Running from scandal, Clara Vetry disguises herself (not very convincingly) as a housekeeper, and ends up at Castle CaerLaven with Laird Caelan, who sees right through her disguise but finds himself enamored with her adventurous spirit.

This was a solid, not excellent, romance from Eloisa James. The beginning was a bit slow to get started, and I was just a little baffled by Clara's whole housekeeper ruse--everyone apparently saw right through it but just decided to let her keep going with it? It was a little odd for the setup and was prolonged a bit too long. The book picked up once the actual accidental bride part (as per the series name) happens, and I felt like the characters and their relationship was explored a bit more in depth at that point. It felt a little late in the book though, for it to really redeem the entire thing. There is some fun banter and humor and some sizzling spicy scenes, but that didn't quite outweigh the flaws enough for me to give this any more than 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hardly a Gentleman is the second installment in Eloisa James' Accidental Brides series. The first book, Viscount in Love is a wonderful book as well, but not necessary to read in order to enjoy this book (but READ IT TOO).

Clara Vetry is in her 4th season without a marriage proposal even though she is pretty, a lady and has a generous dowry. The problem is the Crown Prince of England. He has been obsessed with Clara and her bosom since her first season and no other man will get near her. When the drunk prince gropes her, Clara has had enough and she hits the prince with her reticule. Her odious mother decides to send her away to stay with an elderly aunt in Scotland to escape the scandal. Clara has had it. When she and her maid get to a posting inn to begin the long trek north, Clara impulsively gets on a different coach in the place of a new housekeeper who did not show up. Surely, she can be a housekeeper, right? Upon arriving at her new place of employment, she is met with the glorious site of a Scottish Adonis rising from the lock without a stitch of clothing on. Thus begins her adventure.

Caelen, the laird of Castle CaerLaven is living in filth. All he wants to do is fish and write his books about fishing, all he has been doing in the two years since his wife Isla died. Every one in the village thinks his marriage was the perfect fairy tale, but was it? His sister insists upon a housekeeper and maybe a new wife. He does need an heir. He agrees to the housekeeper, but not the wife.
There is a little bit of insta-love going on in this story, but James' clever dialogue makes it believable. This is almost an entirely character driven story and great dialogue is necessary to make it work and it does work. The characters feel like real people not historical figures. The great misunderstanding took a little long to resolve, but that is probably my only criticism of the book.
I round up to 4.25 stars.
**Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fun, quick read. I thought the premise was great fun and the story got off to a quick start. It felt like a short story in terms of the pacing, as things moved along very quickly in the beginning: disastrous (enraging) downfall, improbable escape, quick H/h intro, insta-love, etc. Then the pace hit a wall and got a little bogged down in the middle. The barriers to overcome felt very flimsy and it seemed like there were no real obstacles or objections to them getting together, and the plot used one of my least favorite devices - FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. But still - it was frothy and silly and legitimately funny and I really enjoyed it. It was a welcome return to form for this author, who I have been reading for many years,
My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Eloisa James I mean what can o say? She’s a marvel at writing so many emotions contained in one story. I fell in love with her writing decades ago and years later I still voraciously read anything she puts out.

The laird is a burly Scot loving a widowed bachelor life when his nosy sister decides he needs to marry and have an heir.

Along comes the fierce and ready for adventure lady Clara masquerading poorly as a housekeeper… well she tried all of ten seconds before making friends and telling her story to the coachman.

Be ready for an adventure filled with frank talk and laughter. Learning how to make do and working together to change your life into what you want. Becoming brave in ways you never thought you could.

Get ready for a refreshing loch and some fly fishing…

📖✨Book Review✨📖

Some books are just a delight to read, and Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James is exactly that! 💃📚 It’s charming, a little unconventional for a Regency romance, and completely worth the read.

Clara (FMC) is strong-willed, refreshingly self-aware, and unapologetically herself. Meanwhile, Caelan (MMC) is confident and steadfast in his own identity. Their dynamic was captivating, making this a grinning, kicking-my-feet, swooning kind of read. 💕

Beyond the romance, I appreciated how the book explored the complexity of relationships—how they evolve and don’t always fit our expectations. Eloisa James also handled the theme of grief with care, showing how it manifests differently depending on a person’s connection to the loss, all while maintaining a lighthearted and engaging tone.

