Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-T4T historical romance
-roommance
-denial
-found family
-need to find a bride
-slow burn

I don't want to say much. I went in mostly blind (I knew TJ Alexander and historical romance and i was invested from the beginning) there are so many twists and turns, and laugh out loud moments. All of the hallmarks I love in a historical romance, soft touches, there's just a softness to TJ's writing and you can't help but root for Christopher. I was biting my nails in the last third trying to figure out how a happily ever could happen and this was just such an endearing, angsty and just touching story about loving yourself and finding and letting other poeple love you too.

I wanted to adore this book but unfortunately I just like it.

I loved it up until around 80% and then the last 20% of the book just felt so rushed and thrown together.

I love the characters individually and loved their dynamic and interactions but I wanted more time for the romance and to see them grow together. The HEA just wasn’t as believable as it could have been

TJ is an auto-buy author for me so I was a little disappointed by this one.

This was a very easy, slice of life type of read with a slow development romance. The characters feel of the time and are less showy and emotive than most romance novels of this type. If you are looking for a gentle, slow burn, this is a good option.

Story: At a young age, Christopher assumed his dead brother's identity and became the Earl of Eden. To protect his identity, he lives nearly alone at his country seat. When his father's will stipulates he must find a wife in order to inherit, he finds he must go to London and throw in his hand in the charade, with the hopes of finding an understanding woman to marry. To accomplish this, he hires a valet - a servant he has eschewed until now. But James Harding proves to be quite the foil for Christopher.

The premise is that Christopher was born female but always identified as male. When the brother is lost at sea, he seizes the chance to start life anew as he should have been born. But there is the underlying guilt over never having been able to grieve his brother's death. Now, he must try to find a way to make his handsome new valet understand that he does not wish personal care and that the valet is only there for appearances.

The story moves languidly and without melodrama. Admittedly, there wasn't a lot of chemistry between the characters - one is very uptight and proper, the other wanting only to be left alone. But at the same time, the personalities make sense for the story. The mystery of James' background is easily discovered by the reader and certainly very little mystery abounds there.

In all, it was a pleasant and easy read. I appreciated that there were easier solutions that the pair could have taken but did not - such as being forced to return to a birth gender for inheritance. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Interesting premise. Lord Eden, living in his crumbling abbey with just a cook and butler, must marry before his next birthday or lose everything. Lord Eden has a secret that makes him ... unmarriageable.

It's a bit quirky, a bit humorous, and with quite a lot of heart. I look forward to more titles from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc! I rate this 3.75 stars and 1.5 chili peppers for spice. I’m going to write this review without trying to give away any spoilers but that might be impossible. This story revolves around a Trans character who needs to marry to fulfill his father’s will in order to remain the Earl of his estate. The Earl needs to hire a valet for social purposes when he goes to London and there enters our love interest. While I really did enjoy this book, I felt it was more a historical trans book than a romance. The romance doesn’t kick in until well past halfway through and it’s not even that noticeable. And then right at the end there is just this sort of a sudden declaration of love and marriage. Now I loved the idea of the two main characters together so it wasn’t that big of a deal but I sort of wanted more intimate encounters or intimate exchanges leading up to the end. It sort of felt rushed. But I really did love the actual writing style, the character development, and side characters.

Required to marry to retain his inheritance, the reclusive Lord Christopher Eden, “a man of unusual make,” hires valet James Harding to accompany him to London to (fingers crossed) find a wife.

Despite uneven character development and a rushed ending, I love how the author uses aspects of the setting to highlight Christopher’s changing priorities regarding what he’s worth and what he’s willing to sacrifice to live authentically (hint: pay attention to the pivotal scenes that occur in closets).

Overall, A Gentleman’s Gentleman is a fun, satisfying, slow-burn romance that challenges convention and rejects easy answers without ever feeling heavy-handed.

This had the very common third act "breakup" trope of a simple misunderstanding delaying the lovers from their happily ever after... which is never my favorite and pretty much always feels overtly contrived... however, it was short-lived so it didn't bother me too much.

