If you weren’t already aware, I am obsessed with Eva Leigh’s Union of the Rakes series. Not only are these historical romance novels totally sexy, feminist, and refreshingly unconventional, but they are also filled with fun 80’s references. (The Footloose reference in this book was hysterical.) Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh is tied for my favorite in this amazing trilogy.
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The summary, from Amazon:
Eva Leigh concludes her Breakfast Club and 80s movie-inspired Regency series with a merry widow and a stoic major on a bumpy road to love…
Adjusting to life in peacetime isn’t easy for Major Duncan McCameron. Escorting a lady on her journey north seems like the perfect chance to give him some much-needed purpose. That is, until he learns the woman in question is the beautiful, bold, reckless Lady Farris. She makes his head spin and being alone together will surely end in disaster.
Beatrice, the Dowager Countess of Farris, is finally free of a stifling marriage and she has no plans to shackle herself to any other man. Ready to live life to the fullest, she’s headed to a week-long bacchanal and the journey should be half the fun. Except she’s confined to a carriage with a young, rule-abiding, irritatingly handsome Scottish soldier who wouldn’t know a good time if it landed in his lap. But maybe a madcap escapade will loosen him up…
Between carriage crashes, secret barn dances, robbers, and an inn with only one bed, their initial tension dissolves into a passion that neither expected. But is there a future for an adventure-loving lady and a duty-bound soldier, or will their differences tear them apart?
Don’t miss the earlier books in the Union of the Rakes series—My Fake Rake and Would I Lie to the Duke are available now!
Buy Waiting for a Scot Like You here.
(And don’t forget to check out Book 1 in the series, Book 2 in the series, and a very steamy spin-off novella written by Eva Leigh’s husband.)
While Waiting for a Scot Like You operates fantastically as a standalone, readers of the Union of the Rakes series will have seen Duncan and Beatrice interact before. Duncan always follows the rules, while Beatrice, a widow, is tired of having to do whatever her husband expects of her. Now that she’s out of mourning, she wants to live life to the fullest. When she’s in need of protection for a long trip, her mutual friends with Duncan enlist his help.
From the get-go, there’s an attraction between these two, and Beatrice is more than happy to explore it. Duncan, however, is determined to marry, something Beatrice says she will never do again. The two finally give in to their cravings when a variety of strange situations on their trip continuously thrust them into the same bed, making it easier for them to claim to be a married couple.
Fairly early on, Duncan overhears that Beatrice isn’t on the way to just any house party. She plans to attend an orgy. For Beatrice, this is a way for her to empower herself and engage in her sexual desires. Prior to Duncan, she’d only been with her husband, who was not the most attentive. She is very excited for this trip, Duncan is jealous, but does enjoy seeing Beatrice experiencing pleasure, from the little things to their time in bed together. It’s his duty to take her to the orgy, and so he does it.
Of course, these two get their HEA, as to be expected. I’ll leave it to the reader to find out if Beatrice gets up to some fun with other partners or if Duncan is enough for her. 😉
Eva Leigh’s Union of the Rakes series is amazing, 10/10. The best finale epilogue I’ve ever read in historical romance. Just out here serving 80’s reference goodness, embracing the best of tropes, and reversing the worst of them.
— winebrarian (@bitchbookshelf) June 1, 2021
Gosh, what’s not to love about this one? As with the entire series, Eva Leigh embraces the best of tropes and flips the worst of them on their head. I loved that Beatrice is twelve years older than Duncan. I’ve never read a romance novel with a middle-aged heroine where the hero wasn’t the same age. I loved that the love scenes are a little kinky. I really appreciated how strong Beatrice was in her opinion about not getting married. I liked that those interested in having multiple sexual partners, whether they are single or in an open relationship, were not described as sinful or evil. And I enjoyed something about the finale of this series in general that I’ll keep in a spoiler tag below…
The only thing that could improve this series is a novella about Curtis and Rowe, the couple we see little snippets of throughout all three books.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for sending me a copy of this 5 star read that exceeded my lofty expectations in exchange for my honest review.
Find out more about how I rate books here.
Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Such a good one – still not sure if Book 2 or this one is my favorite in the series. So many fun 80’s references and a stunning and sexy romance. I love that this series features couples falling in love and journeying into their futures together in less traditional ways. Only thing that could make this series better is a novella about the side couple featured throughout the three books.
Book Club Questions
- Explain the dynamic in Duncan and Beatrice’s relationship. What works for them as a couple? What stands against them?
- Beatrice wants to live her life to the fullest. Is such passion always reasonable or appropriate?
- What makes the male friendships in this book/series so special? Are these dynamics accurate to real life?
- How do the men in this series reject toxic masculinity?
- Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?
- Which romance tropes does the author use in this book? Which does she subvert?
