I really enjoyed the first half of this book, in which the 25 year-old Christopher is forced to go against his “eccentric” whims and hire a valet so that he can join the London season to find a wife and secure his inheritance. The regency setting and Christopher’s personality (old soul in a young, posh person’s body, with a bit of snark thrown in for good measure!) were really working for me, as was the banter between himself and his new, stoic yet dashing valet, James.

The second half didn’t quite live up to its potential, for me personally. After quite a slow build up (that was more focused on the budding relationship and tension, rather than plot), some of the events that happened about two thirds of the way through, when Christopher was in London, felt like they happened very quickly and so felt a little jarring (and like they were added merely as a plot device rather than eking out the comedy/emotion that the situation lent itself to). Christopher is also pretty self involved, which I understand bearing in mind what he’s hiding from everyone, but I wish that as the book progressed he’d been a bit more observant of James, so that their relationship felt more than surface level.

So, overall, a cute and easy read but not one that will stick with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of this book.

Such a delight, I loved TJ Alexander's writing.
This story made my laugh, swoon, and so emotional. The characters are adorable and deliciously witty.

This took me a little while to get into, but by the time I got to the end, I was kind of enjoying it. The Earl Meets His Match is full of endearing characters. The plot however needs a little work. I feel like, there were a few things that could have been explored more, in the time spent in London. The departure back to Eden felt very rushed. The pace was overall a bit off. The first 40%, where nothing really happens, drags on for too long, while, as mentioned, the London time was too short.
I feel like the subjectmatter was handled quite well, however, the "solution" to the marriage problem was rather a bit too simplified, but this is a romance first and foremost, so I'll foregive that.

The romance itself didn't really hit for me, since the connection between the MCs was more of a tell than a show. The way it is, it comes off very insta-lovey and as such very unbelievable, considering the stakes they are facing with their eventual decision.

I also really do not like miscommunication in any form and there is - even if briefly - some of that in here. In this case it was also only for the sake of adding a few pages of angst and didn't really add anything to the story.

Overall, it was a decent read, but not one I will be coming back to.



Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the earl meets his match is a queer regency romance that follows Lord Christopher Eden, who has to find a wife by the end of the season of lose his fortune. he's not one to participate in the seasons as he's content to live in his solitude with his staff members. he doesn't want a wife, but he needs to find one so he hires a new valet, as suggested by his solicitors. the new valet, James Harding, is to ensure Christopher's reputation is flawless, but they're quite opposites and don't seem like they'd get along at first glance.

this book was so cute and fun to read. the writing was absolutely perfect and the jokes landed well every time. the character's personalities really shined and i just love Christopher. he's quite grumpy as he doesn't want to participate in the season but he is still kind and tries to tell jokes here and there. while Harding compliments his personality perfectly, and their dynamic is so great to read about!!
i love a good regency romance and this one definitely did not disappoint!

the narrator did a wonderful job with this and really brought the characters to life, like i could actually feel christopher's grumpiness and i was so here for it.
thank you so much to harpercollins and netgalley for the audiobook!

This was an enjoyable sweet and funny rom com period drama. Was written with some nice little twists and turns. I had the audio book version which was easy to listen to and well narrated.

A t4t queer period drama about a young, introverted earl who likes to stay in his crumbling manor with his two remaining servants, going horseback hiding and reading. He is, however, forced to add a valet to his staff before going to London to look for a wife to fulfill the terms of his father's will.
When the valet arrives, the early is taken in and intruiged by his good looks, yet neither accustomed nor very eager to actually be waited on and dressed.
The story was nicely written, had a bit of drama, coach chases and secrets.
Overall a nice book and a very good narrator with a pleasant voice and of course the currently quite necessary reminder that people of all kinds have always existed.
4.5 stars

This is a sweet and funny period rom-com with entertaining side characters and hijinks. This book deals with a lot of heavy themes focused on the trans Earl main character and the budding romance with his valet whilst also dealing with identity, loss, grief, shame, self-love and finding one's place in the world. Even when approaching more sensitive of emotionally charged topics though, the tone was overall still light.

I had a fun time listening to this book but by my personal taste, I found the romance to be too much of a slow burn, with the main characters lacking the kind of chemistry that makes slow burn exciting versus tedious. Where the romance lacked though, the journey of self-discovery and self-love the central Earl character went on was sweet and heart-warming.

The author also did a great job of describing the scenes and characters in a way that was very atmospheric. The audiobook was good but I personally prefer a more "acted-out" narration style that adapts to the scenes and characters with more diversity to feel more immersed in the story and its emotions.

The Earl Meets His Match was so much fun! A great narrator and just overall a fun romp. Recommended, especially for fans of Casey McQuiston and Bridgerton

“I thought I was the only one. (...) I thought it was just me, alone in the world.”

The Earl Meets His Match was as much an historical romance as it was a feel good story. I loved the –mostly– light tone employed, and in the audiobook the narrator did a great job to enhance that. Honestly, it had been a long time since I’ve laughed so much while reading a book, and it was so good. The book truly feels like a hybrid, with a lot of delightful banter, some very funny scenes, some almost “grandiloquent” and chivalrous ones. The plot (a bit predictable but offering a great journey anyway) rests upon situations and Christopher’s problem to solve more than on a true character’s arc (even though there are some surprises and twists in the romance).
If we’re completely honest, the end feels a bit “utopical” but the feeling of belonging it gives is so enjoyable that we just want to believe, just because. Sometimes, you just need to hang on to that, because in the end, it feels right (and good). Because it’s all that matters, feeling better when you say goodbye the story <3 .

