kimbacaffeinate
Written on Dec 8, 2013
The tale begins when we meet three wallflowers. These three young women are close to being placed on the shelf. They are fast friends. One night too much sherry and a kitchen fire result in Lady Emma Avery’s engagement to the Duke of Ashbrooke, one of England’s most eligible bachelors. Panicked and afraid of going from wallflower to laughingstock she is all but shocked when Ashbrooke plays along. A game is afoot; a scheme is hatched, and a temporary betrothal begins. The tale that unfolds while not without a few technical flaws was utterly delicious and had me laughing, swooning and flippin the pages.
Emma, Olivia and Prudence, all graduates of Lady Penelope’s Finishing School have been given nicknames by the ton. Lady Emma Avery has been dubbed, “Least Likely to Misbehave” I immediately liked all three girls, but our focus is on Emma. She is quite the character. She loves to read, has strong opinions and is a little naïve when it comes to love. I love strong female characters, who question things and Emma was brilliant. The Duke of Ashbrooke (Blake), is a complicated rogue and deliciously handsome. He has other ideas in mind when he decides to go along with this fake betrothal, and I loved when Emma tripped him up. Woman usually fall at his feet, but not Emma, forcing him to get to know her and uncover her many facets. Aunt Agatha was delightful and her Fortune Games a hoot.Benedict is a man who has courted Emma for three years, and I found him to be a wet noodle, who complicated the romance.
The Wicked Wallflower was such a fun romp, with its games, relationship trope and complicated romance. I immediately liked the girls, and knew this was a series I was going to enjoy. The romance was filled with witty banter, and I found myself snorting with laughter. Emma is dubbed, Least Likely, and Blake kept changing the title in his mind, giving us clues to his thoughts and insecurities all while being absolutely hilarious. I loved how Rodale peeled back their layers and exposed these characters. The romance was not without tension and misunderstanding, but it was believable. I craved my HEA relentlessly as we mounted obstacles and interfering boobs. The only issue I had with this novel was a technical one. It involving improper speech and etiquette for the period. Emma as a lady would never have been allowed to travel without a chaperone and characters were improperly addressed with regard to their title. This was a small bump and the flaw was consistent throughout the novel. Once I accepted it all was well.
Copy received in exchange for unbiased review. Review originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer