The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James returns to the Would-Be Wallflowers series with an enemies-to-lovers romance between a proper earl and an entirely improper lady—whom he can’t stop thinking about.

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?

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Would-Be Wallflowers series!
For book one, How to Be a Wallflower, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
Buy Links

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Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
Avon (HarperCollins)

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
The Reluctant Countess is the second installment in the Would-Be Wallflowers series. There is little to no confusion if reading out of series order or as a standalone. It's been a year since I read the first in the series, How to Be a Wallflower. Now I want to go back, reread that novel, then reread this one again.

I haven't read much historical romance lately, the suppression of the era sometimes makes it difficult for me to read, due to a few factors of today's political climate. I had put off reading this novel for some time. As soon as I opened it, I was hooked. Eloisa James' stories always draw me back to this genre, making me want to read and read every historical romance book I can get my hands on. I appreciate how Eloisa James bridges the gap between the historical accuracy of the era, where women were seen to have no power, with today's modern take on feminism, giving the heroines as much power and independence as the era allows.

Lady Yasmin forever has a cloud of scandal surrounding her. Not only is she not entirely British – she's French. Giles takes issue with this, especially how Lady Yasmin's mother is Napoleon's mistress. Yasmin has fled France with a trail of scandal in her wake. She's learned from her mistakes, earned patience and understanding from the weight of rumors that aren't even true, so she never passes judgment on others' mistakes. She is strong, independent, and compassionate after the life she has led.

Giles doesn't want to like Lady Yasmin, but he just cannot seem to help himself, which makes him cranky. Then again, with the monster of a sister he has, it's no wonder he's so high-strung.

Giles knows what he wants, even if he doesn't like it. Yasmin knows her worth, and she's going to make Giles work for it. Work for it, Giles does.

Now if only Giles' sister would just... go away. The villainess of the tale was frustrating to read but a good source of frustration. Sure, it wasn't entirely logical, something that made me white-knuckle my Paperwhite, but it sure did have the pages flying by.

Read in one sitting, now I'm hooked. Off to reread both books in the series, while trying to convince myself I don't need to, yet again, reread Eloisa James's entire backlist.

 

 

ELOISA JAMES is a New York Times best-selling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

Connect with Eloisa James

Facebook  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Eloisa James' Lindow Castle

 

 

ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of The Reluctant Countess (Would-Be Wallflowers #2) by Eloisa James to read and review.