I liked the writing (Eloisa James is always on point), and I honestly liked Giles and Yasmin as characters. Their mirrored back stories brought them together with a certain level of understanding. You understand her reluctance (hence the title) and real questioning of Giles' interest in her. I thought that their interactions were sweet.

HOWEVER, Lydia, Giles' sister, is the worst. All I wanted was for Giles to put his sister in her place and after all her meddling and subterfuge, we get NOTHING. Yeah, Yasmin and Giles get together in the end despite her deception, it's frustrating. While Giles' dedication to his relationship with his sister is commendable, she was just absolutely awful to Yasmin. Even if Giles and Yasmin weren't going to be romantically involved, Lydia's treatment of her was just so rude. I know the whole point is to see the main couple together at the end, but I feel like we were just left holding all this outrage on their behalf. Her making bad decisions seems to be a given by the time we hit the first epilogue and just continue with the expectation that Giles should forgive her.

3/5

I will admit I think this is more of a me problem and not the book. I usually adore Eloisa James' books. This one while enjoyed I just didn't love it. While I enjoyed the angst and tension between the Earl and Yasmin, the book just wasn't keeping my attention. I also had issues with my sister. She was incredibly frustrating to read about. Overall an okay read. I would still recommend for Historical readers to pick up,

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Giles cannot seem to resist Lady Yasmin. But really, he should have NOTHING to do with her. She's not dignified to be his wife by the way she acts or who her parents are. But no matter what, and how much she vexes him, he just can't seem to stay away.

What I 🤍:
🎩 Regency Romance
😡 Enemies to Lovers
💕 Age Gap
🥇 Earl X Wallflower

I loved the idea of this story, and for the most time it was enjoyable, but for some reason, Giles rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. I felt like Lady Yazmin deserved better. But, sometimes the heart wants what it wants.

I really enjoyed the fact that it was clear James drew inspiration from Pride and Prejudice while it also was very much it’s own story and not a retelling. Pride and Prejudice is obviously the crown jewel of romance novels, but it has also been retold to death. James was able to take the spirit of the loved novel while weaving her own tale. My only complaint is that, in giving Lydia a redemption arc in the next book, we don’t see her face ramifications here. I always want to see the villain face consequences and regret their actions. We don’t even get a confrontation here.

In The Reluctant Countess, the irreverent and flirtatious Yasmin wasn't entirely able to leave the more notorious rumors about her behind in France (namely the truth that her mother was once Napoleon's mistress), but she was able to escape public shaming of a more personal nature. Even so, Yasmin's maternal reality, daring French gowns, and league of admirers are enough to make her an outcast from other ladies in England. Where the truths of her youthful indiscretions remain unknown, wilder assumptions have multiplied. A duke's granddaughter cannot be entirely ignored in society, though, and so Yasmin sets out on a quest to find an older husband who can promise stability in her future. She's determined not to get caught up in passion despite what her demeanor leads others to assume.

What we have here is an opposites attract romance as the unamused, forbidding Giles can't help but dance a single waltz with Yasmin at every ball. He's fascinated by her, and Yasmin in turn can't help but poke at Giles to try and earn a reaction beyond his general demeanor of disdain. Their squabbles somehow snowball into a tempestuous secret betrothal. Some romantic moments stand out. For one, it's not fair how attractive I find it that after Giles shares his coat with Yasmin when she's cold, he fixes her hair. Overall, though, the high drama of their interactions was a bit much for me. The final act breakup drama is a doozy, which suits the couple in question. There are elements of external meddling, but the level of determined stubbornness between them is intense. At least we get to see a woman put a man in his place, a moment I live for.

I was intrigued by one aspect of Yasmin's character and how it relates to the romance arc. It starts with an uninspiring first sexual encounter between our two lovebirds, an unusual choice for a romance novel and a welcome source of variety. It turns out Yasmin is disgusted by sex. I was equally excited and nervous about the possibility of an ace-spec protagonist since I wasn't sure how it would be framed. Her sadness and loneliness at the revelation are understandable if not the direction I'd hoped for. In the end, I'd say the plot is more about internalized shame around sexuality rather than an issue of identity. And while I wouldn't characterize Yasmin as falling under the ace umbrella as a result, her story lends itself to some positive examples of communication around intimacy and not pressuring someone into an act they don't enjoy. It's refreshing and valuable to see a hero on the page who assures a heroine her boundaries will be respected indefinitely with no sadness or bitterness on his part.

I do have an aside that's more of a complaint. I found it annoying that the book insists on giving this fictional white male aristocrat credit for passing an anti-slavery bill to assure us of his moral bona fides. It feels performative when so little thought and energy goes into it (a throwaway comment), and it takes away from the efforts of real people and communities to give this privileged character a gold star. It's especially stark that the book offers no diversity of representation in its characters and no broader commentary on political issues of the time.

