4.5 stars. A fun new romance from Eloisa James, whose frothy plots and sprawling families full of meddling relatives are a joy to read. This one features a trope I love--the single man's housekeeper who's secretly a lady. Clara (she of the whiskered reticules from a previous book) has a humiliating encounter with the Prince Regent at a public event, and flees to Scotland. She accidentally gets a job as housekeeper to the most slovenly man in the country. Of course Caelen has the excuse of being a widower, but really he just doesn't care what things look (or smell or taste) like.

Clara doesn't manage to fool anyone that she's really a housekeeper, since she packed mostly books and gowns. But Caelen's family and the friends Clara starts to collect don't really seem to care. There's not really a villain here. The tension comes from Clara's and Caelen's interior lives and how far they're willing to grow for the other person.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Wonderful characters
Beautifully written

Clara, Torie’s best friend from Viscount in Love, seeks adventure and escape from the unwanted attention of Prince George and her critical mother. All she wants is a castle and books. She stumbles upon a naked man fly fishing in Scotland and finds out he has a castle and books. A perfect match!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a sweet sexy romance between a Scottish laird and an Englishwoman who flees to become a housekeeper after an unfortunate Encounter with Prince George, this is the book for you. Relatable characters, fun situations, and some very hot sex.

Recommended.

I think this is the 10th Eloisa James book I've read and all have been 4 or 5 star reads. Her characters are always multi-faceted and the plots well-crafted. If you've read this author before and liked her, this title will be no different. If you haven't read James yet, what are you waiting for?

I loved this story. Both characters grew as people and together in a relationship. The romantic tension was there. My only critique is that Isla came up WAY too much. I realize that she functions as the main tension point between characters, but I was so sick of her name popping up and Clara freaking out immediately.

Any tiny remnants of self-control I have leave my body when I see a new Eloisa James. 👋

Clara is an well-read, impulsive, unmarried lady whose fourth season ends abruptly when she is accosted and shoves a high-profile man. Her overbearing mother is perpetually disappointed in her and makes a decision to send her off to a distant aunt in Scotland. Instead of getting in the intended carriage, she opts to take a different carriage bound for Scotland that was intended for a no-show housekeeper.

Caelen is the widowed laird of Castle CaerLaven. His meddling sister puts an advertisement for an English housekeeper without his knowledge because his castle is a hot mess and his current housekeeper is terrible. He's writing books on fly fishing and whisky, because why not? And he fly fishes naked, because why wouldn't you?

When Clara arrives at Castle CaerLaven no one believes she is a housekeeper. Every single person clocks her as a lady within minutes, if not seconds of meeting her. But she still gets his home organized, discovering that he hasn't done much to take care of the castle since his wife died two years ago. The whole village is under the impression that Caelen is still grieving his wife, which gives Clara the same impression. They clean the castle and hire staff and Caelen realizes that he does actually want to marry again and he wants to marry Clara.

Hijinks ensue. Each one assumes important and ultimately incorrect things about the other. He keeps proposing, she keeps declining. And since this is the Accidental Brides series, it's not a spoiler that they do get married.

I really enjoyed this story. Clara is a quirky, fun heroine and Caelen is a Scottish laird with two shirts, 200 books and a castle. What else could you want?