Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and Ms. James for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title.
An honest review was requested, but not required.

When Eloisa James is on her game, her books are among the best historical romances out there. This one was a delight, despite a few weak spots. Clara, our FMC, has suffered under Prince George's unwanted attentions, which have blighted her Season going on three years and which finally escalate into outright sexual assault. Her mother basically throws her out, exiling her to Scotland to find a man, ANY man (although a titled one would be best), who will have her now that her reputation is in tatters. Clara decides to take her future into her own hands and answers a post for a housekeeper to Castle CaerLaven in the remote Scottish highlands, where she will be unknown and can finally live as she pleases.
Cue our MMC, Caelan, Laird MacCrae, owner and currently sole human (not counting the multitudinous vermin nor the litter of puppies) ostensibly living in said castle. Caelan spends his days fly fishing (naked) in the nearby loch, writing a book about fly fishing, and ignoring the absolute squalor surrounding him. His wife died a couple of years previously, and he is living apex bachelor life. Ostensibly he is pining away with grief for his dear departed spouse, or so the villagers (and everyone else) believe, although it was made fairly obvious that this isn't exactly the case.

Caelan and Clara have an absolutely ridiculous meet-cute (just suspend all sense of disbelief and roll with it) and improbably Clara is taken on as housekeeper despite very clearly knowing absolutely nothing about the job. The banter between Clara and Caelan is sparkling and enjoyable (albeit historically extremely unlikely) and they quickly grow to be friends who are... wildly attracted to each other. Clara, who wavers between being blithely oblivious and startlingly perceptive, is blind as a bat to the fact that Caelan isn't exactly grieving his wife. And Caelan is apparently unable to put even the smallest words together to explain things, which drags the situation out interminably. One decent conversation would have put the entire matter to rest much earlier, although I suppose thereby negating the entire conflict of the book.

Things I really loved about this book:
-The dialogue(s) between characters. Ms. James really had a handle on the Scottish dialect; not too much (sometimes books take it way too far).
-The romantic scenes were A+++.
-LOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVED Fiona. Far and away, best character. Absolutely lived for the scene when she put Isla's mother in her place for good. And how patient she was with Alfie's pet chicken, and her derelict brother's disgusting living conditions. Fiona was a capital-F Force to be reckoned with, and I enjoyed her so, so, so much.
-I really appreciated that Isla's parents were made to feel welcome in Caelan and Clara's family (albeit with the caveat that they stop bringing up Isla every 10 seconds, which, fair).
-Yay for the cameo from Torrie's sister, Leonora (Lady Bufford); what a small world :)

Things I loved less:
-The Big Miscommunication trope is one of my least favorites. I like when couples, ahem, talk to each other. Odd that Caelan and Clara could be such clear communicators in bed but not about other things.
-I would have liked some resolution to the sexual assault trauma. It was such a present issue for Clara and then it suddenly... wasn't. Is this realistic? I was curious.
-I definitely would have liked some resolution to Lady Vetry and Clara's relationship (and while we're at it, tell me more about what happened to Hortense!). That felt like a definite loose end to me.


Interestingly:
There is a scene when Fiona describes her brother and Isla emerging from the church on their wedding day, and it did seem very, very, very reminiscent of a certain scene in Outlander. Strong vibes anyway. Right? Right? Am I crazy?

Overall, the zest of the relationship between Clara and Caelan was so effervescent and entertaining that despite a few quibbles I enjoyed the book a lot. I look forward to seeing whose story Ms. James will tell next. I vote for Hortense!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tumbling into adventure!

Having slapped Prince George because he’d groped her and made a mockery of her, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry had been banished by her mother to live with an elderly great aunt.
Except Clara did the unexpected. Making a break for freedom, she hurtles into a carriage and announces that she is indeed Mrs. Post the newly appointed housekeeper for Caelan Eneas MacCrae, Laird of CaerLaven.
And so Clara’s highlander adventure begins, gaining momentum when she finds the laird naked, fly fishing in the loch. Oh my!
Caelan finds himself with a very irregular housekeeper who insists on having her own maid, and Clara finds a Laird presumably cut to the quick by the loss of his dear wife. Hmmm?! Among other things, like an unkempt castle gone literally to the dogs.
Well all that becomes moot as we follow the hilarious times these two have as they move through this rather delicious story.

An Avon and Harper ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Any book that starts with a naked Laird fly fishing in a cold Scottish loch has got to be a winner and this one is. Both the hero and the heroine, who starts off being mauled by a drunk prince, are a match made to take a reader far, far away from whatever mundane life they are leading.