This historical romance has fun moments and also takes on some important topics like the sexism that causes a woman to internalize shame around her passion. It also models enthusiastic consent and true respect for boundaries with no expectation that they might change. I loved Yasmin's relationship with her grandfather as much as I hated Giles' with his sister, and those relationship arcs kept me engaged even when the romantic plot wasn't my favorite. While this book wasn't my cup of tea in all respects, I still enjoyed reading it. Thanks to Avon for my copy to read and review!

Eloisa James is always an author I look for, so this novel was no exception to the excellence that she brings to her characters and storytelling every single time.

Giles Renwick, The Earl of Lilford is a prude, and that is being kind. He judges those around him and finds them wanting. None more so than Lady Yasmin, a woman who is unapologetically herself in all regards. Giles wants nothing and everything to do with her.

Yasmin has seen a lot in her years, so much so that the judgy response of the ton doesn't affect her any longer. She's immediately drawn to Giles, despite his treatment of her.

His younger sister acts as the villain of this story, feeling very jealous of Yasmine and attempts to keep them apart. An annoyingly perfect obstruction to the love blooming between our two main characters. There were parts of this book that made me want to strangle some of the characters, but it all played into the overall plot and pacing, so I could understand and appreciate it's place.

I can't say enough good things about Eloisa James' writing, always a good time!

My opinion is my own and freely given.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for the eARC and to my library and the Libby app for the audiobook listen.

The Reluctant Countess
by Eloisa James

Narrated by Susan Duerden

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5)

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 My initial reaction upon finishing: It’s captivating and enchanting. I love how they are crazy for and over each other. The attraction and jealousy are so believable, intimate, and steamy in all the right places.
🤩 Part of the Would-Be Wallflowers series, but it reads great as a standalone.
🤩 Such a captivating prologue giving us a glimpse into Yasmin’s backstory, showing us why she is reluctant to trust again, and making our hearts beat for her happily ever after.
🤩 Historical romance, the season, and Giles dancing with Yasmin at every party.
🤩 Enemies-to-lovers.
🤩 All the feels and laugh-out-loud funny.
🤩 Giles’ unwanted lust—secret pining and physical attraction.
🤩 When that lust becomes an obsession.
🤩 How Yasmin gets back at Giles for accusing her of wearing dresses that are too revealing.
🤩 Such a heart-wrenching and beautiful letter-writing plot.
🤩 How they work through intimacy issues—it’s beautifully intimate with such loving, sweet, yet desperate desire.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Why did I wait so long to read this beautiful book? I’m so looking forward to the next in the series—Not That Duke. My five-star review for book 1 in the series (How to Be a Wallflower) is also up on goodreads.

The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James is a fun, but slow paced read. It's a historical fiction and one of the main characters- Lady Yasmin is the definition of a walking doormat. She's way too nice to Lydia and I wish she'd stand up to her more often.

Fast pace. Great story. Characters worth rooting for. I enjoyed that the man knew before the woman, so many times much of the story is constantly about a woman using manipulation to win the man. This was amazing. So refreshing to read and experience the opposite

This was funny, cute, and romantic. Giles wasn't my favorite, though; he was constantly criticizing Yasmin's clothes because he thought she was too brazen and he also never defended her to his sister. He doesn't see the error of his ways until the 90% point. I didn't like that. Other than that, this was a great addition to this series.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-books copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm not quite sure what I expected in THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS, but I feel that it was lacking.

During the reading, I was starting to think that it was an homage to Pride and Prejudice, especially after Giles's initial proposal. This was confirmed with the author's note.

The thing with homages is that it can work, or it can go bad. Sadly, this one doesn't quite work...most people would think it was because of Giles, Earl of Lilford, but I really put the blame on his sister, Lydia. She's the Bingley sisters, Lydia Bennett, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh all rolled into one character. Her character is just so mean girl, that I don't see any way to redeem her. Especially when you learn she's out for revenge. However, Giles is blind to his sister's faults.

On the other hand, Yasmin is lovely. She knows what she wants. On the surface, she doesn't care what society says about her, because she's been gossiped about her whole life. Yet, she does internalize a lot of it, and her speech towards the end? so so fabulous.

I understand Giles's need to protect his only family, but this leads to a very rocky courtship of Yasmin, and a very uneven book. I need Giles to get his head out of his petard, and grovel to Yasmin for his treatment of her. She deserves more grovel.

Also, not sure how either Yasmin, or Giles, fit into the Would-Be Wallflowers theme, unless it is the one scene.

Still looking forward to reading the next book, and seeing how the two characters end up together.

The Reluctant Countess was such a wonderful read! My first in this series by Eloisa James but now I want to read book 1.

Yasmin is not right for Giles. He dislikes everything about her. From her low dresses, her French heritage, her sunny disposition and her overall improperness. She’s not fit to be his wife or even his friend but he also can’t stop thinking about her.
A delightful enemies to lovers story. Yasmin’s grandfather steals the show and we all will get behind hating Giles’ sister Lydia.

This BOOK!

