Clara has had the misfortune to be at the top of the Prince George's radar for the last three years. It has ruined her chances to find a match on the marriage mart. The straw that breaks the camel's back is when the Prince sees her at a part an begins singing a very off color song and then groping her! Clara is sent away to Scotland by her less than loving Mother - and this is where our true story begins. Clara decides to not go to her relative's home and instead gets in a carriage that is waiting for a housekeeper. When Clara arrives Scotland, she meets her new employer in unusual circumstances and both of them feel a pull towards each other. Caelan has been married before, though, to (as all of the town agrees) the love of his life. How can Clara compete with that. You'll have to read Hardly a Gentleman to find out!

I just loved this book. It is a unique take on a historical love story and so very well done. I am a big fan of Eloisa James, and was so very happy to be gifted with an advanced copy of this book for this 100% honest review. 5 stars!

From the pen of a master of historical romance. I jumped at the chance to read this latest Eloisa James book. I'm delighted Clara gets her story told. She was a lovely tragic figure in the previous book, Viscount in Love. Clara was the best friend of that heroine showing promise of having an interesting tale. The ton isn't nice to people who don't conform. Being quirky is a sure way to stand on the sideline while the other girls dance the night away. I loved Clara's handmade reticules although they were dangerous. She has imagination, brains, beauty and our hero, Caelan, sees her for the first time he knows she's special. They have a meet cute at his Scottish Castle, the romance begins and doesn't stop. Caelan has his own issues that make watching him bloom coming back to life is part of the moving way their relationship flourishes. I'm giving a rare, for me, 5 stars - that's how much I love Clara and her journey to happiness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#NetGalley #Hardley a Gentleman #Accidental Brides #Eloisa James #Avon publishing #Harper Collins publishing #Harper Voyager #historical romance #romance #book review #regency romance #regency historical romance

Such a great read. Every time I read one of Eloisa's books I feel sucked into a whole new world. Amazing

I loved Eloisa James’ last series but this one, it’s just spectacular. And this book might be my favorite she has ever written. It was so good, I loved all of the characters and I knew it was going to be fantastic from the first chapter alone.

Clara has left London under a cloud of shame for something that wasn’t her fault. And honestly I’m glad she did it! I’m glad she defended herself. She has now changed the direction of her life and she is on her way to becoming a fake housekeeper for a Laird in the Highlands.

Caelan is that Highland laird who has let his castle become run down since the death of his wife. His sister (whom I love!) hires him a housekeeper from London. Enter Clara! Too bad everyone knows she isn’t a real housekeeper because she doesn’t know the first thing about cleaning.

Clara and Caelan work together to clean, heal and find happiness! I know we have part of Fiona’s story in this book but if she ever gets her own story I’d love to read it!

I had read and enjoyed the previous book in this series and I’m always here for a new Eloisa book, so there was no way I was going to miss this one.

I loved Clara. She’s smart and strong and knows what she wants out of her life. Caelan is gruff and loyal and is (mostly) happy in his life. Together they have a hilarious meet cute, loads of chemistry, and a good amount of open conversation. There are some great secondary characters and yes, I’m looking at the nephew with a chicken for a BFF.

Plot wise, it was (mostly) good. The whole thing with Isla could have been solved if these two would have actually talked about it, instead of the snippets and bits that happened. It was annoying to a point to have this constant obstacle in the way, especially when everyone kept swearing it wasn’t an obstacle. I will say that it made the epilogue sweeter, but seriously.

Overall, this was another great story with characters that I was easily invested in. I can’t wait to see who is next.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

This was a fun one. Loved the banter between the main characters and the fact that the was glaringly obvious from day one that FMC was NOT a housekeeper lol. But they all just kinda went with it. The main conflict however was a little too drawn out. Just have the hard conversation and everything is fine. But still good and a super fast read. Loved it and can't wait for more! Will probably read again.

Eloisa James is an instant purchase author for me. Her tales are simply magical and they transport you into another world. This latest novel was so unique and refreshing to me, two characters both struggling with their own insecurities and body image. Whom everyone else sees as beautiful and desirable, they struggle to see themselves that way. I just felt this topic was so relatable and I loved the heroine being womanly, curvy and fabulous. Clara and Caelan’s story was beautiful and I read it in one sitting.

