The notoriously eccentric Lord Christopher Eden is a “man of unusual make” and even more unusual habits: he prefers to live far from the prying eyes and ears of the ton, and would rather have the comfortable company of his childhood cook and his aged butler than the swarm of servants and hangers-on befitting a man of his station. But Christopher’s pleasant, if occasionally lonely life is upended when he receives word from his lawyers that, according to his late father’s will, he must find a wife by the end of the Season if he intends to keep his family’s fortune and the Eden estate. Christopher cannot imagine a worse fate: as he isn’t attracted to women, his chances of making a wife happy are slim. Furthermore, if his quest to marry has any hope of succeeding, he must move to London posthaste and acquire some more suitable staff.

Enter James Harding, Christopher’s new, distractingly handsome—if rigidly traditional—valet. After a rocky start, the two strike up a fragile friendship amid the throes of the London Season . . . a friendship that threatens to shatter under the looming shadow of Christopher’s impending nuptials—and the secrets both men are keeping. 

A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander is charming and compelling as it creates a nuanced portrait of trans identity using dry wit and a slow-burn romance. Lord Christopher is an incredibly engaging character, using self deprecating humor that ultimately makes you love him as a character. I love that this is a trans character and I love the attraction from the beginning to Harding, even though Christopher doesn’t know how to handle that attraction. 

I love the intrigue and the dilemma that Christopher deals with, that of having to get a wife but even more, I like that as a character, Christopher doesn’t want to bring harm to someone just to get a wife. As he puzzles through, with the help of Harding, just how to do so without harming anyone, he makes friends who are willing to support him and he slowly falls more for Harding. The true strength of the novel is how the friendship between Christopher and Harding is developed and slowly emerges into romance. While I won’t spoil the resolution of the story and how Christopher deals with having to marry, I will say the ending is beautiful and the resolution well thought out and executed. 

If you like slow-burn romances, trans characters, charming and compelling characters, I highly recommend this novel. It is a very witty regency style romance that has humorous situations but also complex emotions. And while I won’t give away all the secrets, suffice to say that both characters are perfect for the other. This is a beautifully emotional romance. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 carriage rides. 

Penguin RandomHouse

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