Kindle Price: $8.99
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes (Last Chance Scoundrels Book 1) Kindle Edition


In USA TODAY bestselling author Eva Leigh's new novel a notorious rake and an innocent debutante strike a scandalous bargain...

When Kieran Ransome’s latest antics result in a massive scandal, his father issues an ultimatum: find a respectable wife or inherit nothing. But as one of London’s most inveterate scoundrels, Kieran doesn’t know any ladies who fit the bill. Or does he?

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, especially with her impending engagement to a stuffy earl. When Kieran—her older brother’s best friend and an irresistibly attractive rogue—begs for her help, Celeste makes a deal: she’ll introduce him to the right social circles if he’ll show her the scandalous side of London.

In between proper teas and garden parties, Kieran escorts Celeste—disguised as “Salome”—to rowdy gaming hells, wild fêtes, and sensual art salons. As they spend more time together, their initial attraction builds to a desperate desire that neither can ignore. But when someone discovers their midnight exploits, Celeste’s freedom and reputation are endangered, and Kieran must save the woman he loves… respectable or not.  

All 3 for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $19.97

More like The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes (Last Chance Scoundrels Book 1)
Loading...

From the Publisher

What happens when a notorious rake and an innocent

Tessa Dare quote

Kirkus quote

Publisher's Weekly quote

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eva Leigh is an author who never fails to provide scorching love scenes and deliciously filthy dialogue, and this is no exception... Leigh captures something critical to the essence of romance — good sex on the page is fun to read, but great literary sex comes with something to say about power, pleasure, and rebellion." — Entertainment Weekly

"A woman bargains for her freedom from society’s gilded cage in Leigh’s smart and sizzling introduction to her Last Chance Scoundrels regency series... That Kieran and Celeste’s love affair is born of mutual respect and admiration only enhances the sensual love scenes. This risqué romp will have readers hooked." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"If you’re looking for a Regency romance with a full-blown bad boy—Bridgerton fans know that “rake” is the English-historical-romance version of ladies’ man—please meet Kieran Ransome..." — Self

"Many romances explore young women fighting against the patriarchal standards that dictate their lives. This story not only does that with aplomb, but also considers the intersection of gender and class... Delightful dirty talk and dazzling prose contribute to making this book a standout. A captivating series kickoff from an author soaring to a new level of excellence." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"With this promising start to her new Last Chance Scoundrels series, Leigh once again displays her literary prowess for creating marvelously memorable characters and crafting sensuality-forward love stories perfectly enhanced by her deliciously acerbic sense of humor." — Booklist

“Leigh’s heroines are complex, vivid characters who seem to have stepped out of an enviable time and place, and not just because of all the satisfying, sexy romance they get to have.” — Sarah MacLean, Washington Post, on From Duke Till Dawn

“Eva Leigh is one of my favorite authors. Her books are pure romantic delight.” — Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author

“Leigh consistently crafts whip-smart heroines and irresistible heroes delivered in packages bursting with wicked wit, feminist leanings, and sex positivity... For any who question whether historical romance is outdated or can be feminist, look no further than Eva Leigh’s work—while maintaining assiduous historical accuracy, she delivers intoxicating yarns that bulldoze tropes and flip gender expectations on their head.” — Entertainment Weekly

“A jolt of electricity, a blast of fresh air—everything delightful and exciting you could want it to be.”  — New York Times Book Review on My Fake Rake

"My Fake Rake is a feast of female empowerment, positive friendships, feel-good moments, and social satire. And as the first book in a series, it builds a delicious world you'll want to come back to—hopefully because the delightful supporting characters will get their own stories next." — NPR

"This book is totally charming." — Cat Sebastian, author of A Delicate Deception

“there’s just something about the way [Leigh] structures her plots that slips under my skin and gets my mental wheels turning every time...” — Seattle Review of Books

"In the realm of historical romance, Eva Leigh... knows how to write very spicy stories with lots of hot chemistry that never burns out, but also a depth and richness to characters that leads to incredibly fulfilling relationships unfurling across the plot." — Paste Magazine

About the Author

Zara Hampton-Brown is an experienced audiobook narrator. Originally trained as an actress, she enjoys bringing characters to life. When not narrating, she loves painting, long walks by the sea, and horseback riding.

Eva Leigh is a romance author who has always loved the Regency era. She writes novels chock-full of determined women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, spending too much time on the Internet, and listening to music from the '80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B095SNR2BW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon (February 22, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5315 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 380 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Eva Leigh
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Eva Leigh is a USA Today Bestselling author of historical romance. Her books have been featured by the New York Times, NPR, Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, and many more. She lives in Central California with her husband and cats.

