"Extending grace to ourselves is one of the hardest things to do."

Despite the fun and games in Waiting For A Scot Like You by Eva Leigh this above quote shows the heart of its strong female protagonist Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris. She is responding to the male lead of this sexy romance, Major Duncan McCameron, after he unexpectedly admits that despite his years of military service and obeying the rules he still feels adrift in his life.

Duncan has been tasked with providing safe travel to Beatrice as she travels by horse and carriage to a fun free for all party. No longer held back by the constraints of an unhappy marriage she can be her hedonistic adventurous self. Duncan, on the other hand, has only known the rules of army life and has no idea how to respond to the wiles of this unabashed Lady.

What made this book so much fun was its nods to fun 80s movies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Footloose and even a bit of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I also thoroughly enjoyed that Beatrice was a 46 year old woman with grown children who knew herself and revelled in her sexual freedom. The fact that Duncan was much younger than her just made the story more enticing for me.

Though in reality Beatrice would have been considered scandalous in the early 1800s I do not read these entertaining novels for historical accuracy.

No one can write a sexy romance scene like this author and she does not disappoint as seen by her description of Duncan and Beatrice having to share a bed at a very crowded inn during their journey.

A fun, sexy, regency romance for our times, Waiting For A Scot Like You is a nice distraction to keep you hot, umm I mean warm, on these cold winter nights.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Major Duncan McCameron and Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, are hoping to turn over a new leaf on life. Duncan is looking for purpose after returning from war and finding his life lacking with out the structure and objectives of a soldier's daily life. Beatrice is hoping to truly enjoy and experience life for the first time as she is finally free from morning the death of a husband who entrapped her in a stifling marriage. The two seemed destined to clash, but at the request of his friend, the Duke of Rotherby, Duncan consents to escorting Beatrice to a country estate. Little does he know that he is escorting her to a week-long orgy. Beatrice is the antithesis to Duncan's rule following ways, but as the two encounter one obstacle after another along their journey (crashed carriages, attempted robberies, and an illegal barn dance), a grudging respect begins to grow alongside burning desire.
VERDICT is that this is a fun historical romance that will sweep readers along on Beatrice and Duncan's wild ride. There are so many things I enjoyed about this romance, at the forefront that it challenges many traditional stereotypes and tropes of the subgenre in a mostly realistic way. Both characters have strong ideals and it is through shared experiences that they come to understand how and why the other person thinks they way they do. There are some very hot sex scenes that are expertly woven into the storytelling and while very detailed do not feel gratuitous as they are also used to reveal more about the characters mental and emotional state. There is also a good amount of diverse representation that just exists in a very explicit but subtle way for a historical romance. Although this is the third book in a series, it can also be read as a stand-a-lone story. I have not read the previous novels, but am inclined to do so after reading this one!

This is the third in the Union of the Rakes series and while the last book left big shoes to fill this book has filled them and then some.

Both our leading lady, Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, and our sexy leading man, Major Duncan McCameron, were introduced in the last book and I had already fallen in love with them so was thrilled to learn they were getting their own book!

Beatrice is widowed and determined to live her life the way she wants now that she’s free of her boring and controlling husband. In fact, she’s on her way to an orgy—yep, you heard right, an orgy—and Major McCameron has been enlisted to escort her on her journey. The Major is an upright, law-abiding sort and has no time for shenanigans or delays to their journey, but Beatrice is all about wild adventures and trying new things these days and is determined to help the Major lighten up a bit.

This book has forced proximity, single bed, grump and sunshine, and basically all my favorite tropes rolled together. And, what makes it even more fun is that while these are regency romances, the whole series was inspired by various movies from the ‘80s. In particular, this one has lots of little nods to Ferris Bueler’s Day Off.

Eva Leigh is such a brilliant writer. One moment she has me tearing up and my heart aching for the characters, and the next minute I’m spitting tea out of my nose because a scene is riotously funny!

And steamy? Oh yes, this book is hot, hot, hot. Beatrice knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it!

You’re for sure going to want to pick this one up.