Let me preface with the fact that I went through a HEAVY regency romance era in 2019 (yes <I>before</> Bridgerton came out) and Eloisa James is easily one the the very best of the best when it comes to the genre. You know the stories will be great, the characters multi-dimensional, and romance hot. So I was already excited!

I went into this book totally blind- didn’t even read the blurb- and it was an utter delight. It starts with our Heroine when she is 16 on the day she realizes the man she has eloped with only pretended to marry her so he could then try to blackmail her parents for money. I say <b>try</b> because this particular family is French and was already intimately familiar with scandal, so instead they took her home, made sure she hadn’t become pregnant, and then sent the man on his way without a dime. Our Heroine is humiliated and resolves to harden her heart. The rest of the book takes place nine years later and was just perfect.

Some of the things I especially liked:
-talking about how sex isn’t always pleasant for women EVEN IF they are super attracted to the man
-many, MANY conversations where misunderstandings and unintentional micro aggressions were confronted
-roundabout discussions on modesty culture- particularly the idea that a woman’s worth and self-respect are tied into how modestly (yet still temptingly of course) she dresses, as well as how a woman should never be held responsible for how a man treats her, yet almost always is, especially during this era
-nods to Pride and Prejudice, particularly Lydia’s character- showing how Lydia might have found herself in the position to be seduced by Wyckham, but also showing how Lydia’s cruelties in P&P (which were never really addressed) were actually the far more harmful and “bad” aspect of her character
-realistic resolutions of issues that weren’t just “solved” with a declaration of love
-harmful consequences of bullying

And allll if this was tied perfectly into the story. I never felt like I was being preached at, just being told a story that got me all in my emotions- from fury to giddy to empathetic etc.

This book was just all around fantastic, further cementing James as a diamond of the first water when it comes to Regency Romance!

Sometimes you forget why your favorite authors are your favorite, and then you read a new book by then and you remember. This one was magical for me, it had everything I love in a historical romance. Yasmine was a great heroine and Giles was a great hero, and they fit together so well. They suffer through the usual growing pains and turmoil until they admit they love each other and have their happily ever after. Which is a great happily ever after by the way.

I did have one complaint, and I might have rated this lower if I wasn't so pleased with Yasmine and Giles story. The sister, Lydia. She was insufferable and I didn't like her at all. And she almost cost the main characters their happily ever after. I hope she isn't in the last book.

I adored this one more than the first book! I love that Yasmin is just so unapologetically herself. Giles was a little stuffy, and probably took too long for him to stop being so. But Eloisa James is still my fav regency romance writer, and I'm excited to continue this series.

The Reluctant Countess was my first novel by Eloisa James, and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the story and the pacing of it a lot. I am fairly new to historical romance novels, but I enjoy the way that modern writers present these stories that brings more equality and modern ideals without feeling completely out of place in a setting from the past. The romance in this story was lovely, and hate-to-love is one of my favorite tropes. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is totally unsuitable as a wife, a mistress (she is a lady!), nor a friend, since they dislike each other. Her gowns are too low, and she loves to gossip and giggle. So, they wouldn’t be a good match, would they?
I loved this historical romance. It had true love, intrigue and diabolical characters. I liked Yasmin because she wouldn’t let scandal stop her. She knew who was a true ally. I liked Giles because the rumors didn’t stop him from being with Yasmin. The plot kept me interested until the very last page. I will read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this advanced reader’s copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Lady Yasmin has a lot of scandals surrounding her. Her mom just happened to be Napoleon's mistress. Giles, Lord Lilford, is stodgy and judgemental. And he hates that he likes Yasmin. He decides to make Lady Yasmin his. Yet, he's rude to her to keep her at a distance, so he needs to prove to her that he actually cares for her. This seduction requires a lot of work. The pacing was good, I liked the two main characters, and I loved that he couldn't help but fall in love with a charming woman. However, Lydia, Giles's sister, was awful. She was the villain, she was over dramatic, angry, and a character I didn't like seeing on the page. Overall, a good read, but I liked the first one better.

I can always count on Eloisa James to deliver a fantastic story. Endearing characters, witty banter and an engaging story make this a delight to read.

At the tender age of 16, Lady Jasmin Regnier, the daughter of an English lady and French lord, was tricked into believing that she was married to Hippolyte Charles, but he was not only a fortune hunter, but a lover of the Empress who was out for revenge against Yasmine's mother, one of the Emperor's mistresses. After enduring scandal and humiliation, she crossed the channel and went to live with her grandfather, a duke. After what she endured from the French court, she has learned to inure the cuts from the English. Being beautiful and charming, she has many suitors, but after what she endured, she is not sure she even wants to marry. However, she has wonderful friends in Merry and Cleo, from the previous two books. She is drawn to Giles Renwick, Earl of Milford, who always procures her first waltz, but of course he has his own issues from the scandals of his parents. His younger sister is very jealous of Yasmine and tries to come between them, but love finds its way, at least in romance novels.

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.com. This is may unbiased and voluntary review.

I love Eloisa James. She’s one of the best in the game, but the plot was challenging for me to immerse myself in this time!