like Meg has the habit of doing.

The Naked Gentleman is a hilarious tale that leads up to the moment when Parker and Meg realize that plants are not the only things that can keep them warm at night and give them love. Every page was a pleasure to read and I anxiously await for MacKenzie’s next comedic regency romance.

Reviewed by: Katie