I love sharing new Authors and their books with you. Being Sunday and a Snow Day as Icemaggden 2026 has arrived. Today is the perfect day to share What I’m Reading with You. Let me introduces you to Hardly A Gentleman by Eloisa James. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James is a Steamy Historical Romance with one hot shirtless guy on the cover of the book. I usually stay away from Steamy Novels but sometimes I go out on a limb and will read a steamy novel. As much as I hate to admit it, I enjoyed reading Hardly A Gentleman a lot.
Hardly A Gentleman is the first-time book I’ve read by Eloisa James but after reading this book of hers it will not be the last time, I read her books. I took the time to look through other books of hers and thought you might want to as well. You can find a list of the books here.
Hardly A Gentleman by Elosia James is book two in the Accidental Brides series which allows us to get lost in the World of Accidental Brides! Now, that we know there is two books in the Hardly A Gentleman series but I’ve been wondering if there will be other books in this series.
I was excited to find out Hardly A Gentleman can be read as standalone which was perfect for me because I haven’t had the opportunity to order the first book Viscount in Love: A Novel (Accidental Brides) but I would like to.
In Hardly A Gentleman there is a surprising identity revel which will keep you on the edge of your seats for days on end. What might surprise you is Hardly A Gentleman is a Historical Romances and that is not my usual style of romance.
I read the book jacket, and I enjoyed the ideal of a man fishing naked but a dirty house not so much fun. Is it. Even though I can relate to a dirty house at the moment. Once I finish this review my house will be cleaned. What about your house?
In Hardly A Gentleman Clara, is left on the marriage mart as her friends marry. Clara finds herself the recipient of unwanted Royal attention. After defending herself, she is ostracized by Society and her family, who send her into exile. Isn’t that sad?
Claria decides she has been docile long enough, and decides to become the Mistress of her own fate. Enter Caelen, a widowed Laird, who is being “managed” by his Sister into resuming an active social life to remarry. When their paths cross, attraction is immediate.
In Hardly A Gentleman Clara, has a problem. She is not built like most aristocrats; she is not thin and willowy, but rather curvy instead. Claria catches the eye of the very married crown Prince, and his lewd behavior towards her is unsettling, to say the least.
The Crown Prince makes it well known that he is waiting for Claria to marry so that he may make her his mistress. No one wants to marry Clara under those circumstances. Things come to a head when the very drunk Prince paws at her, shredding her gown, and she hits him, which is simply not done.
In disgrace, Clara’s mother is beside herself and decides to send Clara to live with an aged Aunt she’s never met in Scotland. Instead, Clara decides to take herself on an adventure. Instead of boarding the Coach to her Aunt’s home along with her Maid, she convinces a hired Coach that she is the housekeeper he has been sent to fetch back to Scotland.
Now for the fun part of the story Clara has never lifted a finger to do any kind of manual labor, but she is bright and friendly and doesn’t mind the idea of hard work. We find out Clara is a dreamer and a lover of books, she gets lost in her stories and tends to romanticize life because of that.
When Claria arrives at the Castle in the Scottish Highlands, it is exactly what she always dreamed of living in. I wanted to let you know Claria hadn’t dreamed of a Scottish laird who is buck naked and fishing in the Loch behind the Castle. Before you ask I have no, clue why he was fishing buck naked. Do you?
In Hardly A Gentleman we learn Caelan had lost his wife a few years earlier. They never had children. Caelen Sister lives nearby with her family, and his sister is growing concerned about how Caelen is living. I could find myself understanding why his Sister felt like that.
In Hardly A Gentleman we find out most of the staff has taken off, leaving the house dirty. The housekeeper is a terrible cook and robbing Caelen blind. He fires the housekeeper and his Sister sends to England for a new housekeeper. In Hardly A Gentleman we find out there isn’t anyone in Scotland who would consent to work in the Castle because of it’s deplorable shape, which is filthy and overrun with vermin.
Which is what Clara is entering into. Lord help her. Caelan is bright, well-read, and wealthy, but that isn’t apparent to Clara. She thinks he’s poor because his clothes are dingy and not maintained, and of course, there is the condition of the house.
Claria and Caelan realize the truth about one another and a friendship is formed. Here is the twist: Caelan wants more. We find out Caelan wants to marry Clara but she is not having him. The romantic in her wants a man who will fall madly in love with her. Caelan admits that while he feels lusty towards her, love is not on the table.
When one of their neighbors, a British couple, sees Clara and Caelan in Church, we see Claria’s story come to light. It turns out the lady is Clara’s Sister’s best friend, and she is appalled that Clara has been living unchaperoned with Caelan.
The next thing you know, Clara and Caelan are married but Clara is in big trouble. Can you guess why? It’s because Claira has fallen head over heels in love with her husband. We could have figured that out couldn’t we?
In Hardly A Gentleman Caelan has this reputation as a tragic figure, but it’s really not true. He and Clara delight in one another’s company, whether they are reading, fishing, eating, or kissing. Let me tell you there is a whole lot of kissing. There is so much joy here but there is heat, and a very happy ending which we could have guessed couldn’t we?
I was surprised to find out Hardly A Gentleman is a historical romance, because the man on the cover who is nice looking doesn’t portray ta historical figure at all. The male model seems like he is more from this Century than back then with the outfit he has on and no, shirt and muscled shaved chest any women would want to run there fingers over time and time again. Or at least I would like to.
One fact I think the Author could have delved deeper into was Caelan’s first marriage which should have been resolved earlier than it was–especially when we learn the truth of his marriage which isn’t totally clear why he continued to let Clara believe what she did about it for so long.
Hardly a Gentleman, is the second book in the Accidental Brides series from top-selling romance author Eloisa James. I hope you take the time to check out Eloisa’s steamy new novel—which is the second in this series about a haughty aristocrats who find themselves married to the wrong people, but it is NOT a sequel to the first in the series, VISCOUNT IN LOVE (July 23, 2024; Avon)—in conjunction with its launch.
Synopsis for: Hardly a Gentleman
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James.returns to the Accidental Bride series with a romance about a forced marriage between a feisty heroine and a Scottish laird… neither of whom have plans to marry, let alone fall in love.
Desperate after her Season comes to a spectacularly disastrous end, the Honorable Miss Clara Vetry jumps into a carriage hired to take a housekeeper to Scotland.
The laird of Castle CaerLaven has no interest in a wife, especially a love match—but when Caelan sees his new housekeeper, he changes his mind. Marriage to a delectable bookworm strikes him as a perfect arrangement.
To his surprise, Clara refuses his proposal once…and again…yet again.
When her true identity is revealed, and they’re forced to marry, Caelan realizes he has a far more crucial challenge.
He finally has Clara’s hand—but how will he ever win her heart?
This newest novel from Eloisa is sure to be a readers’ favorite for heating up Spring evenings.
About the book: Eloisa James
Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling Author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian Knight.
For info about here books, visit and sign up for her Five Fabulous Things newsletter. Or ask a question on Facebook (where Eloisa spends entirely too much time):
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