Thank you to the author and Harper Collins UK audio for the ALC via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Looking for some trans joy? Then look no further! The Earl Meets His Match is a queer Regency romance between Christopher, Lord Eden, and his new valet James Harding. In need of a wife before his next birthday to keep his title and estate, the reclusive Lord Eden embarks on a London season, looking for a loveless marriage of convenience. For appearance's sake, he needs a valet, and he gets more than he gambled for with Harding.
I love queer historical romance, and TJ Alexandern, whose first foray into historical romance this is, delivers a mostly lighthearted romantic comedy with all the extravagant trappings: a visit to the tailor, society events, a hot wardrobe scene, an assisted elopement, and even a haunted old abbey. There were some tragic elements to the history of both main characters, but they were easily offset by the tone and the often funny events. The contrast in character between Christopher and stoic James worked well, and there were some nice twists to the story. This is the first audiobook narration by Harrison Knights I've listened to, and I greatly enjoyed it.

This book is beautifully well written, filled with humour. It is very gentle, intimate slow burn romance, touching on topics which is not common place in literature.

2.5 stars rounded up

a tropey trans historical romance with hijinks! i really wanted to love this more than i did, but there are a lot of things here that were still lovely and worth mentioning, and it was ultimately a very quick atmospheric read. i'm also not sure i agree with the tropes listed in the blurb: "enemies to lovers" doesn't actually apply if they just vaguely don't get along at first, and while "forced proximity" is technically true, it's not one of the tropes that would've come to my mind when thinking about this book.

i listened to this via audiobook; it's a single pov narrated by Harrison Knights who i thought was well-suited to this book. he's got nice clear diction, and he's able to make christopher and harding's voices distinct without overly performing their voices.

i think that the strongest part of this book was christopher's developing self-love; so much of his transness up until this point in his life had been protecting his secrets and shutting himself off to vulnerability with people who wanted to love him, and it was very nice to watch him realise that the world is so much wider and queerer than he could ever have imagined. i could never get tired of reading about queer people finding love and allowing themselves to be loved.

that being said, i wasn't too taken in by the romance. christopher and harding have a slowburn romance up until the end when they jump from having barely touched each other to furiously having sex on the floor of the manor, which was just a little bit jarring lol. particularly at the start, the connection between christopher and harding seems a little bit too insta-lust for me, and many of their initial conversations are montaged over, which made it feel like harding was always held at arms length. he felt a little one-dimensional to me throughout, despite their increased banter over time and the consideration he shows christopher; he was kind and clearly a good person but i never really fell for him, and from christopher's pov it feels like he'd been half in love with harding from the beginning anyway purely off of physical attraction. there were some moments where i was almost like, i wonder if this book will end with christopher and harding just being best friends and then christopher makes a bunch more queer people and creates a community, because i just wasn't invested in their romance.

there are a lot of (relevant) hijinks in this book, but i can't say i particularly cared about the others; i liked belinda though i suppose. there were only brief interactions between christopher and proper london society, so the whole 'propriety' element of engaging in the london season felt surface level, and the characters in high society felt more like archetypes.

overall, this is a light-hearted trans historical romance that's an easy read! i think i just wanted a little more depth from some of the more serious conversation topics (ie both of their differing types of grief about their families) because i think it would've really made the difference between Good and Great.

thank you to netgallery for the audiobook ARC!

A surprising Regency romance between the reclusive Christopher, Lord Eden and James Harding, his new valet. I was intrigued from the start and loved the unexpected twists and turns. I listened to the audio which worked very well, with only one quibble: Christopher sounded like a female character in a pantomime - which made him a little bit ridiculous, and much less likeable. As the male narrator was speaking as a trans-man, I'm not sure why his voice was so feminised? Apart from that, I loved the way narrator Harrison Knights navigated the banter between chatty Christopher and the much more taciturn James.

The romance itself has light and shade. Both Christopher and James have tragic backstories, and these unfolded with both angst and tenderness. In particular Christopher's life choices isolated him from his community and meant he missed out on so many experiences as a young Earl.

In other ways the story was almost comedic. The visit to the tailor, a secondary character elopement plot, the ghost, were all featherlight. It's a very slow burn but delicious once they get themselves sorted! The happily ever after was surprising and satisfying - I was so happy for them both.

I have to start by saying that when I picked up this book, I did not realize it was a trans hero. I don't read this genre at all.

Having said that, I did listen to the tail end of the audiobook as I like sappy heas, and the 4 chapters I listened were written really well. Tj, prose was soothing, great word choices that truly brings out the emotions. I liked how Christopher and James were portrayed not in the context of the book (since I read only the last few chapters), but in the context of characters.

#netgalley #TheEarlMeetsHisMatch

What an absolutely charming story! TJ Alexander does not miss and I’m so excited to see them branch into historical. This is a queer romance featuring a trans earl and his valet. This story is treated with Alexander’s usual mix of heart, humor and emotion. I have brunt out in regency romances in the past, but this definitely reignited that love.

The narrator does a fantastic job bringing this novel to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

The burn is agonisingly slow and I was surprised by how little spice there was, given the sprinklings of cursing and fantasising, but I didn’t mind that!
The prose is lush, without being overly flowery or pretentious. Some of the metaphors and similes made me gasp with how illustrative they were.
Always love to see the ‘this animal doesn’t like anyone but me… but they like you’ microtrope.
It’s such a lovely read from Harrison, I really enjoyed the sass and humour brought to Christopher in particular. From a technical perspective, the inserted pickups were noticeable, but not too jarring and not too frequent.
Overall a great time! Everything I like from a regency romance - a lot of pining and a lot of fun.