The side characters, while not deeply developed, were enjoyable additions that complemented the story. Fans of Viscount in Love (the first Accidental Brides book) will appreciate the references, but this novel stands on its own effortlessly—no prior reading required!

As a bonus, I even had to look up a few words, which is rare for someone raised in a Scrabble-loving household. 😂📖

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC!

#HardlyAGentleman #EloisaJames #RegencyRomance #HistoricalRomance #RomanceReaders #Bookstagram #BookReview #ARCReview #NetGalley #AccidentalBrides #TBR #BookLover

Eloisa James writes another wonderful book! Caelen is a Scottish laird who first wife died. His castle is a mess, he is barely clothed, and loves fly fishing. Clara Vetry is an English lass who was embarrassed by the King’ s attention to her breasts that she hit him with her reticule. She is being sent to visit a long lost relative in Scotland but takes fate into her own hands and becomes the housekeeper Caelen’s sister has hired. This is such a good romp as they find their way to their HEA!

Eloisa James is back at it with another fantastic installment in the Accidental Brides series. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC I received of this book.

The Honorable Miss Clara Vetry is at the end of another season without an offer of marriage– mostly due to the fact that the Prince of Wales is fixated on her and no one wants to marry the prince's future mistress. After a particularly disastrous outing, her mother washes her hands of Clara and ships her off to Scotland to stay with an elderly relative. Clara decides she wants adventure so when she sees a carriage waiting to go to the Highlands, she hops in and takes on a new life as a housekeeper. Meanwhile our hero, Caelan, laird of Castle CaerLaven, is just trying to live his life in his dilapidated castle with his books and fly fishing. He was widowed two years earlier and the whole village, including his slightly unhinged mother-in-law, thinks he is wasting away with grief. His sister sets out to right the ship and starts by hiring an English housekeeper but when Clara arrives, claiming to be said housekeeper, Caelan can see right away that she's a lady and on the run from something.

Like book one of this series, Viscount in Love, this book reminded me so much of the historical romance novels I love from the 80s and 90s. In that generation of romance writing, it wasn't necessary to put the main characters on page together from the very beginning of the novel. It was more important to set up their individual stories and give them each a character arc. That's exactly what Eloisa James did here. We see Caelan living his life in Scotland, pursuing his passions while dealing with his meddling family. We see Clara's epically bad final outing in London society and the way her mother lambasts her for it. And because we know these characters so well by the time they meet, we also know they're perfect for each other. I complain a lot about the two-dimensional nature of characters in a lot of romance novels today. If authors spent the time letting their characters be people, independent of each other like they did 30 years ago, we wouldn't run into that issue.

The main conflict of this novel stems from the convergence of Clara's self esteem issues and Caelan's supposedly perfect first wife. Clara is not the physical ideal for the regency era; she is entirely too curvy for what's fashionable and her hair can charitably be called poofy. Add on that she is eccentric and spends most of her time reading and you have a woman who struggles to fit into the ton. She has spent her entire life trying to live up to her mother's impossible standards and it has taken a toll on her. So when Caelan expresses his interest in Clara, she doesn't know what to do. She, like everyone else in the village (except Caelan's sister) believes that he is still heartbroken over the death of his beloved wife. And his first wife was the polar opposite of Clara. She can't believe that he would want her after having the ideal woman and he is too wrapped up in his own feelings to put into words what Clara needs to hear.

I loved that this book also took a page out of 90s historical romance with the act three low moment. Many of our favorite historical romance authors of that era did not write act three breakups but instead leveraged things like train crashes, explosions, illnesses and other calamities to put our couple's relationship in jeopardy. I won't tell you what happens here, but Eloisa James calls back to that era and puts our couple through it without the typical act three breakup of today.

Hardly a Gentleman was a slam dunk. If you love the historical romances of Julie Garwood, Tessa Dare and Julia Quinn, you need to read this series. Both of these books have been outstanding and I can't wait to see what's next.

