The trouble with this Regency romance is that there are too many things about it that don't make sense, both specifically to a regency setting, but also in general. There's a brother encouraging their friend to jilt their sister, which would basically mean social disgrace for her - and then we never hear another word about the poor girl. There's a Duke denigrating himself to marry a girl from a rough trade background, and not even for love. Generally I also prefer the historical fiction I read to have more of an authentic sense of period and place, and this had a distinctly modern tone to the language, characters' thought processes and interactions.

I quite enjoyed the initial beginnings of the relationship between Celeste and Kieran but as the story wore on it just seemed like more and more of the same - Celeste's desire to experience the world basically comes down to wanting to go to risque parties and take her clothes off. It was very samey. The handful of romantic scenes between Kieran and Celeste were quite steamy, and the final outcome of the story worked better than I expected.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this story of a brooding hero and a supposedly "good girl" learning to be a bit bad. I found it entertaining enough but I didn't love it.

Kieran Ransome’s antics within the London Ton have brought the wrath of his family down on him and he has been ordered to get married to a respectable woman or he will receive no inheritance. Celeste Kilburn is regarded as the absolute polar opposite of Kieran - she is highly regarded with a spotless reputation but she wants to escape or see life beyond her gilded and protected cage.
Kieran and Celeste make a deal: she will introduce him to the right women whilst he will show her the more risqué side that London has to offer.
Whilst investigating the seedier side of London Kieran shows a different of his character and there is chemistry between the pair. Will they become the respectable couple Kieran’s father requires.

As this is the first in the series I did feel the first few chapters dragged as they set the scene for all the novels set in Regency England. I would have preferred this part to be condensed. I didn’t enjoy the American slips which spoilt the thread of the storyline - cent instead of penny, ass instead of arse for example. A proofreader should have picked this up. Not as good as some of her earlier novels but worth a read.

When Kieran Ransome’s latest antics result in scandal, his father issues an ultimatum: find a respectable wife or inherit nothing. Celeste Kilburn is a society darling, beloved by influential members of the ton. But keeping a spotless reputation leaves little room for adventure and she longs to escape her gilded cage. When Kieran, her brother’s best friend, begs for her help Celeste makes a deal: she will introduce him to the right social circles if he’ll show her the scandalous side of London!
Amongst ‘proper’ garden parties and, equally enthralling, wild fêtes and sensual art salons an initial attraction builds to a more tempting desire.
The first book in a trilogy & I thoroughly enjoyed it, three rakish friends needing to settle down & marry. I loved both Kieran & Celeste & whilst the chemistry wasn't sizzling to begin with, she was his best friend’s little sister, it did grow. I found the pace to be a little slow to start with mainly due to the scene being set for the series, however it did pick up & I found myself engrossed. A well written romance, which I thoroughly enjoyed & I look forward to the next two books
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

For years, Kieran Ransome and his brothers have been able to get away with being rogues about town. But when they convince their best friend, Dom, to jilt his bride - who just happens to be Kieran's younger sister, Willa - the Earl and Countess, along with Mr Kilburn proclaim that Kieran, Dom, and Finn have a year to marry someone respectable, or lose their inheritance. None of them have any sort of reputation that a respectable woman would go near them, but luckily Dom's sister, Celeste, is known as society's darling, and will be able to help them get on the right track. But Celeste is sick of the stuffy ton rules, especially when she's being forced into a match at the end of the season, and she has a deal in mind. Celeste will help introduce Kieran to the right people, if he shows her the 'disreputable' side of London, all before the Season's end. Masquerading as 'Salome', Celeste discovers the other side of London, and another side of Kieran too. She might always have had feelings for her brother's best friend, but it seems now that they might be reciprocated - but can they be together?

This may just be my favourite of Eva's books. I've loved them all, but The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes definitely has a special place in my heart. From the very first pages, it's clear that this series is going to be special, and Kieran and Celeste have a chemistry like no other. I've always liked the friend's-to-lovers trope, and it was executed so perfectly here. Because of the way they were 'forced' together, the feelings between them were able to grow naturally, and both Kieran and Celeste could discover another side to each other in a way no one has ever before. I feel as if this book has definitely set up for the others in the series, but in no way detracts from the couple's romance. I adored how it concluded, and that Celeste was finally able to live her life how she wanted, and not constrained to so many rules and regulations! Another hit from this amazing author!

A highly entertaining and compelling historical romance with a modern vibe. I had fun, rooted for the characters, and the plot kept me hooked.
There's a lot of spice and steam.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a really enjoyable read. The story was quite long but it allowed time for the storyline and characters to develop. Really good & would recommend to anyone who enjoys a steamy historical romance. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to a review copy of this book.

A great read. A fast paced plot with some excellent detail and a look at the boredom and feeling of waste of those with money who are there to look good and attend parties rather than try and make a difference. Both Kieran and Celeste are characters that you get behind and you want them to find a way to leap over the barriers that are before them so that they can have their HEA.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There were some very amusing bits of dialogue and intriguing depictions of the seedier side of London society, but I really struggled to get past the historical inaccuracies and American language used. It just doesn’t seem at all plausible that the heroine would have been accepted into the haut ton, let alone been seen as a desirable wife for a member of the aristocracy. Putting that all to one side, it was an enjoyable read and flowed well.

