Meet Eloisa James: Scottish Romance That Will Make You Drop Your Kilt

Meet historical romance author Eloisa James. If you're into grumpy Scottish lairds who fish naked in streams 🐟 and heroines who just want to read in peace 📚—this one's for you. I'm chatting with bestselling historical romance author Eloisa James about her latest release, Hardly a Gentleman (book 2 in the Accidental Brides series), plus:

✨ Accidental marriage & he falls first tropes
✨ Why pirates are hard to write now
✨ Romance trends through the decades
✨ The evolution of historical romance covers (and stepback art!)
✨ How real-life students help keep her stories current
✨ The importance of romance as joy—and resistance

We also fangirl over favorite tropes, talk about the decline (and possible comeback) of historical romance, and Eloisa shares some amazing book recs (historical + contemporary + literary with romance vibes).

💬 What’s your favorite historical romance trope? Drop it in the comments!

📚 Books Mentioned:

– Hardly a Gentleman: https://rstyle.me/+CSfhm8Rj0L8jQeDFto1ojA
– A Kiss at Midnight: https://rstyle.me/+OHWcq8KEcBYDj3Lhwvn8Fg
– When Beauty Tamed the Beast: https://rstyle.me/+5iu9pcfROAYeSvW74Fa98Q
– Viscount in Love: https://rstyle.me/+iKiEOq22Kvd0RZqqKCiLrQ
– Wilde in Love: https://rstyle.me/+VRSa9DvRDfPxvezDq8dAow
– Too Wilde to Wed: https://rstyle.me/+5e18xsB441nrNW6OIxLo9Q

Eloisa's recommendations:
– Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti: https://rstyle.me/+9x5lq13kj_QLda28aX1eQA
– There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev: https://rstyle.me/+tdZL0wmPg3vVD2jOTWJDig
– Small Bomb at Dimperley by Lissa Evans: https://rstyle.me/+jYs4XUmH00wcZ1GOHa6X6A
– I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith: https://rstyle.me/+V0b3lKEdyvTRaawDj62CSg

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

– Substack series on the Evolution of Romance: https://www.underthecoverscommunity.com/t/once-upon-a-genre-romance
– Eloisa James’ commissioned stepback artwork (on her website): https://eloisajames.com/extras/stepback-for-hardly-a-gentleman/
– The Ripped Bodice bookstore (for special editions): https://www.therippedbodice.com

🖤 If you're a romance history nerd or just love a Scottish Laird with no pants, this episode is a must-listen.

For more podcast episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCa8eXgm_sWCmogj-1r5jZYnm8lEcmLyT

Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:55 The first romance you fell in love with?
06:23 How do you balance a career as an author and professor?
06:33 How do you make sure your romances stay current?
08:07 What are some of the changes you've seen in romance?
10:33 Is historical romance dead?
12:44 What is Hardly a Gentleman about?
14:33 What was Jane Austen reading?
16:19 Behind the scenes of cover creation
17:28 Prediction for where covers are heading?
18:26 Ripped Bodice order bonus
20:01 How are your characters like you?
21:32 Writing for tropes
23:05 Professional struggles of a romance author getting taken seriously
25:52 The joy of reading (and writing) romance
27:48 Must-Read book recommendations
30:41 Future plans
Listen to the Podcast: Reading Under the Covers – Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more!

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