Hardly a Gentleman

A lady escaping Georgian London discovers love with a Scottish laird in bestseller James’s scintillating second Accidental Brides romance (after Viscount in Love). After Clara Vetry publicly rejects Prince George’s handsy advances, her marriage prospects are ruined. Eager to get away from society’s gossips, she goes along when she’s mistaken for the newly hired housekeeper of Castle CaerLaven and boards a carriage bound for Scotland. She first catches sight of her employer, Laird Caelan MacCrae, as he emerges naked from a stream. Though painfully attracted to him, Clara devotes herself to cleaning the unkempt castle. Caelan, meanwhile, is bowled over by her beauty, wit, affability, and lack of pretension. Soon the pair are stealing kisses, but Clara repeatedly rejects Caelan’s marriage proposals, believing she can never replace Isla, his wife, who died two years ago. James offers a nuanced depiction of the rocky road of courtship between two characters who defy societal conventions surrounding sex and relationships. With a fast-paced plot, dynamic leads, and plenty of heat, this proves unputdownable. (Apr.)