This isn’t my usual genre, but having recently discovered Bridgerton (yes, I know I’m so late to the party that I nearly missed it!) I was intrigued by a Regency romance told through a trans lens. Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for my review copy.
Lord Christopher Eden lives as a recluse – having lost his parents, he’s been able to bury himself in life at his country estate with only a couple of trusted staff for company, keeping away from the gossip of the ton. Unfortunately, his comfortable existence it put in jeopardy when he’s told the future of his estate rests on him finding a wife by the end of the Season, which might just cause a few issues… One of his first hurdles is to appear as a respectable and eligible young bachelor in the eyes of high society – and for that, he’ll need a valet. Of course, the valet that arrives – James Harding – is problematically gorgeous and may prove to be quite the distraction from Christopher’s main goal.
This has all the slow-burn that you’d expect from a Regency romance, plus lashings of humour that make Christopher an endearing and sympathetic lead. It’s easy to see the appeal of both the main characters as they struggle to maintain the proper master-valet relationship in light of their growing feelings for one another. The book is a sensitively-written and engaging exploration of the struggles of people to live their authentic lives within the constraints of society’s expectations of men and women – but it’s also charming and fun alongside the serious messaging.
The only thing I found a bit tricky to follow is how both men could continue to live authentically and it be a happy ending – I know enough about Regency society to know that inter-class relationships wouldn’t be openly accepted any more than queer ones. The writer does manage it well, but it’s probably the element that I found least convincing.
For romance fans, there’s a lot to enjoy in this book – it’s fun and lively and you’ll definitely want to follow Christopher and James’s story to the (sweet, satisfying) end.
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