A romance about a mature widow trying to find her identity after a aristocratic cold marriage. We start the story with her on her way to an orgy for the weekend and she is being accompanied by younger Duncan to protect her on her journey, a former General (in his 30's).
They have chemistry and after some one bed situations find themselves in some steamy situations.
I liked that this was a woman in her late 40's that was in those days well past her prime. But it seems the orgy really did want her there and there were bets on who would get her so Duncan did have competition, though not serious relationship competition, just sex.
I also liked that Duncan was a tough man that was in touch with his emotions and what he wanted in life and kind of a Dom. Lol
<Possible spoiler>
I did read some reviews that there were parts of the book that seemed like it was in an alternate history than ours since there was a happy gay couple. I only saw two men telling their friend that they were together. It didn't seem like they told all of society that they were sleeping together. There were gay people then, how did they live I wonder? I want to see more gay couples in historical books cause it's not new. I'm sure they didn't tell anyone but those they trusted.
Also, that they didn't get married and lived together. She was a widow and though it's frowned on its not inconceivable that with them being friends with a Duke that it wouldn't have happened. Widows have more leeway than debutantes especially since she was titled, idk.
<Spoiler end>

There are some parallels to some 80's movies like Ferris Buellers Day Off and Footloose. I wouldn't have noticed if someone else hadn't added it to their review. To be honest it's against the rules to dance in restaurants in Napa unless the place has a dance permit so I grew up in Footloose as well, lol.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review

Retired soldier Duncan never met a rule he didn't like. Lady Beatrice is an adventurous widow recently out of mourning who's determined to experience all that life has to offer, now that she's freed of the constraints of a loveless marriage. When Duncan escorts her to a country estate for a house party—a bacchanal, unknown to Duncan—a series of misadventures lures these two opposites into passion. But Beatrice is determined never to enter into the confines of marriage again. Can these two lovers find a future together?

This erotic romance is a fun and sexy romp, with an ending as unconventional as Lady Beatrice herself. It also features a mature heroine—Beatrice is in her mid-forties and twelve years older than Duncan. It's got more breadth than depth, but what it lacks in emotion it makes up for in pure adventure.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

The widow and the soldier find what they are looking for in each other. I enjoyed this book and found it unique. It is a younger man and older woman love story. That isn't something you see very often in romance. Most historical romance have heroines in their twenties, so I was surprised.

This is a fun, sexy historical road trip! You know when the setup is "accompany this woman to her fancy sex party" that you're in for a ride. The Ferris Bueller dynamics mostly came in from the pairing of the starchy one with the more fun loving one. The main conflict in the book didn't feel incredibly deep and was easily resolved, but I think it's okay for the tone the book is trying to strike.

So, road trip historical romance? What a fun idea! There’s plenty of homages to the 80s that readers may recognize along the way.

At the start of story, there is an initial attraction and it’s from there that their relationship develops further. I enjoyed their partnership, working together and supporting each other. Though they must come to terms with a life that is not what they originally had planned, they reach a balance amongst their differences. Parts of the book lulled for me and I became more invested in a side couple. I thought some of the characterization was overdone, stuck in its labels (soldier, rule-follower, free spirit). Still, Duncan and Beatrice have tons of chemistry, with plenty of intimate moments. An added bonus was seeing other members of the Union. I found the conclusion satisfying as each character found their version of a happy ending.

Something that tends to go unsaid in historical romance is that the setting can be tricky to current standards of romance. But with Eva, I know I can trust her. I’ve read her first book in the series and it so much for me as a marginalized reader. I appreciate her efforts to raise social justice awareness amongst the characters despite the setting. She understands that part of the fantasy is to not subject readers to bigotry. Another major point is that there is a clear sense of consent between the characters. This does not take away from the romance and can even provide an example to follow. Because of my trusting relationship with Eva, I look forward to reading more by her.

4.5 stars

Major Duncan McCameron has known nothing but discipline and war for years and is struggling to adjust to civilian life. When his friend the Duke of Rotherby asks him to escort a lady north it seems like an excellent getaway with a noble and useful purpose. He’s far less eager to depart when he learns the lady he’s to accompany is none other than Lady Farris, whose reckless disregard for the rules did not endear her to him the first time they met.

Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, is just rediscovering herself after years of being suffocated under her husband’s thumb and she has no intention of ever marrying again. Eager for new experiences, her destination is a week-long orgiastic house party and she’s looking forward to the road trip north as well. But now she’s trapped in a carriage with a stuffy, Scottish former soldier who doesn’t know how to have fun in the slightest. She begins to think she knows how to loosen him up a bit along the way.

Their trip is plagued with all manner of mishaps and new experiences, and the mild animosity between them electrifies into much more than either of them anticipated. But with a lady determined to experience everything and a strait-laced soldier who’s all too aware of duty and expectation, surely any attachment between them could only be temporary.

