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Last Chance Scoundrels #2
How the Wallflower was Won
USA TODAY bestselling author Eva Leigh continues her Last Chance Scoundrels series with a steamy romance between two opposites--a rogue with a taste for wagers and a bookish wallflower--who marry for convenience... but neither bet on falling in love.
Finn Ransome is an expert on Lady Luck, which is why he refuses to take a chance on love. Experience has taught him that he's happier at a gaming table than around people he will, inevitably, disappoint. However, the clock is ticking on his father's matrimonial demands. But the only woman to catch his eye is a bluestocking who would never consider a rogue like him.
After a disastrous first Season, Tabitha Seaton decided to focus on books instead of ballrooms. She hopes to join the Sterling Society, a collective of the most brilliant, influential minds in London. Except, they will never admit an unmarried lady. Now Tabitha needs a husband, and a notorious, handsome gambler may be her best bet.
Finn and Tabitha are opposites who have no intention of wagering on a love match, and a calculated marriage of convenience solves all their problems--with no risk to their hearts. Once married, however, their potent attraction boils over into a deep passion that neither expected. When a painful mistake drives the new lovers apart, Finn will risk it all to prove a scoundrel and a wallflower are a winning pair...
Finn Ransome is an expert on Lady Luck, which is why he refuses to take a chance on love. Experience has taught him that he's happier at a gaming table than around people he will, inevitably, disappoint. However, the clock is ticking on his father's matrimonial demands. But the only woman to catch his eye is a bluestocking who would never consider a rogue like him.
After a disastrous first Season, Tabitha Seaton decided to focus on books instead of ballrooms. She hopes to join the Sterling Society, a collective of the most brilliant, influential minds in London. Except, they will never admit an unmarried lady. Now Tabitha needs a husband, and a notorious, handsome gambler may be her best bet.
Finn and Tabitha are opposites who have no intention of wagering on a love match, and a calculated marriage of convenience solves all their problems--with no risk to their hearts. Once married, however, their potent attraction boils over into a deep passion that neither expected. When a painful mistake drives the new lovers apart, Finn will risk it all to prove a scoundrel and a wallflower are a winning pair...
380 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2022
191 people are currently reading
5204 people want to read
About the author
Eva Leigh
27 books1,477 followersEva Leigh is a USA Today bestselling romance author. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, her books have been featured by the New York Times, NPR, Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, Self, Paste Magazine, and many more. Her work has also been translated into numerous languages. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and cats. Visit her on the web at evaleighauthor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 544 reviews
October 25, 2023
✨The third act break up broke ME!✨
This book kinda just felt like a vessel to get to Dom’s book and I appreciated a lot about it but the scholar society plot just can’t compare to sex club sexual awakenings and femmedoms sooooooo my brain politely declined to give a fuck about a lot of the end being focused on a symposium.
The beginning was great and I found the pacing to be super refreshing. While Finn originally set out to pair Dom and Tabitha, it didn’t overtake the plot and I loved the forced proximity it created between Finn and Tabitha. There were also nice gems tucked in throughout the book. Finn was really just so loving and sweet to Tabitha and his creative ways of helping her release tension were fun and unique!! He was also so turned on by her being a bad ass scholar and that turned ME on.
I LOVED Finn and loved Tabitha until the fight scene. SHE was in the wrong and said cruel words meant to cut his deepest hurts when he made a comment he didn’t know would hurt her that way because she NEVER told him all about her past. Literally, after reading the entire book, Tabitha never explicitly told him who hurt her and how he did it. That’s unacceptable???? You had Finn apologizing for reasons he had no clue about but SHE got off the hook. Yes she was sorry but he didn’t even stop consider that HE should be the one betrayed.
Seriously, Finn is a keeper and I really REALLY loved the exploration of his learning difficulties. It was so endearing to see him so astonished that Tabitha could accept him…because he believed so hard that she wouldn’t want him after finding out. That was HEARTBREAKING. So it made it all the more rough when Tabitha threw it all back in his face. Made me question her and sorry but she annoyed me after that. I didn’t understand how her past made her THAT untrusting of his angel babyness and to let it affect her SO badly that she lashed out at him…sorry but it’s a no from me.
I definitely got put off by her constant I CAN’T LOVE HIM IT’S NOT SAFE because again I didn’t find her foundational hurt to be strong enough to keep it going THAT LONG. Finn’s on the other hand was solid and gut wrenching and proved to be CORRECT.
I loved Finn’s journey and a lot about their relationship (in a vacuum, I’d say that warrants 4⭐️s) but I simply didn’t want to finish the book when I found out where the fight was going. I wish it was handled differently because I was frankly perplexed at where it was going to go based on their previous healthy relationship. It didn’t need to be so cruel. I also just dislike her getting a basically free pass while he groveled and moved out and did all this shit. Be a good person and apologize, yes, but also take a moment to think about yourself. Also for the groveling to make it in this summary...I’m just disappointed all around.
The steam was nice and I loved the come from behind victory we got 😌 when I thought we weren’t gonna get another sex scene. To hint: they were AWASH with pleasure. Three main scenes and signature Eva Leigh dirty talk. Fin was more dominant than I thought he’d be. Safe to say I’m super excited for the next book. Can’t wait to see Dom on his knees.
I’m not one for marriage halfway through and we got that here. It takes most of the tension out of the story because welp now they’re married and stuck together so not much else matters in the grand scheme of things. Here it was especially confusing because they weren’t even enemies during the marriage so color me confused about what I’m supposed to care about! It was cute for sure, but I normally like that plot when they CAN’T get married for valid reasons. So then the marriage is a victory! They liked each other well enough and banged but were already married so you knew something whack was about to break it up. Sex wasn’t really a slow burn so I was never on edge or awaiting the Next Big Thing to happen.
Overall, book one’s relationship and plot meandered about and didn’t get up to much either…but the writing there felt charged. Here it never got past simmering. I enjoyed reading it at a lot of times but also wanted to be reading other books during other moments.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy! All opinions are honest and my own as always ✨
This book kinda just felt like a vessel to get to Dom’s book and I appreciated a lot about it but the scholar society plot just can’t compare to sex club sexual awakenings and femmedoms sooooooo my brain politely declined to give a fuck about a lot of the end being focused on a symposium.
The beginning was great and I found the pacing to be super refreshing. While Finn originally set out to pair Dom and Tabitha, it didn’t overtake the plot and I loved the forced proximity it created between Finn and Tabitha. There were also nice gems tucked in throughout the book. Finn was really just so loving and sweet to Tabitha and his creative ways of helping her release tension were fun and unique!! He was also so turned on by her being a bad ass scholar and that turned ME on.
I LOVED Finn and loved Tabitha until the fight scene. SHE was in the wrong and said cruel words meant to cut his deepest hurts when he made a comment he didn’t know would hurt her that way because she NEVER told him all about her past. Literally, after reading the entire book, Tabitha never explicitly told him who hurt her and how he did it. That’s unacceptable???? You had Finn apologizing for reasons he had no clue about but SHE got off the hook. Yes she was sorry but he didn’t even stop consider that HE should be the one betrayed.
Seriously, Finn is a keeper and I really REALLY loved the exploration of his learning difficulties. It was so endearing to see him so astonished that Tabitha could accept him…because he believed so hard that she wouldn’t want him after finding out. That was HEARTBREAKING. So it made it all the more rough when Tabitha threw it all back in his face. Made me question her and sorry but she annoyed me after that. I didn’t understand how her past made her THAT untrusting of his angel babyness and to let it affect her SO badly that she lashed out at him…sorry but it’s a no from me.
I definitely got put off by her constant I CAN’T LOVE HIM IT’S NOT SAFE because again I didn’t find her foundational hurt to be strong enough to keep it going THAT LONG. Finn’s on the other hand was solid and gut wrenching and proved to be CORRECT.
I loved Finn’s journey and a lot about their relationship (in a vacuum, I’d say that warrants 4⭐️s) but I simply didn’t want to finish the book when I found out where the fight was going. I wish it was handled differently because I was frankly perplexed at where it was going to go based on their previous healthy relationship. It didn’t need to be so cruel. I also just dislike her getting a basically free pass while he groveled and moved out and did all this shit. Be a good person and apologize, yes, but also take a moment to think about yourself. Also for the groveling to make it in this summary...I’m just disappointed all around.
The steam was nice and I loved the come from behind victory we got 😌 when I thought we weren’t gonna get another sex scene. To hint: they were AWASH with pleasure. Three main scenes and signature Eva Leigh dirty talk. Fin was more dominant than I thought he’d be. Safe to say I’m super excited for the next book. Can’t wait to see Dom on his knees.
I’m not one for marriage halfway through and we got that here. It takes most of the tension out of the story because welp now they’re married and stuck together so not much else matters in the grand scheme of things. Here it was especially confusing because they weren’t even enemies during the marriage so color me confused about what I’m supposed to care about! It was cute for sure, but I normally like that plot when they CAN’T get married for valid reasons. So then the marriage is a victory! They liked each other well enough and banged but were already married so you knew something whack was about to break it up. Sex wasn’t really a slow burn so I was never on edge or awaiting the Next Big Thing to happen.
Overall, book one’s relationship and plot meandered about and didn’t get up to much either…but the writing there felt charged. Here it never got past simmering. I enjoyed reading it at a lot of times but also wanted to be reading other books during other moments.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy! All opinions are honest and my own as always ✨
September 18, 2022
I adored this book! I really loved book one but for me Finn's book was even better.
Finn needs to find a wife within 8 months or his parents cut him off financially. Tabitha needs to find a husband so she can finally get accepted to the Sterling Society. She hopes to get accepted to create change within the exclusive group of rich, white men scholars who hold a great deal of influence in parliament.
When Finn sees her, despite his own attraction to the wallflower, he thinks she'll be a perfect match for Dom, who attended university and who also needs a wife within 8 months. Finn struggles with reading and has been told his whole life that he is stupid and he believes it wholeheartedly. He feels like there's no way someone with such little intellect like himself could ever make a good match with someone as intellectual as Tabitha.
But they have such explosive chemistry and an equal amount of tender feelings growing that pretty soon they realize they are better off marrying each other.
Thus begins a marriage of convenience with two of the biggest sweethearts who are terrified of getting hurt by the other while also falling deeper and deeper in love but not ready to admit it.
There were so many beautiful quiet scenes of love in this book. Small gestures and big, tender declarations, glances and touches. I just was LIVING for it. I enjoyed their growing romance so much that I could not put this book down.
Eva's books continuously get better for me. I loved this one with my whole heart.
I received an ARC for review.
Finn needs to find a wife within 8 months or his parents cut him off financially. Tabitha needs to find a husband so she can finally get accepted to the Sterling Society. She hopes to get accepted to create change within the exclusive group of rich, white men scholars who hold a great deal of influence in parliament.
When Finn sees her, despite his own attraction to the wallflower, he thinks she'll be a perfect match for Dom, who attended university and who also needs a wife within 8 months. Finn struggles with reading and has been told his whole life that he is stupid and he believes it wholeheartedly. He feels like there's no way someone with such little intellect like himself could ever make a good match with someone as intellectual as Tabitha.
But they have such explosive chemistry and an equal amount of tender feelings growing that pretty soon they realize they are better off marrying each other.
Thus begins a marriage of convenience with two of the biggest sweethearts who are terrified of getting hurt by the other while also falling deeper and deeper in love but not ready to admit it.
