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The Wallflower Scandal #1
The Beastly Duke and his Wallflower
A desperate wallflower seeks refuge in the Beastly Duke’s Castle…
Isabel is running away. Desperate to escape her abusive family, she stumbles upon a Castle belonging to the most disreputable of men: The Beastly Duke of Brockwood...
Antony is scarred. Living as a recluse, he spends the rest of his days seeking his long-lost sister. But upon rescuing the innocent Isabel from sure death, he finds himself desiring the mysterious young lady...
As their forbidden consort begins to awaken a newfound desire inside each of them, Isabel goes missing, forcing Antony to confront his family's dark past or risk losing her forever...
Each book in the Wallflower Scandal series is a standalone story of 60,000 words that can be enjoyed out of order and can be read for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Isabel is running away. Desperate to escape her abusive family, she stumbles upon a Castle belonging to the most disreputable of men: The Beastly Duke of Brockwood...
Antony is scarred. Living as a recluse, he spends the rest of his days seeking his long-lost sister. But upon rescuing the innocent Isabel from sure death, he finds himself desiring the mysterious young lady...
As their forbidden consort begins to awaken a newfound desire inside each of them, Isabel goes missing, forcing Antony to confront his family's dark past or risk losing her forever...
Each book in the Wallflower Scandal series is a standalone story of 60,000 words that can be enjoyed out of order and can be read for free with Kindle Unlimited.
- GenresHistorical Romance
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 6, 2023
71 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 13, 2025
This story begins with a touch of Cinderella vibes, though the theme isn’t overly strong it’s more of a subtle nod than a full retelling.
Anthony is a kind man, though essentially a recluse who rarely leaves his castle. It turns out to be a blessing that he did the day Isabel fell into his lake, setting their unlikely connection in motion.
Isabel’s life is far from easy. Forced to stay with her awful aunt and cousin, she endures cruelty and unhappiness until she finally runs away—straight into Anthony’s world. Their meeting sparks both drama and romance, with Anthony’s quiet strength and Isabel’s resilience creating a compelling dynamic.
Together, they navigate mistrust, isolation, and the shadows of their pasts, finding love where neither expected it. Claire Devon delivers a charming tale of escape, healing, and the transformative power of romance.
Anthony is a kind man, though essentially a recluse who rarely leaves his castle. It turns out to be a blessing that he did the day Isabel fell into his lake, setting their unlikely connection in motion.
Isabel’s life is far from easy. Forced to stay with her awful aunt and cousin, she endures cruelty and unhappiness until she finally runs away—straight into Anthony’s world. Their meeting sparks both drama and romance, with Anthony’s quiet strength and Isabel’s resilience creating a compelling dynamic.
Together, they navigate mistrust, isolation, and the shadows of their pasts, finding love where neither expected it. Claire Devon delivers a charming tale of escape, healing, and the transformative power of romance.
February 12, 2023
This is a fairy tale for adults, it’s like a version of Beauty and the Beast combined with Cinderella. Not only is there one romance story in it, but there are two! However I shall not give you any spoilers. The writing is very good, and the story is predictable with a happy ending, but that is what is great about a historical romance. You know it’s going to have a happy ending. However, even though certain events are predictable, the journey of getting there is an enjoyable read. Oh and the romance you can feel between the characters. It has just the right amount of spice in it to make it nice.
January 6, 2024
I just didn't like this as much as I thought I would. It's a very loose Beauty and the Beast with a hint of Cinderella thrown in. It is not steamy at all (as the title suggests), so if you're looking for that, you won't find it here.
But my issue wasn't with that, it was with the various plot issues and the dialogue and characters. It isn't a terrible story but as I wrote this review I found myself changing from 3 to 2 stars because I just had too many problems with it. Ironically the villain summed up how neatly and kind of ridiculously the thin plot neatly came full circle and that's just the start.
Just some of the issues:
- Everything started out well and the beastly Duke acts one way toward the heroine, then another - totally acceptable given he's beastly and has no social graces but I felt like his personality changed after that. I guess we're supposed to see his evolution but I felt like he was inconsistently portrayed.
