A Gentleman's Gentleman

A Novel

By: TJ Alexander

From the acclaimed author of Chef's Kiss, a groundbreaking trans Regency romance that's both delightfully witty and refreshingly iconoclastic.

"This is a beautiful—and wonderfully queer—romance that reminds us of all the many sorts of love stories this genre can encompass, and reading it felt like a gift."—Martha Waters, author of To Love and to Loathe

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. With its heady combination of dry wit, slow-burn romance, and a nuanced portrait of trans identity, A Gentleman’s Gentleman stands to transform the historical romance genre as we know it.

©2025 TJ Alexander (P)2025 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A Gentleman’s Gentleman is exactly the sort of historical romance I love, featuring two deeply lovable characters, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, wonderful period detail, and a happy ending that feels so perfectly, wonderfully right. Alexander’s writing is lovely and their characters are incredibly carefully drawn, while the quick pace makes this book difficult to put down. This is a beautiful—and wonderfully queer—romance that reminds us of all the many sorts of love stories this genre can encompass, and reading it felt like a gift."—Martha Waters, author of To Love and to Loathe

“A Gentleman’s Gentleman is an endearing and tender romance which delivers the unique joy of finding that person who can love you for exactly who you are. This book was a delight and TJ Alexander a welcome and exciting voice in historical fiction.”—Adriana Herrera, USA Today bestselling author of An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

"Witty, exhilarating, and achingly tender, A Gentleman’s Gentleman lavishes its trans hero with the elegant waistcoats he desires and the love and acceptance he’s resigned himself to living without. His reserved valet stole my heart. I adored this!"—Felicia Davin, author of The Scandalous Letters of V and J