Five stars! I love this series and the characters. The combination of high heat and high emotion will always get me. Add in humor, which both books have done well, and I am sold.

I love Finn and Tabitha! I loved their chemistry. It was there from the beginning it just took them a while to finally acknowledge it. The way they supported each other was beautiful.
I can't wait for Dom's book!

Finn and Dom still need to fulfill their families' condition of marriage but Finn is not ready to take a chance on love. He prefers to spend his time at the gaming tables, so he focuses on helping Dom. Dom makes one request, something opposite of his ex-fiance Willa.

Finn has the perfect woman in mind lady Tabitha Seaton. After an unsuccessful first season, she focused on books in the hopes of joining the Sterling Society, a group of London's influential minds. When she approaches the group they tell her that they'd never let an unmarried woman join them, so now she needs a husband.

So when Finn approaches her to arrange an agreement between her and Dom, she agrees. But when Dom suddenly backs out Finn steps up in order to solve both of their problems. Never once expecting to fall in love with each other.

Thank you so much to the author, Avon/Harper, and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

4 stars

I wasn't planning on reading a straight regency romance but I was told this one had a dining table sex scene so obviously I became interested. Now that I have read it I can confirm that boy does it ever have a dining table sex scene. A+ work on fulfilling my exactly one expectation for the book.

As for the rest of the stuff that doesn't take place on a dining table, it was a fairly decent regency romance. The intellectual pursuits of the titular wallflower were interesting (to a point. Some of it felt like name dropping a bunch of philosophers i dont give a crap about. What is with books thinking I am here to learn!) and the support between the two main characters for fulfilling these pursuits was nice. I also enjoyed how nonjudgmental the intellectual female lead was to the dude's inability to read well. It was very sweet.

On the other hand, I could have done without the constantly repeated dramatique "i dont want to get hurt and fall in love with this person" stuff that was at the end of every chapter for both character points of view. Really all the relationship hurdles were boring and repetitive. Shut up and talk to each other and leave me out of it, characters!

I am also kind of intrigued by the main character for the next book who is the third dude in the trio who have to get married to get their allowances or whatever because he seems like a real sad boi. Maybe they'll go for a more advanced sex location like a rooftop or an even fancier dining table! Stay tuned...

I just finished this book and I wanted to share my thoughts about it!!
Spoiler alerts.
Even though there were a couple of slow spots, this book was such a good read. It is part of a series and there are some familiar names, but over all it really stands alone. The story does go slow in the beginning, but it is worth reading every word. And this is an erotic story, so be prepared for wide eyes and blushing cheeks.
This story is about two brothers and a friend who have angered their fathers so much that they have one year to get married, or they will be cut off. Each one does figure out that they need to start a business, but they haven't started working on them yet. Our hero is the gambler and that is how he has accumulated his funds. He has enough to support a wife and his parenta have given him a house to live in. There was some drama about him and his brother causing their friend to jilt their own sister, and that is why the hero wants to introduce his friend to the spinster who verbally eviscerated him one time in a ball room. He felt that she was smart and would match his friend. So, he introduces them in order for them to get to know one another. The heroine is a scholarly spinster who is trying to get into an intellectual society in order to promote change in society on parliamentary issues and she will not be admitted unless she is married. So the hero keeps setting up dates with him and his friend, but his friend doesn't behave well, because he still loves the hero's sister, who he jilted. The friend finally apologizes to the heroine and the hero and heroine can sense their attraction, but neither of them will fall in love.
This book was very entertaining and I was able to immerse myself into the story. I really liked these characters. The settings were libraries and ballrooms and London. There was a societal change moving the actions of the heroine and it was refreshing from the normal party girl romances. I give this book 5 stars and a recommendation to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

I have not read the first book of this series. While those characters make multiple appearances, I didn't need to in order to understand this story. I loved that this book was written in a dual POV format. Getting glimpses into the character's thoughts during and/or after a scene really help me to better connect to the character.

I will say that there were times when Tabitha's intellect was over-the-top. I almost wanted to skip some sections but forced myself to read it through. I didn't want to miss something else that may prove to be necessary to understand later on.

I adored Finn! I wanted to cry and hug him several times throughout the story. Having a problem reading can be hard on someone. The author did a wonderful job in really showing the suffering that he went through to highlight how one’s disability could affect other aspects.