Historical romances need a comeback and Ms. Eloisa James is just that person. This had everything you want in a romance-- swoony lairds, unapologetic heroines, sappy love, and, of course, a HEA.

The Honorable Miss Clara has decided to jump into a strange carriage, impersonate a housekeeper so she can flee her life in London. Caelen, is not your typical laird. He cares more about being outdoors than his falling apart castle. They make the perfect team, until his past catches up to him.

I just loved these two together. Eloisa James is a hit or miss for me, but this one was amazing.

I love an Eloisa James book. This one was cute - he’s a cinnamon roll. She’s a silly but absolutely sweet woman. She arrives at his castle trying to escape a scandal, pretending to be a housekeeper instead of an actual lady. Thank goodness for her, as his castle sounds like a hoarder nightmare. He falls first, BUT massive miscommunication, in part due to his former Mother-in-law, makes her think he’s still desperately pining for his wife who died. What will it take to convince her he’s not still in love with his dead wife?

Sometimes books are just fun to read and Hardly a Gentleman absolutely fit that bill. It's quirky. It's not necessarily what you might expect from a regency romance; but, it was well worth the read in my opinion. Clara (the FMC) is her own person and marches to the beat of her own drum. She has great self awareness and knows her own faults. Caelan (the MMC) also knows who he is and is comfortable with that.

I thought the book did a great job exploring the different relationships we have in our lives and how they aren't always what we expect. I think Ms. James explored grief in a very sensitive way while also delving into what grief can look like depending on what a person's relationship is to the deceased.. Plus, this was all done while keeping the book fun to read!

I found both of the main characters to just be a joy to follow along with. It was definitely a kicking my feet, squealing kind of book.. The secondary characters, while not always super fleshed out, were likable and added nicely to the story. I liked that the nods to the previous book in the Accidental Brides series (Viscount in Love) were there for those who have read it, but this book easily can stand on its own without any confusion for the reader.

I also really appreciated that there were words I had to look up which is a rarity having grown up in a Scrabble household. I made sure to share "minatory" with my husband!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for a chance to read this book for review consideration. All opinions and ratings are 100% my own.

This one gave strong Jaime Fraser season one vibes. I was a big fan.

This one was light and fluffy, but I did find several typos/characters being used in the wrong places. Including details for the publisher.

Eloisa James’ “Hardly a Gentleman” is a delightful journey to travel with our main characters Clara and Caelen. Despite difficult situations in their lives, both have managed to maintain their individuality despite what the roles their respective societies — England and Scotland — dictate for them.

Clara is a friend I would love to have. She brings her pragmatic and positive attidue with her. I also adore how she “collects” people, thus forming a family of sorts for herself.

As the laird of Castle CaerLaven, Caelen can easily buck tradition while on his property — as long as he cares for his crofters and the village.
What each is missing — and finally finds in the other — is the one person who accepts them as they are, no changes needed.

“Hardly a Gentleman” provided me everything I look for in a great read when I want to escape my own world for a bit — laughter, tears and a desire for more than one epilogue!

I just couldn't continue with this story. I thought I was reading slowly but the book was just so... uninteresting. There was a void that kept cropping up every time I tried to connect with the story or it's characters. The main reason for this problem was the story wasn't going anywhere at all. I was about halfway done with the book and so far only the backstory/setting had happened. It just felt like a very drawn out prologue.

Clara's masquerade as a housemaid was not believed by even one character of the book so I'm not sure what purpose it served and then there was a twist and the disguise turned temporary to all. It just seemed like the story was going nowhere and was severely disjointed.

Thanks to the publisher for this ARC!