Visit her on the web at http://evaleighauthor.com

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
653 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book great fun and a good read. They also say it's a fine romance and they'd read it again.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

3 customers mention "Entertainment value"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great fun, funny, and engrossing. They also mention that the romance is fine, sexy, and sweet.

"...Fine romance, great fun." Read more

"The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes is a diverting, spicy historical romance about a woman chafing under the constraints and expectations of Regency..." Read more

"...This book is true to the period while being sexy, funny, sweet, and engrossing. Everything you want in a regency romance...." Read more

3 customers mention "Reading experience"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an overall good read.

"Wasn't fond of the way it started, but ended up being pretty good. Seemed slow moving at times. Would recommend. Looking forward to Finn's story." Read more

"...A bit too much back and forth about their feelings, but overall a good read. I’d read it again." Read more

"Oh my gosh. This was so good. Kiernan and Celeste were so sweet together. Their chemistry was so palpable and irresistible." Read more

An entertaining and promising new series
5 Stars
An entertaining and promising new series
📜 The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes 🎭Last Chance Scoundrels Book 1✒️ Eva Leigh🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐️Will they let others take their choices from themselves…I checked, my last (and first) read by the author somewhat dates from the first book of her previous series. I missed the next two books, but I remember I loved the beta hero.Here, the hero is too no alpha being, he won’t shout Tarzan and throw Jane over his shoulder, yet Kieran does his own rules and follows his own code, but he is domineering fellow, he chose a path to spite his parents, kins who should have praised him for his talent but only mocked him for being different, emotional.« “Why is it that the people we share blood with are the ones who understand us the least?” “Because the universe thrives on irony.” »So he turned to idle pursuits to hide his true self and only feed his soul in secret.Celeste is crushed by the weight of her duty, she is asked to be perfect, always standing straight to dig her family’s foray into the ton, she must show she even more prim and proper than any society’s debutante to make them forget she comes from the slums of the city. But this brunt burdens her more and more as sacrifice is now expected from her with a smile. A title will get, whatever the cost to her soul.Like any woman from these high spheres, she is to be sold, when she only wants to breath, to be herself without the maddening sense of being always judged.While they began their relationship with their own personal agenda, they quickly come to trust the other, sharing then their real dreams and true hopes. Celeste soon realizes there is a deepness in Kieran she did not expect, he is not the scoundrel she thought, behind his idle facade, there is a man who feels things tenth times stronger, who breaths an intricate poignant prose.When Kieran sees the Salome in Celeste, the woman full of fire, who just wants to shake her shackles to be her own being. So even if their time together has a set end date, for the time being, he gives her back her right to decide. To make her own choices.« Salome, I see now, is you. She’s part of you. Bold. Daring. A touch naughty, and completely in command of herself. I can even hear you in her voice, »A moving slow burn low angst tale with a couple who understands the other’s plight and only believe both deserve to be themselves, truly themselves.4.5 stars𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 three foreplays and lovemaking scenesI have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2022
Eva Leigh's newest: "The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes" has everything: a young woman coming into her own, fighting her own fears, daring to live as she wants - at least for a while, because to help her family she will have to marry a man she doesn't want or respect - because the marriage would lift and protect her family.
In order to break-out for a precious few months and visit, in disguise, the wilder parts of London, she needs a guide and selects Kieren, a well born man who is a RAKE and knows the seamier side of the city, but as their adventures moves along, the two are both surprised to find that they are caring for each other, deeply. What will happen? Well with Eva Leigh we know it will be surprising and just smashing - and all of this filled with her usual fine writing: "...she was a bundle of rusty wire, all jagged pieces and tension" and "She had a sneaking suspicion that if she did get some time with Kieren, she'd grab him and kiss him like she was a sailor on leave." Fine romance, great fun.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2023
Kieran is given an ultimatum, reform his rake status or be cut off financially by his parents. Who better to help him with this task then Celeste, his best friends younger sister. Celeste is a good girl with upstanding societal reputation. Celeste agrees to help Kieran on one condition, if he will introduce her to all the scandalous places underground. We all know where this story will go but the fun is seeing the process. Such an easy read. Kieran wants to take care of Celeste from the start but also encourages her to live her life on her own terms. Celeste sees there's more to Kieran than he even gives himself credit for. Together they're perfectly paired.
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
I really like stories that don't require kidnapping or death threats. I didn't understand why she had to lose her virginity even though there was so much heat between them. The timing seemed more about 'oh I am on page ## so it is time for a sex scene' There was no thought about the consequences of shame on either party and that seemed more modern day thoughts than historical.
I will buy the next book but be aware that the sex scenes are in depth and graphic.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2023
The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes is a diverting, spicy historical romance about a woman chafing under the constraints and expectations of Regency society and her father, who came up from poverty to build a financial empire. Celeste and her love interest Kieran give each other cover to be the people they truly are with each other while also giving cover to society.

