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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finn has street smarts. Is good at gambling and is very strategic. He is also modest and doesn’t think much of himself because he’s not good with academics or books, but he’s very observant and he is selfless to think of being a wing man for Dom instead of finding a match for himself.
He is seeking a bride for his friend Dom and thinks he should court Tabitha Seaton which is Dons opposite. An introverted bookworm

Tabitha is looking for a husband so she can gain admittance to a scholar society of men and make changes that will better the world when it comes to education.
Finn is trying to set up his friend but it’s obvious he has feelings for Tabitha and is trying to ignore them because he thinks he wouldn’t be a good match for her because of his learning disability.

It’s so sweet how Finn tried to please her. They agreed that their marriage would have no emotional attachments but they keep getting involved. I love intimacies of stories like this where one character admits to things to another that they wouldn’t to anybody else.
I can’t stop reading.

They both don’t fit into their families and I hate how Finns parents think him a half wit because he’s not book smart.
It also hurts seeing Tabitha retreat from a Finn and vice versa. It’s a book that makes you want to beg them to talk to each other cus clearly they love each other.

I like how they support each other.
I like Finns appreciation for stories even though he has trouble reading. I also like his sense of whimsy even though he displays himself as a reserved man.
I like how Tabitha wants to help and be a voice for her friends and wants to use her privledge to elevate her friends in the minority.
I also appreciate her vast knowledge.
Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to read Dom’s story. I felt bad for him throughout and I can’t wait to read about his happily ever .

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.

I loved this next installment in the Last Chance Scoundrels series. I loved watching Finn and Tabitha relationship grow in this marriage of convenience. Tabitha wants to get inducted into the Sterling Society but she needs to be married and Finn's parents threatened to cut him off if he doesn't find a wife. He has 8 months left to do so. I loved how opposite these two characters were and it was fun to read including some interesting other tropes along the way. I can't wait for Dom and Willa's story next. I really do think this series is best to read in order as more backstory is fleshed out in book 1.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A marriage of inconvenience...

In a clever read, Eva Leigh pits the cunning of a gambler in Finn, who aims to wed Miss. Tabitha Seaton off to his friend, Dom.
Finn, his brother (who is engaged to wed) and their friend Dom all need to marry in a matter of months. Finn is betting he can get Dom and Tabitha to wed.

Tabitha is looking for knowledge, not marriage. Firmly on the shelf, at 26 and a bluestocking wallflower, she needs to be married to further her knowledge. So, its a battle of wits and cunning, for Finn and Tabitha to strike a new, beneficial bargain between themselves.

Recommend.

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!

It is giving marriage of convenience with a huge miscommunication (aka no communication) trope. This started well, and I really enjoyed the quick friendship developed between Tabitha and Finn. I like that they each saw the best in one another, and thought that they helped make each other better.

There was too much of, "I promised to not catch feelings" without conversation. And the third act break up was not my vibe.

However, it was enjoyable and a great way to pass the time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

3.75 stars

This novel wasn't bad, but there wasn't enough action and danger for me to stay fully invested throughout the story. I enjoyed the beginning of the story where we are introduced to Finn and Tabitha and their reluctant romance. However, the story got a little repetitive and boring in the middle when all that happened was the back-and-forth relationship between them. Overall, not what I was hoping for.

Tropes: marriage of convenience, secret pining, will they/won't they

My first issue with this book is that it was one of those books that could have ended several chapters ahead of where it did if the characters would only stop repeating the same internal monologues over and over again. "Oh no, I have developed feelings for him/her, but our arrangement said no feelings!", "They are treating me like they have feelings for me as well, but I can't possibly mention it because I could be wrong!" <-- that was the premise for most of the book. I get it - you're scared (I will get more into the reasons why in a minute), but a lot of wondering (and heartache) could have been spared had these two just been completely honest with each other AFTER they were married. I mean, they had no problems being honest about their reasoning for marrying beforehand, so I fail to see why this was a struggle afterward especially considering all the little ways they each tried to show the other that they cared.