- Dialogue is sometimes forced or contrived sounding. Sometimes there was good dialogue, mostly between the Duke and his friend.
- Several sections just had too much inner dialogue that was often repetitive and found myself skimming.
- The second romance was a lot of tell vs show. Why or how do they fall in love? Not really sure. And I hated the scene where she decided to be offended by something he said - the man literally has a concussion and she knows he's not speaking clearly but she decided to be all hurt by it.
The author spells out a lot of things that don't really need so much explanation, sometimes more than once, but then other things are neglected or glossed over:
- No explanation as to why the sister was sent away. I guess we're just supposed to accept he's bad and didn't want a daughter with a scar?
- Isabel's father is mentioned in passing a few times and doesn't appear in the plot at all. He's not a great guy either but you'd think he'd want to know what's up with his daughter.
- The aunt and cousin plot makes no sense - a plan to marry her off to get at her supposed riches but then completely change the plan to something else entirely that makes no sense
- A town is terrorized with no hint of the law or the Duke doing a thing about it? Things move slowly but not that slowly. He's a reclusive duke but has power and money and does nothing?
And you're a woman who's been tormented all your life by a man you escaped from and then you just walk by yourself to his lair? That's when I almost stopped reading but then figured it was nearly the end I might as well see it through. What was more ridiculous than that was him letting her go. A man whose life is human trafficking and she caused him no end of trouble, according to both of them, and he just lets her walk away?
I've liked other stories by this author but this one just really had too many issues for me. When I got this book I got a free one (Alone with the Rakish Duke) but it sounds like basically the same story except the Duke isn't scarred and the heroine has an evil uncle instead of an aunt; so I might wait a while before attempting that one.
But my issue wasn't with that, it was with the various plot issues and the dialogue and characters. It isn't a terrible story but as I wrote this review I found myself changing from 3 to 2 stars because I just had too many problems with it. Ironically the villain summed up how neatly and kind of ridiculously the thin plot neatly came full circle and that's just the start.
Just some of the issues:
- Everything started out well and the beastly Duke acts one way toward the heroine, then another - totally acceptable given he's beastly and has no social graces but I felt like his personality changed after that. I guess we're supposed to see his evolution but I felt like he was inconsistently portrayed.
- Dialogue is sometimes forced or contrived sounding. Sometimes there was good dialogue, mostly between the Duke and his friend.
- Several sections just had too much inner dialogue that was often repetitive and found myself skimming.
- The second romance was a lot of tell vs show. Why or how do they fall in love? Not really sure. And I hated the scene where she decided to be offended by something he said - the man literally has a concussion and she knows he's not speaking clearly but she decided to be all hurt by it.
The author spells out a lot of things that don't really need so much explanation, sometimes more than once, but then other things are neglected or glossed over:
- No explanation as to why the sister was sent away. I guess we're just supposed to accept he's bad and didn't want a daughter with a scar?
- Isabel's father is mentioned in passing a few times and doesn't appear in the plot at all. He's not a great guy either but you'd think he'd want to know what's up with his daughter.
- The aunt and cousin plot makes no sense - a plan to marry her off to get at her supposed riches but then completely change the plan to something else entirely that makes no sense
- A town is terrorized with no hint of the law or the Duke doing a thing about it? Things move slowly but not that slowly. He's a reclusive duke but has power and money and does nothing?
And you're a woman who's been tormented all your life by a man you escaped from and then you just walk by yourself to his lair? That's when I almost stopped reading but then figured it was nearly the end I might as well see it through. What was more ridiculous than that was him letting her go. A man whose life is human trafficking and she caused him no end of trouble, according to both of them, and he just lets her walk away?
I've liked other stories by this author but this one just really had too many issues for me. When I got this book I got a free one (Alone with the Rakish Duke) but it sounds like basically the same story except the Duke isn't scarred and the heroine has an evil uncle instead of an aunt; so I might wait a while before attempting that one.
