A delightful, low stakes T4T historical romance set in the early 19th century, I read ‘A Gentleman’s Gentleman’ in one day (by barely putting it down). The events are filtered through one character’s perspective, which makes the romance a bit difficult to build, but for me there was enough clear chemistry that it worked out well. Unlike most historical fiction about landed gentry, Lord Eden’s estate doesn’t seem to have anyone relying on the Lord for much except for the two aging servant side characters, and the (lonely) lord’s new valet, whom he doesn’t want to want. It has quite enough drama to be compelling and is a romantic, heartfelt novel. I for one really enjoy explorations of how LGBTQIA people lived and loved throughout history, and this was a good one.

Thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC.

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. I was enthralled by the cover & brief description. I discovered a very charming story that I immediately fell in love with. Lord Christopher Eden is unlike any character I have encountered. He is larger than life from the moment you meet him to the end of the book. He is unusual but comfortable with his "unusual make" until he has to venture out into the world which could make his very comfortable existence very complicated to navigate. Enter his new valet, James Harding, whose job it is to make Lord Eden's life easier but ends up forcing Christopher to re-examine everything he thought he knew about himself. There is adventure & romance & humor & charm in this story that made me want to fall deeper into their world.

This was a beautiful character study of a trans character in the Regency period. It's thoughtful and hopeful, with quite a bit of humor, some charming romantic tropes, and many mysterious elements. I read a lot of queer romance and this is a unique contribution to the genre. Highly recommended.

I’m not usually a big historical romance fan, but this regency story had me hooked. Loved the dapper lead, Lord Eden, and loved the joyful trans representation throughout. It’s a very, very slow burn but the pining is 💯 and felt just right for these characters. I was delighted that some of my favorite parts were the subplots - midnight adventures! - and they were just as engaging as waiting to see if the romantic leads would finally figure out their messy, beautiful feelings.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

sad to say that this book just didn't do it for me. the pacing was really off with the romance. it really dragged on for the first 75% and then they were suddenly in love at the very end. the development was just unconvincing unfortunately.

christopher overall felt like a very underdeveloped character. i feel like a lot of his "tragic past" is told instead of shown/felt by him. it felt wholly disconnected from his character and motivations. honestly, i felt like james and his story was much more compelling.

i kind of came away from this book feeling like nothing of substance happened. i'm giving it two stars because i really enjoyed the beginning and setup, i think it had a lot of potential. i liked james a lot, i thought he was cute and enjoyed his presence in the story. the prose was pretty good too. unfortunately i was just deeply underwhelmed

A Gentleman’s Gentleman delivers a slow-burn romance with sharp humor and tender moments. TJ Alexander brings together unforgettable characters, queer joy, and just the right amount of drama to keep you hooked.

I adored this trans Regency romance between an Earl who was born a fraternal twin and, after a tragic accident, takes on his brother’s identity as a way to be his true self. Christopher hires a valet to help him find a wife in London society who will understand and keep his secret. Only his extremely capable valet James Harding has a secret of his own, which comes as a big surprise that I don't want to spoil here. But it was delightful and I loved the turn the book took. The ending is quite swoon-worthy and has a lovely epilogue!

This is a wonderful story that uses the language of the day versus the terms we use in today's modern day for gender identity and gender politics. It felt akin to Alexis Hall’s A Lady for a Duke, in that Christopher isn’t discovered so much as figures out a way to live his life happily as a man. But if you liked that trans Regency romance you’ll like this one to, and I hope more books like this are being written and published!

I also love the cover art. It’s using a gorgeous photograph of Zach Pinset of Pinsent Tailoring wearing his Regency attire. I recognized him right away!

••Thank you to Knopf / Vintage for the ARC••

I love historical romance, especially when it’s gay, but this was just okay for me. It has a very slow, kind of awkward start and I didn’t connect super well to the characters, though I did enjoy the trans aspect and the supporting characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!
Oh my gosh, okay so I just finished watching a show based around a certain era and I was looking for something to read that would match that and this really did that for me!!
Where can do I begin, I really just want to praise this book because of its queer representation and its just a lovely read. It is a slow slow slow burn but I enjoyed it!
Overall 4 stars ⭐️

ARC provided by Netgalley. Thank you so much!

What an absolutely delightful book. I started this yesterday afternoon, stayed up WAY past my bedtime, and woke up refusing to start my day until I had finished the last few pages. Tender, funny, beautifully romantic, full of LONGING and GENDER and HIJINKS.

If you like historical romance, grumpy x grumpy, an absolute cinnamon roll of a trans MC who is part fop and part Stede Bonnet (courageous, strong, clever, an absolute gibbering ninny), well developed characters, a story of emotional vulnerability and growth from trauma, valet x master, idiot x idiot, and love despite all odds, you will love this book. I cannot wait to devour everything else by this author and have already been screaming about how wonderful this book is.

This was a very charming book! Slow burn romance, yet the writing felt pretty fast-paced and was a quick read for me. I loved the main character and enjoyed reading from his perspective. Not my favorite historical romance, but overall a cute and fun read.

A beautifully written trans romance with representation that felt authentic. The way the contrast between Christopher and James was presented; from their apperance and personality to the way they live their queer lives was well done and made the reveal and conclusion so much sweeter. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a unique romance with characters that feel real.

