’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.

Hardly a Gentleman
By Eloisa James

Let's step back in time when Lairds of the highlands wandered their lands filled with castles and flasks of whiskey.

Caelan isn't your normal Scottish Laird, he'd rather be fishing in the buff than sitting inside. Now after losing his wife two years ago his sister had determined it's time for him to remarry. He of course resists until a curvy fair haired beacon of light shows up at the most inopportune time.

Clara is done with England and being mistreated by her mother and sets of an adventure to the Scottish highlands. Of course pretending to be a housekeeper when she's clearly a lady doesn't really fool anyone. But she's got grit and determination and the wherewithal to enjoy a good book.

I had a rollicking good time with this one. Clara is a feisty young woman who kinda sorta assaults the prince and gets sent away to live with an elderly aunt in Scotland. Except she jumps carriages and decides to take on the position of housekeeper at a castle. Clara has no experience and all the confidence in the world. And I love that for her. The lord of the castle is living in squalor and fishing naked - only one of which Clara approves. He also falls for her instantly.

This book was a riot. Clara knows her mind, and so does Caelan. There are hijinks and silliness galore. The central conflict is a misunderstanding/lack of communication which would normally frustrate the heck out of me, but the whimsy elsewhere counterbalance it for me.

Very enjoyable, indeed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was actually such a breath of fresh air!

Clara has created quite a scandal (though honestly it wasn’t her fault). Her mother decides to send her to Scotland to live with some distant relatives. Instead she hops into a carriage meant to take a housekeeper to the highlands. There she meets Caelan, the apparently grieving and devastated Laird who has let his castle go to ruins. She agrees to help him sort it out and sparks fly.

I love the whole idea of this. Both characters are so fun and so imperfect. She doesn’t even pretend she can be a housekeeper and he just wants to fish naked. There is such an attraction there and once they start falling for one another you can’t help but root for them.

Tropes: MFC hides under a false identity; MMC is a widower
Steam level: 2-3 (steam is not graphic)
Part of a series, and I would recommend reading the previous books first.

3.5 stars rounded up. Eloisa James, like Tessa Dara, is one of my fave writers of humorous HR's, but I hadn't read anything of hers in quite a while. I was excited to jump into this book in the series. While it's OK as a standalone, I did feel as if I would have gotten into the storyline a bit more quickly if I had read the previous books. I'll always enjoy James's writing style and intelligence, the first 20% or so is packed with some laugh out loud scenes and humorous asides, but I did find myself wondering when the MC's would get together. Clara and Caelan end up having good chemistry, but the pacing was still a bit erratic at times, leaping from action and downright silliness to quieter scenes toward the end. Witty dialog and situations definitely took precedence over the romance.

There were a few tropes I didn't care for that brought my rating down:
--Nasty mom, no closure
--PTSD from sexual molestation just fades away
--Late wife who is just a plot device
These were serious elements that I felt just didn't gel well with the hijinks that frequently popped up.

Overall: this is fun but not my fave by the author.

Thank you to Avon Books for the eARC.

Hardly A Gentleman made my heart so happy.

Clara is banished from London by her mother after a ‘scandal’—where she’s just defending herself but not gonna go into the essay I’ve written about how bad her mother is—and Clara thrives. She’s like Bilbo Baggins, going on an adventure and embracing change. Clara may be impetuous but she’s such an admirable human being: strong-willed, kind, adventurous, and open-hearted.

And the Laird she stumbles upon, Caelan, is so adorable. He’s so down bad for her, I can barely stand how heartwarming this book is.

Did I wish the two would just TALK already about a certain issue? Heck yes but I can totally understand why both of them were hesitant. I can accept it since both of them were so overt about their feelings for the other, it felt like the talking was more minor of a problem.

Ugh, I loved this book and want to reread it already.

I really wanted to like this book and overall it had a good storyline. I enjoyed Clara and Caelen. The adventure she chose to go on and the avid book reader. The Scottish fly fisher was great! But OMG STOP TALKING ABOUT ISLA! I couldn't handle the amount they spoke of her. Maybe that is personal preference but I feel like there was so much missed story and dialogue because everything revolved around a die girl who didn't even seem that great

Hardly a Gentleman is a little odd, a little meandering, and weirdly obsessed with the MMC’s dead wife and mildew—but it’s also classic EJ in a lot of ways. And for that, I still had a good time.

Let’s start with Caelan: Scottish laird, brooding widower, fishing-naked-in-a-loch kind of guy. He’s been widowed for two years, and while he’s moved on emotionally, his village and very-much-still-in-residence MIL haven’t gotten the memo. The man can’t breathe without someone invoking his dearly departed.

Enter Clara, a feisty debutante fleeing scandal (because of course there’s groping and London drama), who decides the best solution is to hop in a carriage and pretend to be a maid in the wilds of Scotland. Logical? No. Entertaining? Also… kind of no? Honestly, we spend so much time on her journey and her banter with the driver that I started to wonder if he was the real love interest.

Clara and Caelan have a proper meet-naked-cute, and from there, we get what should be a delicious forced proximity situation. But instead, it’s a lot of cleaning. Like, a lot of cleaning. And an endless loop of Caelan reminiscing about his wife. The balance of grief and new love felt off to me—it dragged down the chemistry that was trying to spark between Clara and Caelan.

That said, I did like the romance once it finally kicked in. EJ’s brand of hero—the “I’ll never marry—oh wait, I’ll marry her” type—is here in full force, and Caelan falls hard and fast. Clara resists (a little frustratingly, tbh), but their banter has charm and their eventual connection feels earned, even if it’s buried under all the domestic chores and ghost-wife mentions.

Clara’s stubbornness tested my patience—girl, he’s a laird who wants to marry you, maybe stop scrubbing floors and say yes? But I appreciated her independence, even if I wanted her to make better choices sooner.

In the end, was this peak Eloisa James? No. Did I still read the whole thing in one sitting and have a decent time? Absolutely. I’m not mad, just mildly exhausted by the mold scrubbing.

Thanks to Avon Books for the ARC! And thanks to Eloisa James, who I will always ride for—even when her heroines are knee-deep in chamber pots and emotional baggage.

My favorite thing about this book is Clara. She is such a good soul, the kind of person we should all have for a friend. She truly is irrepressible, and she keeps her kindness in spite of the poor examples she has seen. She is also hilarious and keeps the plot moving along at a brisk pace. Caelan has no idea what is about to happen to his quiet life. Fortunately, he is exactly the kind of hero who deserves Clara because he appreciates her character and fortitude.

A romance with a Scottish laird? Count me in! This romance was everything I wanted it to be. Fun, romantic, and a good story. 4 stars.


Read it if you like independent women, family/grief dynamics, and romance.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.