Tabitha was a delight until about the last portion of the story. She never communicated with Finn her history so when something Finn says is taken the wrong way, she fled! I really lost a lot of respect for the character, especially one of her supposed intellect. I mean how can someone say innocent words not knowing how they could possibly affect someone if that someone NEVER communicated about a past event?

This is a very steamy story with some vulgar language so if you do not care for it, well you decide.

Big thanks to Avon Romance for the ARC of this book via NetGalley. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall 4 stars

I really loved Finn and Tabitha and thought their relationship build up was really great. I loved the way they ended up together despite the fact they weren’t the ones being paired together. This book was def big on the mutual pining because this was a marriage of convenience so of course they couldn’t and wouldn’t fall in love.

Only thing I didn’t love was the third act break up. I definitely understood the emotions behind it but felt it was unnecessary. Also for a good portion I felt like just yelling CONFESS ALREADY. Def beautifully written and love this author big time.

Eva Leigh killed it with the spice and the romantic one liners. I couldn’t stop bookmarking and highlighting the shit out of this.

Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a mid-angst , i-burn-for-you vibes book. Def check out the authors backlist and can’t wait for book 3 (most anticipated in the series for me)!

Finn Ransome is a gambler intent on finding his friend Dom a wife after he and his brother sabotage his engagement to Willa, the love of Dom's life. Finn, Dom and Finn's brother Kieran (who has already happily found his bride) are supposed to find wives by a certain date in order to fulfill the stipulations of their inheritance. Finn tries to play matchmaker by hooking his friend Dom up with a Bluestocking named Tabitha Seaton, but fate and a broken heart intervenes in a very serendipitous way. Finn and Tabitha decide on a marriage of convenience despite having actual feelings for each other. Each of them have their own reasons for not confessing their love for each other, but it eventually comes to light.

This book was delightful. I loved the characters. I could see so much of myself in Tabitha. If I were a woman in the regency era I would be hiding in libraries instead of participating in balls. Finn was a professional gambler with a soft heart and dirty mouth. 😉 was plenty of spicy scenes between the two throughout the book. They definitely didn't let their marriage of "convenience" stop them from avoiding the horizontal mambo. I would give this book a 3.5/5 for spice. 🌶 If you are a fan of spicy regency romance, I feel like this read is pretty satisfying.

I also really liked how the writer was so sensitive in writing about Finn's difficulty with reading and his insecurity about his struggles. Overall, I adored the book.

I adored Finn and Tabitha's story!! I loved that Finn was trying to setup Tabitha with his best friend but ended up falling for her himself. They were perfect together!!

DNF 50%
This book was not for me at all. I tried to understand the motivations of the characters and suspend my disbelief but the plot and character motivations didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand how this elitist all white male intellectual society was the only/best answer to creating social equity. And she had to give up her fiscal and bodily autonomy to join it!! That felt inherently not feminist to me, which was at odds with what this book was trying to do.

I didn’t believe that Tabitha and Finn were into each other because there was zero chemistry. He spent over 30% of the book attempting to push her off on his friend while he had a boner for her (why he had one I have no idea). Idk…like I said…not for me.

4.5 Stars - Top Pick

Finn Fucking Ransome, that’s how.

This hero is chef’s kiss. From the way he’s so calculating and in control to how he loses his collective mind over the heroine. I absolutely loved Finn. There is something about a man who’s cool and suave, but when he meets his woman just falls head over heels like an insane man. That’s exactly what happens when Finn meets the intelligent Tabitha Seaton.

Tabitha Seaton is a nerd. Bless the female nerds for they are amazing and this heroine takes the cake. She’s intelligent and a little awkward in the public realm but her knowledge and desire to change the world around her so it represents the worlds she lives in is admirable. As someone who looks for allyship and seeing it in action, Leigh portrays it wonderfully through Tabitha. I can always trust Leigh to deliver a delightful infusion of a heroine kicking the patriarchy in its teeth and watching the hero support them on the journey.

Both of these characters are a match for each other, as both have been ridiculed and hurt by those who would say loved or cared for them. Due to various reasons of course, they’ve hidden their pain and vowed to never let anyone get too close. But they can’t resist each other.

Outside of the smoking intimacy and dirty talk, the book itself was a surprise morphing into a story really about falling in love and finding self-worth with the support of someone caring. I couldn’t get enough and quickly devoured it.

