Eloisa James on Historical Romance, Accidental Marriages & the Genre’s Future

If you’ve ever fantasized about a grumpy Scottish Laird fishing naked in a trout stream, or you’re a longtime fan of historical romance, then you’ve probably already read a book by Eloisa James.

In her latest release, Hardly a Gentleman, the bestselling author delivers a story full of kilts, banter, and one very bookish heroine who just wants to be left alone with her novels. But what makes Eloisa James a household name in the romance world isn’t just her steamy plots or charming dukes. It’s her ability to reflect the genre’s evolution, and her own, in every book she writes.

Here’s what you need to know about her newest novel, the tropes she loves, and where she thinks historical romance is headed next.

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Why Eloisa James Thinks Romance Tropes Still Matter

Tropes like “accidental marriage” or “he falls first” aren’t just marketing tools for Eloisa James, they’re part of how she builds emotionally resonant stories. In Hardly a Gentleman, the accidental marriage trope drives the plot forward, while giving her room to explore vulnerability, stubbornness, and romantic tension.

She’s also not afraid to invent her own tropes, like “Scottish laird fishes naked”, and fully commit. Her goal isn’t to check boxes, but to create characters readers can root for, laugh with, and maybe even swoon over.

“If you don’t put part of yourself in a book, it just doesn’t fly,” she says. And that includes high school humiliation, Shakespeare lectures, and late-night Google searches about fly fishing.

The Real-Life Shakespeare Professor Behind the Romance

Eloisa James isn’t just a romance novelist—she’s also a Shakespeare professor. That dual identity shapes how she writes and what she notices in the classroom. She talks openly about how teaching young students helps her stay in touch with how relationship norms are changing.

Take consent, for example. “Ten years ago, my students would say Hamlet was mean to Ophelia,” she says. “Now they say he’s a sexual harasser.”

This direct line to Gen Z sentiment helps her keep her stories current, even when they’re set in 1804. It’s also one of the reasons historical romance still resonates, because the emotional truths are timeless, even if the corsets and castles aren’t.

Is Historical Romance Really in Decline?

Publishers have declared the death of historical romance more than once, but Eloisa isn’t buying it. In fact, she believes the genre is due for another resurgence.

“In tough times, readers turn to books that let them escape reality,” she says. From paranormal romance to regency dramas, the more removed the story is from current headlines, the more comforting it can feel.

While traditional publishers may be pulling back, Eloisa sees indie authors on Kindle Unlimited thriving in the historical space. Her own self-published Seduction series found an eager audience looking for lush love stories outside the big publishing houses.

Romance Covers, Stepbacks, and the Future of Art in Publishing

One of Eloisa’s biggest frustrations with modern romance publishing? The slow disappearance of painted stepbacks—those classic interior illustrations that once defined the genre.

So for Hardly a Gentleman, she hired an artist herself. The result? A custom oil painting featuring her characters in a romantic library moment. She calls it her “DIY stepback,” and readers who order from indie bookstore The Ripped Bodice can get a printed copy with their purchase.

As for what’s next, she’s hoping publishers eventually circle back to high-quality, emotionally rich cover art—whether it’s painted or photographed.

Hardly a Gentleman by Eloisa James

Hardly a Gentleman is book two in the Accidental Brides series and features:

• A ruined heroine on the run
• A grumpy, kilted Scottish laird
• Forced proximity and an accidental marriage
• He falls first (yes, please)
• Naked fly-fishing (we’re calling it a new trope)

Set in the Scottish Highlands with humor and tenderness, this historical romance is perfect for readers craving immersive worldbuilding and a charming slow-burn love story.

Grab Hardly a Gentleman on Amazon

Her Next Projects (A Ghost Might Be Involved)

Eloisa James isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Here’s what she’s working on next:

• A gothic historical romance set in a haunted Scottish abbey
• A historical heroine who becomes a surgeon in 1800s Edinburgh
• A contemporary novel about a professor reconnecting with her estranged rockstar father near Oxford

Eloisa James’ Book Recommendations

If you’re looking for books with heart, humor, or emotional tension, here’s what Eloisa James is loving right now:

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

A swoony historical romance with an epistolary twist. After years of exchanging intense letters, the heroine shows up at the hero’s estate planning to propose, only to realize he has no idea who she is. It’s messy, emotional, and impossible to put down.

Key themes: mistaken identity, letter writing, heroine makes the first move.

Grab Earl Crush on Amazon

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev

This one blends women’s fiction and romance in the best way. A story about three generations of Indian American women navigating life, love, and reinvention, with plenty of emotional highs and lows.

Key themes: family, reinvention, multigenerational storytelling.

Grab The Vibrant Years on Amazon

A Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans

A literary historical fiction set in post-WWII Britain, packed with humor, quiet romance, and commentary on class and identity. Think P.G. Wodehouse meets social satire.

Key themes: found family, crumbling aristocracy, gentle romantic undercurrent.

Grab A Small Bomb at Dimperley on Amazon

Why Romance Still Deserves Respect

Eloisa has faced more than her share of literary snobbery. Even as the vice president of the Authors Guild, she’s still fielding backhanded comments from peers who dismiss romance as unserious or anti-intellectual.

But she keeps going, because she knows what these stories mean to readers.

“I got a letter from someone whose cancer came back. She said she was reading all my books from the beginning, one after another. That’s why I do this.”

Romance isn’t just escapism, it’s connection. It’s comfort. It’s joy. And if Eloisa James has anything to say about it, it’s not going anywhere.

Read More

• Tune in to the Reading Under the Covers podcast
• Looking for more Eloisa James? Check out all the book lists with Eloisa James recommendations, or our Eloisa James book reviews

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