This was a beautifully done romance novel and enjoyed the use of the Regency elements to this. The characters had that feel that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening to them. It uses the time-period perfectly and that romance element was realistic and enjoyable. TJ Alexander wrote this in a way that I was hoping for and glad I read this.

I did not expect regency trans rep to feel so Shakespearean, but it did and in a way that made for a truly enjoyable read. I enjoyed Christopher Eden as a PoV character, and his anxieties and flaws felt relatable and believable. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and found myself delighted by the turns it took in the end. I don't often sit down and read a book in one setting these days - but this one I finished in 24 hours, reading far later than I ought to have done. Not perfect, but deeply enjoyable.

A Gentleman's Gentleman is a wonderful trans regency romance by TJ Alexander. Christopher has isolated himself after a childhood of loss, but is now forced to find a wife to keep his title of Earl. He employs James Harding as a valet to help him be presentable to the ton, and the two quickly form a bond, but the two must learn to trust each other for past secrets to come to light. There are plenty of hijinks and fun side characters to keep the plot moving as the two men finally admit their true feelings. This was a lovely read and I enjoyed every minute. I wish the ending had been more drawn out, but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.
Thanks to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC in trade for my honest review.

Christopher, the Earl of Eden, must marry before his 25th birthday, or he loses his estate, his title, and everything. He is the last surviving member of his family, his twin being lost at sea. He only keeps a butler and a cook on his estate. He doesn’t go to London if he can help it.


But, he doesn't want to lose everything, so he has his lawyers find him a valet, so he can go to London to find a wife. And so, he is set James Harding, who Chistopher gets the hots for, to put it bluntly. He has never felt this way about anyone. But he knows it can not be, because, in the modern vernacular, he is trans, and doesn’t want anyone to know.


I loved all the twists and turns of this story, some of which, like a Charles Dickens novel, were telegraphed in advance, while others, I had no idea until they hit me square in the face.


Well written story of painful lust, and feeling like the only one in the world like oneself. As the story unfolds and we see the fear Christopher faces with each turn, and how hard it is to be in London, at one of those parties where everyone is hunting for someone to marry.


All the stars. Really, it was that good. I raced through it.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review . This book is coming out the 11th of March 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers and the author for the eARC!!

I cannot accurately describe how much I adored this book!! I loved everything, from the setting to the characters! It was so good!

Christopher is an amazing protagonist, who just wants to live his days in peace in the countryside. His struggles with the world's perception and his need to keep himself hidden hit close to home and made him an incredibly compelling character. James was also so good as the second protagonist of the book. While we didn't get his point of view, he had much depth into him and I loved him for it!!

The secondary characters were also truly amazing!!! I loved Etienne and Belinda and Cook and everyone else! They made the story even more pleasing and I had so much fun!!

The writing was superb!! It was seamless and helped to integrate the reader in the story!!!

Having read some of the author's previous works, I was beyond happy to read this one. I laughed and cried so much during this story!! And also, the acceptance both Christopher and James were met with from their surroundings was so wholesome and good!!!

I hate to say it, but this didn’t really work for me. While there was potential and charm to the story, there really was too much going on in too little time. Some big decisions made here require you to believe that these two men have come to really care about each other deeply, and I just didn’t see that on the page. I feel like this book also suffers from the idea that characters in the past have to be unproblematic from a modern perspective in terms of the things they say or do and it makes them feel very weird for where they’re actually situated. I’ve seen worse examples of this in other books, but since I felt like I wasn’t given a lot o time to get to know the characters, it got more noticeable as the story went on. Finally, I did like certain elements of how the ending went differently from what I expected at the beginning of the book, but, again, I just really needed to book to convince me that these characters would make these decisions. It just felt very sudden.

I read a lot of queer historical romance and this book captured a lot of what I love about the genre. I loved the found family aspect and the amount of acceptance Christopher and Harding found in their little community. This book has a lot of grief and loss but it also holds trans joy as front and center, and it's set around the premise that gay and trans people have always been here, in every era, and deserve to find their happiness in it. I loved the resolution for both Christopher and Harding and the lives they chose for themselves. The book has a lot of TJ's signature writing style in it in terms of keeping things pretty light and low conflict between the main characters, with really great trans representation and just one pepper's worth of spice.

The relationship between Harding and Christopher is pretty much the slowest of slow burns. They're not even on first name terms a good 70%+ of the book, and Christopher is a very insecure and inexperienced lead who spends most of the book fretting about how no one could possibly desire him. I found it honestly a bit grating and would've loved to see him absolved of the notion much, much earlier.

The leads were also kept apart by other matters. I'm normally a very plot-driven reader and love a good romp, but there were so many shenanigans going on that Harding and Christopher barely got to spend time together, especially since Christopher spent so much of it keeping Harding at arm's length. I would've loved a more intimate romance that would've kept a bit more of a focus on the main couple. The extra distractions kept me from feeling much chemistry between them.

Do be aware that there is a lot of historical liberties in this book especially with inheritance rules which are just complete shenanigans and form a central premise for the plot.

Overall this is a light and fun romp, and I'm happy to see TJ Alexander expanding into hist-rom. While not every part of this book vibed with me, I think this is still a great read for anyone who loved Triple Sec, Chef's Kiss, and TJ's other books, and I'd love to see them gain a more solid footing in this genre with future books!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.

Very original and dynamic. The chemistry between the main characters was amazing and well written.