There were so many beautiful quiet scenes of love in this book. Small gestures and big, tender declarations, glances and touches. I just was LIVING for it. I enjoyed their growing romance so much that I could not put this book down.
Eva's books continuously get better for me. I loved this one with my whole heart.
I received an ARC for review.
May 9, 2022
I absolutely adored the author’s previous book, ‘The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes’. I was really looking forward to this one, and it had many elements that I love in a good historical romance. This is a marriage of convenience, bluestocking/scoundrel romance. Early in my reading, this book reminded me a lot of ‘A Week to Be Wicked’, which is to me, some holy grail historical romance. It has a few similar tropes, and even a sort of parallel plotline with the nonromance plot. Unfortunately, this book was much clunkier, with a horrific third-act breakup, which I’ll get to in a bit.
Not really spoiler-y but a summary of the first half of the book:
What I really enjoyed was the chemistry between Tabitha and Finn. They had both been rebuffed in different ways, but were so drawn to each other for their true nature. The steamy scenes were great, similar vibe to the first book which was… *chefs kiss*. Finn was incredibly supportive of Tabitha’s scholarly pursuits. Tabitha’s library group is a diverse bunch that many of Finn’s social class would not accept, and she is overjoyed when he takes it in stride.
I think what is stopping me from giving this a higher rating is the somewhat clunky pacing of the story. The first third deals with Finn trying to set up Dom and Tabitha, and then their marriage is decided upon and occurs very quickly. The middle third is largely their internal struggle of attraction and emotions that neither allow to surface for a while and the final third—probably less but it felt like it dragged on—is the third act conflict, subsequent resolution, conflict between the goodies and the baddies and subsequent resolution.
The third act conflict—it’s a point of contention in the best of times. I can’t think of a single person who enjoys the miscommunication trope, and I would understand having a difficult time as an author figuring out how to round out the book, but this is just one of the worst examples of the miscommunication trope. Spoiler-y discussion of the third act breakup:
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy of this book to review.
First thoughts: I am giving a CAUTIOUS four stars because I really enjoyed this but I concur that the third act breakup was absolute booboo!
full review to come once I gather my thoughts!
Not really spoiler-y but a summary of the first half of the book:
What I really enjoyed was the chemistry between Tabitha and Finn. They had both been rebuffed in different ways, but were so drawn to each other for their true nature. The steamy scenes were great, similar vibe to the first book which was… *chefs kiss*. Finn was incredibly supportive of Tabitha’s scholarly pursuits. Tabitha’s library group is a diverse bunch that many of Finn’s social class would not accept, and she is overjoyed when he takes it in stride.
I think what is stopping me from giving this a higher rating is the somewhat clunky pacing of the story. The first third deals with Finn trying to set up Dom and Tabitha, and then their marriage is decided upon and occurs very quickly. The middle third is largely their internal struggle of attraction and emotions that neither allow to surface for a while and the final third—probably less but it felt like it dragged on—is the third act conflict, subsequent resolution, conflict between the goodies and the baddies and subsequent resolution.
"If you could get hold of your emotions, you'd see that."...
"The last man to tell me to get hold of my emotions hurt me badly. But to hear it from you... who I cared for. Who I trusted. Who I thought accepted me... My heart is broken.”
The third act conflict—it’s a point of contention in the best of times. I can’t think of a single person who enjoys the miscommunication trope, and I would understand having a difficult time as an author figuring out how to round out the book, but this is just one of the worst examples of the miscommunication trope. Spoiler-y discussion of the third act breakup:
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an early copy of this book to review.
First thoughts: I am giving a CAUTIOUS four stars because I really enjoyed this but I concur that the third act breakup was absolute booboo!
full review to come once I gather my thoughts!
October 1, 2022
When entering into a marriage of convenience, it's best to be open and honest about your reasons why. It's also probably a good choice to marry someone you're attracted to. Finn and Tabitha are totally winning at the MOC thing: they've both told each other why they're getting married, have determined they prefer NOT to fall in love, and can't wait to fall into bed with each other. But of course, making an agreement never to fall in love and actually sticking to it are two different things, and Finn and Tabitha are totally failing at that part of their agreement.
As we've come to expect from Eva Leigh, the book is a perfect execution of a simple premise. Finn and Tabitha soon discover hidden depths in each other, and they find a freedom in their marriage they didn't expect. We're deducting half a star for a bit of an overwrought third act (both of our main characters have some incredibly OTT reactions to their first fight), but 4.5 stars still rounds to 5!
9-Word Summaries:
Laine: Falling in love with your hot spouse is inconvenient.
Meg: Tabitha & Finn need spouses. Could they need each other?
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
As we've come to expect from Eva Leigh, the book is a perfect execution of a simple premise. Finn and Tabitha soon discover hidden depths in each other, and they find a freedom in their marriage they didn't expect. We're deducting half a star for a bit of an overwrought third act (both of our main characters have some incredibly OTT reactions to their first fight), but 4.5 stars still rounds to 5!
9-Word Summaries:
Laine: Falling in love with your hot spouse is inconvenient.
Meg: Tabitha & Finn need spouses. Could they need each other?
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
October 18, 2022
Finn deserved better 😕
Finn needs a wife in order to gain his inheritance, Tabitha needs a husband to get into a scholarly club. Boom. Marriage of convenience. Enter lots of love making and two people not communicating their feelings and running away for some flimsy reasons. Finn’s reasoning was at least built on a solid foundation and I could really level with him. Tabitha, however…?? Flimsy AF excuse. But, I can get down with the “I have to protect myself from being hurt because of this stupid reason” trope. I read a lot of books of people being emotionally constipated and I can force myself to understand the hesitancy to not stay in bed and cuddle with your spouse to protect your heart. I love this series! I was fully committed to seeing past this!!
BUT!
The beginning has a fun quick pace, but after the wedding it’s a snooze fest. I really didn’t care about the big plot of changing society with new ideas and new intellectual clubs. Bored. I was more interested in Finn opening a gaming hell tbh and just found myself glazing over…well basically everything. But! I’m still in it, still thinking I’ll give it four stars cause I like this series a lot. And I really love Finn. His hesitancy for revealing his heart felt real and vulnerable Finn was just so heart eyes amazing and I truly cared for him.
Enter the third act.
I knew it was freaking coming because we have our happy ending right on the cusp and there’s like six chapters left. I was already frustrated at this point because I knew a fight was going to come out of left field and be completely ridiculous and ding ding ding! I was right! And my prize is the most immature fight I’ve ever read. Yay for me.
There’s absolutely no basis for Tabitha’s reaction and the fall out…Good Lord. I couldn’t believe how dramatic it was over something so small. And listen, I’m a staunch hater of third act break ups that are just a plot device and offer no support to the overall story. Sometimes it’s good for the break up to happen. Truths revealed! Groveling! We need time apart so I can figure out my crap! A fight just to have a fight because it’s 80% and we have to have one, though? I hate it. I hate it with all my heart. This fight was completely pointless. If you love and trust someone, you hear them out. If anything, the entire fight just made me think they didn’t love each other as much as I thought. At least on Tabitha’s side anyway. Finn had to grovel and move out and did all of these things and it was just painful for me because I don’t think he deserved her cruelty and then had to beg for forgiveness. Ugh. Just awful.
The break up at the end just annoyed me to the point that I glared my way through the HEA.
Isn’t that just the best way to end a romance book? 😒
An eARC was given to me by the publisher, review is my own.
Finn needs a wife in order to gain his inheritance, Tabitha needs a husband to get into a scholarly club. Boom. Marriage of convenience. Enter lots of love making and two people not communicating their feelings and running away for some flimsy reasons. Finn’s reasoning was at least built on a solid foundation and I could really level with him. Tabitha, however…?? Flimsy AF excuse. But, I can get down with the “I have to protect myself from being hurt because of this stupid reason” trope. I read a lot of books of people being emotionally constipated and I can force myself to understand the hesitancy to not stay in bed and cuddle with your spouse to protect your heart. I love this series! I was fully committed to seeing past this!!
BUT!
The beginning has a fun quick pace, but after the wedding it’s a snooze fest. I really didn’t care about the big plot of changing society with new ideas and new intellectual clubs. Bored. I was more interested in Finn opening a gaming hell tbh and just found myself glazing over…well basically everything. But! I’m still in it, still thinking I’ll give it four stars cause I like this series a lot. And I really love Finn. His hesitancy for revealing his heart felt real and vulnerable Finn was just so heart eyes amazing and I truly cared for him.
Enter the third act.
I knew it was freaking coming because we have our happy ending right on the cusp and there’s like six chapters left. I was already frustrated at this point because I knew a fight was going to come out of left field and be completely ridiculous and ding ding ding! I was right! And my prize is the most immature fight I’ve ever read. Yay for me.
There’s absolutely no basis for Tabitha’s reaction and the fall out…Good Lord. I couldn’t believe how dramatic it was over something so small. And listen, I’m a staunch hater of third act break ups that are just a plot device and offer no support to the overall story. Sometimes it’s good for the break up to happen. Truths revealed! Groveling! We need time apart so I can figure out my crap! A fight just to have a fight because it’s 80% and we have to have one, though? I hate it. I hate it with all my heart. This fight was completely pointless. If you love and trust someone, you hear them out. If anything, the entire fight just made me think they didn’t love each other as much as I thought. At least on Tabitha’s side anyway. Finn had to grovel and move out and did all of these things and it was just painful for me because I don’t think he deserved her cruelty and then had to beg for forgiveness. Ugh. Just awful.
The break up at the end just annoyed me to the point that I glared my way through the HEA.
Isn’t that just the best way to end a romance book? 😒
An eARC was given to me by the publisher, review is my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2022
This book sounded so good, but I just think Eva Leigh isn't for me. I've read three or four of her books now and given all of them three stars. The plots are never engaging and I find myself more bored than anything else. In this one, the heroine is in need to a husband because she wants to be admitted into a society for her intellectual pursuits. The hero is being pushed by his father to marry. The two decide to have a marriage of convenience and realize they get along really well physically and start actually falling for each other. I really didn't love the third act break up and felt like overall the plot was pretty boring and forgettable.
July 23, 2023
Anti race, super woke and modernist feminist hr …. Will pass on it. Life is too short to waste on this style of HR. Would it be so hard for these authors to be true to the genre??
September 20, 2022
While there were many aspects of this book I enjoyed, for whatever reason it did not completely click with me. However, I can definitely see it working for others, and overall would still recommend this series!
Regarding the positives, I liked the marriage of convenience between our scholar heroine and gambler hero. They shared sweet and steamy moments, and I especially loved how turned on Finn was by Tabitha's intelligence and how supportive he was of her goals. His backstory was heartbreaking and woven into the plot well, and it was lovely seeing Tabitha help him conquer his insecurities.
Tabitha's backstory or "character wound", on the other hand, was too weak to justify her actions. It certainly wasn't enough to make her so scared of falling in love and confessing her feelings to Finn for the majority of the book. Also, while the smut was steamy, in my opinion the characters' bedroom personalities didn't quite mesh with their regular personalities, and as a result I found Finn's dirty talk more cringy than sexy.
Overall a bit of a miss for me, but not without it's redeeming moments. I can't wait for Dom and Willa's second chance at love in book #3!
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Regarding the positives, I liked the marriage of convenience between our scholar heroine and gambler hero. They shared sweet and steamy moments, and I especially loved how turned on Finn was by Tabitha's intelligence and how supportive he was of her goals. His backstory was heartbreaking and woven into the plot well, and it was lovely seeing Tabitha help him conquer his insecurities.
