Eileen Aberman-Wells
Kieran and Celeste's story in The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh, book one in Last Chance Scoundrels, is sizzling, emotional, and entertaining, as rules are broken and rakes reformed. Kieran Ransome created an unintended scandal. Now his father has issued an ultimatum: make a respectable marriage within a year or be cut off financially. Kieran is up first, and he's much more a soft-hearted rascal than a troublesome rogue. That's not how his parents see him though, and they only have time and affection for their heir - not the spares. Kieran only knows one miss accepted by society, his best friend's sister, Celeste Kilburn and hopes she will help him gain acceptance in respectable circles. Celeste's father's trade money may have opened some doors, but she's under pressure to keep up a sterling reputation and marry to cement the family's place in society. While in society Celeste appears to be a respectable and proper young lady who abides by the rules, but she is quite tired of this "role" that's been put on her shoulders by her family. When Kieran requests Celeste help, to present him to society as a respectable man and a reformed rake, Celeste is happy to help. In exchange, she wants to satisfy her taste for freedom, for adventure, and not have to worry about keeping a spotless reputation; especially before she has to accept a respectable proposal and marry. Their time together allows for the growth of a friendship, while they attempt to deny their magnetic attraction and sizzling chemistry; until neither is able to ignore it any longer. The fact that they inspire each other to speak up for what they want in their lives, him writing his poetry and she her charity work, adds another layer to this story and their relationship. Ms. Leigh wrote a wonderful story filled with parental pressure, respect, passion and romance that should not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with respect, strong chemistry, wonderful banter, and amusing secondary characters giving Kieran and Celeste a chance for a happy future together. I highly recommend The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Andrea Romance
Notorious rake Kieran goes too far—contributing to a scandal that could ruin his sister's reputation. His father gives him an ultimatum: marry a respectable lady within a twelvemonth, or lose his allowance. So he asks Celeste, his best friend's sister, to help him rehabilitate his reputation. She agrees, with one stipulation: introduce her to the more risqué side of London society, before she resigns herself to a loveless marriage with the stodgy earl who's courting her. Reluctantly, Kieran agrees, squiring her about disguised as "Salome." But what will they do if her true identity is discovered? The tension and chemistry between these two is off the charts. If you like stories of reputed good girls letting loose and getting into late-night shenanigans, this book is for you. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Carissa
4.5 stars I will admit the beginning took a bit for me to get into, like within the first 5 chapters. I'm relatively new to Eva's work, so I'm not sure if it was the writing or the plot that was initially giving me trouble. I kept going on and by the end I was sold. Oh I just love how Eva doesn't shy from the profanity that comes out especially of Kieran and Dom's mouths. I'm actually looking forward to Finn's and Dom's books (as I'm wondering if Willa is even going to be Dom's h since I get the vibe he cares for her still, but she wasn't really mentioned at all besides the beginning of the first chapter). Finn's story is next and boy does Miss Tabitha Seton sound super interesting for him. I won a physical advance reader copy from a Goodreads giveaway and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
