Hardly a Gentleman
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?
Dabney: I have loved many of Eloisa James novels but this one feels like a retread. There’s a seemingly flighty but really brilliant young woman, a Scotsman who keeps taking off his kilt, and a great deal of witty (ish) banter that sounds like nothing anyone would ever actually say. Perhaps I’m just disappointed because this book’s predecessor, Viscount in Love, was excellent but while I didn’t hate this one, I didn’t love it either.
Kayne: I was excited for Hardly a Gentleman when I heard it had a rustic laird in a kilt with a lady posing as his housekeeper, plus I also loved her last book, Viscount in Love. I agree with you and feel this wasn’t all that I had hoped for. But, still, I found it entertaining. It was clear they were both attracted to each other right from the start and they both loved books. It had a lighthearted feel to it, but there were times when the humor turned a little silly.
Dabney: It was a little too silly for me. When James is on her game, she channels Heyer. When she’s not, she falls into pitched farce. This story was too arch and wink-wink for me. I didn’t believe a single word out of either character’s mouths–they were witty in a way that felt so fake it irked me.
I also struggled with Clara who is a TSTL heroine in a major way. The whole I’m a titled lady but I’ll just jump on a strange coach with a man I’ve never met to take a job in Scotland I know nothing about seemed idiotic to me. What did you think?
Kayne: I cheered for Clara as she took the chance for escape and adventure and took the coach bound for the castle in Scotland. Even though it was unrealistic and could have been dangerous, I went along with it and I admired how she made friends and won over everyone she met. I was glad to see her escape her awful mother and was impressed when she began to get Caelan’s home organized. Her book discussions with Caelan were some of my favorite parts of the story. I hoped we might see Torie, her best friend from Viscount in Love, but instead we got Torie’s sister, Leonora, who wasn’t my favorite but she played an important part in the story.
Dabney: I liked the hero a bit better although he too seemed a bit of a caricature. (I do not believe he would have fished in the nude all the time!) He has a good heart and a lovely sense of humor. Clara was awfully lucky she landed in his life.
Kayne: The castle property in the Highlands sounded so beautiful when Caelen was fishing on the river. He was close to his sister and nephew and I admired how he kept the property and tenants profitable by making whiskey. He and Clara were open and honest with each other about their desires and they spoke right away about her not really being a housekeeper, but I felt like their communication broke down later in the story.
Dabney: I think the problem is there isn’t really much to the story. If it weren’t for Clara’s rather unbelievable efforts to resist Caelen’s charms, this story could have been a novella. If it had, I think I’d have liked it more. And can I mention how utterly bored I was by all the ink given to discussions and fears about Isal, Caelen’s dead wife?
Kayne: Yes! Clara went on so long believing he was still in love with her that it got repetitive. Also, when Caelen offers for Clara but she turns him down because she wants someone who will fall madly in love with her and doesn’t think Caelen can (since she believes he still loves his dead wife). That detracted from the story for me too.
Besides the dead wife problem what did you think of the love story? I enjoyed it–especially the spicy scenes. We see them fantasize about each other often and they both have lively imaginations.
Dabney: Eh. They just didn’t engage me. I rushed through the latter half of the book–I couldn’t find any there there. I’m all for HEAs but this one and the bedroom hijinks that came with it just felt stale to me.
Kayne: While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as some of her other books, I liked the theme of embracing life’s messiness and look forward to seeing what comes next from James. This is a B from me.
Dabney: I’m going with a C. It’s not awful–James is a fun and very smart writer–but this one isn’t one of her best.