Tabitha's backstory or "character wound", on the other hand, was too weak to justify her actions. It certainly wasn't enough to make her so scared of falling in love and confessing her feelings to Finn for the majority of the book. Also, while the smut was steamy, in my opinion the characters' bedroom personalities didn't quite mesh with their regular personalities, and as a result I found Finn's dirty talk more cringy than sexy.
Overall a bit of a miss for me, but not without it's redeeming moments. I can't wait for Dom and Willa's second chance at love in book #3!
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager via Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 19, 2022
Finn Ransome, his brother, and their best friend created an unintended scandal, causing their families to issue an ultimatum: make a respectable marriage within a year or be cut off financially. Bluestocking Tabitha Seaton is also looking for a spouse. She wants to join a prestigious society of intellectuals, but they do not admit women...certainly not single ones! Finn thinks to pair Tabitha with his friend, but he finds himself making a marriage bargain instead.
This is the second book in the Last Chance Scoundrels series. The first book's couple is Finn's brother Kieran and their friend Dom's sister, Celeste. It helps to read the first book, as it explains how Finn and Kieran helped Dom jilt their sister, Willa. All the characters play a role in each other's stories, and Finn and Tabitha meet in the previous book.
I was looking forward to this couple and they did not disappoint. Something I really love about Eva Leigh's stories is that the characters get to be their authentic selves and find happiness. It doesn't matter their "flaws" or different interests, they get to find love for who they are and not who they could/"should" be. I really liked how Finn and Tabitha supported each other's interests and worked together. They also had excellent chemistry! (4.5 stars rounded to 5)
Tropes: Bluestocking, Matchmaking, Marriage of Convenience
Steam: 5 (first two scenes were back to back)
* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #HowtheWallflowerWasWon #NetGalley
This is the second book in the Last Chance Scoundrels series. The first book's couple is Finn's brother Kieran and their friend Dom's sister, Celeste. It helps to read the first book, as it explains how Finn and Kieran helped Dom jilt their sister, Willa. All the characters play a role in each other's stories, and Finn and Tabitha meet in the previous book.
I was looking forward to this couple and they did not disappoint. Something I really love about Eva Leigh's stories is that the characters get to be their authentic selves and find happiness. It doesn't matter their "flaws" or different interests, they get to find love for who they are and not who they could/"should" be. I really liked how Finn and Tabitha supported each other's interests and worked together. They also had excellent chemistry! (4.5 stars rounded to 5)
Tropes: Bluestocking, Matchmaking, Marriage of Convenience
Steam: 5 (first two scenes were back to back)
* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #HowtheWallflowerWasWon #NetGalley
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October 21, 20233.5 stars
Well written, quite a touching story, but my god how many sex scenes are necessary .....? And EL crosses my crude / dirty talk threshold - especially considering this is a historical romance.
Well written, quite a touching story, but my god how many sex scenes are necessary .....? And EL crosses my crude / dirty talk threshold - especially considering this is a historical romance.
August 22, 2025
Português
Esta história apresenta um enredo sólido, com momentos de profundidade e drama, mas equilibrados por uma leveza que tornou a leitura especialmente agradável. Foram horas bem passadas, com aquela sensação reconfortante de estar imersa num universo que entretém sem exigir demasiado.
Durante a leitura do primeiro livro, formei uma ideia bastante clara sobre o rumo que este segundo — How the Wallflower Was Won — poderia tomar. E, de facto, o enredo seguiu a direção que eu antecipava. No entanto, apesar de tudo se ter desenrolado como esperava, não me envolvi tanto quanto imaginei. Talvez as minhas expetativas estivessem demasiado elevadas... Mas, no fundo, criar expetativas — mesmo sobre as coisas mais simples — é algo intrinsecamente humano.
English
The story has a solid plot, with moments of depth and drama, yet it’s light enough to make the reading experience feel relaxing and enjoyable. I spent a few very pleasant hours immersed in its pages.
When I read the first book, I had a fairly clear idea of where How the Wallflower Was Won might be headed. And indeed, the plot followed the direction I had anticipated. However, even though things unfolded as expected, I didn’t connect with it as much as I thought I would. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high… But then again, setting expectations — even for the simplest things — is part of what makes us human.
Esta história apresenta um enredo sólido, com momentos de profundidade e drama, mas equilibrados por uma leveza que tornou a leitura especialmente agradável. Foram horas bem passadas, com aquela sensação reconfortante de estar imersa num universo que entretém sem exigir demasiado.
Durante a leitura do primeiro livro, formei uma ideia bastante clara sobre o rumo que este segundo — How the Wallflower Was Won — poderia tomar. E, de facto, o enredo seguiu a direção que eu antecipava. No entanto, apesar de tudo se ter desenrolado como esperava, não me envolvi tanto quanto imaginei. Talvez as minhas expetativas estivessem demasiado elevadas... Mas, no fundo, criar expetativas — mesmo sobre as coisas mais simples — é algo intrinsecamente humano.
English
The story has a solid plot, with moments of depth and drama, yet it’s light enough to make the reading experience feel relaxing and enjoyable. I spent a few very pleasant hours immersed in its pages.
When I read the first book, I had a fairly clear idea of where How the Wallflower Was Won might be headed. And indeed, the plot followed the direction I had anticipated. However, even though things unfolded as expected, I didn’t connect with it as much as I thought I would. Perhaps my expectations were simply too high… But then again, setting expectations — even for the simplest things — is part of what makes us human.
October 6, 2022
3.5 stars
How the Wallflower was Won is a steamy and entertaining marriage of convenience historical romance. It's book 2 in the series, but can be read as a standalone. It will be more fulfilling though if read in order, since characters from the previous book appear throughout.
Things to look forward to:
- The tropes: marriage of convenience, sexual lessons/instruction, opposites attract, let me set you up with my friend/someone else, and slow burn.
- The spice! The scenes between Finn and Tabitha were so hot! I was definitely fanning myself while reading. Finn's dirty talk was A+ and I loved that no surface/room was off limits! LOL
- Finn. He was so thoughtful and kindhearted. I loved all the little gestures, gifts (the libraries!), and ways that he let Tabitha know he cared. His history and the shame he felt because of it, broke my heart and I wanted to give him a hug so many times throughout the novel. To top it all off, not only is he a complete sweetheart, but he's insatiable in the bedroom! Tabitha is a very, very lucky woman ;)
- Wonderful cast of secondary characters! I loved the diversity and loyalty of the Benezra library crew and even the villains in the Sterling Society played their roles so well.
- Lots of updates and scenes with Kieran, Celeste, and Dom. I loved catching up with the happy couple and seeing Dom so obviously miserable has me so excited for him and Willa's second chance romance!
Things to note:
- The third act break up was a tough one. It felt very forced and really made me dislike Tabitha. She punished Finn for something he really had no idea about and lashed out in a way that she knew would wound him. It annoyed me how stubborn she was and that Finn was the one profusely apologizing and trying to make amends. I liked that she made her big declaration after the symposium, but I needed soooooooooooooooo much more grovel from her. I felt like Finn deserved better.
- Some readers may not enjoy that a good part of the novel involves Finn trying to set Dom up with Tabitha. I didn't have any issues with it, since it's clear that Finn and Tabitha are actually the ones growing closer.
- The pacing. I was really loving the novel up until about the 85% mark. The build up, the steam, the heart to hearts between Finn and Tabitha were all working for me, but like I mentioned above, the third act break up felt very forced and rushed. I would have preferred more page time be devoted to them reconciling and not the symposium (though Finn's grand gesture was wonderful).
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed the narration by Zara Hampton-Brown. She was wonderful as Tabitha and the other female characters, but her male voices were a little too high pitched and awkward sounding at times.
CW: learning disability, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive parent and tutor, bullying, sexism
*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*
How the Wallflower was Won is a steamy and entertaining marriage of convenience historical romance. It's book 2 in the series, but can be read as a standalone. It will be more fulfilling though if read in order, since characters from the previous book appear throughout.
Things to look forward to:
- The tropes: marriage of convenience, sexual lessons/instruction, opposites attract, let me set you up with my friend/someone else, and slow burn.
- The spice! The scenes between Finn and Tabitha were so hot! I was definitely fanning myself while reading. Finn's dirty talk was A+ and I loved that no surface/room was off limits! LOL
- Finn. He was so thoughtful and kindhearted. I loved all the little gestures, gifts (the libraries!), and ways that he let Tabitha know he cared. His history and the shame he felt because of it, broke my heart and I wanted to give him a hug so many times throughout the novel. To top it all off, not only is he a complete sweetheart, but he's insatiable in the bedroom! Tabitha is a very, very lucky woman ;)
- Wonderful cast of secondary characters! I loved the diversity and loyalty of the Benezra library crew and even the villains in the Sterling Society played their roles so well.
- Lots of updates and scenes with Kieran, Celeste, and Dom. I loved catching up with the happy couple and seeing Dom so obviously miserable has me so excited for him and Willa's second chance romance!
Things to note:
- The third act break up was a tough one. It felt very forced and really made me dislike Tabitha. She punished Finn for something he really had no idea about and lashed out in a way that she knew would wound him. It annoyed me how stubborn she was and that Finn was the one profusely apologizing and trying to make amends. I liked that she made her big declaration after the symposium, but I needed soooooooooooooooo much more grovel from her. I felt like Finn deserved better.
- Some readers may not enjoy that a good part of the novel involves Finn trying to set Dom up with Tabitha. I didn't have any issues with it, since it's clear that Finn and Tabitha are actually the ones growing closer.
- The pacing. I was really loving the novel up until about the 85% mark. The build up, the steam, the heart to hearts between Finn and Tabitha were all working for me, but like I mentioned above, the third act break up felt very forced and rushed. I would have preferred more page time be devoted to them reconciling and not the symposium (though Finn's grand gesture was wonderful).
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4 stars
Story 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed the narration by Zara Hampton-Brown. She was wonderful as Tabitha and the other female characters, but her male voices were a little too high pitched and awkward sounding at times.
CW: learning disability, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive parent and tutor, bullying, sexism
*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance review copy of this book*
July 2, 2022
This is an engaging historical romance with great characters, strong and relatable messages, and a steamy love story. Finn and Tabitha have a great opposites-attract romance. Finn is a gambler and a rogue who thinks the intelligent Beatrice would never fall for a man like him. However, he needs to marry soon, and Beatrice is the only woman who has caught his eye. Tabitha is very proper and cool, and she is more comfortable among books than at a social gathering. Tabitha wants to join an influential intellectual society to encourage change and ensure that all people have a voice. However, in order to join the all-male society, she must marry. Theirs is a perfect arrangement, and they are both determined to maintain a businesslike relationship when married. However, they fail miserably.
I enjoyed this story and thought Tabitha and Finn had a swoon-worthy romance. I love how supportive they are of each other, boosting each other and showing each other how important and worthy they are. Though they are opposite in many ways and don’t know much about each other’s interests, they both try to learn from and support each other in their endeavors. And they’re so proud of each other! They brag about and defend each other and prove that their feelings are deep and real. Finn continually goes out of his way to please Tabitha and make her happy, and he is so thoughtful and romantic in his gifts and actions. I don’t think he even realizes how thoughtful he is, which makes him even more swoon-worthy! Tabitha, in turn, does the same for Finn, and she shows him he is so much more than he gives himself credit for. I love this, especially considering how hard Finn is on himself and how degrading others have been to him in the past. Tabitha and Finn see each other as no one else does, and it makes for a wonderful romance.
