A Gentleman's Gentleman: A Novel

Within a few pages of reading A Gentleman’s Gentleman, I knew I had picked up something really special. A Gentleman’s Gentleman is about Christopher, a reclusive trans man living in Regency-era England. According to the directions of his father’s will, he is expected to find a wife if he wants to keep his title and sprawling estate. When the lonely and eccentric Lord hires James, a new valet, to help him manage the upcoming Season, the two men are set on a course that profoundly changes their lives. All the characters in this, both main and supporting, are fantastic. Christopher is unbelievably delightful: so funny and charming. He is dealing with a lot of loss, loneliness, guilt, and stress. Still, he’s enduring and doing his best despite his hardships. James is a little mysterious to us at first. He’s a proper gentleman who takes his job and etiquette very seriously, but there are enough glimpses of his personality to make him instantly likable. There is also a cast of memorable side characters that I really enjoyed. The romance between Christopher and James is a true and very satisfying slow burn. Christopher’s upcoming marriage and other plots sometimes take center stage, so their relationship is allowed to build slowly and organically. Christopher’s need for a wife is the most active plot, but side-plots arise that add a lot of heart and emotion to the story. All the various threads are balanced well, and everything comes together beautifully in ways that surprised…

Well-written well-executed idea of a story. Protagonist has a secret which cannot be told without dire consequences - especially in that time period. No spoilers!

This started off well, a kind of comedy of manners. But then the story bogged down and I got bored at the 90% mark. I also had to suspend a lot of disbelief at some of the sillier plot lines. Gave up.

I came across this book by accident. And I’m sure glad I did. It’s a period drama, for sure — with just enough anachronism to make it delicious. I couldn’t help but adore the characters. All of them. They’re onions — as Donkey from Shrek would say. Layers. And lots of them. From the dedication to the acknowledgements, Alexander’s motivation is clear: we stand on the shoulders of giants. And this is a story of some worthy ones.

Thank you to Vintage for the free book. These opinions are my own. I should not have slept on this as long as I did. A trans regency romance? Yes, please. I love that we are starting to see more diversity in historical romances. And this one brought me such joy. Lord Christopher Eden needs to marry before 25 to retain his title and inheritance. So he hires a valet before heading to London for the season. The characters were so phenomenal. And the pacing of information reveals was done so incredibly well. While avoiding spoilers, I found the ending appropriate and moving and also a little sad. And the dialogue and banter along the way were so refreshing. I do think it helps to have some experience reading historical romances set in the regency era to get all of the references the book makes. 4.25 stars