I was certain this was going to be a hands-down five star read for me and it was, up until the last ten percent or so. It seemed to me that Duncan did an awful lot of compromising while Beatrice wasn’t willing to give an inch. This undermined their relationship for me a bit because it made it seem as if she didn’t trust him, despite how often he’d proven himself to be very different from most men. Duncan wanted desperately to be loved and to have a place to belong and while he did get that it did still seem a bit incomplete to me. I adored Duncan as a hero. He struggled with PTSD and that vulnerability combined with the fact that sex meant something to him, and that he felt things so strongly just made me want to give him a hug. His rigid and rule-abiding exterior hid a sensitive, tender-hearted, modest man who could also be dominant in the bedroom. AKA the perfect hero. I did love that Beatrice brought Duncan out of his shell and helped him enjoy life and in turn he made her feel beautiful and accepted for who she was, I just wish she hadn’t been quite so rigid. This is one of the best road trip romances I’ve read, and I didn’t want to put it down. I do wish we’d gotten a scene with just Curtis and Rowe just to glimpse how things were resolved between them and perhaps another meeting of the Union, but I loved that the series ended with them all together again. I recommend this for anyone that wants a fun, fast-paced and steamy, but also sweet and emotional, read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A road trip book – I’m there. Love the homage to the 1980s in this series. Ferris Bueller and Footloose are the two biggest ones in this story. I loved Duncan. He was every woman’s dream hero (even a bit naughty, oh yeah). I had a hard time with Beatrice. While I loved her “live for the moment” attitude and wanting to experience everything she did not in her marriage, I thought she was selfish and used Duncan. This story was a definite five star from me until the end of the book and then I felt so let down. As always, Eva’s writing is superb and I did not want to put the book down until I finished it.

A fun highland romp! Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Eva Leigh and she did not disappoint. This book was so fun and steamy. To quickly summarize, it was a road trip to an orgy.

I do not typically like the older women/younger man trope, but this one worked really well. I think it was because the age difference was never an issue at all. After a loveless marriage, Beatrice works hard to find her voice, confidence, and freedom. She is unwilling to give that up for anybody. I appreciate how authentic and consistent Beatrice is throughout the story. To me, the story felt really centered on Duncan's development. He is a regimented and rule-following man, almost to a fault. He felt purposeless and adrift. As he interacts with Beatrice, he opens up and begins to view the world with more color and joy. It was so beautiful to see him grow. I have never read a story in which the male main character is so developed. It felt like more of his love story, than Beatrice. 10/10 if you recommend if you love forced proximity and with only one bed in the inn.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up liking this one more than I thought I would! It has some unique tropes (age-gap romance in which the heroine is 15 years older, a discussion of the merits of marriage in a society in which marriage is everything, a fancy orgy), and I loved the madcap adventures that Duncan and Beatrice ended up going on within the span of a week--I can definitely see the 80s-movie influence in this one. The romance is quite steamy, and it certainly develops quickly, but there's an organic quality to it that I wasn't expecting.

I haven't read the second in the trilogy, but I liked this final volume more than the first; I'm between 4 and 4.5 stars. It's a great choice for a historical romance, especially if you're looking for something that deviates from the traditional historical formula.

She's on her way to an orgy.

I love the premise of this book so very much.
Why you ask? Because Beatrice, who is 46, a widow with three grown children, is on her way to her very first orgy. She has been forced to play by societal rules for decades and now, she is finally free to choose whom to partake in and the freedom to enjoy her body and her own choices.

Duncan is 34, a military man through and through, dissatisfied with his life (it's routine) and grumpy. He's a stickler for punctuality and is a keeper of time and all things scheduled. It's what he was trained for.

So, its delicious to see these two very opposites stuck in a carriage ride on the way to the bacchanal. I was particularly fond of the fact that Beatrice is a cougar. The best of the series, by far,
Recommend.

I have loved this series from the start and have been waiting the entire time for Duncan’s book.

I love love love Beatrice and Duncan. She’s sassy and learning to come back to herself. He’s gruff and learning to settle down. Together they have instant irritation and chemistry and I loved reading their relationship progress.

Plot wise, it was fantastic. I enjoyed the idea that nearly anything that could go wrong, did and how they dealt with it. There were a lot of sweet moments and open conversation and I’m especially pleased that the angsty times didn’t last long. Of course, I could have gone with a million more pages at the epilogue, but I’m being greedy.