Spunky is an adjective I would use to describe the heroine, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry, who after making the mistake of defending herself against the Prince of Wales is trundled off to Scotland to a distant relative by a mother who cared more for her social standing than her daughter. Clara decides on a whim that she is going to make this an adventure and jumps into a different carriage taking a housekeeper to the Highlands and Castle CaerLaven.

Caelan, Laird of Castle CaerLaven, could care less that his castle is a moldering pile of worm rot and termites. As long as he has his tea in the morning, can fish in his loch and write his books, he's a happy man. The villagers all see him as a heartbroken widower who loved his wife and that is why his castle is falling down around his head. Caelan, he just plain doesn't care. His sister, Fiona, cares and advertises for a Housekeeper and is thrilled with the one who turned up. So is Caelan, even if he won't admit it.

Caelan is toast from his first encounter with Clara and knows it. But when he asks her to marry him, she refuses him. He is secretly delighted when her true identity is uncovered, and they are forced to marry. What he realizes is that while he may have the wife he wants, what he really wants is what everyone thought he had with his first wife.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone.

Eloisa James is my favorite historical romance writer. Her books are always the perfect blend of romance and humor, and Hardly a Gentleman is another winner.

Clara Vetry is a debutante who's having a miserable time. The odious Prince Regent has developed a liking for her and plagues her at every ball. His attentions make it difficult for her to meet anyone else, and things come to a head when the prince gropes her breasts in public. Fed up with the sexual harassment, Clara whallops the prince, which sadly leads only to her disgrace. Her unsympathetic mother wants to pack her off to the country, but Clara takes a carriage to Scotland, pretending to be the new housekeeper for a Scottish Laird's castle.

Caelan McCrae, Laird of CaerLaven, is a widower with a penchant for being shirtless (and sometimes kiltless if he's alone on his estate). Since the death of his wife, the castle's staff have left and the place is going to ruin. He doesn't particularly care about the castle's condition, but his sister insists on hiring a housekeeper. Caelan is surprised and intrigued by his new housekeeper, a woman who's clearly upper class and enjoys reading much more than any household duties.

This book is delightful. Clara and Caelan are both great characters, and their growing romance is charming. Clara isn't a typical society debutante, and she quickly makes herself a part of Caelan's community, developing relationships with Caelan's sister and his late wife's mother. I really liked how becoming part of this world helps her move from her disastrous season and being banished by her mother. The romance is perfect, with just enough tension to make things interesting.

I loved this one, and I definitely recommend it. Eloisa James is one of the authors I always recommend to people who want to try historical romance, and I think Hardly a Gentleman is a great place to start.

DNF at 20%

Unfortunately at just about a quarter into the book, I found myself completely disconnected from the characters and storyline. Both the hero and heroine felt like caricatures and a bit too extra for me to relate to. Also I think I'm in the beginnings of a book slump, so I don't want to waste my time on books I can't connect with. This book is not for me, but maybe you'll enjoy it.

I thought this was the best book so far by one of my favorite authors. Ms James has written a funny story in the next series of Accidental Brides. I felt this one has me at the first page and never let go.
The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
I felt for Clara who has been through several seasons on the marriage mart. She shoves a man at a party that was trying to get his hands on her person. It was a smart woman who finally had enough of over bearing males and did something about it. But her mother is upset with her and threatens to send her to Scotland at her aunts home. So Clara decides on her own that she will do as her mother's says but goes to another carriage to be a housekeeper.
When she arrives at Castle CaerLaven know one believes her a housekeeper but a lady. Clara meets Caelen is the widowed laird who just wants to be left alone. He has his nosy sister for getting a woman into his domain which he doesn't want. But things turn funny when pranks begin to happen to each other without missing a mark. Caelen keep his eye on the woman who makes him burn with lust and decides to marry Clara. She turns him down. But as they say, love has a way of making a way to hearts and they both get their happy ever after.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable, easy read. It felt simultaneously fresh and nostalgic as a historical romance. The plot is a bit off the wall, but it was humorous and lighthearted, while also having depth and intensity. The pining was sweet and though the main conflict really was miscommunication or an inability to communicate, both main characters were sweet and enjoyable and lovely. A great palate cleanser of a book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

When life is tough, I just want to read a book where two nice people meet and fall in love without major angst. Eloisa James has given me exactly what I was looking for in Hardly a Gentleman.