Overall, I enjoyed this book - I loved that the heroine was determined to get what she wanted out of life while the hero (for the first time in a long time) wasn't grumpy! The side characters were great and I loved that this book featured fly fishing and a laird pursuing being an author rather than the typical laird storyline of fixing a failing estate or land, etc.

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

After refusing the Prince's advances at a ball, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry jumps in a carriage bound for the Scottish Highlands and takes a position as a housekeeper at Laird Caelan CaerLaven castle. Since his wife’s death two years ago, the castle has gone to ruin and with the help of Clara, Caelan begins to clean up his home and his life. The rising attraction between the pair is an added bonus. Having lived in his house without a chaperone Clara has no choice but to marry Caelan, which she is not too upset about.

I always enjoy Eloisa’s books. They are always so fun and vivid, and this book was no exception. I loved that this book was in the Scottish Highlands rather than taking place in London’s ballrooms. I really liked Clara and loved Caelan. I am obsessed with Caelan’s sister Fiona and would love a short story about her and Rory. There were a few plot points that didn’t really get resolved, but overall I enjoyed the book. This book is the second in a series, but I didn’t notice any overlap between this and the previous book other than the “accidental bride” theme, so this can absolutely be read as a standalone.

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

Fun story. A run away lady and a local laird. There are problems. She is running away and he is suppose to be still reacting to the death of his wife turns out nothing is what it seems. Great story’

Stir up some favorite ingredients including Scotland, castle, laird, books, and adventure. Add some extra spice for a sizzling hot romance. Throw in a pinch of heart, a dash of whimsy, and stir in some Eloisa James magic. The result is this enjoyable historical romance.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I gobbled up this book and enjoyed every page.

A great read for anyone looking for lovely banter, two passionate leads that are hot for one another but find the emotional part to be tricky, and enough drama to keep it interesting

This was such a fun romp that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I really adored the Honorable Miss Clara Vety, our book reading, proudly eccentric heroine who suffers humiliation in London's high society and flees to Scotland determined to have her version of a happily ever after. Which namely includes being surrounded by books in a romantic castle.

This impulsive decision leads her to the laird of Castle CaerLaven, Caelan, who is intrigued by Clara and wants her from the moment they meet.

I will fully admit that I'm not someone who minds inaccuracies in historical romance. Someone who is more knowledgeable might take issue with some of the choices in this book and whether they reflect the time period.

But I truly had so much fun and was rooting for Clara in particular that my five stars stand.

Thanks so much to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

You can't help but laugh while reading this book. It was refreshing to see how Clara handles being sent away because of the incident at the ball. She is so strong and sensible. She is also very sensitive about her looks especially her hair. It's fun to hear how she deals with it and the handsome Laird she finds fishing. Clare is adventurous and will keep you up late just to see what she does next! Really enjoyed this book.

I'm not entirely sure where I want to rate this book between 4 and 5 stars. My first thought is to take an entire star off because James chooses a main character *in Scotland* and names her "Elsbeth", which is a *German* name (theoretically) and the Scottish version is "Elspeth". But I digress (and am also very invested on this argument.)

Ignoring that annoying faux pas, overall I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline, though I did feel that Clara was overly empathetic to her own detriment, both to her emotionally abusive mother, Caelan's ex-mother in law, and even Caelan himself.

I felt like Caelan was going to say he hadn't been in love with Isla throughout the book, however, I didn't really expect him to have "understood what the concept of love really meant" versus how he did explain his feelings for Clara at the end. After the fact that made me wonder if the book was really poorly organized plot-wise or if the fact that I did like the end made up for the lack of serious feeling that Clara got over most of the book.

Long story short, this was an enjoyable book, with a frustrating almost main character name, and one main character that even in being an "adventurer" gave everyone else's feelings precedence over her own. Oh, and her incident with Prince George was so cringeworthy that I totally understand how she would have felt violated for many months afterward.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

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!