Overall, this was a great ending to the series and I know I’ll be coming back to these books again.

**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**

What starts out as Duncan escorting a widow, Beatrice to a week long party ends up with them finding the love they had always wished for. But the road to this is full of obstacles which delays them with misfortune. As an ex-military Major, Duncan is used to being organized with everything in its own place, while Beatrice, for the first time, wants to experience life and all of the adventures that make life fun. I enjoyed the story and especially how Duncan learned to relax and enjoy life with Beatrice’s help. The story is well written and entertaining in how they take very obstacle thrown at them in stride.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

A romance book that is funny, fun, affecting and hot as hell. Even knowing going in that series is based on 80s movies and will have hard R sex scenes, the book felt totally unexepected on many levels. It feels at once deep and meaningful and just plain delightful. The author lovingly subverts tropes as well as plays with them. The characters of Lady Beatrice Farris and Duncan McCameron are mismatched lovers on a road trip of mishaps. After an abusive, neglectful marriage, Beatrice longs for freedom of all kinds and Duncan, after years in the army and at war suffers from PTSD. He lives regimentally to help him get through day but he years for love and a wife. It’s through sex that they finally get the releases they need. The hard R sex feels natural to the storyline and the development of the characters and their relationship. Commanding and being in control of what happens, as well as Beatrice’s release allows Duncan to let go in ways he hasn’t been able to before and for Beatrice, Duncan’s commands allowed Beatrice to freely lose control without judgement or consequence. The language is titillating but not vulgar at least not to me. And their bond is just so beautifully done. The characters live in a world that is diverse and inclusive, with two male friends of Duncan revealing their same sex relationship to him and Duncan accepting of it. And the ending was not expected - there is no marriage and no expectation of one - neither character has to compromise, Just so refreshing! There are references and lines to Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, Footloose, Say Anything and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Because I am such a fan of the films, I did instantly recognize scenes, situations and lines but they did not subtract from my enjoyment of the book and only added to it. It is the last book in the trilogy but I found it truly exhilarating to read. What Eva Leigh has does sets the standard for what I think hr’s can be and do.

** 2.5 Stars Rounded Up **

I loved our male lead, thirty-four-year-old Major Duncan McCameron. He is one of those strong, fearless, stoic men who are really marshmallows inside. After being raised by an uptight family and then spending twenty years in the military, Duncan is a rule follower. That is one of the reasons he did so well in the military. Yet, since he’s home from the wars, he feels restless and unsettled. What he had wanted – and still wanted really – was a wife and family, yet it seems beyond him to make that happen.

Beatrice Sloane, forty-six-year-old dowager countess of Farris, is finally free from her oppressive marriage and she fully intends to revel in absolutely every aspect of life from this point forward – and – she will absolutely never, under any circumstances, marry again. Frankly, I didn’t care for Beatrice – I really tried to like her, but I just couldn’t get there. Evidently, she didn’t care how much pain she caused Duncan – nor did she give the stigma her activities would cause her family any consideration at all. She didn’t seem to care – if she wanted to do it, she did it.

Beatrice intends to travel to Nottinghamshire to attend a week-long orgy at the home of Lord Gibbs. After having an inattentive husband, she was looking forward to a week of pleasure. Neither she nor Duncan was pleased when their mutual friend, the Duke of Rotherby, asked Duncan to escort Beatrice to assure she arrived safely. Rotherby convinces them and their adventure begins.

Along the way they have a lot of adventures – they stop to help deliver lambs, they have a coach accident, they encounter thieves – and they have lots and lots and lots and lots of intimate times together. I actually felt the ‘story’ part was just a way to stitch all of the intimate scenes together.

In all of the years I have been reading books and writing reviews, I have only given a 2.5-star rating a handful of times. I’m sad to say this is one of those times. I didn’t even get what I consider – for the period – to be a Happily Ever After. What we got would fit in today’s world perhaps, but would have caused so very many problems for other people in that time period. While the story was a well-written nod to – I believe – Ferris Bueler’s Day Off – I just couldn’t get myself to love it. For me, it wasn’t just a contemporary story in period dress, it was a story written in a completely alternate universe. It was filled with twenty-first-century “woke” characters who were totally accepting and approving of anything and everything.

An alternate universe where in the early 1800s …

• Gay men could live together openly and affectionately with no threat of the death penalty or social ostracizing. Where they could continue with public careers as barristers, etc. without any censure or loss of standing or income.

