The good girl's guide to rakes

It's official: if Kieran Ransome doesn't find a way to reform his rakish ways so that he can find a respectable woman to wed, his father is going to cut him off financially. Since Celeste Kilburn is the only person Kieran knows who actually possesses a spotless reputation, his plan is to convince Celeste to provide him with an entrée to polite society, where the newly reformed Kieran can find a suitable spouse. However, Kieran quickly discovers Celeste's help comes with a price. If Kieran wants Celeste to hook him up with well-positioned, marriage-minded misses, he is going to have to escort Celeste around the naughty corners of the town, where good girls never go. With this promising start to her new Last Chance Scoundrels series, Leigh (Waiting for a Scot Like You, 2021) 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.

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 (after the Union of the Rakes series). When roguish Kieran Ransome's father demands he marry or be cut off, Kieran recruits the "most respectable woman he knows," Miss Celeste Kilburn, to help reform his reputation and introduce him to marriageable debutantes. Celeste, whose father is forcing her to accept the courtship of the obnoxious Lord Montford but whose virtuous facade hides a risk-taker within, agrees to help Kieran if, in exchange, he'll bring her along on his less reputable adventures. Disguising Celeste as "Salome," the pair attend scandalous bacchanals and wager at gaming halls, along the way sharing secrets, discovering hidden talents, and falling in love. Kieran finds a kindred spirit in the courageous Celeste, whose sexual appetites match his own, and Celeste learns Kieran's well-earned naughty reputation hides a good heart. When Montford discovers their secret, however, he attempts to blackmails Celeste into marriage--forcing her to choose between her honor and her heart. 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. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Feb.)

A scoundrel in need of a wife meets his match with a lady who has a secret taste for the scandalous. After Kieran Ransome, third son of an earl, plays a role in a scandal alongside his brother, Finn, and best friend, Dom, the three are given an ultimatum: Find upstanding wives or be financially cut off from their parents. Kieran asks Dom's prim and proper sister, Celeste Kilburn, to help by introducing him into respectable social circles. She offers him a deal--in exchange, he must show her the less proper parts of London, like gaming hells, before she has to marry a pompous earl. Celeste grew up poor, and even though her father's business turned them wealthy, they are still not fully accepted by society, and she feels her family's reputation falls on her shoulders. As Celeste and Kieran's bargain gets afoot, they fall for each other, but the expectations forced on them from society and their families stand in their way. 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. It's notable for showcasing how these trappings also hurt the seemingly privileged like Kieran, who has felt the need to hide the truth of his emotional poet self because of unrealistic expectations of masculinity. The romance is never weighed down by these complex conflicts but rather is bolstered because of them. 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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.