A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN by TJ Alexander was not next on my ARC TBR pile up, but I have really been looking forward to reading it and it's trans awareness week, so it gets a fastpass to the front of the line. 😎

Apparently I am blessed to every fall read an ARC of a lovely trans romance that comes out the following spring. Love that for me!

Sometimes it's hard for me to talk specifically about books, because I want to hype them but I also don't want to ruin the joy of discovering the story as it unfolds. I guess that's where blurbs come in, so I can describe it as a heartfelt testament to living authentically and finding the people who love you for who you are. The premise, briefly, is that a reclusive earl has to get married in order to keep his inheritance. He has to hire a valet to keep up appearances, who decides to help him find a wife for a marriage of convenience.

It's a Regency romance, which I read a lot of before I ever dipped a toe in the sea of contemporary romance, so this was a lot of fun. It was poignant, thinking about ways being trans in the past might have been easier (no photo ID! Just disappear and show up somewhere else as a new person!) and harder (no surgeries or hormones!). But regardless, trans people have always existed, will always exist, and deserve to feel love and joy and see that in the books they read, too.

Every time I read a new book from TJ Alexander, I always finish thinking "No, this is their best book ever." A Gentleman's Gentleman is no exception. This book is beautiful. I was drawn into Christopher's story immediately and swept along with the glimpses into his clearly painful and somewhat mysterious history. With the arrival of his unwanted but necessary (and distressingly handsome) valet and a mandate to marry before his 25th birthday, Christopher was pushed into an outside world he had wished to avoid at all costs. At every step I just wanted to wrap him up and protect him from all harm. Christopher and James's connection is the slowest of slow burns, and they earn every bit of their beautiful ending. I already want to read it again.

“You cannot keep the whole world at arm’s length... Not forever.”

"The world is wide and full of grace, I promise you.”


(This was a review of a free advanced review copy. Thanks to Vintage, TJ Alexander, and NetGalley for that privilege!)

4.5 Stars

I loved it! I loved it! I loved it! While the historical romance genre & slow burn trope aren't usually my go-to in choosing a book, I've been excited to read this author for some time. So when invited to read an ARC of A Gentleman's Gentleman, I jumped at the opportunity.

This book is so delightfully charming. I found myself cozied up for hours devouring each chapter. Lord Christopher Eden and valet James Harding had me all up in my feels. The emotional walls that Christopher erected & loneliness he felt he had to endure to keep others from finding out his secret tugged so hard on my heart. I waited with bated breath for him & James to connect & trust each other in order to finally revel their respective secrets. It was such a beautifully crafted romance & storyline. I couldn't help but feel warm & fuzzy at the conclusion as I hugged my kindle tight. This was exactly the story I needed in this moment.

Trans regency romance!
That, in addition to the author, piqued my interest.

This is a beautifully written story that considers the time period in which it’s set, and it leans on our more modern knowledge of the transgender and queer community to tell this story. (Example: As a reader I can perfectly imagine the binder Étienne invents for Christopher.)

The summary isn’t kidding about this novel being a slow burn. Nothing happens between our romantic leads until about chapter 22. The pining is clearly there on Christopher’s side. And I think reviews saying it’s not there for James are wrong. He just has a dry wit, but the signs are there. At least to me. James shows his affection similarly to Captain Wentworth in Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

I did guess the book’s biggest reveal fairly early, but I really enjoyed the journey to get to it.

If you love Bridgerton and Jane Austen, but want a story that shows trans and queer people have always been around, this is for you.

I was lucky to get this book from Netgalley as an ARC and it was such a delightful read! This regency romance has wonderful trans representation, handled with so much care. The story follows a trans man who is looking for a wife for inheritance purposes and hires a valet to keep up appearances. It is the slowest of burns, but the dynamic between Christopher and James was charming. The plot twists were predictable but still enjoyable, and the story overall had similar vibes to A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall.


It was sweet, satisfying, and left me smiling. Definitely worth a read if you are looking for a cozy, low stakes romance.

It is a truth that should be universally acknowledged that no one does trans/nb romances like TJ Alexander does. Granted their previous works that I've enjoyed were all contemporary romances, so I was a little nervous about the Regency premise. Perhaps because the author is NOT usually a Regency romance author, I am so happy they don't rely on the tropes that other Regency authors just project on trans stories. I am so relieved by how the author does what they do best, by busting all the tropes to do justice to the trans characters over servicing the period genre. Sure, some of the "big reveals" are not really surprising to anyone but sweet little MC Christopher. However, it's refreshing to see a POV where someone acknowledges and divests from their inherited wealth derived from colonial slavery, respects the power imbalance and not act on their desires towards an employee, and sacrifice the trappings of nobility instead of taking on "convenient" fake marriage options that would be forcing another person to make unthinkable sacrifices to their mental health. I'm so moved by the slow burn unfolding of this that really highlights the gentle care that these characters deserve in their journey towards each other. It's so precious, I could cry.

I absolutely adored this book. I devoured it in a matter of hours, and my only regret is that I will never again have the privilege of reading it for the first time.

I love gay historical romance, which, it turns out, is made all the more compelling when it's about trans characters. The repression, the yearning, the angst - this book has it all, and does it fantastically. I felt like it balanced tension and release very well - while there definitely were dramatic moments, they were not stressful to read, and overall I would say that it read as comfortably low-stakes, which was really exactly what I was looking for. It was wonderful in ways I am struggling to express, but really it comes down to this: if you are even the slightest bit interested, you should read this book. It will not disappoint you.