The chemistry between Tabitha and Finn positively sizzles, and their sexy time is steamy! Though they are generally proper in public, especially Tabitha, their private talk is dirty, and the freedom and ease with each other in the bedroom contrasts greatly with how they present themselves outside of the bedroom. Both are totally undone by the other, which makes for some spicy scenes.
Something else I found interesting in the story is how relatable some of the messages are. As I was reading, I noted that some political and social issues the characters talk about and experience aren’t much different from the situations we face today. It’s interesting and exasperating that we are still fighting the same fights today that people fought long ago while a small elite group of men tries to assert control over everything and everyone.
I’m enjoying this series and am excited to read the third book. I think it’s going to focus on Willa and Dom, whose broken engagement was the catalyst for the ultimatum given to the three men. It will be interesting to see how Willa and Dom handle seeing each other again, and I have a feeling their second-chance romance is going to be epic. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
I enjoyed this story and thought Tabitha and Finn had a swoon-worthy romance. I love how supportive they are of each other, boosting each other and showing each other how important and worthy they are. Though they are opposite in many ways and don’t know much about each other’s interests, they both try to learn from and support each other in their endeavors. And they’re so proud of each other! They brag about and defend each other and prove that their feelings are deep and real. Finn continually goes out of his way to please Tabitha and make her happy, and he is so thoughtful and romantic in his gifts and actions. I don’t think he even realizes how thoughtful he is, which makes him even more swoon-worthy! Tabitha, in turn, does the same for Finn, and she shows him he is so much more than he gives himself credit for. I love this, especially considering how hard Finn is on himself and how degrading others have been to him in the past. Tabitha and Finn see each other as no one else does, and it makes for a wonderful romance.
The chemistry between Tabitha and Finn positively sizzles, and their sexy time is steamy! Though they are generally proper in public, especially Tabitha, their private talk is dirty, and the freedom and ease with each other in the bedroom contrasts greatly with how they present themselves outside of the bedroom. Both are totally undone by the other, which makes for some spicy scenes.
Something else I found interesting in the story is how relatable some of the messages are. As I was reading, I noted that some political and social issues the characters talk about and experience aren’t much different from the situations we face today. It’s interesting and exasperating that we are still fighting the same fights today that people fought long ago while a small elite group of men tries to assert control over everything and everyone.
I’m enjoying this series and am excited to read the third book. I think it’s going to focus on Willa and Dom, whose broken engagement was the catalyst for the ultimatum given to the three men. It will be interesting to see how Willa and Dom handle seeing each other again, and I have a feeling their second-chance romance is going to be epic. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
October 4, 2022
He’s a gambler scared he’ll lose his heart if he lays all his cards on the table. He likes risks he can calculate, and the brilliant woman who captures his attention is the most reckless choice of all because she’ll be able to see what he strives to hide from most of the world.
She’s determined to make a place for herself in a world determined to keep women in silent corners. He’s the last man she’d expect to help her accomplish that.
They should be opposites, but they recognize they are the missing piece of each other’s soul.
I absolutely adored the second book in the Last Chance Scoundrels series by Eva Leigh. It’s tender, steamy, provocative and thought provoking.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
She’s determined to make a place for herself in a world determined to keep women in silent corners. He’s the last man she’d expect to help her accomplish that.
They should be opposites, but they recognize they are the missing piece of each other’s soul.
I absolutely adored the second book in the Last Chance Scoundrels series by Eva Leigh. It’s tender, steamy, provocative and thought provoking.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 5, 2023
3 ⭐
La historia es bonita con unos protagonistas que se salen de lo usual ya que ella es una verdadera erudita y él un jugador profesional (pese a que es el segundo hijo de un conde)
Los personajes me han resultado interesantes, aunque creo que con el tema de él falta profundidad y la autora lo termina aparcando para empoderar la ansia de ella por el saber y el protagonismo del feminismo
Es el cliché de matrimonio de conveniencia pactado por ellos mismo por beneficios mutuos, y el gran problema es que, como en lo que estoy leyendo últimamente, todo se basa demasiado en el sexo. Es mi gran problema. Casi la única forma de comunicarse es esa, en la cama, prácticamente no hablan ni interactúan fuera de ella. Sí que es cierto que la autora tiene tres o cuatro detalles preciosos, pero fuera de eso, poco
La historia es bonita con unos protagonistas que se salen de lo usual ya que ella es una verdadera erudita y él un jugador profesional (pese a que es el segundo hijo de un conde)
Los personajes me han resultado interesantes, aunque creo que con el tema de él falta profundidad y la autora lo termina aparcando para empoderar la ansia de ella por el saber y el protagonismo del feminismo
Es el cliché de matrimonio de conveniencia pactado por ellos mismo por beneficios mutuos, y el gran problema es que, como en lo que estoy leyendo últimamente, todo se basa demasiado en el sexo. Es mi gran problema. Casi la única forma de comunicarse es esa, en la cama, prácticamente no hablan ni interactúan fuera de ella. Sí que es cierto que la autora tiene tres o cuatro detalles preciosos, pero fuera de eso, poco
January 28, 2023
This is the second book in this series and I adored the first book. I was really looking forward to reading this one, but unfortunately, it didn't quite click with me as much.
Finn and Tabatha's marriage of convenience story had a good beginning however, the complications felt contrived and like something that could have been cleared up if they would have just talked to each other.
They were both very likable characters and I enjoyed the steamier bits.
I'm still extremely excited for the next book in the series. Dom and Willa truly deserve their happily ever after.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Finn and Tabatha's marriage of convenience story had a good beginning however, the complications felt contrived and like something that could have been cleared up if they would have just talked to each other.
They were both very likable characters and I enjoyed the steamier bits.
I'm still extremely excited for the next book in the series. Dom and Willa truly deserve their happily ever after.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
May 21, 2023
This is really great trilogy and book #2 didn't disappoint. I found myself liking Tabitha and Finn much more than Kieran and Celeste (book #1).
The characters were really interesting. I thought it was great how Finn always knew what would make her happy. I loved how she knew right away that he had a problem with reading but never let him feel bad about it.
Of course, both book #1 and #2 are just stepping stones on the way to find out about Willa and Dom. And I can't wait to read book #3. But Finn and Tabitha will be a hard couple to beat!
The characters were really interesting. I thought it was great how Finn always knew what would make her happy. I loved how she knew right away that he had a problem with reading but never let him feel bad about it.
Of course, both book #1 and #2 are just stepping stones on the way to find out about Willa and Dom. And I can't wait to read book #3. But Finn and Tabitha will be a hard couple to beat!
July 18, 2024
I'll start with the things I loved about this book: Finn. Finn was the perfect hero. He was kind, naughty, devoted and there was way more to him to meets the eye. Finn needs a wife because his awful father won't give him his allowance or something until he does (By the way, I haven't read the first book in the series lol) I thought Tabitha was a great heroine up until the third act break up. She's a bookworm and a wallflower (which I loved) and she needs a husband so she can be accepted to a very white and male group of academics called The Sterling Society. Finn and Tabitha are adorable together, they have banter, the love scenes are SIZZLING-Eva Leigh always delivers on that front-and they encourage each other to follow their dreams. So, given all this you would think this would be a 5-star read right? JUST WAIT UNTIL WE GET TO ONE OF THE DUMBEST THIRD ACT BREAK UP THAT I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED.
*Cracks knuckles* Now it's time to rant: So, here's some background information: Finn has trouble reading. In our times, we would probably say that he has Dyslexia but of course they didn't use those terms back then so since Finn has been a child, his parents, his tutors, have described him using words like "imbecile" or "good for nothing." It's absolutely heartbreaking to see Finn grapple with his self-worth because for most of his life, he's internalized all of the awful things people have said about him.
Now Tabitha....I really don't want to negate her experience because-as we've seen with Finn-words can do insurmountable damage, but I need to drag Ms. Tabitha for a minute. So, eight years ago some guy (his name is Charles, but I will refer to him as "some guy") was a jerk to Tabitha. She confesses her love to him and he tells her that she's too emotional, so because of this Tabitha is like "love is cancelled." Yep. ONE JERK, EIGHT YEARS AGO TELLS HER THAT SHE'S TOO EMOTIONAL AND THIS WOMAN DECIDES THAT SHE WILL NEVER FEEL OR LOVE AGAIN I'M SORRY THAT IS....JUST WOW. So, on one hand you have Finn who's had people repeatedly tell him that he's not worth anything and on the other hand you have Tabitha who's had one jerk say that she was "too emotional", so she decides that romance is dead.....ok.
So we get to the DUMB third act break up that happens 85% of the way in the book. By the way, if you're not going to do the breakup by 70-75% of the way in the book then just don't do it! Just my two cents. Anyway, the Sterling Society puts out an ad in The Times insulting Tabitha's new academic society called The Platinum Collective (it's more inclusive and of the course the old straight white men are upset. Tale as old as time). Long story short, Tabitha gets upset, Finn suggests that she calms down-not in a patronizing way but in a let's take a breather and come up with our next step way-and TABITHA FLIPS OUT FOR NO DAMN REASON. Mind you, Finn has no idea that some jerk told her to calm down 8 years ago and that's why she no longer trusts herself to love anyone (I'm not exaggerating like this woman doesn't even trust herself to sleep in the same bed with him after they have sex I-). So, she says something INCREDIBLY hurtful to him! So, we have Finn who ACCIDENTLY hurts Tabitha's feelings and then we have Tabitha who INTENTIONALLY hurts Finn's feelings! THEN SHE JUST RUNS OUT OF THE HOUSE! She doesn't lock herself in the library (which would've made more sense) THIS GROWN WOMAN JUST RUNS OUT OF THE HOUSE AND HE HAS TO CHASE AFTER HER. And it's FINN who's the one who moves out, it's FINN who grovels! It's so ridiculous that I had to take a break and stop reading for a minute. Finn is not a mind reader; he did not know exactly how dude hurt you eight years ago but Finn JUST opened up to you about something that's shaped who he is as a person, and you throw it back in his face! Thanks, I hate it. As a feminist, I believe in equality and Tabitha should've been the one groveling. Finn didn't do anything wrong. The End.
Now I need to reread The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan. If you were frustrated by this book, I encourage everyone to just...read that book. It has an academic heroine who keeps people at arm's length (FOR LEGITIMATE REASONS) and a charming cinnamon roll hero who's deeper than he appears. You're welcome.
Update 7/18/24: I just remembered how infuriating this book’s third act was and got mad all over again 😭😂
*Cracks knuckles* Now it's time to rant: So, here's some background information: Finn has trouble reading. In our times, we would probably say that he has Dyslexia but of course they didn't use those terms back then so since Finn has been a child, his parents, his tutors, have described him using words like "imbecile" or "good for nothing." It's absolutely heartbreaking to see Finn grapple with his self-worth because for most of his life, he's internalized all of the awful things people have said about him.
Now Tabitha....I really don't want to negate her experience because-as we've seen with Finn-words can do insurmountable damage, but I need to drag Ms. Tabitha for a minute. So, eight years ago some guy (his name is Charles, but I will refer to him as "some guy") was a jerk to Tabitha. She confesses her love to him and he tells her that she's too emotional, so because of this Tabitha is like "love is cancelled." Yep. ONE JERK, EIGHT YEARS AGO TELLS HER THAT SHE'S TOO EMOTIONAL AND THIS WOMAN DECIDES THAT SHE WILL NEVER FEEL OR LOVE AGAIN I'M SORRY THAT IS....JUST WOW. So, on one hand you have Finn who's had people repeatedly tell him that he's not worth anything and on the other hand you have Tabitha who's had one jerk say that she was "too emotional", so she decides that romance is dead.....ok.