February 24, 2023
Wow, what a story! I have read many books by Claire but I think this one is the best. It is like mixing Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella with an added villain plus a mystery. Antony, the Duke has lived shut up in his castle his whole life. With his evil, nasty selfless father making him a scapegoat for all his anger and ugliness. He has only had one friend, Lewis, who he met as a boy, and they have been together since. He is twenty-eight now and has just received a letter telling him he has a sister! He has a family he never knew about; he is shocked and determined to find her. With Lewis’s help he wants to find her and bring her home if possible. Isabel has been thrown out of her father's house due to an incident at a ball where she was attacked by a man then blamed for it. She was hurt and disappointed her father didn’t believe her and instead sent her away to live with her aunt, Gertrude and cousin Francis. Both are very rude, selfish, nasty people. Isabel soon finds out just what they want her besides being a servant. She knows she has to leave but to were, she runs away to a Castle that is supposed to be empty. There she meets the duke, who saved her from an accident. She is shocked by how handsome he is even with a mask covering half his face. He shows her nothing but kindness which she has not had in a very long time. As they spend time together, he finds out what happened to her and that her aunt and cousin still mean to do her harm. He promises to protect her. They work together with Lewis to try and find his sister. While all this is going on evil man, Bob the Butcher and his gang is terrorizing the village and the woman, Lewis is very fond of Marina. So much is going on in this story, evil family members, two couples in trouble, gangs and lots and lots of longings, passion, love and understanding too. It is so good. Not to be missed. Grub a copy to see how it all ends. If you read between the lines, you will find out who sent the letter... I received an ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.
February 11, 2023
Emotionally captivating
This is an emotional tale of 2 souls, abused emotionally by their families, that find each other and in doing so, find completeness. The harsh reality for Antony was being different, thus forcing him into self imprisonment.. Isabel’s reality was determined by the ton, forcing her to live with an aunt that was not worthy of Isabel’s kind heart. I loved how Antony had one friend willing allow him to be himself and help him in the world to find the missing piece of his life. Isabel did get on my nerves sometimes, as she never seemed to be able to stand up for herself until it was too late. But they complimented each other, filling in the gaps they didn’t have in themselves. The one confusing piece was we are never told who actually wrote the original letter… who knew the secret Antony had to find. Nor was it discovered how the letter writer knew., which is something I would have liked to have known (or did I miss it?) At one point the story was so exciting, I may have read over it too fast to see the conclusion…the story was that good!
I received this book as a ARC copy for free and these are my own opinions.
This is an emotional tale of 2 souls, abused emotionally by their families, that find each other and in doing so, find completeness. The harsh reality for Antony was being different, thus forcing him into self imprisonment.. Isabel’s reality was determined by the ton, forcing her to live with an aunt that was not worthy of Isabel’s kind heart. I loved how Antony had one friend willing allow him to be himself and help him in the world to find the missing piece of his life. Isabel did get on my nerves sometimes, as she never seemed to be able to stand up for herself until it was too late. But they complimented each other, filling in the gaps they didn’t have in themselves. The one confusing piece was we are never told who actually wrote the original letter… who knew the secret Antony had to find. Nor was it discovered how the letter writer knew., which is something I would have liked to have known (or did I miss it?) At one point the story was so exciting, I may have read over it too fast to see the conclusion…the story was that good!
I received this book as a ARC copy for free and these are my own opinions.
February 10, 2023
A Good Story
I enjoyed this story. It is well-written. After an incident which threatened her reputation, Isabel was sent to live with her aunt. She was badly treated and ran away. She got lost and fell into a lake. She was rescued by Duke Antony and taken to his castle to recover. He hides away from society due to a disfiguring birthmark. The story follows how Isabel helps Antony to overcome his fear of being seen in public. There is danger from Isabel's aunt as she tries to take Isabel to live with her again. Antony is searching for his lost twin sister, Marina, and there is a lot of danger in his search. His friend, Lewis, helps him and between them they all face Bob the Butcher and his cruel gang. Will Antony find his long lost sister? Will Isabel and Antony find happiness and security? Read on and enjoy.
