Kieran Ransome has to fix his reputation in order to find a respectable bride that would want him. Celeste Kilburn is a society darling, beloved by influential members of the ton, and she is his only hope for success. Kieran asked her for help, of course that Celeste is not going to turn him down. No, she is going to make a bargain with inveterate scoundrel.

Oh, boy! What a story.
I had a hard time getting into the audiobook. I did not click with the lector. With time, I got used to the reading and started to enjoy the story, which was entertaing. There was a few awkward moments and the hero seemed to be flat but overall I still enjoyed! I am definitely going to read more books in the series! For sure!

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. I loved the narration, which brought the book to life & enjoyed the audiobook more than the book.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Who doesn’t like a good historical romance, with a fair amount of spicy scenes, of really spicy scenes, like the ones we get on contemporary romances? Well, if you like historical romances and you like spicy books, you’ll definitely like this one!

Kieran Ransome is the epitome of a rake. He, his brother and their best friend are living the life they always wanted. Up until the time they do something that cannot be forgiven. At this point they all get an ultimatum. Find a respectable bride and get married, or be left without any income, without any inheritance! The decision is easy and difficult at the same time, but every man needs to do his part, so Kieran decides to request the help of his best friend’s sister. He believes that, if he is seen in the company of a respectable lady, he will be considered a respectable gentleman as well! Celest is his best chance to win this.

Celeste Kilburn is a respectable young lady, one the society loves and wishes to be close to. However, since her family was not born into wealth, she has to not only keep the appearances of a society darling, but she needs to follow her father’s wishes and ensure their name is not connected to any kind of scandal. She is the one that can provide her family access to the high society of London. And what’s a better way to do it, than through a marriage? She doesn’t really have a saying on this matter, don’t forget it’s the 18th century or something. She doesn’t have power over her body or needs now, and she won’t have such power after she’s married. Especially after, since she will have to keep her husband’s reputation clean, not only hers. But she longs of that power, she needs to feel free, even if it will be for a very short time. So, when Kieran comes to her with his proposal, she has her own terms for this deal between them.

She will kind of introduce him to the society as a respectable gentleman, by having him escorting her to proper events like garden parties and room recitals, and he will introduce her to the night’s adventures.

I really liked how these two were trying to make the best of their deal. Kieran was really trying, even though he realized that he liked more the time he spent with Celest, than the young ladies he was getting to meet because of her, which was his actual goal. Celest had accepted her fate, but she tried to get a taste of freedom, as short lived as it was going to be. And through that, she lost her heart to a rake, one she was helping to get a wife!

This book takes a step further into the historical romance amount of spice. I mean, we are all aware of where the story leads when we are reading a historical romance, but usually we expect a slow burn with not so much spice. Well, this one was loaded! The night adventures the two of them had, started with game and gambling, only to end with a super hot smut scene.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this and I would like to get to the other two books in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, Mills & Boon for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

What a great historical romance novel!
The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes features popular tropes, and if you’re a fan of Bridgerton or Sophie Irwin’s A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting you’ll definitely enjoy the character dynamics here.

What makes this great is how compelling, charming, and sympathetic both MCs are — you are definitely on their side, all the way!
Not to mention the character growth we witness throughout the novel — we all love a reformed rake, especially one with a heart of gold; but what I loved even more was an MC who find her inner strength and the courage to be unapologetically herself and who stands up for herself. That’s a journey I can definitely get on board with!

And last but not least, their chemistry was *chef’s kiss*

I highly recommend the audiobook, the narrator does an incredible job!

****4.5 Excellent Regency Romance Stars****

'The Good Girl's Guide To Rakes' by Eva Leigh is an engaging and enjoyable audio treat.

Kieran Ransome has to find a wife and asks his friend's sister, Celeste, whether she can introduce him to respectable and suitable women of the Ton. Celeste agrees to help, but only if Kieran shows her some of the less salubrious and scandalous, but exciting parts of London. So begins an adventure by these two characters into the darker corners London has to offer.

I found this audiobook to be absorbing and completely drew me into the shady world of a rake. I thought the two main characters were charming, delightful, and likeable. They had lots of chemistry, attraction, and an electric frisson together. I felt the growing attraction and tension between the two to be genuine and captivating. This audiobook also has some excellent secondary characters to add to the plot, and gave the world in this novel a feeling of being fully formed.

This audiobook has lively dialogue, an enjoyable plot, and characters who shine, with a very satisfying ending. I thought the narrator brought the story to life perfectly.

This is a complete standalone story, told in dual pov. I would recommend to lovers of historical romance.

I’m truly falling in love with historical romance at the minute and this was just what I needed!!!

I love Celeste and Kieran so much. I really liked how, even to me, Celeste really appeared initially very naive and timid, but it wasn’t just her growing and learning through the book, it was just her becoming brave enough to show her true self! I don’t have much to say about Kieran, except that I would probably die for him, okay? But honestly I loved the whole world basically having this rake perception of him but you eventually get to see his most vulnerable honest self, it’s just 🥰

The storyline, while very fun, did have me teary a couple of times! The audio is excellent too, especially with Celeste changing her accent up!

Definitely a spicy historical romance you need to read - and I’m desperate to get to Finn and Dom’s stories now too!

A well narrated entertaining tale. I’ve previously read the second book in the series and enjoyed that but having the book read to me when in the car or walking the dogs is a real treat. The characters were delightful. The story itself is a little risqué in places but basically a sweet and gently developed love story which I really enjoyed.

An enjoyable audiobook to while away those summer hours while waiting for the next series of Bridgerton to arrive on Netflix!

Great world building, fascinating character & steamy Romance. All highlighted by the amazing narration.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

I tried this by way of dipping my toe back in to the historical romance waters. Unfortunately they still aren’t for me. I’ll do nothing to take away from the authors writing, the plot, the characters or the storyline that’d be completely unfair of me so to be clear the genre isn’t for me.

The premise of the story is great there’s a bit of a flip on the old plot which I liked in that the men are looking to marry well, and have to put the work in. The plot is good enough, the narration is good too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins U.K. audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This book has the perfect mix of historical romance and modern feminism without sounding too unrealistic.
The plot is top notch and I loved the tropes to no end, we have:
✨ reformed rake with a secret soft side
✨brother’s best friend (!!!)
✨lots and lots of dirty talk
✨those "teach me and i'll teach you back" moments that make my insides tingle in delight
The chemistry between the characters is undeniable and to die for.

This is the perfect start for a series and I'm really looking forward to the next books, I'm really interested in Dom and Finn's stories.