Clara is a delight. Banished from London by her awful mother after a scandal involving Prinny, she takes advantage of a misunderstanding at the coaching inn and jumps into the coach that is bringing a new housekeeper to CaerLaven. It's an adventure! Clara wants nothing more than to make it to the Scottish Highlands and buy herself a castle that will hold all of her books--and maybe find someone who will love her for her--and she thinks this is the perfect way to make her dream happen.

Caelan, laird of CaerLaven, is a rough, fish-in-the-buff kind of guy. His has let his castle fall into such disrepair that his sister has hired an English housekeeper for him since all of Scotland knows how far bad it is. The village is convinced that it is because he is in deep mourning for his first wife but in reality it is because he's just not bothered by the mess. He gets one look at Clara and starts to fall for her.

The misunderstanding trope isn't my favorite. Did I want them to just sit down and have a talk? Yes. But also, I love them. I love their banter. I love how he comes to love her. It was the just the sweet story I wanted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

Badly a Gentleman is a love letter to dreamers, readers, and lovers of banter! Her wit shines throughout this book and I was giggling and kicking my feet. This is a sweet story you don’t want to skip.

’m a huge fan of Eloisa James‘s historical romance novels. I feel like she’s one of my most trustworthy authors! I have really enjoyed her new Accidental B rides series. It has the amount of quirkiness while still be in romantic and charming. As a book girlie myself, I really vibed with the two romantic leads who are both share passion for reading. I read this book this one sitting and would gladly have read even more in this series if they were available.

Thank you. #NetGalley and #Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Clara is a walking scandal after hitting the prince with her reticule. On her way to Scotland to stay with her aunt, she hitches a ride with another carriage who’s there to pick up a new housekeeper. She’s clearly not a housekeeper and an even worse fake housekeeper, but she’s befriended the driver and she’s on her way. Caelan is the widowed laird who has basically let his estate go to rot because he’s completely apathetic and rustic. But the whole town thinks that he’s heartbroken over the loss of his wife and he doesn’t even have the interest to correct them. When Clara shows up as the new housekeeper, he knows she’s really a lady, but he’s instantly attracted to her and eventually decides he wants to keep her. I loved how delightfully messy these two people are and how they’re able to be fairly direct and honest with each other. It was a lot of fun to read their romance develop and get to know that meddlesome town Caelan oversees.

Hardly a Gentleman is the second in Eloisa James’ Accidental Brides series. I have not read the first book in the series and it works as a standalone.
The Honourable Miss Clara Vetry has had a horrible time of it in her past four seasons. When a disastrous event ends in scandal, she is sent away to Scotland by her mother to ride out the scandal. When she is mistaken for a housekeeper hired to be taken to remote castle Clara jumps at the chance to escape for a while and forge her own path. Luckily, she has financial independence and dreams of owning her own castle with a library.
Caelan MacCrae, Laird of Castle CaerLaven is still thought to be grieving his first wife by all, but in reality he is happy[ish] to be left alone with his books, his distillery and fly fishing. But the moment Clara happens upon him he changes his mind. Marriage to his delectable housekeeper seems ideal. She wants a castle and books – well he has a castle and books. But to his surprise Clara refuses his proposal – many times. She will help get his castle in order and then leave.
But when her true identity as a lady is revealed, Clara is forced to accept him to escape complete ruin. Caelan grasps the opportunity he has been given – but can they overcome Clara’s misunderstandings about his first marriage and truly achieve a happy ever after?
I loved almost everything about this book. The plot flows beautifully, the connection and banter between Clara and Caelen felt so natural. I loved that they were friends as well as lovers. Even though timewise everything happened quickly it did not feel that way. Clara was a fabulous heroine. She is sweet, intelligent and doesn’t let things faze her. Her love of books, her insecurities regarding her body, her feelings of never being first in anyone’s eyes are completely relatable. I love that her insecurities didn’t define her and she grasped the opportunity for an adventure with both hands. She always looked for the best in every situation.
Caelan is the epitome of a gruff highlander. He is very rough around the edges and completely oblivious to the any aspect of the outside world that does not concern him. He is a bit of a hot mess but he has hidden depths. I loved that he loves to read, is writing two books at the same time, really looks after his people and completely has Clara’s back from the first. He thinks Clara is gorgeous and is instantly smitten. His own insecurities were not really revealed till towards the end but when he opened up you really felt for him. Although if they had had that conversation early in the book, it would have been a very short story.
The secondary characters are all fantastic and there was no one really to take a dislike to [bar Clara’s horrible mother]. I loved Caelan’s sister Fiona, his nephew, Elsbeth, Mrs Gillard and pretty much everyone really. I would love to know what happened to Hortense.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I definitely recommend you pick this up and I am going back now to read the first in the series Viscount in Love.

