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A review by champ81
The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh
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.