Brilliant start to a new series by Eva Leigh! While the trope of best friends’ sister (who is quite obviously off limits!) has been done numerous times and isn’t ground breaking, the book in itself a great read. Leigh sets us up with 3 disastrous rakes who have to turn their lives around and stop whoring and gaming and finally settle down to find a respectable wife or be cut off from their family’s wealth and inheritance.

Kieran immediately sets out to find a respectable wife and enlists his best friends’ sister, Celeste, to help him. Celeste and her family come from new money, she needs to marry into nobility to further her family and must be considered proper at all times. While the proper Celeste is a society darling, she can’t help but feel she’s missing out on all the excitement life has to offer before she settles down with a boring, old Earl who she is engaged to be married to. So, she makes a deal with Kieran. If he shows her the darker sides of London, she will help him find a respectable wife – what could possibly go wrong???

The book is an easy read and has lots of witty dialogue. However, I feel like I should have been able to give this book a solid 5 stars, but something was missing for me. All the ingredients were there…the trope, the dialogue, the set up… I’m not sure I fully connected with either of the main characters, but overall it was a good book and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series as I cannot wait to see what happens in Dom and Finn’s books (I’ve got everything crossed for a happy ending between Dom and Willa!) If you like your historical romances with a side of sexiness, then you will not be disappointed. I would recommend this book.

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Celeste, the female protagonist, wants to explore every aspect of her life. She is determined to defy the bounds of the male-dominated Regency society. Kieran, a dissolute Regency rake with hidden emotional depths, has to find an acceptable wife and enlists Celeste's help to enter polite society. She agrees, but only if he promises to show her his world. I like how this story explores the inequalities of this historical world and how difficult it was for women to have independence in any aspect of their lives.

Celeste is not a complete innocent. She experienced depravity and poverty in her early life, making her willingness to explore Keiran's world believable. In keeping with Celeste's journey of self-realisation, sensual romance defines this story. Celeste and Keiran are likeable characters. I enjoyed their uncensored dialogue, which makes the story authentic and engaging to read.

I enjoyed this delightful escapist read interwoven with insightful thoughts on the double standards of Regency society.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley.

Dom jilted Kieran and Finns sister. When all 3 are summoned to their fathers its made clear that enough is enough and if they dont marry an upstanding, good woman they would be cut off. They have to go from social pariahs to upstanding husbands in one year. Except the places they hang out don't host these kinds of women. So Kieran makes a deal with Dom's sister Celeste and enlists her to help him get into the right circles. In exchange, she demands he has to take her to all the places where disreputable, scandalous people go.

From the moment they met you could feel the chemistry between them was electric and even if they didn't realise, they were a perfect match. Celeste is a 'good girl' but you could see her mischievous side from the start and you just knew he had met his match. I loved how she changed her name and appearance when she went on her jaunts with Kieran from gambling dens to houses where 'anything goes'. She was definitely more confident and sassy and free from her constricted life of trying to please everyone. Another book boyfriend to add to my list.

Fun, steamy, hot and sexy. Just the perfect escape. I'm already looking forward to reading this again in the future and can't wait to read Finns book on how he fulfills the demands of his father.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought the premise sounded interesting, but sadly the execution failed to live up to that promise. I struggled with this story, and in particular, I struggled with the heroine Celeste.

Forced by her father to be the one to lift the family into the ton by her marrying into the aristocracy, Celeste wants to have freedom and do good works in the area where she was born. She is the perfectly respectable daughter of a longshoreman that the Duke of Mountford wants to marry. What? Run that by me again - with all the respectable daughters of the ton seeking husbands, the Duke of Mountford is prepared to marry Celeste? No I don’t buy it. I mean, if she was a Minister’s daughter, a doctor’s daughter or even a lawyer’s daughter - then I’d buy it. The aristocracy of the time were so class conscious. Moving a class down might be acceptable especially if a fortune was involved, but moving down to the working class (no matter how big the fortune - no!

Why Celeste couldn’t give the same speech to her father (pointing out that she was not responsible for making the family respectable and moving up several lines of social stratification), that she gave at the end remained a mystery to me. Why she felt that escaping to the seamier side of London life would somehow be freeing, whilst actually making no difference to the overall direction of her restricted life - left me bewildered.

The pacing was slow and ponderous. The characters lacked credibility and nuance and I lost interest. The sex scenes lacked chemistry. Whilst Kieran’s development felt real and made me happy - Celeste’s just did not ring true.

Sorry - I am clearly in a minority but I prefer Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Eloisa James version of historical romance. This is not my cup of tea.

Historical romance books will always be my favourites because they have a magic air and I just can’t help but being mesmerised by these characters and their high-profile society rules bending and of course, the knowledge that at the end there’s a happily ever after.

I enjoy the gentleman’s dialogue more than I thought I would and while I found some of them to be real rakes in what’s expected from their behaviour and even thoughts; I love a great redemption in any way that comes with the story.

An ultimatum makes Kieran looking for an unthinkable friendship between such opposite characters and I loved how the author has paired him with Celeste. She’s the perfect heroine in everyone’s eyes, spotless in every aspect. But she’s craving much more from her life and he will trade everything he knows for a suitable wife as his father is requesting.

Their adventure is really interesting, and the chemistry between them is felt on the page at all times. The sizzling and steamy scenes are pure fire and what a way to discover one’s desires.

A beautiful romance story with great characters and a love that catches fire with just a glance over the shoulder.

As always, the storyline in this latest book by Eva Leigh is very good and stands out as being a bit different from the norm. The characters are easy to like and it is easy to get involved in their romance.