So we get to the DUMB third act break up that happens 85% of the way in the book. By the way, if you're not going to do the breakup by 70-75% of the way in the book then just don't do it! Just my two cents. Anyway, the Sterling Society puts out an ad in The Times insulting Tabitha's new academic society called The Platinum Collective (it's more inclusive and of the course the old straight white men are upset. Tale as old as time). Long story short, Tabitha gets upset, Finn suggests that she calms down-not in a patronizing way but in a let's take a breather and come up with our next step way-and TABITHA FLIPS OUT FOR NO DAMN REASON. Mind you, Finn has no idea that some jerk told her to calm down 8 years ago and that's why she no longer trusts herself to love anyone (I'm not exaggerating like this woman doesn't even trust herself to sleep in the same bed with him after they have sex I-). So, she says something INCREDIBLY hurtful to him! So, we have Finn who ACCIDENTLY hurts Tabitha's feelings and then we have Tabitha who INTENTIONALLY hurts Finn's feelings! THEN SHE JUST RUNS OUT OF THE HOUSE! She doesn't lock herself in the library (which would've made more sense) THIS GROWN WOMAN JUST RUNS OUT OF THE HOUSE AND HE HAS TO CHASE AFTER HER. And it's FINN who's the one who moves out, it's FINN who grovels! It's so ridiculous that I had to take a break and stop reading for a minute. Finn is not a mind reader; he did not know exactly how dude hurt you eight years ago but Finn JUST opened up to you about something that's shaped who he is as a person, and you throw it back in his face! Thanks, I hate it. As a feminist, I believe in equality and Tabitha should've been the one groveling. Finn didn't do anything wrong. The End.
Now I need to reread The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan. If you were frustrated by this book, I encourage everyone to just...read that book. It has an academic heroine who keeps people at arm's length (FOR LEGITIMATE REASONS) and a charming cinnamon roll hero who's deeper than he appears. You're welcome.
Update 7/18/24: I just remembered how infuriating this book’s third act was and got mad all over again 😭😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2022
Three Rogues + One Ultimatum = certain misery Love 💕 The road to love is a slightly bumpy ride, so hang on!
How the Wallflower Was Won is book two in Eva Leigh’s “Last Chance Scoundrels” series. The MCs in this story are Finn Ransome and Tabitha Seaton and they are perfect for each other! This story also has characters from book one, The Good Girls Guide to Rakes , including Kieran Ransome (Finn’s brother), Celeste Kilburn (Dom’s sister and Kieran’s lady love), and Dom Kilburn (Scoundrel number three). The story picks up after the events in book one and I believe the series will be best enjoyed by reading all the books in order, otherwise a lot of background will be missed and may be confusing.
The story of Finn and Tabitha is an emotional tale, featuring the opposites attract trope combined with the marriage of convenience trope, and the story will utterly captivate you. I seriously didn’t want the book to end! The chemistry between the MCs is off the charts and Eva Leigh almost sets the pages on fire with the passionate and sexy encounters she creates. 🔥❤️🔥🔥
Whilst Finn and Tabitha are burning up the sheets and we know there is a definite attraction between them, will they ever take a gamble on opening their hearts to each other?
The author also does a great job highlighting the plight of women during the 1800’s including how women were thought to be incapable of making decisions and were rarely even asked for their opinions on matters that would directly impact their life. There is a certain society of “deep thinking men” featured in this story that made the feminist in me sit up and scowl. 🥴🤔
This book is one you don’t want to miss because Finn Ransome is going to win your heart just as easily as he wins every wager he makes.
“When it came to strategy and cunning, he was always successful, far more so than matters of the heart.” Everyone has a character that simply resonates with them … or a character that you will never forget. Finn Ransome is one of those characters for me. 😍
This is one of my favorite scenes
“Refresh yourself, for the night isn’t over.” “You want more? After . . . after . . .” She glanced at the table, and its ruined landscape of scattered dishes and cutlery. “Apparently, when it comes to you,” he said, his regard hot over the rim of his glass, “my appetite has no limits.”
“I thought you weren’t a voluptuary,” she murmured. “I wasn’t.” He shook his head at himself, as if hardly believing it. “Evidently, you become one upon meeting the right person.”
“Isn’t the adage, ‘Reformed rakes make the best husbands’?”
“In our case, the best husbands become rakes.”
Despite her many climaxes, excitement shimmered within her. She took a long swallow of wine but it did nothing to cool the fire that blazed from the wicked promise in her husband’s eyes. How was it possible that she, Tabitha Seaton, could turn any man into a libertine, especially this man, who kept himself so tightly leashed? They opened something within each other, something she’d never realized existed in herself. He helped her to see more and more of who she was, and who she could be.
Once they had both drained their glasses, he set them aside and helped her off the table. He threaded his fingers with hers. “I can carry you upstairs,” he offered roguishly.
“That will scandalize the servants.” His smile was wolfish.
“Sweet, if they’re scandalized by that, after the way we shook the walls with our fucking, then they’ll be better suited to someone else’s household. Besides,” he added at her stunned, aroused gasp, “they had best brace themselves. You and I have only just begun.”
Don’t wait any longer before you check out this 5 star series! This book will definitely be in my top books of 2022 📚 Now I can’t wait for Dom’s story!
I feel the need to point out there are some very harsh things said to a character regarding his difficulties with reading and formal education. Keep that in mind when reading the story.
Review Copy of How the Wallflower Was Won provided by HarperCollins Publishers for an honest Review.
How the Wallflower Was Won is book two in Eva Leigh’s “Last Chance Scoundrels” series. The MCs in this story are Finn Ransome and Tabitha Seaton and they are perfect for each other! This story also has characters from book one, The Good Girls Guide to Rakes , including Kieran Ransome (Finn’s brother), Celeste Kilburn (Dom’s sister and Kieran’s lady love), and Dom Kilburn (Scoundrel number three). The story picks up after the events in book one and I believe the series will be best enjoyed by reading all the books in order, otherwise a lot of background will be missed and may be confusing.
The story of Finn and Tabitha is an emotional tale, featuring the opposites attract trope combined with the marriage of convenience trope, and the story will utterly captivate you. I seriously didn’t want the book to end! The chemistry between the MCs is off the charts and Eva Leigh almost sets the pages on fire with the passionate and sexy encounters she creates. 🔥❤️🔥🔥
Whilst Finn and Tabitha are burning up the sheets and we know there is a definite attraction between them, will they ever take a gamble on opening their hearts to each other?
The author also does a great job highlighting the plight of women during the 1800’s including how women were thought to be incapable of making decisions and were rarely even asked for their opinions on matters that would directly impact their life. There is a certain society of “deep thinking men” featured in this story that made the feminist in me sit up and scowl. 🥴🤔
This book is one you don’t want to miss because Finn Ransome is going to win your heart just as easily as he wins every wager he makes.
“When it came to strategy and cunning, he was always successful, far more so than matters of the heart.” Everyone has a character that simply resonates with them … or a character that you will never forget. Finn Ransome is one of those characters for me. 😍
This is one of my favorite scenes
“Refresh yourself, for the night isn’t over.” “You want more? After . . . after . . .” She glanced at the table, and its ruined landscape of scattered dishes and cutlery. “Apparently, when it comes to you,” he said, his regard hot over the rim of his glass, “my appetite has no limits.”
“I thought you weren’t a voluptuary,” she murmured. “I wasn’t.” He shook his head at himself, as if hardly believing it. “Evidently, you become one upon meeting the right person.”
“Isn’t the adage, ‘Reformed rakes make the best husbands’?”
“In our case, the best husbands become rakes.”
Despite her many climaxes, excitement shimmered within her. She took a long swallow of wine but it did nothing to cool the fire that blazed from the wicked promise in her husband’s eyes. How was it possible that she, Tabitha Seaton, could turn any man into a libertine, especially this man, who kept himself so tightly leashed? They opened something within each other, something she’d never realized existed in herself. He helped her to see more and more of who she was, and who she could be.
Once they had both drained their glasses, he set them aside and helped her off the table. He threaded his fingers with hers. “I can carry you upstairs,” he offered roguishly.
“That will scandalize the servants.” His smile was wolfish.
“Sweet, if they’re scandalized by that, after the way we shook the walls with our fucking, then they’ll be better suited to someone else’s household. Besides,” he added at her stunned, aroused gasp, “they had best brace themselves. You and I have only just begun.”
Don’t wait any longer before you check out this 5 star series! This book will definitely be in my top books of 2022 📚 Now I can’t wait for Dom’s story!
I feel the need to point out there are some very harsh things said to a character regarding his difficulties with reading and formal education. Keep that in mind when reading the story.
Review Copy of How the Wallflower Was Won provided by HarperCollins Publishers for an honest Review.
July 23, 2023
I got to chapter 5 after trying twice to pick it up and read it (Since September)! I don't know what it is - is it too modern for me? I felt like it was childish in certain parts. This is a first for me by this author, i dont like the writing style or the characters. Dnf.
I got this via Netgalley for exchange of my honest review.
I got this via Netgalley for exchange of my honest review.
September 26, 2022
Review originally posted on Overflowing Shelf
CW: Sexism; ableism; misogyny
Oh boy – I struggled with this book. I had such high hopes for this as I adored Finn, but Tabitha ruined the whole thing for me in the end. I’m still angry at how this story played out. If I could, I would rate the beginning of this story 3 stars, but I’d give the ending zero stars.
Expert gambler Finn Ransome needs to marry within a year or risk him and his friends being cut off by his parents. Wallflower Tabitha Seaton must marry to gain entry to the Sterling Society, a scholarly society with considerable sway in politics and society. Finn never thinks a bluestocking would go for someone like him, but when proposing a marriage of convenience, she agrees but says she will not allow emotions to develop. As opposites attract, their marriage progresses from one of convenience to a true partnership, one where love begins to grow until some petty drama ensues that pushes them apart, forcing Finn to win back Tabitha.
I have not had such a strong emotional reaction to the end of a book in a while. And it’s all thanks to one person – Tabitha. I hate to hate on ladies, but Tabitha enraged me at the end of the book. The third-act conflict in Finn and Tabitha’s relationship is her fault, yet she expects Finn to apologize and grovel when she treated him like trash? Girl, bye. Seriously, she explodes on Finn for a small thing he said, something that he didn’t know would be a trigger for her as she never told him! And what she said to him in response was incredibly cruel and made him feel worthless as she hit on his biggest insecurity which she knew about! To top it all off, he has to be the one to apologize as she feels slighted when he really didn’t do anything wrong. She was needlessly cruel and barely apologized while this man moved out, bent over backward to do everything to make her happy, and continued to say he was sorry multiple times in his declaration of love. The more Tabitha acted hurt, the angrier I got, as Finn had no way of knowing what he did wrong or why. This seriously ruined the whole book for me, as she should have at least seen and acknowledged that she was in the wrong too.
Even before the ending, Tabitha and I did not vibe together well. I know she’s supposed to be this character that’s fighting the status quo and patriarchy, but she just came off as dull and annoying. She’s supposed to be this intellectual, but she is so dumb in some ways. Did she really believe that the Sterling Society would let her in if she married? Also, the reason she claims she doesn’t do love and emotions was so juvenile – her heart was broken by an unrequited crush who said some not-nice things when she confessed her feelings. One thing I did like about Tabitha was how she uplifted Finn and made him feel worthy, but she ruined that in the end.
