New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Would-Be Wallflowers series with a sparkling romance between a proper earl and the lady who is entirely inappropriate for him—who he can’t stop thinking about.
THE RELUCTANT COUNTESS by ELOISA JAMES
Series: Would-Be Wallflowers #2
Publication date: November 29, 2022
Published by: Avon Romance
Genre: historical romance
SYNOPSIS
Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, has never made a fool of himself over a woman—until he meets Lady Yasmin Régnier. Yasmin is ineligible for his attentions in every way: not as a wife, certainly not as a mistress (she is a lady!), nor even as a friend, since they vehemently dislike each other. Her gowns are too low, and her skirts are dampened to cling to admittedly lovely thighs. She loves to gossip—and giggle.
She isn’t dignified, or polite, or even truly British, given that her father’s French ancestry clearly predominated. Not to mention the fact that her mother had been one of Napoleon’s mistresses, a fact she makes no effort to hide.
So what—in heaven’s name—possesses him to propose?
And what will he do if she says yes?
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Praise for Eloisa James:
“Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic. Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” — Julia Quinn
“The romance galaxy is filled with luminous stars, but few twinkle as brightly as James, who, with the launch of her Regency-set Would-Be Wallflowers series, once again dazzles readers with superbly conceived characters, a sublimely sensual love story, and sparkling wit.” — Booklist (starred review) on How to Be a Wallflower
"A story as wild as the heroine's family name and one that will reward romance fans who want a funny book about an unusual heroine." — Kirkus Reviews on Wilde Child
“A sparkling Georgian romance. James’ writing shines and the Wilde clan’s infectious energy is the epitome of delightful. Overflowing with tried-and-true romance tropes like opposites attract and secret pining, Wilde Child proves that sometimes there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.” — BookPage
“Longtime historical romance fans and newbies to the genre (particularly those whose interest was piqued by Bridgerton) will delight in this well-done addition to a solid series.” — Library Journal on Wilde Child
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
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REVIEW
The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm always excited to read the newest Eloisa James book because it's almost a given that it's going to be a fantastic read. Some I've loved more than others, but I can't recall any that totally missed the mark for me. I definitely enjoyed this second installment in the series a bit more than the first one. Lady Yasmin and Lord Giles were an enemies-to-lovers/opposites attract pairing that I had high hopes for since meeting them in How to be a Wallflower.
Giles is described as a stern, stone-faced aristocrat who likes to observe proprieties at all times.
Giles Renwick, Earl of Lilford, was censorious,buttoned down, and unsurprising.In a flock of British aristocrats, he blended right in.
Yasmine lives to stand out in a crowd and enjoy life to the fullest by flirting with anyone who catches her fancy. She's a bright, sparkling young woman that thumbs her nose at rules and restrictions.
You would think that these two would never stand a chance, but secretly they both feel an unwelcome attraction that grows despite their efforts to ignore it. Giles is looking for a woman with a reputation beyond reproach. His family was embroiled in a shameful scandal when his father was found to have stolen money from a church in his youth. The resulting gossip and censure caused him to take his life and destroy the family. Giles' painful childhood shaped him to be the man that he was-one that valued decorum and respectability above all else. If he could only erase the stigma attached to his family name, his sister would have a chance to find happiness and love. He has tried to shield her from the ugliness surrounding their parents, but Lydia is aware of what transpired and is already in self-destruct mode because of it. Unfortunately, he is a bit obtuse when it comes to his sister's faults. You can't fault him for his family loyalty, however, his sister was outrageously obnoxious and childish and she caused him quite a bit of harm because of it. She's one of those characters you wish you could throat punch and then do it about fifteen more times for good measure. Her selfish antics were the one, main frustration I had with the story.
Although Yasmine is the life of every party, but no one is aware that her bright smiles mask a lot of pain. She was horribly taken advantage of as a teenager back home in France, and like Giles, she suffered greatly from vicious gossip because of it. Yasmine was once naive and trusting, and that caused her to fall for the lies of a malicious fortune hunter. She escaped to the care of her grandfather in England and his title shields her from any fallback she would have felt because of her rebellious behavior. Yasmine is wealthy in her own right because of ample inheritances and has no desire to tie herself to a man and leave her heart open to hurt again.
One of her favorite rules for survival amongst the aristocracy—whether French or British—was thata show of weakness had to be avoided at all costs.
She never once lets her guard down, but for some reason Giles seems to get under her skin despite his apparent disapproval of her. He does act like a judgmental jerk at times towards her, but underneath his tough exterior he genuinely is a softie. Definitely a bit too much when it came to his sister, but he had good intentions most of the time. One thing about Eloisa James' heroes is that once they make their mind up to court someone, they go all in. Giles is no exception with his single-minded determination to win Yasmine's affection. He's also protective and immediately supportive when her painful past is revealed in a very public manner. Her grandfather was equally as understanding and loving and I actually adored their special relationship. Yes, he allowed her freedoms that were a bit unrealistic for that time, but she needed someone like him in her life. Her parents were one, big waste of space.
I only want you. I don’t care what society thinksif they see us in a curricle.“I just want you to sit beside me.”
I enjoyed the friction and the chase between these two as they got past their initial preconceptions of each other. She helped him to live in the moment and not worry so much about the opinions of others. He helped her to open her heart to love again so they could build a future together. There were lots of sweet moments between the two of them as they explored their unlikely attraction and got to know one another at a deeper level.
The next book in the series will be about bookish, freckled, bespectacled Lady Stella and Lord Silvester who didn't seem interested in her in the slightest. I'll be interested to see how his feelings for her evolve into love.
Not That Duke (Would-Be Wallflowers #3) is scheduled for publication in July 2023.
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