After a scandal erupts when she fends off a lecherous member of the royal family, Clara Vetry is effectively banished from society. With a fair amount of freedom for the first time, what does she do? Run from her mother’s plan for her, take a carriage meant for a housekeeper, and travel to a castle in the Scottish Highlands of course. But neither Castle CaerLaven nor its owner are what Clara expect. The ridiculously handsome laird is a rough-around-the-edges widower and the castle itself is in desperate need of care. Clara isn’t sure what to do, but she’s determined to be adventurous and tackle the challenge in front of her. She’s got books and spirit, so nothing could go wrong. Unless her true identity is revealed, that is…

Hardly a Gentleman is a fun romance with characters who aren’t afraid to be earthy, messy, and honest. Clara and Caelan are delightful and their romance is bright and engaging.

Clara is a bookworm who knows what she wants and takes things in stride when she comes to CaerLaven and things aren’t what she expected. Caelan is the opposite of the refined men she’s been told she should like. He’s kind of a hot mess at first but he’s kind and takes care of his people, which makes him instantly endearing. He and Clara have excellent chemistry, and I liked that this story was different because both of them were kinda messy. Caelan is a widower and though he loved his wife, she wasn’t the match for him. Unfortunately for him, most of the village believes he’s still deeply in mourning. Clara, while attracted to Caelan, doesn’t want to be second to someone whose heart belongs to another. What follows is a love story that is sprightly, fairly low drama, and features a host of delightful secondary characters who help our hero and heroine get where they need to be.

Hardly a Gentleman is the second book in Eloisa James’s Accidental Brides series but you don’t have to have read Viscount in Love in order to enjoy this story. All in all, Caelan and Clara’s story is a delightful romp with zany, bookish characters and a romance that makes the pages of the story fly by.

This book was really fun. I liked Clara a lot - she’s overlooked and treated like a disappointment, so I can’t blame her for hopping in a carriage and heading for anonymity in Scotland. Too bad Caelan ruins that plan by being utterly besotted with her from the jump. Love a “he falls first” story, and this one had so much chemistry and charm.

The only issue was the pacing. The main characters don’t meet until the 25% mark and then he’s so infatuated he’s proposing marriage before 50%. I liked most of the notes the story hit but it felt like we were in a rush to get there

Clara loves reading and making reticules that look like animal faces. She loves imagining adventures and dreaming. She's the opposite of the demure, ladylike daughter her mother wants her to be an when she's accosted by the Prince of Wales and defends herself, it's the final straw. Her mother wants her to go off to Scotland to a distant relative. Instead, Clara decides to get in a carriage bound for the Highlands under the guise of a housekeeper and start a new life.

Caelan has been widowed for two years and despite everyone thinking he's heartbroken, he's perfectly content taking care of his tenants, writing two books, and fly-fishing. It doesn't seem to bother him that he's letting his castle fall apart around him. So his sister finally puts her foot down (about a year and half later than she should have in my opinion) and adverises for a housekeeper in London- figuring anyone willing to come that far is desperate and won't run away when they see the state of the place.

Clara and Caelan's meeting is brilliant and while absolutely no one believes Clara is a housekeeper, everyone is willing to go along with it to help Caelan put his castle back together. Clara is adorable, spirited, and delightfully strong-willed, refusing to marry Caelan every time he asks even though she's completely fallen for him. She wants love in her marriage, someone who will put her first.

Caelan is practical, laidback, and completely confused by Clara- who is everything is first wife wasn't. They get along wonderfully, can talk for hours about anything, and have fabulous chemistry.

I'm usually not a fan of relationships where something important (like Caelan's first marriage) isn't talked about, or only enough to create misunderstandings, but it somehow worked here. Maybe because when people stopped talking it was because they thought it was to protect feelings instead of to hide secrets.