Meanwhile, Finn is a precious angel who deserves so much better than Tabitha. I adored Finn and liked him much more than his brother Kieran from The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes . This man has been belittled his entire life by his parents for his learning disability. He was made to think he was stupid, that his ideas didn’t have value, and that he wasn’t worthy of ambition because he’s not classically smart. However, he’s incredibly talented in other ways. He carries a lot of hurt with him that he doesn’t let most people see – his biggest insecurities are tied to his intellect. This man also falls head over heels in love with Tabitha so fast. He would do anything for her, yet his fear that she’ll find him stupid keeps him from expressing his real emotions. Watching everything he does to apologize (even though he doesn’t need to) shows his kind and caring personality.
While this book had a lot of sex, it didn’t have a lot of romance. It’s a marriage of convenience story, which can be hit or miss for me. This one had potential but fell short. I ended up lukewarm on the romance. It felt very one-sided as Tabitha was too busy with her scholarly society and her old hurts to both try to let Finn in. It felt like Finn was the one pushing the whole romantic relationship forward, showing that he cared in so many ways, yet it wasn’t fully reciprocated. Sure, some of the sex scenes were hot, but I would have liked more emotional development between our main couple.
Finally, I have to close out by talking about the plot. I honestly did not know where this story was going, and not in a good way. I was bored a lot of the time while reading this. This book focused so much on scholarly societies and forming a scholarly society, and I honestly just didn’t care. The last 30% of the book was so in the weeds on the drama of the dueling scholarly societies, and it was tedious. I admire what Leigh was trying to do with the plot, but it didn’t work for me.
Honestly, the Last Chance Scoundrels series has been a struggle for me so far. I liked book one well enough, but it didn’t feel particularly memorable, and this one just didn’t work for me in the end. I likely will read book three as I feel like Dom and Willa’s book will be angsty, which I love, but I will be going in with tempered expectations.
Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
CW: Sexism; ableism; misogyny
Oh boy – I struggled with this book. I had such high hopes for this as I adored Finn, but Tabitha ruined the whole thing for me in the end. I’m still angry at how this story played out. If I could, I would rate the beginning of this story 3 stars, but I’d give the ending zero stars.
Expert gambler Finn Ransome needs to marry within a year or risk him and his friends being cut off by his parents. Wallflower Tabitha Seaton must marry to gain entry to the Sterling Society, a scholarly society with considerable sway in politics and society. Finn never thinks a bluestocking would go for someone like him, but when proposing a marriage of convenience, she agrees but says she will not allow emotions to develop. As opposites attract, their marriage progresses from one of convenience to a true partnership, one where love begins to grow until some petty drama ensues that pushes them apart, forcing Finn to win back Tabitha.
I have not had such a strong emotional reaction to the end of a book in a while. And it’s all thanks to one person – Tabitha. I hate to hate on ladies, but Tabitha enraged me at the end of the book. The third-act conflict in Finn and Tabitha’s relationship is her fault, yet she expects Finn to apologize and grovel when she treated him like trash? Girl, bye. Seriously, she explodes on Finn for a small thing he said, something that he didn’t know would be a trigger for her as she never told him! And what she said to him in response was incredibly cruel and made him feel worthless as she hit on his biggest insecurity which she knew about! To top it all off, he has to be the one to apologize as she feels slighted when he really didn’t do anything wrong. She was needlessly cruel and barely apologized while this man moved out, bent over backward to do everything to make her happy, and continued to say he was sorry multiple times in his declaration of love. The more Tabitha acted hurt, the angrier I got, as Finn had no way of knowing what he did wrong or why. This seriously ruined the whole book for me, as she should have at least seen and acknowledged that she was in the wrong too.
Even before the ending, Tabitha and I did not vibe together well. I know she’s supposed to be this character that’s fighting the status quo and patriarchy, but she just came off as dull and annoying. She’s supposed to be this intellectual, but she is so dumb in some ways. Did she really believe that the Sterling Society would let her in if she married? Also, the reason she claims she doesn’t do love and emotions was so juvenile – her heart was broken by an unrequited crush who said some not-nice things when she confessed her feelings. One thing I did like about Tabitha was how she uplifted Finn and made him feel worthy, but she ruined that in the end.
Meanwhile, Finn is a precious angel who deserves so much better than Tabitha. I adored Finn and liked him much more than his brother Kieran from The Good Girl's Guide to Rakes . This man has been belittled his entire life by his parents for his learning disability. He was made to think he was stupid, that his ideas didn’t have value, and that he wasn’t worthy of ambition because he’s not classically smart. However, he’s incredibly talented in other ways. He carries a lot of hurt with him that he doesn’t let most people see – his biggest insecurities are tied to his intellect. This man also falls head over heels in love with Tabitha so fast. He would do anything for her, yet his fear that she’ll find him stupid keeps him from expressing his real emotions. Watching everything he does to apologize (even though he doesn’t need to) shows his kind and caring personality.
While this book had a lot of sex, it didn’t have a lot of romance. It’s a marriage of convenience story, which can be hit or miss for me. This one had potential but fell short. I ended up lukewarm on the romance. It felt very one-sided as Tabitha was too busy with her scholarly society and her old hurts to both try to let Finn in. It felt like Finn was the one pushing the whole romantic relationship forward, showing that he cared in so many ways, yet it wasn’t fully reciprocated. Sure, some of the sex scenes were hot, but I would have liked more emotional development between our main couple.
Finally, I have to close out by talking about the plot. I honestly did not know where this story was going, and not in a good way. I was bored a lot of the time while reading this. This book focused so much on scholarly societies and forming a scholarly society, and I honestly just didn’t care. The last 30% of the book was so in the weeds on the drama of the dueling scholarly societies, and it was tedious. I admire what Leigh was trying to do with the plot, but it didn’t work for me.
Honestly, the Last Chance Scoundrels series has been a struggle for me so far. I liked book one well enough, but it didn’t feel particularly memorable, and this one just didn’t work for me in the end. I likely will read book three as I feel like Dom and Willa’s book will be angsty, which I love, but I will be going in with tempered expectations.
Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
November 13, 2022
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Finn Ransome knows that he has to get married to keep his inheritance, but with his brother about to be married, he turns his attention on his friend, Dom, who is still devastated from leaving his betrothed at the altar. He wants to match make Dom with Miss Tabitha Seaton, a blue stocking, but when Dom wants no part of it, Tabitha and Finn come to a mutually beneficial agreement that they will marry but keep love out of the equation.
I mean, Eva Leigh knows how to write passion and sex. That comes so naturally to her, but what felt unnatural about this book were these two characters and their journey to their happily ever after. There was a lot of internal dialogue about their arrangement, and how they would distance themselves from each other. I guess I am sort of getting tired of the third act I love yous, and how it happens so quickly. I would like to see it build a little more, and because of that their emotional connection was lacking for me. The physical stuff was there for sure, but I would have liked some more emotional depth, and that I see it later than the last couple of chapters.
Still a good book, but still not quite as good as the first one for me.
Finn Ransome knows that he has to get married to keep his inheritance, but with his brother about to be married, he turns his attention on his friend, Dom, who is still devastated from leaving his betrothed at the altar. He wants to match make Dom with Miss Tabitha Seaton, a blue stocking, but when Dom wants no part of it, Tabitha and Finn come to a mutually beneficial agreement that they will marry but keep love out of the equation.
I mean, Eva Leigh knows how to write passion and sex. That comes so naturally to her, but what felt unnatural about this book were these two characters and their journey to their happily ever after. There was a lot of internal dialogue about their arrangement, and how they would distance themselves from each other. I guess I am sort of getting tired of the third act I love yous, and how it happens so quickly. I would like to see it build a little more, and because of that their emotional connection was lacking for me. The physical stuff was there for sure, but I would have liked some more emotional depth, and that I see it later than the last couple of chapters.
Still a good book, but still not quite as good as the first one for me.
February 21, 2023
This book. THIS BOOK!!!!! *shakes fist*
I had been waiting for this book for months. As soon as it was out, I dropped everything else I was reading to read this. Finn really stood out to me in the first book of the series and I was so excited to read his story. Finn has what’s most probably dyslexia; that was more or less established in the last book.
I love reading stories where the men have either a disability or some other type of problem that they have to overcome and work through that isn’t just typical romance novel man angst. I think it balances out the way so many women in histrom are at a disadvantage simply because of their gender. It’s great so see a hero also have obstacles and insecurities to work through.
Let us be clear: Finn is perfect. He is sweet, considerate, he loves his friend Dom and his siblings, he falls first and he falls HARD and he wants to give Tabitha the world. This man literally has done no wrong.
And Tabitha is pretty great too for about 90% of the book. She’s got her hang-ups but she’s focused and determined and kind to Finn and always makes sure to remind him he’s not lacking anything for having a hard time reading.
And then, with about 10% of the book to go, Eva Leigh realized she resolved her central problem too quickly.
Usually a HistRom writer would throw in a quick kidnapping by some evil villain and a rescue to tie it all up but this book has no real villain, which I LOVED. The main conflict revolves around how they both initially agreed to a marriage of convenience, with no feelings and now they’re both too scared to be the first one to catch feelings. It’s a solid conflict. It could have been stretched out for the entire book.
BUT NO.
Instead, in an 11th hour twist, Finn and Tabitha get into a ridiculous contrived argument in which Tabitha is overreacting about something that is objectively dumb. Finn lovingly tells her that as soon as she’s more clear-headed, she’ll be able to see the situation more rationally. Tabitha then is randomly triggered because it reminds her of something an ex said to her once and she hurls back some insults at Finn’s intellect.
AND THEN, somehow, TABITHA is the injured party and Finn is driving himself crazy trying to make amends to her. For something he didn’t even know about in her past, that really is absolutely not a big deal.
I liked that Tabitha was a blue stocking, I like that she wanted to create inclusion for people of other genders and races and all that but the entire premise that she was triggered by a man calling her emotional or telling her to “calm down” (when she did actually need to CALM THE F DOWN) is just ridiculous. And then to actually paint her tantrum as her being in the right. That’s not what feminism is. It was a strange attempt to address that whole idea of men saying women are too emotional to be leaders in society but it was dealt with so terribly and it didn’t need to be dealt with at all in this novel but if it had, why couldn’t Tabitha have exploded on one of the pompous old men that didn’t allow her into the society she wanted to join, not on her kind husband who didn’t even know what was going on??? And then he had to grovel for her forgiveness??? No. No no no. That’s not what feminism is. If anything, it makes Tabitha look even more crazy and irrational and emotional. This book could’ve been PERFECT. It could’ve been 5 stars. But by the end I just wanted it to be over.
I had been waiting for this book for months. As soon as it was out, I dropped everything else I was reading to read this. Finn really stood out to me in the first book of the series and I was so excited to read his story. Finn has what’s most probably dyslexia; that was more or less established in the last book.
I love reading stories where the men have either a disability or some other type of problem that they have to overcome and work through that isn’t just typical romance novel man angst. I think it balances out the way so many women in histrom are at a disadvantage simply because of their gender. It’s great so see a hero also have obstacles and insecurities to work through.
Let us be clear: Finn is perfect. He is sweet, considerate, he loves his friend Dom and his siblings, he falls first and he falls HARD and he wants to give Tabitha the world. This man literally has done no wrong.