My second issue is with the characters themselves, more specifically Tabitha. Years ago, she fancied herself in love with her brother's tutor Charles (and believed he felt the same towards her), yet when she told him, he told her that she was not only mistaken but that if she had only controlled her emotions, she would have seen that he did not. Fast forward to her relationship with Finn, and ALL SHE DID WAS COMPARE HIM TO CHARLES. Even when she would think to herself that this was her husband Finn and not Charles, she still compared the two. Way too often for my liking. In fact, it would seem as though she were still pining after Charles simply because of the sheer number of times she thought of him or compared the two. And honestly? What happened between them (in my opinion) wasn't serious enough for her to still be carrying all that hurt around years after the fact.

Now don't get me wrong, I also had some issues with Finn, the main one being why he felt it necessary to have his FRIEND jilt his SISTER at the alter some time previously? Did I miss something? All we are told is that the pair had been "in love" and therefore would be "miserable" if married, yet throughout the entire book, his friend is obviously still in love with and pining over his sister (I believe the last book in this series is actually their second chance romance)? But also hearing about how Finn felt he didn't "deserve" his wife because he wasn't an "intellectual" like her also became tiring quickly (more so after she seemed to realize his reading impediment and went out of her way to help him without embarrassing him by letting on that she knew).

But then - with (according to my kindle) roughly 40 minutes left in the book, "THAT" scene happened. Something happened in regards to the Stearling Society, and Tabitha took things personally - and acted out emotionally. But when Finn called her out on it, he was in the wrong (because he didn't know she would get so triggered by him telling her to calm down and think things through because she had never been honest with him about her past). They split up, he offers her advice, and well, she ends up realizing that he was right. She overreacted (although the book will never come outright and say this), and he promises to "never do it again."

As a reader? I hated these two. She was hung up on a man who she believed did her wrong to the point she literally drove her husband away because he dared tell her to take a step back, calm down and THINK before she acted, and that was something like what her ex said? And then she turned around and hurled words about him not being an intellectual. Words she KNEW would definitely cut deep, and yet doesn't feel that she needed to apologize to him? Finn deserved much better than her, and honestly, if I had been in his shoes I wouldn't have returned to offer her advice, much less groveled the way that he did.


DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Unexpectedly spicy!
I went into this mostly blind and was so happy I did. I really loved the storyline and the relationship between Finn and Tabitha. They were a perfect match. I absolutely adored Finn! He deserved the world. I enjoyed Tabitha's character until the end. I was not a fan of the third act breakup because it seemed to appear out of nowhere and she did not grovel nearly enough for me to forgive her actions towards Finn.
I think the pacing and the writing were superb as always. The story moved at a quick pace but I didn't feel like the story suffered as a result. It actually helped in my opinion.
I liked the marriage of convenience plot and think it was executed well. These two had the most intense, insane chemistry! The spice was spicy.
This book makes me highly anticipate Leigh's next book in the series. Can hardly wait!
I would recommend this for readers who enjoy opposites attract, marriage of convenience trope, sexual teaching lessons, slow burn and spice.

Regency romance, marriage of convenience, opposite attracts, Count me in!! I love this book since page one.
The characters are extremely likable, I found myself laughing so much at their conversations.
One of my favorites things from this story was Finn & Dom’s friendship. The steamy scenes 🥵, please give it a go if you love historical romance.
Thank you Netgally and Avon books for this arc.

I started this book and couldn't put it down. It was so good. The characters were well developed and the storyline was interesting and the chemistry was hot.
This is the story of Finn, a second son of an Earl. He and his younger brother (which was book 1 in the series) are given an ultimatum by their father. Marry within a year or lose all support from their father. Included in this ultimatum is their best friend, Dom. His father throws in with Finn's father and all 3 must marry.
So Funny meets a highly intelligent young lady named Tabitha. Tabitha is the daughter of a viscount, and definitely a blue stocking. She too must marry. In trying to set Tabitha up with Dom, Finn realizes the attraction he feels for Tabitha, but she is better suited for Dom because he is the smart one. But as time goes on and Dom shows no interest, Finn and Tabitha are definitely feeling a strong attraction to each other.
The story goes on to show how opposites attract but also how 1 damaged souls can heal each other
I loved the storyline, I loved the characters. I can't wait for Dom and Willa's story.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

A fun take on the marriage of convenience between a rogue and a wallflower.