I thought the characters were enjoyable and had enough complexity to keep my interest... I REALLY loved the side characters... Etienne and Lady Verbena were FAB! I'd love an entire book of just the two of them galivanting about London, gossiping and attending balls. PLEASE!

I wish we had gotten a bit more of the relationship development in this story, however. The main pairing was indeed very slow-burn, which is fine for me, but I don't feel like I saw enough of the WHY behind their feelings for each other. Aside from finding each other attractive and generally kind, there wasn't a LOT of chemistry between them. From my perspective, anyway.

I really enjoyed the plot points when they were in London... the scandal and shenanigans! Such fun.

I also did get QUITE emotional when they had to go back to the country estate for an emergency... ! Teared up, for sure.

Overall an entertaining, sweet, lovely book! Not a new favorite, but still a very positive reading experience.

I had intended on this being my last book of the year, and finishing it slowly so that it would end on new year's eve. Instead I couldn't put it down and I finished it two days ago at like three in the morning. I loved this book as a romance lover, as a trans person, as an Our Flag Means Death fan, everything. It's so good. It made me cry. I told several people about it while I was reading. I'd definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the chance to read and review this ARC.

This is TJ Alexander’s first historical romance and oh how I hope they write more in the future! The last few years has seen an increase in historical romances with trans characters and this is a wonderful addition to the genre. I found myself reading this so quickly that I forced myself to put the book down so I could enjoy it more. I love Christopher’s character and his new valet coming in and changing his life in more ways than one. Also that cover is exquisite! I loved this book and recommend it completely!

Love is a universal concept. It is all-consuming and all-knowing in its vastness and scope. This tale is ultimately about loving yourself and allowing others to love you too. I wanted to love this story. I found the tale bold in the fact that it showcased a love story that is very rarely viewed. What i found was that the story spent 98% of the time building up to something only to rush, unnecessarily, to a climax that was sterotypical. I felt the ending was not equal to the journey. I wanted to love this book, but in the end, I just felt cheated.

A deeply endearing historical rom-com from an author who has been absolutely killing the game as far as fresh and thoughtful queer romance goes. This was a delightful read - there was banter, there were antics, there were fun side characters (deeply important to me personally - the main couple in a romance cannot be the only people with a personality.)

Not quite a five star read for me personally, as some of the emotional resolution felt rushed, but I am notoriously persnickety about that. I will still be recommending it heartily to friends and library patrons alike. Strongly recommended for fans of Alexis Hall, Joanna Lowell, and Jess Everlee.

This book was more character driven than plot heavy. The story was bit slow in pace and the relationship between Christoper and James *very* slow in burn - like the last dozen pages pre-epilogue. This isn’t a complaint - because it more than kept my interest throughout! - just a heads up, so expectations match reality

Christopher is fairly introspective, unavoidable since he has isolated himself from all except a few close connections - his aging butler and cook in the country, his tailor in the city, and now a new valet. Being in his head that much, we learn a lot about how Christopher feels living as a ‘man of unique construction’ as he puts it.

Between some traumatic losses he’s suffered and feeling like he has to constantly keep his guard up, his life has not been an easy one
The news that he must wed before his next birthday or lose his title is the latest trial.

Even though having to travel to the city in search of a companionable wife was not ideal, it was the catalyst for an unexpected change of circumstances and (without specific spoilers) the story is left on an incredibly hopeful note
I feel like at the end of the story Christopher is in a much better place, and love that for him!

Note - if you’re looking for this book in the UK it’ll be titled The Earl Meets His Match over there

This was such a good book. Initially it did start a little slow, and I found it a bit hard to stay intrigued with the characters and writing, but as I read on, I loved it more and more. The characters in this story are so complex and wonderful that you can't help but sway towards them. The writing, like I mentioned, does start a little slow, but eventually picks up, and you can't help but tear through the pages of this book.

Hi excuse me, what am I supposed to do as an advance reader who has to wait until March before anyone else reads this and I have someone to discuss this with?

