Leigh’s latest trilogy Last Chance Scoundrels series offers sweet romance mixed with spirited heroines, rakish rouges and lots of smut. You’re classic regency romance but who can’t love it.

It starts with such an intresting situation when the Ransome brothers, Finn and Kieran aid their friend, Dominic Kilburn in jilting their sister. They had noble intentions to prevent a miserable marriage but they caused a scandal du jour instead. Willa won’t speak to them and their families are furious that they prevented an advantageous marriage. So they’ll be cut off unless the three men find suitable marriages themselves to make up for their plans and to elevate their fortunes.

1. A Rogue’s Rules for Seduction: The last book in the trilogies is my favorite. One can say their love story started it all as Dominic jilting Willa led to this whole marriage deal. Unfortunately for Dom, he can’t get Willa out of his head and after a year on the continent, Willa is abashed to realize the same. But how can they go back to the other after such a disasterous breakup. Well, it helps to have meddling siblings who forced them into close quarters during a week on an distant island. Amidst the foot races. Shakespeare re-enactments and other games, Willa and Dominic fall in love with each other over again, for real this time. Leigh’s second chance romance delves into the pedestals that the two have put each other on. Willa feels like she had to be the happy, pampered nobless for Dom, fearing any unhappiness or implied depression on her part would scare Dom away because who wants a broken person? Meanwhile, Dom felt there was a part of Willa who enjoyed dating him just to scandalize the ton like a wolf on a leash. Their relationship before had been built on intense bickering attraction but this time it’s different, more mature. Now they can see beyond the labels and reputations that had set up for each other and see the person for who they truly are. And still love them for it. There was also a classic “I have a terrible sercret, I’m dangerous and you shouldn’t love me because I’m broken” subplot for Dom that was a bit annoying since its so cliche and ends up not even being a big deal but considering the mature second chance romance that comes out of it, I tolerate it. Plus the scenes here are the smuttiest yet!

2. That bumps The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes to number 2. The first book in the series deals with Kieran’s inconvenient feelings for Dom’s younger sister, Celeste who is bearing the brunt of her family’s morality and fortunes. To make up for Dominic’s jilting, her father wants her to marry the rich and prestigious Lord Mountford. Her family had crawled up from the streets so marrying Mountford would officially let them be accepted in proper society, Celeste knows it’s her duty. But she wants to experience some excitment before entering a marriage with a man she doesn’t love. That’s what Dominic offers her, showing her the most disgraceful of parlors and dance halls and pleasure. He initially goes to protect her but he soon can’t deny the passion between them as he grows more enamored by the vivacious, independent Celeste who reminds him he is as much of a man as anyone despite his emotions and poetry.

I loved how the two brought out the best in each other with Celeste being the first person to appreciate and encourage Kieran’s poetry and Kieran bringing Celeste back to her roots to the orphanage/schools she used to volunteer at before ‘polite society’ deemed it inappropriate. Also the scenes between them with erotic readings and playing in the fountains and just embracing their love and control of their own sexuality. Mm hoo mama.

3. How the Wallflower was Won: In previous books, the brothers had been trying to set up Dom with Tabitha Seaton but it ends up Finn who enters a convenient marriage with the bluestocking. As stated before, he needs a proper wife, she needs a man so she could have a chance of being admitted in the intellectual Sterling Society. Despite the advantages, they are certain the emotional component will never come fruitition (but yeah, having daily marital relations will totally discourage that from happening).

They both have baggage as Finn’s abusive father decimated his self-esteem thanks to his learning difficulties. He can barely read so how could he ever be Tabitha’s intellectual equal. Meanwhile Tabitha’s last flame ending badly as he dissmissed her burgeoning infuation as full-proof of why women cannot be thinkers, they’re too emotional. As with Kieran and Celeste, the romance is sweet and organic as they give each other the gifts of respect and appreciation in the fields/skills they are most proud of. The one nitpick I have that keeps it last on my ranking is Tabitha’s continued insecurity of Finn’s love even after he more than proved it. And literally saying it. After awhile it becomes tedious to hear such insecurity even if its so obvious. Like she’s supposed to be smart, maybe socially inept but not so stupid she can’t hear what’s been said.