And Tabitha is pretty great too for about 90% of the book. She’s got her hang-ups but she’s focused and determined and kind to Finn and always makes sure to remind him he’s not lacking anything for having a hard time reading.
And then, with about 10% of the book to go, Eva Leigh realized she resolved her central problem too quickly.
Usually a HistRom writer would throw in a quick kidnapping by some evil villain and a rescue to tie it all up but this book has no real villain, which I LOVED. The main conflict revolves around how they both initially agreed to a marriage of convenience, with no feelings and now they’re both too scared to be the first one to catch feelings. It’s a solid conflict. It could have been stretched out for the entire book.
BUT NO.
Instead, in an 11th hour twist, Finn and Tabitha get into a ridiculous contrived argument in which Tabitha is overreacting about something that is objectively dumb. Finn lovingly tells her that as soon as she’s more clear-headed, she’ll be able to see the situation more rationally. Tabitha then is randomly triggered because it reminds her of something an ex said to her once and she hurls back some insults at Finn’s intellect.
AND THEN, somehow, TABITHA is the injured party and Finn is driving himself crazy trying to make amends to her. For something he didn’t even know about in her past, that really is absolutely not a big deal.
I liked that Tabitha was a blue stocking, I like that she wanted to create inclusion for people of other genders and races and all that but the entire premise that she was triggered by a man calling her emotional or telling her to “calm down” (when she did actually need to CALM THE F DOWN) is just ridiculous. And then to actually paint her tantrum as her being in the right. That’s not what feminism is. It was a strange attempt to address that whole idea of men saying women are too emotional to be leaders in society but it was dealt with so terribly and it didn’t need to be dealt with at all in this novel but if it had, why couldn’t Tabitha have exploded on one of the pompous old men that didn’t allow her into the society she wanted to join, not on her kind husband who didn’t even know what was going on??? And then he had to grovel for her forgiveness??? No. No no no. That’s not what feminism is. If anything, it makes Tabitha look even more crazy and irrational and emotional. This book could’ve been PERFECT. It could’ve been 5 stars. But by the end I just wanted it to be over.
July 15, 2023
I liked probably the first 70-75% of this, and then just did not care about the ending at all. It felt like both characters had very real issues in their past that weren't fully explored and instead we got a third act breakup that didn't work for me at all. A lot of time seemed to be spent setting up Dom and Willa, and the thing is: (1) at this point, I'd like to actually hear from Willa, and (2) I'm not sure Leigh can make me root for Dom and Willa the way I am supposed to be. It's a really fine line for me between when I do and don't root for the heroes in these cases of "I had to break up with you for your own good," and Leigh is walking firmly on the side of making me want to root for Willa to find happiness with someone else. It's definitely bled into the first two books in the series, given the role Finn and Kieran played in the break up. I've struggled to root for all three of them. I do think some of that is just that we were dropped into the exact moment the three of them are arranging for Dom to ditch Willa on their wedding day, so there's just nothing for me to hang onto as "well, they're all being incredibly stupid, but at least I understand why they're being so stupid." The fact that it was a leaving Willa at the altar scenario also makes them less sympathetic to me.
Also it feels like there's a lot unexplored with the Ransome parents and the oldest brother, and yet, we really get so little of it. IDK, idk. I've really liked some of the previous books/series I've read by Leigh, and this one is just simultaneously maddening and underwhelming. I liked a lot of this book in a vacuum. On the whole, though, this series isn't giving me romances that make me want to feel things and thus ignore the other issues I have with it.
Note on 7/15/23: Rating downgraded from 3 stars due to Finn's behavior in book three. When you assist your sister's fiancé in leaving her at the altar at tremendous risk to your sister's reputation, you do not then get to meddle repeatedly in their relationship, trying to force them back together: (1) without talking to them and getting their input, and (2) while you still don't know the reason said fiancé decided he couldn't marry her in the first place.
Also it feels like there's a lot unexplored with the Ransome parents and the oldest brother, and yet, we really get so little of it. IDK, idk. I've really liked some of the previous books/series I've read by Leigh, and this one is just simultaneously maddening and underwhelming. I liked a lot of this book in a vacuum. On the whole, though, this series isn't giving me romances that make me want to feel things and thus ignore the other issues I have with it.
Note on 7/15/23: Rating downgraded from 3 stars due to Finn's behavior in book three. When you assist your sister's fiancé in leaving her at the altar at tremendous risk to your sister's reputation, you do not then get to meddle repeatedly in their relationship, trying to force them back together: (1) without talking to them and getting their input, and (2) while you still don't know the reason said fiancé decided he couldn't marry her in the first place.
July 14, 2022
Tabitha Seaton is a bluestocking of epic proportions—her credentials are enough to boggle anyone’s mind. Her life goal (now that she’s 26 and a spinster) is to be the first woman to join the Sterling Society—a group of men who advise members of government on policy issues. Tabitha was told by the Society they’d consider her if she was married. It was very interesting for me to look into the library mentioned, the Benezra, and find out it does exist. While the whole plot of the book is happening, I’m stopping to look up words I’ve never heard of… Igbo, lascar. Tabitha is way past my intellectual capacity!
Finn Ransome tries to fix up Tabitha and his friend Dom into a marriage of convenience. Things go upside down and Finn considers Tabitha for his wife instead.
I liked the progression of Tabitha’s character from being a person who melts into her books 24/7 searching for acceptance to a person who realizes she doesn’t have to conform to the male societal hierarchy. She can make her own path. Finn realizes his deeper potential with Tabitha’s support. You can feel their intense connection both intellectually and physically.
I loved the book but I think some may think it a bit intense relating to all the quotes and first 20% of the book where Tabitha expounds on what she’s studied. I read the book twice to take it all in.
Finn Ransome tries to fix up Tabitha and his friend Dom into a marriage of convenience. Things go upside down and Finn considers Tabitha for his wife instead.
I liked the progression of Tabitha’s character from being a person who melts into her books 24/7 searching for acceptance to a person who realizes she doesn’t have to conform to the male societal hierarchy. She can make her own path. Finn realizes his deeper potential with Tabitha’s support. You can feel their intense connection both intellectually and physically.
I loved the book but I think some may think it a bit intense relating to all the quotes and first 20% of the book where Tabitha expounds on what she’s studied. I read the book twice to take it all in.
October 30, 2022
There were aspects of this I really liked. I liked Tabitha and her quest to be recognized for her intellect at a time when women's intellect was not only not valued, but was seen as a problem by most. I liked Finn at the start, but did not feel he was fleshed out enough and he was a hoot until he was not and instead became a bit too abject all the time. I appreciated the backstory and the exploration of how painful it was that people thought him stupid when he was not. I liked that Tabitha saw his intelligence even when others did not. But that sense of hurt and his gratitude toward Tabitha for seeing his true worth became all he was. At the beginning before he fell in love with her he was charming and funny and a bit of a bad boy, and then he fell in love and he became nothing more than a vessel to be of service to Tabitha. I liked the part where they were working together toward a common goal, but I wish it was shown as his goal too, not just his goal only because he wanted her to to reach her goal. Being a great support is amazing and it is wonderful to help the people you love reach their dreams, but working your butt off and clapping as your partner gets all the credit is no more appealing when it is the man behind the woman than the woman behind the man. Also, the tension caused by their fear of vulnerability was stretched out way too long. At some point it became irritating and ludicrous. One man said something mean to Tabitha years ago when he spurned her interest and she was forever broken and unwilling to consider romance. Come on! That is a silly weak person and it made me like the character less. Finn a least was responding to repeated messaging from a parent, that makes sense. Finally, the prose was a hair purplish. Not terrible, but I would have preferred if it were cleaned up and modernized a bit.
Overall I enjoyed this. With some editing it could have been a 4-star.
Overall I enjoyed this. With some editing it could have been a 4-star.
September 19, 2022
Finn Ransome is so skilled at gambling that he’s able to earn a comfortable living at it, but he knows himself to be unlovable and nothing but a disappointment to the people around him. As the son of an earl, he’s always been held to an impossible standard by his exacting father and now is no different as he’s been given a timetable in which he must marry. The only woman he’s really noticed is a brilliant bluestocking who he’s sure would never give him the time of day.
Tabitha Seaton had one season that was an utter failure and since then she has focused her attention on her academic studies in the hopes of joining the Sterling Society. The influential club helps guide London’s lawmakers and Tabitha has hopes of broadening their opinions. But she’s been told in no uncertain terms that an unmarried lady will never be admitted to their ranks. Tabitha needs a husband in a short amount of time and the painfully handsome gambler may be her best option.
Finn and Tabitha are total opposites, but their marriage of convenience is helpful to them both and poses no risk to their hearts. They’ve even agreed to keep feelings out of it. But after they’re married, the attraction between them grows into a fierce passion that comes as a surprise to them both. They’re both afraid to risk their hearts, but it soon becomes clear that a little risk is necessary if they want to solidify their future happiness.
I have some mixed feelings about this book. The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes went instantly onto my favorites list, so this one did have a high standard to live up to, but I really thought sweet, underestimated, overlooked Finn would be able to do it. Sadly, I don’t think that happened and it was mostly down to the heroine of this story, Tabitha. Finn is dyslexic and has always been ridiculed by his family and tutors for his difficulty with reading and Tabitha has been fairly misunderstood and mostly ignored because her family doesn’t really understand her bookish tendencies. I can totally relate to that, and I was so looking forward to seeing her and Finn be that person who understood each other, and while we sort of got that, it wasn’t quite in the way I was hoping. Tabitha spent most of the book being afraid and pushing Finn away to protect her own heart, all the while just reinforcing all the negative beliefs he had about himself by doing so. When they were together during other times, she did give him some positive affirmation, but then she went and basically undid it by leaving him to sleep alone after sex, so I felt like that more or less negated all the good she did during the day and left him just as insecure as ever.
My first impression of Tabitha was that she was very rigid in her intellectuality, to the point that she almost seemed flat as a character, as if her intelligence were her only defining characteristic and she were just a walking brain without feelings. In this respect, she felt a bit overdrawn, though I think she was meant to be charmingly awkward and socially unaware. Since I’m very much like this myself, I definitely expected this to resonate with me, but I just don’t think it hit me the way it was intended to. Tabitha’s residual trauma from her first love, while no doubt hurtful, did seem exaggerated in her reaction to it. Especially given the habitual emotional, verbal, and even physical abuse Finn endured for pretty much his whole life, her reason for keeping her heart so protected seemed pretty feeble compared to Finn’s own well-founded and much reinforced fears and low self-esteem.
Tabitha can’t bear to admit when she doesn’t know something and that makes her and Finn seem like quite the mismatch, which is the intent, I’m sure, but he’s so humble and has such damaged self-esteem that she just seems incredibly arrogant when juxtaposed with him. I was hopeful for this heroine because she’s so educated and intelligent, yet she was just as much a naïve, fairly narrowminded miss as any other virgin heroine. Finn seems to think she’s super supportive of him, but really, she just wasn’t openly telling him she didn’t think he could achieve his goals, which is what most everyone else in his life had done, so he couldn’t recognize the difference and that made my heart hurt for him and increased my frustration with her, though she wasn’t openly doing anything wrong.
I wanted to see two misunderstood souls finding acceptance in and with one another but I’m not sure that ever truly solidified until the very end, mostly because of her being so afraid to talk to him. She’s bold as brass in everything else so after a while of them being together, it just didn’t make much sense to me given her previous characterization for her to still be so afraid to talk to him. Even after she sees the damage that her pushing him away is causing, her solution is just to push him away some more. With their hot and cold communication, their relationship trajectory was definitely very choppy, and I found Tabitha to be consistently overly dramatic, despite also being cold and methodical such that she was a bit hard to pin down as a character.