• A man and woman could live together without matrimony and the woman still be totally accepted within society. Where their families and friends would totally accept the relationship and not give them the cut direct. Where that relationship wouldn’t directly affect the social standing and social acceptance of her children – even the titled children.

This was a new-to-me author and I was looking forward to reading my first book written by her. However, I can’t say that I would read another. I know there are many readers out there who will read and love the book because they don’t mind that nothing about it represents any sort of historical reality. For me personally, I don’t understand why the author wouldn’t just write a contemporary story rather than trying to dress it in period clothing.

One more thought. If the roles were reversed and Duncan was the one who wouldn’t marry and he asked Beatrice to become his mistress instead, we’d all be incensed. How dare he, in that time period, do that to a respectable woman. Yet, we’re supposed to cheer them on when the reverse happens.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Extraordinary journey of the heart!

Brimming with the kind of road trip misadventures reminiscent of a John Hughes movie, this remarkable story combines an unusual journey with a unique romance. Beatrice is a "woman of a certain age," widowed with grown children and ready to live life on her own terms. Duncan is more than a decade younger, recently retired from active military duty, and as a favor for a dear friend he agrees to escort Beatrice on a five-day trek to a scandalous house party. What they find along the way, however, is far more important than anything awaiting them at their destination.

I love how Duncan's dominant side so easily took command despite Beatrice's default matriarchal demeanor, and loved even more how appreciative she was of this aspect of him. These two are beautifully in sync as true soulmates almost from the start and it was pure joy to read about them as they traveled from one unexpected situation to another.

The heart wants what the heart wants, and in the end these two find their HEA when they throw caution to the wind and choose happiness instead of convention. Throughout, the story embraces love and relationships over caring what others think, relishing in the freedom and peace that can be achieved as a result. It's amazingly life-affirming, joyous, and soul-satisfying and I know I'll be reading it again and again. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I will admit, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Waiting for a Scot Like You, the third book in the Union of Rake series. My Fake Rake was too bland for me, and Would I Lie to the Duke was too anxiety inducing – but Leigh consistently made me fall in love with the characters so I kept at it. Plus, Waiting for a Scot Like You has my favorite trope – a road trip!

Luckily, I didn’t have anything to be worried about. Waiting for a Scot Like You was a total blast. It has everything – only one bed! grumpy/sunshine! road trip! hijinks! sexual tension! illegal dancing! robbery!

Lady Farris is introduced in Would I Lie to the Duke as an older widow who was one of the investors. She is 46 (yay for older romance heroines!) and her husband has died almost three years before the book starts. Beatrice is determined to get what she can out of life after feeling like she had to stifle herself for years while married. Part of her plan is to get as much sexual experience as she can at a house party/orgy she is on her way to.

A slight wrench is thrown into that plan when the Duke of Rotherby insists on sending along an escort, his friend Major Duncan McCameron, to ensure she arrives safely to the party. Beatrice and Duncan have already met, and clashed, in the previous book. Duncan is a gruff rule-follower, a former soldier who does not stray from the path expected of him, but feeling a bit lost now that the war is over and he isn’t sure what his purpose is.

To put it succinctly: I am here for this combo.

My knowledge of 80s films is rather lacking, so I’m sure I didn’t understand all the nods to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, (in fact, I literally just made the Ferris/Farris connection as I am writing this) but this book is jam-packed with action and sexual tension. The latter starts when Duncan walks in on Beatrice pleasuring herself in the bath, in the room they have rented where there is ONLY ONE BED, and does not let up the entire book. The teasing between the two of them, the challenge she poses to Duncan’s steadfast exterior, and her desire to enjoy life made this book so much more fulfilling than I felt the first two in the trilogy were.

With the road trip being the centerpiece of the plot, the characters are the most important part – since the background scenery is always changing, their interactions are the thread that hold the story together. This works because the magnetic pull between Beatrice and Duncan is so obvious on the page, and their sexual chemistry is off the charts. Additionally, their resistance to being together feels so true to who they each are that I was easily swept along for the (very bumpy) ride. Their evolutions over the course of the trip feel realistic, and I appreciate how in the end, Beatrice doesn’t have to compromise who she is to be with Duncan.

Is Waiting for a Scot Like You ridiculous? Yes. But it’s also sexy and fun, and I strongly recommend it, whether you’re new to the Union of Rakes or not.

Review will be posted on Smexy Books closer to release date.