A delightful, low stakes T4T historical romance set in the early 19th century, I read ‘A Gentleman’s Gentleman’ in one day (by barely putting it down). The events are filtered through one character’s perspective, which makes the romance a bit difficult to build, but for me there was enough clear chemistry that it worked out well. Unlike most historical fiction about landed gentry, Lord Eden’s estate doesn’t seem to have anyone relying on the Lord for much except for the two aging servant side characters, and the (lonely) lord’s new valet, whom he doesn’t want to want. It has quite enough drama to be compelling and is a romantic, heartfelt novel. I for one really enjoy explorations of how LGBTQIA people lived and loved throughout history, and this was a good one.

Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC.

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. I was enthralled by the cover & brief description. I discovered a very charming story that I immediately fell in love with. Lord Christopher Eden is unlike any character I have encountered. He is larger than life from the moment you meet him to the end of the book. He is unusual but comfortable with his "unusual make" until he has to venture out into the world which could make his very comfortable existence very complicated to navigate. Enter his new valet, James Harding, whose job it is to make Lord Eden's life easier but ends up forcing Christopher to re-examine everything he thought he knew about himself. There is adventure & romance & humor & charm in this story that made me want to fall deeper into their world.

This was a beautiful character study of a trans character in the Regency period. It's thoughtful and hopeful, with quite a bit of humor, some charming romantic tropes, and many mysterious elements. I read a lot of queer romance and this is a unique contribution to the genre. Highly recommended.

I’m not usually a big historical romance fan, but this regency story had me hooked. Loved the dapper lead, Lord Eden, and loved the joyful trans representation throughout. It’s a very, very slow burn but the pining is 💯 and felt just right for these characters. I was delighted that some of my favorite parts were the subplots - midnight adventures! - and they were just as engaging as waiting to see if the romantic leads would finally figure out their messy, beautiful feelings.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

sad to say that this book just didn't do it for me. the pacing was really off with the romance. it really dragged on for the first 75% and then they were suddenly in love at the very end. the development was just unconvincing unfortunately.

christopher overall felt like a very underdeveloped character. i feel like a lot of his "tragic past" is told instead of shown/felt by him. it felt wholly disconnected from his character and motivations. honestly, i felt like james and his story was much more compelling.

i kind of came away from this book feeling like nothing of substance happened. i'm giving it two stars because i really enjoyed the beginning and setup, i think it had a lot of potential. i liked james a lot, i thought he was cute and enjoyed his presence in the story. the prose was pretty good too. unfortunately i was just deeply underwhelmed

A Gentleman’s Gentleman delivers a slow-burn romance with sharp humor and tender moments. TJ Alexander brings together unforgettable characters, queer joy, and just the right amount of drama to keep you hooked.

I adored this trans Regency romance between an Earl who was born a fraternal twin and, after a tragic accident, takes on his brother’s identity as a way to be his true self. Christopher hires a valet to help him find a wife in London society who will understand and keep his secret. Only his extremely capable valet James Harding has a secret of his own, which comes as a big surprise that I don't want to spoil here. But it was delightful and I loved the turn the book took. The ending is quite swoon-worthy and has a lovely epilogue!

This is a wonderful story that uses the language of the day versus the terms we use in today's modern day for gender identity and gender politics. It felt akin to Alexis Hall’s A Lady for a Duke, in that Christopher isn’t discovered so much as figures out a way to live his life happily as a man. But if you liked that trans Regency romance you’ll like this one to, and I hope more books like this are being written and published!

I also love the cover art. It’s using a gorgeous photograph of Zach Pinset of Pinsent Tailoring wearing his Regency attire. I recognized him right away!

••Thank you to Knopf / Vintage for the ARC••

I love historical romance, especially when it’s gay, but this was just okay for me. It has a very slow, kind of awkward start and I didn’t connect super well to the characters, though I did enjoy the trans aspect and the supporting characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!
Oh my gosh, okay so I just finished watching a show based around a certain era and I was looking for something to read that would match that and this really did that for me!!
Where can do I begin, I really just want to praise this book because of its queer representation and its just a lovely read. It is a slow slow slow burn but I enjoyed it!
Overall 4 stars ⭐️

ARC provided by Netgalley. Thank you so much!

What an absolutely delightful book. I started this yesterday afternoon, stayed up WAY past my bedtime, and woke up refusing to start my day until I had finished the last few pages. Tender, funny, beautifully romantic, full of LONGING and GENDER and HIJINKS.

If you like historical romance, grumpy x grumpy, an absolute cinnamon roll of a trans MC who is part fop and part Stede Bonnet (courageous, strong, clever, an absolute gibbering ninny), well developed characters, a story of emotional vulnerability and growth from trauma, valet x master, idiot x idiot, and love despite all odds, you will love this book. I cannot wait to devour everything else by this author and have already been screaming about how wonderful this book is.

This was a very charming book! Slow burn romance, yet the writing felt pretty fast-paced and was a quick read for me. I loved the main character and enjoyed reading from his perspective. Not my favorite historical romance, but overall a cute and fun read.

A beautifully written trans romance with representation that felt authentic. The way the contrast between Christopher and James was presented; from their apperance and personality to the way they live their queer lives was well done and made the reveal and conclusion so much sweeter. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a unique romance with characters that feel real.

This was a beautifully done romance novel and enjoyed the use of the Regency elements to this. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening to them. It uses the time-period perfectly and that romance element was realistic and enjoyable. TJ Alexander wrote this in a way that I was hoping for and glad I read this.