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Thanks to @avonbooks for an advance copy of The Reluctant Countess by Eloisa James, out now! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yasmin and Giles were a couple I was dying to read about after finishing How to Be a Wallflower, so I was delighted when I got approved for an ARC of this book right before pub day! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ She’s a French flirt. He’s a starchy nobleman. Can I make it any more obvious? (Sung to the tune of Skater Boy by Avril Lavigne). But seriously folks, I flew through this one. It gave me all the Pride and Prejudice vibes: -joyful heroine, hero who allegedly has no feelings -I’m proposing but I’m embarrassed about it -a sister named Lydia who RUINS EVERYONE’S GOOD TIME -Per the author’s note, a Lizzie v. Catherine de Bourg inspired scene ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I read Pride and Prejudice at a formative age and now those things are cemented in my brain and my heart and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. This book felt like a steamy P&P retelling and I was absolutely, 100% not mad about it. I definitely had major frustrations with the author’s choices surrounding the resolution of the conflict re: Yasmin’s clothes and literally everything about Lydia’s storyline, but I wouldn’t say that they impacted my overall enjoyment of the book. The same can’t be said for others though: I was shook (and cried laughing) at some of the negative reviews I read when I added this book to my Goodreads. It’s historical romance! We’re here for a sexy, emotionally vulnerable, beautifully costumed time, and The Reluctant Countess delivered. I’m thrilled that Stella and Silvester’s book is up next so Avon, feel free to send that one my way! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ CW: mentions of suicide, grooming/abuse, sexual content via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CloOx9XLcUU/