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sharonwb's review against another edition
4.0
My first Eva Leigh book, enjoyed the poetry and look forward to the next book in the series.
thatsme_lauravz's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good, and it felt really unique. I'm looking forward to the other books in this series!
nellesnightstand's review against another edition
3.0
Tjank you to Avon and Edelweiss for an Advanced Review Copy
Don't you just love when a rake tries to use a good girl for his own means and then finds the tables are turned? If so you'll love this story. Captivating from beginning to end, the adventures they share together are fun, naughty and humorous.
With her families rise from poverty to wealth, Celeste is trapped into being the families reputation keeper.
But prim and proper she is not and Kiernan is shocked into seeing her for her true self. And wanting her all the more for it.
I absolutely adored Kiernan and his vulnerable side. We are never what others think us to be.
I admire the author for including queen love, abolition, Black characters not servants and emphasis on consent. It did feel at times like she was checking a box. I did struggle in the beginning to continue reading but the characters did eventually hook me.
3.5 STARS
Don't you just love when a rake tries to use a good girl for his own means and then finds the tables are turned? If so you'll love this story. Captivating from beginning to end, the adventures they share together are fun, naughty and humorous.
With her families rise from poverty to wealth, Celeste is trapped into being the families reputation keeper.
But prim and proper she is not and Kiernan is shocked into seeing her for her true self. And wanting her all the more for it.
I absolutely adored Kiernan and his vulnerable side. We are never what others think us to be.
I admire the author for including queen love, abolition, Black characters not servants and emphasis on consent. It did feel at times like she was checking a box. I did struggle in the beginning to continue reading but the characters did eventually hook me.
3.5 STARS
champ81's review against another edition
5.0
Love love love this first book in Eva Leigh's new series.
Kieran and Finn Ransome (the younger sons of an earl) screwed up when they helped their best friend, Dom Kilburn, flee from his wedding to their sister. Now, all three are faced with an ultimatum from their parents: all must marry respectable ladies, or all will be cut off forever. Kieran doesn't care for the idea of marriage, but not one to let his brother and friend down, he approaches the most--and perhaps only--respectable lady he knows: Celeste Kilburn, Dom's sister. Only, while she's entirely respectable on the surface, she has ambitions to lead a fuller, richer life...not exactly the boring life of a lady she currently leads. She and Keiran make a deal wherein she will help introduce him to respectable potential brides if he will introduce her to the wilder side of life.
This trope (a rake pairing up with a respectable lady for adventures) is catnip to me, so I was primed to like this. Then Eva Leigh had to go and include two of the best characters I've read in a long time, and here I am, absolutely head over heels for this pairing. They were both so multi-dimensional, and scene by scene, you could see them uncovering and falling in love with a new facet of the other. I loved the conversations about consent--not just in relation to sex (although that does come up), but about the freedom to make choices for yourself in families and a society that would constrain you. Although they both feel superficial attraction for the other at the beginning, it's not insta-love; their love is earned and carefully built over the course of the story. Their adventures are fun to watch, but their discussions are equally delightful. And the sexy times in this book? Whew. My glasses fogged up.
Also, the next two books are hinted at here and I've already added them to my TBR list. (Finn met his future partner in this book, very briefly, and I'm betting that Dom--who agonized over walking out on Kieran's sister in the first chapter of this book--will find his way back to her by the series' end.)
Well-plotted, rich characters with excellent chemistry, compelling story. A must read for historical romance fans.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
Kieran and Finn Ransome (the younger sons of an earl) screwed up when they helped their best friend, Dom Kilburn, flee from his wedding to their sister. Now, all three are faced with an ultimatum from their parents: all must marry respectable ladies, or all will be cut off forever. Kieran doesn't care for the idea of marriage, but not one to let his brother and friend down, he approaches the most--and perhaps only--respectable lady he knows: Celeste Kilburn, Dom's sister. Only, while she's entirely respectable on the surface, she has ambitions to lead a fuller, richer life...not exactly the boring life of a lady she currently leads. She and Keiran make a deal wherein she will help introduce him to respectable potential brides if he will introduce her to the wilder side of life.
This trope (a rake pairing up with a respectable lady for adventures) is catnip to me, so I was primed to like this. Then Eva Leigh had to go and include two of the best characters I've read in a long time, and here I am, absolutely head over heels for this pairing. They were both so multi-dimensional, and scene by scene, you could see them uncovering and falling in love with a new facet of the other. I loved the conversations about consent--not just in relation to sex (although that does come up), but about the freedom to make choices for yourself in families and a society that would constrain you. Although they both feel superficial attraction for the other at the beginning, it's not insta-love; their love is earned and carefully built over the course of the story. Their adventures are fun to watch, but their discussions are equally delightful. And the sexy times in this book? Whew. My glasses fogged up.
Also, the next two books are hinted at here and I've already added them to my TBR list. (Finn met his future partner in this book, very briefly, and I'm betting that Dom--who agonized over walking out on Kieran's sister in the first chapter of this book--will find his way back to her by the series' end.)
Well-plotted, rich characters with excellent chemistry, compelling story. A must read for historical romance fans.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
1943tre's review against another edition
2.0
Competently written, relatively fast-paced, and a solid plot...me not loving this was (mostly) a "me problem." And I'm sure lots of other readers will enjoy this given it had an external third act conflict that was solved pretty quickly. I'm not one of those readers lol.
