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.

Didn't thrill me as Eloisa James can🤔

I've long been an Eloisa James fan. Her Duke series totally delighted me. At her best she imbues her historical romance plots with whimsy and humor along with a touching romance.

But Hardly a Gentleman just didn't do it for me, despite some good secondary characters like the coachman and the hero's chicken-loving nephew. Clara's "disguise" as a housekeeper didn't hold water and her constant quotes and references to the gothic romances read in Regency times went on too long. The touches that I believe were meant to add whimsy, like Clara's strange choice of reticules (purses), just hit me as odd.

And I was disappointed by male lead Caelen who allows poor Clara to labor under a major misapprehension that affects her happiness through almost the whole story. He could have been as dreamy as his physique but he ended up silent about his feelings too often.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 4/19/25 on Waterstones, Goodreads and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble and BAM. To be shared with kobo and Google Play upon publication.

Well! This book was anything but boring! It went from very unwanted advances from that troll Prinny, to wacky and zany as Clara runs off to Scotland. I appreciate it that Clara did not keep up the lie for too long that she was married. Caelan was a sad Laird, and I felt for him. Once he fell for Clara, he fell hard. I'm glad they found each other.
Thank you to Avon for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Eloisa James was one of the first handful of historical romance authors I read, so I will always pick up what she writes. I really enjoyed the first installment of Accidental Brides, but thought this one was just ok.

The writing is great as usual and I even loved the plot, but the beginning of the book before the MCs met went on a bit too long and the ending felt a little rushed. There was definitely chemistry between the MCs to work with, but something about the pacing felt very chaotic to me? At several points I felt like I was flipping back to see if I had accidentally skipped over a few pages because something seemed to sort of happen unnaturally i.e. I felt like all of a sudden they were just kissing each other despite the impact of an assault that has plagued the FMC--which started out as (AND IS) A Very Big Deal and suddenly became a drop in the bucket. I was disappointed that what was very clearly PTSD disappeared but the incredibly frustrating "he could never love me like his first wife" storyline stuck around when it could have been solved with one conversation earlier in the book. Like...offer your new wife an ATOM of reassurance, bro.

This had so much potential to be an absolute banger, but ended up being a 35 for me overall.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

For years, Prince George has pursued, harassed and humiliated Miss Clara Vetry making her social life a nightmare, but all that comes to a shocking end at a garden party in which Clara is pushed beyond her tolerance and she does the unthinkable, she hits the prince with her reticule. Her horrified mother decides to wash her hands of Clara, she sends her to live with a distant cousin and giving her control of her dowry. But while waiting for the carriage her mother hired, Clara decides to take control of her own future and enters a carriage bound for the highlands, claiming to be Mrs. Potts, the housekeeper the driver, Mr. Cobbledick was waiting for, never imagining how this would change her life. She arrives at Castle CaerLaven and is enchanted, she heads inside ready to assume the position of housekeeper, until she sees the state of the dwelling. She then decides that she will wait for Mr. Cobbledick to return from picking up his daughter and convince him to take her away – she will find her own castle and fill it with books and live happily ever after. As the castle seems abandoned, so she goes looking for the owners to inform them she is not staying, and she finds a very naked Caelan MacCrae, Laird of CaerLaven fishing in the loch. They return to the castle and Clara is even more horrified by the kitchen and makes it clear she isn’t staying. Convinced Caelan has let his house fall into disrepair because his is grieving for his late wife, whom everyone has told her is the love of his life. She agrees to stay for a few days and recruits help to clean the castle. Falling in love was never part of the plan, especially to a man who is still in love with his dead wife! When he proposes, she declines, but when her identity is uncovered, she doesn’t have a choice – but is determined not to lose her heart to a man who has sworn to never fall in love again.

Caelan MacCrae, Laird of CaerLaven is perfectly happy living alone in his castle, fishing, making whisky, writing books about fishing and whisky and improving his tenant’s lives. It is his sister Fiona who has decided he needs a housekeeper from England and informs him she is on her way. Everyone believes that Caelan is heartbroken and that the state of his castle is a reflection of that grief – but that isn’t quite right. When Clara arrives and starts bringing the castle back to life, Caelan who was at first was opposed to a housekeeper, is determined to keep her. Too bad she keeps saying no to his proposals – especially since he has everything she wants – A castle and books! When her true identity is revealed, Caelan is ecstatic that she will have to marry him and is sure they can be happy together, as long as she doesn’t want more than he is able to give.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! It was the perfect book to segue into my spring reading, it was a fun well-written, nicely paced story with wonderful characters. I loved Clara and Caelan together, they have both had pain in their lives, but they don’t lock themselves away, instead they find new joy. This book has a bit of a grumpy/sunshine trope, amazing characters, steamyish love scenes, witty banter, laugh out loud moments, fabulous secondary characters; including a “rabbity chicken”, naked fishing, a dramatic rescue and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. The book does touch on grief, loss of a loved one, and sexual abuse/harassment – but I felt like these subjects were handed respectfully and compassionately with plenty of levity to keep this book from becoming a dark read. This is the second book in the series, but they are very loosely connected and can definitely be read as standalone titles with no problems. Overall, if you are looking for your next favorite book – this is that book, which I happily and highly recommend to my fellow HR readers and can’t wait for the next installment in this outstanding series!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

4.5 Stars Hardly a Gentleman is the perfect historical romance for anyone who loves a Scottish MMC, a brave and feisty FMC, and cheers for the anti-heroes.