Leigh’s continued rich and inclusive world-building is ever-present and refreshing, bringing a fresh more realistic look to historical romance. I can’t wait for more and this is the perfect precursor to Dom’s story, which I’ve already one-clicked.

Don’t hesitate. This is for the readers who love Sarah MacLean and Sophia Jordan. You can’t go wrong with Finn Ransome.

~ Landra

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Opinions are my own.

This book is the second in a series following 3 bachelors who were given an ultimatum by their families to find respectable wives and give up their wild ways or lose their allowance/inheritance. It's a historical so it's not as bonkers as it sounds. I would have loved some conversation around making reprobates a woman's burden to straighten out absolutely sucks... but that was in book 1. You could read this one without reading the first.

Finn and Tabitha meet in the first book, but it's reviewed in this book. She is decidedly unimpressed with him, and he thinks she's a perfect match for his BFF Dominic (book 3). In trying to match the two, Tabitha and Finn realize they both NEED to get married for different reasons and so decide on a marriage of convenience to each other.

Tabitha's goal is to gain entry into a gentleman's club for intellectuals, who have told her they would not consider a women for their group, especially an unmarried one.

I always enjoy stories about historical radicals... I know others think characters with modern ideas like women's education and voting rights are ahistorical, but I think of them as lost to history. I liked the characters and they way interact and support each other. There's a lot of back and forth before their confessions to each other and some of the angst feels a little extra.

This was a fun easy book to read with good pacing and well developed people. The Library crew who make up Tabitha's friend circle are very serious nerdy types, and the only POC & LGBTQIA rep in the book.

I would continue this series and recommend as a fun marriage of convenience historical.



#NetGalley #HowTheWallflowerWasWon

The heroine wants to join the Sterling Society, but a husband is a requirement in the application. To solve this dilemma, she enters a marriage-of-convenience with the hero, a gambler who is the brother of the hero from the first book of this series. Thus, begins the story of this couple.

This is the second book in the Last Chance Scoundrels series. I enjoyed reading about the hero, who I liked more than the heroine. This historical romance has sexy intimate scenes, but it was not enough for the scene between the couple that separated them in the latter half of the book. This certain situation decreased my enjoyment of the book for me. It would have been better if my personal preference for more details were added to the story; maybe it would have given this certain scene a better resolution in my eyes. At least the book has a beautiful cover that is cohesive with the first book of the series. Overall, not my favorite book of this Eva Leigh series.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.**

Kieran Ransom, Finn Ransome and Dominic Kilburn pulled a stupid stunt in the first book of this series The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes. The result, the two sets of parents gave the young men an ultimatum, each must be married within the year, or all three would be cut off from their allowances. All three, all married or all allowances gone.
Younger sons of the peerage, weren’t allowed to work during the Regency time period, maybe the military of church. Being cut off was serious business.
Finn Ransome is a gambler, a successful gambler. In the delightful How the Wallflower Was Won Last Chance Scoundrels #2 Kieran and Finn make an unsuccessful try of matching bluestocking Tabitha Seaton to Dom Kilburn, Finn and Tabitha come to their own accommodation. Tabitha needs a husband in order for the prestigious Sterling Club’s consideration of possible membership. The Sterling Club is made up of individuals who are known as great thinkers and are often consulted by those in government who are considering policy or votes and need considered opinions or information.
Eva Leigh does it again! There are many HR writers I like, there aren’t many I like as much as Eva Leigh. Her books either have fresh, original plots or characters; or her books give a fresh fun look at plots we recognize. How the Wallflower Was Won Last Chance Scoundrels #2 goes with both.
Finn and Tabitha will break your heart. They are both neglected children and adults, but they grow up strong and perfectly able to find their own path. Still, they suffer from great emptiness, until they meet each other.
There are moments where you will want to smack a few people, there are moments where you will fan yourself, and moments where you will stand up and cheer! Then you will reread those sections and stand up and cheer again.
My only quibble is How the Wallflower Was Won was delightfully steamy, but the language was rougher than usually found in in HR.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for review.