It is an engrossing story for the first two-thirds of the book. I found my attention starting to wander from after they became physically intimate until the villain revealed just how cruel he was. Then it picked up again until the end. I really enjoyed it overall, and intend to continue onto the next book.

4.5/5 stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2022
I enjoyed reading about Celeste and Kieran, how they met to how they fell in love. He was given an altimatim they would curb their wild ways and become respectable and marry. Kieran knew one respectable female so he asked and she had said yes but there was something she wanted from him in return. She wanted to experience life on the wild side, so she dressed in disguise and had fun. I highly recommend this book! 👍👍👍👍👍❤❤❤❤❤
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2022
I love Eva Leigh's work and this is no exception. The hero and heroine are likable from the first time you meet them and you route for them the entire way. I especially loved the relationship between the two brothers and their best friend. This book is true to the period while being sexy, funny, sweet, and engrossing. Everything you want in a regency romance. Can't wait to read the whole series!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2022
Wasn't fond of the way it started, but ended up being pretty good. Seemed slow moving at times. Would recommend. Looking forward to Finn's story.
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2022
If only NetGalley would let me give half stars, I’d give this book 3.5 stars instead of what looks like 3.

Kieran, the third son of an earl, is a rake and the book starts with him and his brother, Finn, helping their best friend, Dom, skip out on his wedding to their sister. The set-up for the next two books in this series is established!

Our heroine is Celeste, who is now her family’s remaining hope to raise their social status in society. Her father is a self-made man who wants the stature and respectability of those born into society. Luckily for her, she’s been to finishing school and she’s being courted by a future Marquess. (Perhaps this was changed for the final published version, but her father calls her Star, and it’s not explained how she has that nickname although it’s not hard to connect Celeste and Star.)

Celeste wants more out of life than being a lady of society. She wants to give back to Ratcliff, the community where she spent part of her youth, before her family had wealth. She wants adventure too, so she makes a deal with Kieran. She’ll help him improve his reputation to meet his parent’s demands, in return he takes her to places she’d never be allowed to go as herself. You can imagine what happens from there.

The writing is good, the historical elements seem well-researched and the story is low-angst and sweet. The big surprise and treat is that the first eleven chapters give zero hint of the dirty talk that the second half of the book contains! I won’t spoil any other surprises, but I will say that this reader fully appreciated this surprise and even more, the use of the c-word in a consensual, respectful and racy encounter!

I’m familiar with this author and her body of work, but I didn’t love this book. I never really connected with the characters and never got the sense they were fully developed. The story was driven by action and reaction and character seemed to adapt to each situation rather than drive it.

Still, Ms. Leigh is doing some good work incorporating progressive and feminist ideals into modern historical romance and I hope that the rest of the series integrates more of her character and storytelling skills as she navigates this growth as a writer.

Thanks to NetGalley I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

Top reviews from other countries

Nadine
5.0 out of 5 stars A whopper of a series start! Stunning!
Reviewed in Canada on April 27, 2022
**This review includes content warnings**

This new series follows second and third son (of an Earl) and their best friend (from a wealthy trades background) who have to marry respectable women within a year or they’ll get disinherited.

"The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes" is a page-turning, 5 star whopper of a series start! It features:
- A heroine who has to carry the weight of the world for her family and wants to break free by roaming London’s scandalous places at night while she’s in disguise and in company of the hero.
- A Rake with a capital R, who is a secret poet and has a heart of gold but needs her services to introduce him to respectable women as he needs to fulfill an ultimatum to get married.

It's refreshing to see him stray away from toxic masculinity enforced by society and especially his parents and fully embrace who is truly is all the while she's finding out who she really is and develops the confidence to embrace her dreams and goes after what she wants and needs.

What else I loved about it?
- Enthusiastic, explicit consent during steamy scenes and no shying away from what is described as direct and crude language during these scenes.
- Colonialism and the slave trade were acknowledged several times.

Perfect start to a new series.
Can’t wait to dive into the next one.

Content warnings include:
Parental emotional abuse, toxic masculinity, blackmail.
cookie
5.0 out of 5 stars Regency romp
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2024
A good light hearted story but with humour, and surprisingly sexual parts. A good read overall.
S. Atkinson
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2022
Another enjoyable read from this author which highlights the discrepancy that existed between how women were expected to behave and what men could get up to in a lively tale of a poetic rogue and his surprising lady
Mrs Alicia D Knowles
5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Stuff
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2023
Loved all the books, but be prepared very sexy and occasionally fluent language!!!

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?