After a disastrous end to her Season, with no marriage proposal in sight, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry boards a carriage bound for Scotland. Since her mother only sees her as a disappointment and she's running from scandal, she might as well become a housekeeper in a Scottish castle. Laird Caelan MacCrae sees no need to marry, despite his sister and his late wife's mother insisting that he still needs an heir. But when he sees his new housekeeper--who surely can't really be a housekeeper with how little she knows how to do--Caelan changes his mind and does everything he can to win Clara's hand. Except, Clara refuses, again and again. When her true identity is revealed and the two must marry to save her reputation, Caelan realizes he must convince his new wife that his feelings are true and try to win over her heart.

Caelan and Clara are a perfect match! Both introverted, well-read thinkers who enjoy solving problems and getting down to work. They prefer the realistic and comfortable to the fantasy and beautiful. Their chemistry leaps off the page and they form a friendship right from the start. It's easy for both Caelan and the reader to see how they fit together so well. Though this book has a few small references to the previous book in the Accidental Brides series, it can be easily read as a standalone. I really feel like I've never read a historical romance quite like this one and really enjoyed it!

Thank you Avon and Harper for the ARC!

Hardly A Gentleman is the second in the Accidental Brides series, but it's fine as a stand alone, with just a few references to the previous book. For once, a historical cover featuring a hunk without a shirt is actually a relevant plot point as Caelan, our gruff, taciturn and rather oblivious Scottish MMC spends a fair amount of his time naked fly fishing in the loch and this is the basis of the meet cute between him and Clara, our intrepid, impulsive, sunny, FMC.

Caelen's sister has hired an English housekeeper to take charge of his hot mess of a Scottish castle which Caelen has been ignoring ever since his wife died 2 yrs ago. After all, he's way to busy making whiskey and writing a book about fly fishing to care that the castle is falling to pieces around him. Clara is fleeing a major scandal in London in which she was assaulted, then blamed for the situation, and has been banished to live with an elderly aunt in Edinburgh by her overbearing, unsympathetic mother. When she impulsively decides to stand in for the housekeeper, who is an apparent no-show, she has no idea what she's getting herself into, but being both smart and optimistic, she has no trouble settling in and making the best of the situation.

Caelen and Clara are perfect together. Both are intelligent, well-read problem solvers, and are not the sort to sit around wringing their hands when confronted with difficulties. Their chemistry leaps off the page and makes the reader fully believe in their attraction. There are plenty of entertaining hijinks to propel the story forward. I was never bored and was rooting for them all the way to their happy ending. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

The story of "Hardly A Gentleman" itself was fine, I liked that it focused on a woman escaping her life in England - a life that wasn't turning out how her mother/society expected it to be. It was relatable having an imperfect FMC who was struggling with the expectations placed on her. Having her make choices for herself and ensuring that the reader knew she could take care of herself was really positive for me.

The thing about this book, though, I just that I don't think EJ's writing is for me! This is my second book of her's and I have a hard time focusing, wanting to finish. It felt like the story just slogged on endlessly and I up skimming/skipping a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was fun. Clara has to flee London because the Prince of Wales acted like a boor toward her at a party and she ended up smacking him. Her mother sends her away to Scotland and she ends up showing up as a housekeeper at a Scottish castle. There she makes lots of friends and wins over the Scots, including the laird, Caelen. She doesn’t know anything about being a housekeeper, but she has such a sweet personality that she ends up winning everyone’s friendship.

I enjoyed the story, unlikely as it all was. The characters were fun and likeable.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I always love an Eloisa James book, and this one did not disappoint. It is a wonderful story, with lots of adventure, romance, spice and humor sprinkled throughout the story.
Clara is a strong woman, and Caelan is a hunky Scottish Laird, who have great chemistry between them from the beginning.
I loved the secondary characters, which included a chicken and a puppy.

This book gets the award for the absolute goofiest beginning of a historical romance. You are instantly pulled in laughing, getting mad and cringing for poor Clara and her unfortunate situation with the Prince. Eloisa James gives us humor but shows us the sad world these girls had to deal with in order to be put on display for the marriage market and how they had to endure horrible behavior. BUT Clara still is bright eyed and positive that she can turn her life around and have an adventure. That’s why her jumping into a carriage for Mrs. Potts the housekeeper bound for the Scottish Highlands is the chance she takes - even though no one will believe she’s a housekeeper.
Another funny scene is her meet cute with the laird of the castle she is suppose to be working at and then her less than knowledgeable cleaning skills are out to test.
I just love how being a lady doesn’t make Clara stuffy - she is willing to get her hands dirty and she’s willing to say no to marriage to finally have a chance at the life she’s always wanted. One of the most lighthearted books by Eloisa I’ve read was an absolute joy. Cute and funny moments kept me wanting to read well into the night. Pick this one up - historical romances are as fantastic as ever and I hope keep getting published!

Clara is being sent away. After being accosted by Prince George, and then smacking his hands away from her bodice, she has created a scandal. Her mother wants nothing to do with her, so she ships her out to a very distant aunt. Along the way, Clara decides that she is going to take control of her life and do things her way.
And that is how she ends up posing as a housekeeper in the Scottish Highlands of Castle CaerLaven.
Caelan is the Laird of Castle CaerLaven. He lost his wife two years ago and since then has totally neglected anything to do with his castle. He's let it go to rot and ruin. He just doesn't care. He takes care of his lands, his crofters, his whiskey business but household stuff doesn't interest him.
When the two meet, it's instant attraction. Caelan knows two things:
1. Clara is not a housekeeper, but a lady in disguise
2. He's never letting her go.
This was a very light hearted story that I really enjoyed.
It was so different from a typical historical romance book.
Once I started, I couldn't put it down.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.