I received an advanced review copy of this book (from NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy EL’s books generally, though historical is not my go-to genre. So take some of this with a grain of salt - perhaps I’m a bit of a harsh critic when it comes to believability for an era I myself haven’t experienced

Sadly, this one fell a little flat for me. I really enjoyed watching our leading couple, Tabitha and Finn, develop a real partnership. Not just in the bedroom but as intellectual companions. The way he constantly is gifting her with the presence of books and libraries is adorable, and bookish readers will delight, I’m sure. That was all great, seeing them form their attachments to each other despite them both having reasons for keeping their feelings under wraps. It was all very low angst and predictable, which I actually don’t take issue with. I was enjoying myself and wrapped up in the story all the same.

My problem was more around the last act conflict. While Finn had generally proven to be consistently considerate and thoughtful towards his new wife, he has a small lapse and utters one careless statement to her - a statement that is triggering because of a past incident she still insists on withholding from him- and in the course of a moment she completely shuts him out for his transgression. She never trusted him enough to share what happened and in his haste to soother her upset, he put his foot in mouth.

I knew that the couple needed to have a conflict. I knew it would be centered around her baggage from this past incident. I can accept those things. But the way that Finn's character was developed and the way this scene went down with Tabitha’s reaction….it just doesn’t line up or feel in any way believable for either character. The making up that comes days later felt realistic at least. But I was just stuck on how removed I felt from the story while reading that last part. It really took my enjoyment out of it.

That said, I think EL writes some fun, if anachronistic HR (idealism is ok, y’all! we read romance to escape right?) and I’d rather read this slightly lackluster edition than the works of many of her contemporaries. .

Also, I look forward to the next book in this series featuring Dom and Willa, Rogue’s Rules to Seduction. Have been wondering mg about them since the first book where he left her at the altar. Interested to see what kind of redemption arc he may go through

HOW THE WALLFLOWER WAS WON is book two in the League of Scoundrels series by Eva Leigh. The premise of this series is fun - a group of bachelors that must each marry in order to receive their inheritance. This has one of my favorite historical romance tropes - marriage of convenience. There was an instant connection between Finn and Tabitha and that we actually got to see the two love interests have conversations about real things. This one had me swooning and just rooting for them the whole time.

Thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

A marriage of convenience story is one of my favorite tropes (particularly in the historical romance arena) and this one was wonderful! Finn and Tabitha both came to the "relationship" with their own issues and their own reasons for agreeing to this relationship. Despite their resolve to avoid a real relationship with all of the emotion, they can't help but feel all of the passion they seem to have for one another. I cannot wait for book 3!

Opposites attract and make a grand impression. Leigh stirs up trouble with humor, heart and temptation. Tabitha and Finn are a delightfully odd match, yet somehow they get under the skin enough to melt your heart. How the Wallflower was Won is a gem that little by little finds it's luster.

I'm going to be the odd one out with this one for sure.
But.
Ugh.
I was so bored with this and that's a shame.

This was full of sex but lacked the romance. I never felt a connection between these two and I was hoping they'd end up together since book one.

This was such a struggle for me to finish. I was honestly frustrated because the story was all over the place and we kept getting porn before plot.

I get readers want their sex but what's the point of reading Romance if there is no romance with the sex? Ya know?

Man. I loved book one and really want Dom's book but now I'm worried all his book will be is more sex when he and Willa have so much going for them.

And no, I'm not a prude I just need more in my romance than sex, I need a romantic story.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC to review.

Finn and Tabitha had sizzling chemistry and were a couple you could emotionally invest in. That said, I felt there was not enough conflict to fill up the story, and we mostly got a lot of romantic fluff. If that is what you are looking for then this is the book for you. I tend to like a bit more plot, which is why I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Give me a bad decision making oldest brother on a tight timeline for marriage and a scholar who just needs ONE chance to present her research to a respectable academic society and I am TOAST.
Look, these two get married because Finn has to marry someone to right a wrong and Tabitha has to just be married to get in the door. He literally proposes by saying "let me be your husband" while laying ALL of his cards on the table. And pals, as you may imagine (and you can see from the quotes in slide 2 and 3), they REALLY get each other and it is so delicious. Oh, and there's also a group of supportive nerdy friends, standing up to bullies, and some classic "we can't make it to a bed so this dining table will do" shenanigans. Truly, this book is out tomorrow and I have read the advanced copy at least three times. Buy it, read it, and thank me later. Eva, you've done it again!