Christopher Winterthrope, the Earl of Eden is a very private Regency dandy who prefers to live in his very old manor house in the country with only an old butler and cook for company. Unfortunately, his solicitors have informed him that according to his father's will, he must marry before his 25th birthday or he'll lose the title and inheritance. So they send him a valet (his very first valet ever!) in preparation to his return to London for the upcoming social season when he'll search for a wife who won't mind being married to a peculiar man who does not love her. And what a valet! James Harding is gorgeous and tall and proper, and Christopher can't stop thinking about him. But surely, no man could ever accept Christopher as he truly is, right?

The only other trans historical romance I've read was Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke, in which the MC had faked her death in the Battle of Waterloo so she could take on a new identity as a woman. In A Gentleman's Gentleman, the MC took on his brother's identity after losing his family first through illness and then at sea. I would be interested to see which other ways historical romance authors choose when writing a trans character's backstory.

Book includes:
- Secret past
- Upstairs/downstairs
- Gretna Green
- Trans characters
- Gay characters
- Dead parents
- PTSD

This is a slow burn romance with an exciting carriage chase and a misunderstanding, but it did not feel stressful. I was delighted by the big coming out scene. This would be a nice beginning to a new queer romance series, if TJ Alexander were to write a lesbian romance about Miss Montrose? Just an idea.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Books for this ARC. Also shoutout to whomever it was who picked Zach Pinsent for the cover art; I specifically requested this book because I recognized that beautiful photo.

This was a surprise read...a trans, regency-era romance story. "The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habit". Lord Eden enjoys his simple country life, but is now forced to find a wife by his 25th birthday or lose everything. Now, he has to travel to London for the summer "mating" season.

I enjoyed this book. The MC character was likable and the story moved along pretty quickly. Everyone has their secrets that kept you guessing what's next.

I recommend this historical fiction, especially for Pride Month! Add this to your bookshelf!

Okay so I’m not typically into regency romance but i absolutely loved the last two books i read by TJ Alexander! I am so happy I took a chance on this one. If you’re looking for a queer, slow burn, regency romance- this is the one for you!

A gentleman’s gentleman is a Trans Regency Romance that follows the main Character Christopher Eden after he receives a letter detailing that he must marry within a set amount of time or lose everything.

I can’t fathom why this book has such low ratings I absolutely adored this book, I loved the characters and the story, I loved the way the inner struggle of Christopher and being trans was portrayed throughout this book.

This book was so well written it nearly brought tears to my eyes and I have already recommended it to several of my friends to preorder .

I highly recommend this book it’s a beautiful story and will show you some of the struggles that come with being trans .

This was a really fun regency romance but the plot was slightly too episodic and scattered. I loved the side characters especially Lady Montrose and Etienne. If TJ ever decides to write regency romance again I hope they return to Lady Montrose because her scheming was such a joy. I think my problem with this books construction is that the climax of the story feels like it should be the Belinda plot, however that wraps up around 60%. The rest of the plot then feels oddly tacked on. I liked the dynamic between the couple in this book, but I think the structural issues led to it feeling too drawn out and removing some of the romantic tension. I still had a good time though and I think this is a solid foray into the regency romance genre.

I absolutely loved the trans rep as well as the vibes of the regency era !! It felt like a t4t bridgerton and I absolutely ate it UP. The side characters were all loveable and the found family aspect was done so beautifully. I found myself so attached to every character. The writing was so well done as well !

Unfortunately the slow burn was a little too slow. The pining lasted about 90% of the book and when they finally got together it was suddenly over save for the epilogue. I would have loved to see their romantic relationship develop more before the end.

If you’re looking for trans rep and the slowest slow burn that ever did slow burn I definitely think this one is for you !!

A poignant yet humorous LGBTQ Regency romance. Alexander will start a wave in the genre with this book.

Lord Christopher Eden, a man of unique construction, finds himself in a predicament when he must hire his first valet, after dressing himself as he sees fit for so many years, so that he can go to London, fit into society, and procure himself a wife, in order to keep his title and lands from being confiscated by the Crown.

If only he can find an upstanding lady of society with an agreeable demeanor that doesn't expect him to perform the usual husbandly duties! Luckily his valet is better suited to the task than Christopher could ever forsee.