Finn Ransome gets most of his money through winning at gambling. He doesn't want to take a chance on love but he also knows he has only a few more months to meet his father's demand that he marry. Tabitha Seaton suspects that she'll never get married, but she's more interested in books. But she wants to join the Sterling Society, an intellectual group that says they will only consider her membership if she's married. Finn and Tabitha are opposites, but they agree that a marriage of convenience will solve both their problems while keeping their hearts intact. But they might have a bit more passion than they anticipated.

First off, I really enjoyed the first book in this series and it was great to be back in the Last Chance Scoundrels world. Finn has such a strong friend group, and Tabitha has a similar group with her friends from the Benezra Library. It's very inspiring to see Tabitha fighting for equality and education for all. She and Finn are very supportive of one another throughout the story no matter what (check the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book), which I also enjoyed reading about. The third act conflict felt very realistic as well, not contrived to make the story work out.

My only real frustration in this book was the pacing. I felt pretty bored for the first part of it and I wanted to see them enter their marriage a bit faster. Then it was enjoyable for a while, until it dragged a bit again as they worked through being together. The ending came very quickly and I would have liked to see that section expanded a bit. These pacing issues didn't stop me from liking the book; I just wasn't as engaged as I would have liked sometimes.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. If you haven't read the first book in this series, it would be extremely helpful for understanding the background and some of what's happening for the last chance scoundrels. I can't wait to read Dom's story!

If I wasn’t already a huge fan of romance, I would be a goner after finished for this book. I loved that Tabitha is a total book nerd who’d rather read than be social. I completely identify with that. Finn, is a misfit who has a talent for gambling, but is ashamed of his difficulty in reading.
The two embark on a fake marriage, but the physical side is very real. I was brought to my knees when Finn gets a house with a library and stocks it just for his wife.
The looks he gives her and the fact that he cannot keep his hands off her is so swoon worthy.
Get a gambler and put your nose in this book.

In How the Wallflower Was Won, Eva Leigh pairs up a bluestocking wallflower with a gambling middle son of the ton in a marriage of convenience that may turn out to be a true marriage after all.

I went into this one with high hopes. I do quite enjoy intelligent bookworms taking on the patriarchy and questioning the reigning social structure in my romance novels, and Tabitha and her group of friends do just that in this one. And I am equally enamored when one of the main characters proves that book smart isn’t the only way to be intelligent. Throw in some misguided “we can do this without feelings” vibes and some anywhere-but-the-bed action, and I am sold.

But, while Finn is a delicious hero—clever, supportive, caring, insightful, and hiding a pugilism-honed body under his clothes—Tabitha is less easy to love. And the main moment of conflict and her reaction to it were troublesome to me. I understand her initial hurt, but I feel like her overall reaction was outsized.

If you are looking for some scholarly musings, plenty of historical romance heat, a supportive hero, and a heroine that listens more to her head than to her heart, How the Wallflower Was Won may be the book for you.

I received an advance copy from Avon and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Marriage of convenience! Can a gambler and a bluestocking find true love?

Finn and Tabitha both think they’re not destined for love. Both need to marry, and when they strike up a friendship, they agree to marry each other. The attraction between them is strong, but they believe love can only lead to heartbreak. Because of a learning disability, Finn has been told all his life that he’s stupid. Because she’s a woman, Tabitha is denied entrance to an intellectual society. They value each other’s gifts and heal each other’s wounds, yet still find it difficult to trust. It’s an emotional and entertaining story.

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

I was graciously given an Advance Readers copy of How the Wallflower Won and I adored it. The premise was something we see fairly often in historical romances but I absolutely loved the characters. It felt very relevant to today while also being very realistic to the time it was representing. I loved the Finn was not a scholar and struggled with learning, but adored Tabitha for her intellect. And that Tabitha didn’t see Finn as a problem needing to be fixed but as someone she respected and appreciated his more street smart intellect. I can’t wait for Dom’s story and wished I had read Kieran’s sooner.

opposites attract, marriage of convenience, heroine is a wallflower. Lots of fun tropes. I enjoy Eva Leigh's writing style. Would recommend!