I’ve never been a fan of the third act breakup plot device, and this was no exception. Finn makes one mistake and she seems to blow things way out of proportion, saying something way more hurtful to him and making a misunderstanding and a poor choice of words into a whole thing. Yet, somehow, Finn mostly overlooks the fact that she’s hurt him and focuses only on what he said wrong to her, with no expectation that she should take responsibility for her own hurtful utterance, which I think was even more significant given their character backstories. While Tabitha does eventually take ownership of her role in their issues and take steps to make things right, Finn’s grand gesture towards her was very much more satisfying. It just felt like she wasn’t making nearly the same effort that Finn was and it was a bit disheartening that they fell apart so utterly with one mistaken bit of speech. Finn was very sweet and sensitive, full of love and just wanting someone to be a safe place for him to demonstrate that love and I just was left feeling like he deserved more much of the time. I just wanted to see more of Finn and Tabitha fighting this rival group together and less angst within their relationship, though I did appreciate the growth they both demonstrated when they did at last manage to come together as equals in a healthy relationship where they’ll hopefully eventually become each other’s refuge in the way I’d hoped they would.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Tabitha Seaton had one season that was an utter failure and since then she has focused her attention on her academic studies in the hopes of joining the Sterling Society. The influential club helps guide London’s lawmakers and Tabitha has hopes of broadening their opinions. But she’s been told in no uncertain terms that an unmarried lady will never be admitted to their ranks. Tabitha needs a husband in a short amount of time and the painfully handsome gambler may be her best option.
Finn and Tabitha are total opposites, but their marriage of convenience is helpful to them both and poses no risk to their hearts. They’ve even agreed to keep feelings out of it. But after they’re married, the attraction between them grows into a fierce passion that comes as a surprise to them both. They’re both afraid to risk their hearts, but it soon becomes clear that a little risk is necessary if they want to solidify their future happiness.
I have some mixed feelings about this book. The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes went instantly onto my favorites list, so this one did have a high standard to live up to, but I really thought sweet, underestimated, overlooked Finn would be able to do it. Sadly, I don’t think that happened and it was mostly down to the heroine of this story, Tabitha. Finn is dyslexic and has always been ridiculed by his family and tutors for his difficulty with reading and Tabitha has been fairly misunderstood and mostly ignored because her family doesn’t really understand her bookish tendencies. I can totally relate to that, and I was so looking forward to seeing her and Finn be that person who understood each other, and while we sort of got that, it wasn’t quite in the way I was hoping. Tabitha spent most of the book being afraid and pushing Finn away to protect her own heart, all the while just reinforcing all the negative beliefs he had about himself by doing so. When they were together during other times, she did give him some positive affirmation, but then she went and basically undid it by leaving him to sleep alone after sex, so I felt like that more or less negated all the good she did during the day and left him just as insecure as ever.
My first impression of Tabitha was that she was very rigid in her intellectuality, to the point that she almost seemed flat as a character, as if her intelligence were her only defining characteristic and she were just a walking brain without feelings. In this respect, she felt a bit overdrawn, though I think she was meant to be charmingly awkward and socially unaware. Since I’m very much like this myself, I definitely expected this to resonate with me, but I just don’t think it hit me the way it was intended to. Tabitha’s residual trauma from her first love, while no doubt hurtful, did seem exaggerated in her reaction to it. Especially given the habitual emotional, verbal, and even physical abuse Finn endured for pretty much his whole life, her reason for keeping her heart so protected seemed pretty feeble compared to Finn’s own well-founded and much reinforced fears and low self-esteem.
Tabitha can’t bear to admit when she doesn’t know something and that makes her and Finn seem like quite the mismatch, which is the intent, I’m sure, but he’s so humble and has such damaged self-esteem that she just seems incredibly arrogant when juxtaposed with him. I was hopeful for this heroine because she’s so educated and intelligent, yet she was just as much a naïve, fairly narrowminded miss as any other virgin heroine. Finn seems to think she’s super supportive of him, but really, she just wasn’t openly telling him she didn’t think he could achieve his goals, which is what most everyone else in his life had done, so he couldn’t recognize the difference and that made my heart hurt for him and increased my frustration with her, though she wasn’t openly doing anything wrong.
I wanted to see two misunderstood souls finding acceptance in and with one another but I’m not sure that ever truly solidified until the very end, mostly because of her being so afraid to talk to him. She’s bold as brass in everything else so after a while of them being together, it just didn’t make much sense to me given her previous characterization for her to still be so afraid to talk to him. Even after she sees the damage that her pushing him away is causing, her solution is just to push him away some more. With their hot and cold communication, their relationship trajectory was definitely very choppy, and I found Tabitha to be consistently overly dramatic, despite also being cold and methodical such that she was a bit hard to pin down as a character.
I’ve never been a fan of the third act breakup plot device, and this was no exception. Finn makes one mistake and she seems to blow things way out of proportion, saying something way more hurtful to him and making a misunderstanding and a poor choice of words into a whole thing. Yet, somehow, Finn mostly overlooks the fact that she’s hurt him and focuses only on what he said wrong to her, with no expectation that she should take responsibility for her own hurtful utterance, which I think was even more significant given their character backstories. While Tabitha does eventually take ownership of her role in their issues and take steps to make things right, Finn’s grand gesture towards her was very much more satisfying. It just felt like she wasn’t making nearly the same effort that Finn was and it was a bit disheartening that they fell apart so utterly with one mistaken bit of speech. Finn was very sweet and sensitive, full of love and just wanting someone to be a safe place for him to demonstrate that love and I just was left feeling like he deserved more much of the time. I just wanted to see more of Finn and Tabitha fighting this rival group together and less angst within their relationship, though I did appreciate the growth they both demonstrated when they did at last manage to come together as equals in a healthy relationship where they’ll hopefully eventually become each other’s refuge in the way I’d hoped they would.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
May 24, 2022
Finn needs to find a wife in a handful of months to prevent his brother and friend from losing their allowances. Tabitha needs a husband so that she can join a group of the brightest minds and make some changes. Tabitha’s intelligence intimidates Finn because he feels he is stupid so clearly they’re not meant for each other.
I couldn’t finish this one. Politics ruined it for me by taking me out of the story. 1800s England and there’s talk of the terrible white Christian men, openly gay couples holding hands around town, Tabitha’s constant rambling about things that weren’t discussed in that time like bodily autonomy. Maybe if I read further, someone might have had different pronouns as well. No thanks.
I couldn’t finish this one. Politics ruined it for me by taking me out of the story. 1800s England and there’s talk of the terrible white Christian men, openly gay couples holding hands around town, Tabitha’s constant rambling about things that weren’t discussed in that time like bodily autonomy. Maybe if I read further, someone might have had different pronouns as well. No thanks.
October 3, 2022
I loved this one! It was definitely more fast paced than the first one. I really enjoyed seeing this marriage of convenience quickly turn into passion and love.
August 5, 2022
This story featured Finn Ransome and Tabitha Seaton as main characters. They are both in search of a spouse for different reasons. Finn because otherwise his father will cut him and his younger brother Kieran off. Tabitha meanwhile needs to get married to be able to join The Sterling Society because they will of course not let an unmarried woman in. Finn's best friend Dom also needs to get married so Finn decides to set Dom up first and thinks Tabitha is the perfect woman for his friend. When it becomes clear that Dom is nowhere near interested in her, Finn and Tabitha decide to get married to each other but to keep it as a marriage of convenience.
I absolutely love a bookish character and Tabitha was so amazing. She's now one of my favorite characters ever! Even though not being able to go to university as a woman, she has become quite the scholar through her own studies and wants to change The Sterling Society from within so that the people there will be more open minded towards ideas from non-Western and non-white males. And that's why she marries Finn. But she has been hurt in the past and decides to not get emotionally attached to him but as these stories often go, feelings slowly arrise.
Finn also stole my heart, and then some! He's definitely my favorite out of the two Ransome brothers and my heart just broke for him in this book. He's always had trouble with reading and because of that he's often been called stupid by his parents. Even though he became a skilled gambler, he never saw himself as worthwhile. At least not until Tabitha came along and saw the worth in him. Both Finn and Tabitha believed in one another and lifted each other up so much. It touched me so much! Also, Finn had such a dirty mouth on him during the romantic scene and I just lost my mind over him.
Speaking about the romance... I was not ready for the amount of steam this book had but I loved it. The first book was quite sexy as well but this one certainly topped it. The dirty talk was off the charts smoking hot. I love a good marriage of convenience where they do consumate the marriage because that's what they're supposed to do and where they end up being mindblown by the sex. It was so fucking good! The book also had soooo many bookish quotes so I highlighted the hell out of my e-reader. It was so much fun!
I also want to shoutout Tabitha's friends which included a lesbian couple (Diana and Iris) and two men of color (Chima and Arjun) who Tabitha met at Benezra Library, which became a home for her where she could talk to her friends about all things academic and intellectually. I really loved them and they were great secondary characters to read about. You don't see diverse characters like these in historical romance a lot so that made this book all the more awesome to me.
A skilfull gambler and brilliant bookworm comes together in the second Last Chance Scoundrels book. How the Wallflower was Won by Eva Leigh is a steamy marriage of convenience historical romance chockfull of bookish quotes and characters that stole my heart. I couldn't help but completely devour this book. It was such a page-turner and I loved it so much!
I absolutely love a bookish character and Tabitha was so amazing. She's now one of my favorite characters ever! Even though not being able to go to university as a woman, she has become quite the scholar through her own studies and wants to change The Sterling Society from within so that the people there will be more open minded towards ideas from non-Western and non-white males. And that's why she marries Finn. But she has been hurt in the past and decides to not get emotionally attached to him but as these stories often go, feelings slowly arrise.
Finn also stole my heart, and then some! He's definitely my favorite out of the two Ransome brothers and my heart just broke for him in this book. He's always had trouble with reading and because of that he's often been called stupid by his parents. Even though he became a skilled gambler, he never saw himself as worthwhile. At least not until Tabitha came along and saw the worth in him. Both Finn and Tabitha believed in one another and lifted each other up so much. It touched me so much! Also, Finn had such a dirty mouth on him during the romantic scene and I just lost my mind over him.
Speaking about the romance... I was not ready for the amount of steam this book had but I loved it. The first book was quite sexy as well but this one certainly topped it. The dirty talk was off the charts smoking hot. I love a good marriage of convenience where they do consumate the marriage because that's what they're supposed to do and where they end up being mindblown by the sex. It was so fucking good! The book also had soooo many bookish quotes so I highlighted the hell out of my e-reader. It was so much fun!
I also want to shoutout Tabitha's friends which included a lesbian couple (Diana and Iris) and two men of color (Chima and Arjun) who Tabitha met at Benezra Library, which became a home for her where she could talk to her friends about all things academic and intellectually. I really loved them and they were great secondary characters to read about. You don't see diverse characters like these in historical romance a lot so that made this book all the more awesome to me.
A skilfull gambler and brilliant bookworm comes together in the second Last Chance Scoundrels book. How the Wallflower was Won by Eva Leigh is a steamy marriage of convenience historical romance chockfull of bookish quotes and characters that stole my heart. I couldn't help but completely devour this book. It was such a page-turner and I loved it so much!
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