Hardly a Gentleman is Eloisa James' latest work, and it is a delightful read! I was thrilled to receive this ARC. I am a huge Eloisa James fan. This is the second book in the Accidental Brides series. At the beginning of the novel, Clara, the main character finds herself in a terrible situation after a disastrous public scene with a very important person in London. Clara was introduced in Viscount in Love, and is a dreamy, charming woman who loves to read and craft animal-shaped reticules. Clara must escape from London or certainly face isolation and cruelty from her family and the ton. Her mother banishes her to Scotland to live with an elderly aunt, but during the trip north, Clara seizes an opportunity to disguise herself as a housekeeper headed to Scotland. She soon finds herself at Castle CaerLaven, a castle fallen into disrepair with an extremely handsome laird. Caelan, the laird and a widower, has a busy life taking care of his lands, his tenants, fishing and writing books. Clara is determined to be a good housekeeper, and help Caelan put the castle in order, and Caelan is intrigued by this English bookworm who landed on his doorstep.

Caelan is a widower, and everyone in his village thinks he is heartbroken, so Clara believes that he is still in love with his wife. The side characters in the village, friends and Caelan's family, are hilarious in the author's usual style. Eloisa James' books are always written with humor, great chemistry and some dramatic situations. This book has all three, and the reader finds herself laughing out loud. I loved the slow burn of Clara and Caelan's relationship, and the fact that everyone in their world seemed to know what was happening between them before they did. They are a wonderful match, and it was heartwarming to see Clara so welcomed into a new community after the way she was treated by others in the past.

This book is a wonderful addition to the Accidental Brides series. It is entertaining, steamy and very funny. If you enjoy Historical Romance, you will love Hardly a Gentleman.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

"Hardly a Gentleman" is spicy, zany, historical romance fun. Realistic it is not, but it is definitely entertaining! Clara fools no one into thinking that she is actually a housekeeper - but to be fair, she isn't really trying to do so. Caelan quickly decides housekeeper or not, he wants Clara for his own. But getting her to agree proves harder than expected. Along with Clara and Caelan, I loved the side characters in this book, and how they interact with Clara and Caelan. I did think Caelan could have been more up front about the realities of his first marriage but I also felt like he and others did put out signals that Clara wasn't getting. Even with this small quibble, however, I really enjoyed this book.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

4 Stars! Great book. This is the second book in the ‘Accidental Brides’ series and can be read as a standalone. The main characters are Clara and Caelan. I liked both of them, & they were easy to root for. Tons of witty banter between them & a few sexy times. Pretending to be a housekeeper and getting into a carriage heading to Scotland was a bit of a stretch but made for a good book. The future King of England deserves a lot more than getting smacked with Clara’s purse, he was such a pig. Her Mom is awful too. I’m glad she fled to Scotland and meets the naked fly fisher who is also the widowed Laird of the castle she’s the new housekeeper for. Dual points of view. He wants to get married but she declines, a few times, but in the end they marry. It’s a great book with an HEA ending that I’d definitely recommend.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Eloisa James is always an auto buy/auto read for me. This was no exception. We pick up with Clara, of the animal shaped reticule fame, and get an extremely memorable scene right off the bat. After some ahem impulsive decisions, she ends up in Scotland as the world's...best housekeeper. Enter, Caelan.

What happens when you have a bachelor and a non-housekeeper under the same roof? Only good things.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this book!

3.5 stars rounded up! I did enjoy this and read it quickly, but the overall story felt thin to me. I think I realized that there wasn't really a B-plot to offer extra tension/conflict to the characters stories, rather it was mostly their inability to communicate that kept them from being FULLY into the relationship. I liked the characters well enough overall, but some of the threads to the FMC's mother and past life felt somewhat unresolved to me. I could have done without so much reference to the FMC's breasts in the beginning, it really became a distraction. Overall, I really liked the main character's interactions, dialogue, and dynamic.

After a huge scandal, Clara's mother sends her off to hide in the country. Instead, she impulsively decides to jump in a carriage that is to pick up a housekeeper for an eccentric Scottish laird. Making the best of the situation, Clara is drawn to widower Caelan. Can he put his first wife out of his mind enough to make Clara happy? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon for my honest review.

Eloisa James is always an utter delight for me; and this book is no different. I adore both Clara and Caelan and find them to be so much fun. The beginning of the novel was hands down one of my favorite and soooo original. The author did am excellent job in pacing and making characters that broke stereotypes and also made them feel real. I highly recommend this book.