This was a fun, funny, and fast read that had me entertained the whole way through. An excellent escape into a hot Highland romance is what we could all use right about now.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

🤍Book review 🤍

Hardly a Gentleman
A Novel
by Eloisa James

This book was a sweet and cozy historical romance that gave me all the feel-good moments I wanted. Clara was such a fun and brave heroine, choosing her own path after her scandal and ending up at a crumbling Scottish castle pretending to be a housekeeper. Caelen, the grumpy laird still grieving his first wife, was the perfect match for her. I really liked watching their relationship grow from a spark of attraction to genuine friendship and then love. Their banter and inside jokes were adorable, and the quiet moments—like cleaning the castle together—actually felt really intimate and romantic. While the story didn’t have a lot of action or drama, it had heart and charm. Some parts were a little slow for me, but overall, it was such a comforting read. If you enjoy character-driven romances with soft humor and strong emotional connections, this one is a great choice.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

✔️ Small Town
✔️ Secret Identity
✔️ Forced Proximity

Caelen is a widower and everyone in town remarked on what an epic love story he had with his wife and the loss of her is what made him neglect his house. However, everyone also thinks he needs to get married again. Clara escapes England (escapes, kinda sent away by her ma for embarrassing her) and decides she doesn't want to go to her aunt's house. She chooses adventure which leads her to Caelen's doorstop and she pretends to be the maid his sister hired. Of course chemistry crackles between the two instantly and it's delightful.

I loved both characters' backstory - it made for an entertaining and well-plotted journey to love.

Seeing how Clara woke Caelen up and made him see what real love looks like?? Oh man, swoon to the max.

And then having Caelen give the love to Clara that she had been hoping for?? The best.

This is perfect read for anyone in the mood for a romcom historical. 5⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

(Rounded up from 4.5 stars)

This is the second book in the Accidental Bride series, and I loved this one too! Eloisa James has become one of my favourite historical romance authors. HARDLY A GENTLEMAN is a friends to lovers story, with a whole lot of miscommunication. I’m generally not a fan of the miscommunication trope, but James is such a brilliant writer, and she makes it work. Clara is relatable in that she just wants a castle of her own, filled with books. What I loved is the strong character development and the amount of emotional depth included, in addition to the steamy scenes. I’ll admit that a few parts made me tear up, especially Clara’s vulnerability. Highly recommend for historical romance fans!

As an Ardent fan of MS Eloisa James, I was thrilled to get my hands on this book. I have read and read- read her books and listened to every audio version as well. Cheers to 25 years of the Pleasure Series!!

Having said that, I’m am a bit let down by this book and I’m desolate to say this. It seemed like a forced narrative. Although individually the characters seemed fine and loved Alfie and rooster and familial bonds, somehow the book did not work for me.

Maybe I miss the older Eloisa James’ series.

No matter the book may work for many just did not for me.

The writing is flawless as always but the story did not settle in for me.

Still I read the book twice you guys just to see if I missed anything.

After defending herself from the Prince, Miss Clara’s mother sends her off to Scotland to “buy” a husband and hide from society. Inspired by her novels, Clara decides it’s time for her adventure. She gets into a carriage headed for Castle CarLaeven to start her new life, first under the guise as a housekeeper.

Castle CarLaeven is falling apart, as Caelen, a Scottish laird, has no motivation to maintain it after the death of his first wife. With pressure from the women around him to marry, Caelen actually considers it when a beautiful housekeeper shows up while he’s fishing naked in a Loch.

Sometimes I just want to read a historical romance for the sake of romance. I’m chasing after those heart-fluttering feelings. This book gave me those over and over again. While there’s not a lot of outside events contributing to the plot, the romance is genuine and quirky enough to take center stage.

For the first quarter of the novel, Caelen and Clara are on their own. I had to be VERY patient for them to meet, but in the meantime, I developed a strong attachment to each character. I really felt for Clara dealing with victim-blaming after being assaulted, especially with the lack of support from her only family member. I also adored Caelen and was eager for him to meet Clara to bring a spark back to his life.

A lot of the romance in the book develops as Caelen and Clara are cleaning up the castle. Would I have picked up the book if someone told me it was about cleaning? Probably not, but boy, did I enjoy it. Now I can romanticize my own life while I scrub my floor and wash my dishes.

Caelen’s first marriage plays a large role in his relationship with Clara, especially from her perspective. However, the perspective of his first marriage changes through the book. It ended up not being as angsty as I thought it would be. While the angst would have made the romance more emotional, part of me is happy the book came to a more pure HEA. My emotional self would have felt gloomy for the whole month.

Overall, the book felt dreamy and light. The inside jokes that developed between Caelen and Clara kept me chuckling. Even though there was an initial attraction, a friendship blossomed first. There were a lot of endearing side characters and the relationships Clara formed with each of them were really sweet. It’s an easy read to bring joy to your day or weekend.