The central relationship is supposed to be between a goody two-shoes who has a desire for a life unrestrained by duty and societal pressure and a notorious rake who needs to find a respectable wife STAT. But the thing is, notorious rake he was not lol. Kieran was like a gooey cinnamon roll who enjoyed an underground party or two. There would be a few lines here and there about him having women in his bed, but if he's some big Player with all this game, I didn't see it. In fact, he was, like, extremely emotionally available, pretty #woke, super kind right away to Celeste. And while that makes him a delightful real-life boyfriend, in a BOOK, like this, it sucked away any of the tension that could have been had in this pairing. They literally were opening themselves up and having very tender chats after one outing together. I wanted to be forced to work harder for that emotional payoff, instead of being served it IMMEDIATELY lol. Same goes for Celeste, like she's supposedly this prim-and-proper society bitch who wants to run a bit wild, but she fits in with Kieran's wild set EASILY lol. She goes to these game halls and theaters (the horror!) and within seconds, she's like stripping and dancing with all these loose women like she was born to play this role. AS IF LOL
Steam-wise, this was just fine. Open door, relatively graphic. I enjoyed how, uh, chatty Kieran was. But again, because I never felt any tension between the two of them, the chemistry fell a bit flat for me and the sex scenes were more tender than spicy. Not my cup of tea!
The central relationship is supposed to be between a goody two-shoes who has a desire for a life unrestrained by duty and societal pressure and a notorious rake who needs to find a respectable wife STAT. But the thing is, notorious rake he was not lol. Kieran was like a gooey cinnamon roll who enjoyed an underground party or two. There would be a few lines here and there about him having women in his bed, but if he's some big Player with all this game, I didn't see it. In fact, he was, like, extremely emotionally available, pretty #woke, super kind right away to Celeste. And while that makes him a delightful real-life boyfriend, in a BOOK, like this, it sucked away any of the tension that could have been had in this pairing. They literally were opening themselves up and having very tender chats after one outing together. I wanted to be forced to work harder for that emotional payoff, instead of being served it IMMEDIATELY lol. Same goes for Celeste, like she's supposedly this prim-and-proper society bitch who wants to run a bit wild, but she fits in with Kieran's wild set EASILY lol. She goes to these game halls and theaters (the horror!) and within seconds, she's like stripping and dancing with all these loose women like she was born to play this role. AS IF LOL
Steam-wise, this was just fine. Open door, relatively graphic. I enjoyed how, uh, chatty Kieran was. But again, because I never felt any tension between the two of them, the chemistry fell a bit flat for me and the sex scenes were more tender than spicy. Not my cup of tea!
katdid's review against another edition
3.0
This was enjoyable although the overall premise for the series I found annoying (the whole convince-the-groom-to-run-off-then-potentially-get-disinherited thing); I'm probably more invested in the other characters than these two though, although their relationship was believable.
Unrelated to the plot: the word "lowly" was constantly (at least eight times, yes I counted because I hated it so much) used to mean "in a low voice", e.g. "...she said lowly." Absolutely horrendous.
Unrelated to the plot: the word "lowly" was constantly (at least eight times, yes I counted because I hated it so much) used to mean "in a low voice", e.g. "...she said lowly." Absolutely horrendous.
epatten79's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bandherbooks's review against another edition
Ugh, i am in a weird reading mood and I will need to re-start this later.
halfpintreads's review against another edition
4.0
Really more like 3.5 When the latest scandal by Kieran Ransom and his brother impacts their family, their parents tell them they need to find respectable wives to fix the family’s social standing or they are cut off. Kieran doesn’t know quite where to turn to fix his reputation so he can find a bride, until he considers the sister of his best friend. Her impeccable reputation is just the help he needs to fix his own. But Celeste Kilburn has some demands of her own in return.
In showing Celeste a little more of life (and the freer side of London, outside the strictures of the Ton) disguised as “Salome”, Kieran finds himself drawn to the person behind her facade and he starts to show her the true person behind the walls of his reputation.
This was a fun romp of a book about allowing yourself to be who you truly are and finding what you truly want in life and in another person. While there were some great scenes, dialog and some spice (which is always great in an Eva Leigh book), I for some reason wasn’t totally invested with the characters. I’m having a “week” of a week though, so maybe it was just a me thing as this isn’t the only book I’ve felt a bit disconnected from when reading.
I love the gorgeous cover though! Can’t wait to read what’s next in the next two books featuring Finn (Kieran’s brother) and Dom (Celeste’s brother).
In showing Celeste a little more of life (and the freer side of London, outside the strictures of the Ton) disguised as “Salome”, Kieran finds himself drawn to the person behind her facade and he starts to show her the true person behind the walls of his reputation.
This was a fun romp of a book about allowing yourself to be who you truly are and finding what you truly want in life and in another person. While there were some great scenes, dialog and some spice (which is always great in an Eva Leigh book), I for some reason wasn’t totally invested with the characters. I’m having a “week” of a week though, so maybe it was just a me thing as this isn’t the only book I’ve felt a bit disconnected from when reading.
I love the gorgeous cover though! Can’t wait to read what’s next in the next two books featuring Finn (Kieran’s brother) and Dom (Celeste’s brother).