I enjoyed this story. It is well-written. After an incident which threatened her reputation, Isabel was sent to live with her aunt. She was badly treated and ran away. She got lost and fell into a lake. She was rescued by Duke Antony and taken to his castle to recover. He hides away from society due to a disfiguring birthmark. The story follows how Isabel helps Antony to overcome his fear of being seen in public. There is danger from Isabel's aunt as she tries to take Isabel to live with her again. Antony is searching for his lost twin sister, Marina, and there is a lot of danger in his search. His friend, Lewis, helps him and between them they all face Bob the Butcher and his cruel gang. Will Antony find his long lost sister? Will Isabel and Antony find happiness and security? Read on and enjoy.
February 17, 2023
Beauty and the Beast
Through no fault of her own, Isabel has been ruined during a ball. She is exiled to the countryside where her aunt uses and abuses her as a servant. When she overhears a conversation between her aunt and her cousin and their intention to have her marry her cousin, she runs away to a nearby castle. In her panic, she falls in the lake and is saved from drowning by the duke. His face is scarred from birth, and he always wears a mask. He offers her the hospitality of the castle and his protection against her aunt. Several days later, the duke receives an anonymous letter informing him that he has a twin sister. During their inquiries about his sister, Isabel is abducted and Anthony will do everything to find Isabel as her abduction crystallizes his feelings for her.
Through no fault of her own, Isabel has been ruined during a ball. She is exiled to the countryside where her aunt uses and abuses her as a servant. When she overhears a conversation between her aunt and her cousin and their intention to have her marry her cousin, she runs away to a nearby castle. In her panic, she falls in the lake and is saved from drowning by the duke. His face is scarred from birth, and he always wears a mask. He offers her the hospitality of the castle and his protection against her aunt. Several days later, the duke receives an anonymous letter informing him that he has a twin sister. During their inquiries about his sister, Isabel is abducted and Anthony will do everything to find Isabel as her abduction crystallizes his feelings for her.
February 11, 2023
Average, slightly Gothic, historical romance. Whilst I did, on the whole, enjoy this story of downtrodden Isabel & scarred Duke, Antony, I felt it ‘missed’ somehow. The story felt like it didn’t flow in places; whilst the side plot of Antony’s lost sister added to the depth of the story it felt as though it stretched belief a bit. All that being said, the main characters are well-written (although Isabel comes over as a bit ‘wet’ on occasions!) and hold the reader’s interest. The ‘baddy’ of the piece was more of a pantomime villain than someone to fill the reader with fear. A reasonable read with the inevitable HEA to satisfy the reader.
June 20, 2025
Not a fan. I thought I would love this due to the beauty and the beast comparison, but there were things that didnt make sense. A lot of plot points that seemed to have been overlooked or completely ignored. I dont understand Marina being sent away, how Bella's father plays into it, and then the sudden change of Bella's aunt and cousin. I also didnt like how the love story between Isabella and Anthony wasnt explored. They immediately loved each other with no background. It was hard to get to know them as separate characters and as lovers. I wish I could have loved it more
February 17, 2023
Healed by love
What a incredibly wonderful experience I had reading this book. First the cover for the book is gorgeous! This story of Isabel and Antony pulled me in right from the start. I read it in one sitting. The plot is very good with a different twist with the hero and heroine. A host of villains to dislike and a wonderful HEA. This is my first time reading a book by Claire Devon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend this book to everyone.
What a incredibly wonderful experience I had reading this book. First the cover for the book is gorgeous! This story of Isabel and Antony pulled me in right from the start. I read it in one sitting. The plot is very good with a different twist with the hero and heroine. A host of villains to dislike and a wonderful HEA. This is my first time reading a book by Claire Devon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend this book to everyone.
June 8, 2023
I love a good beauty and the beast type story, so I was excited to read this one given the reviews. I’m not sure if the setting is supposed to be historical or fantasy but the scenario that brings Anthony and Isabel together seems completely implausible. In fact, there are so many implausible situations that it starts to get ridiculous-and Bob the Butcher??? Come on… I can’t help feel like I have wasted eight hours of my life.
February 12, 2023
This story certainly has an interesting group of characters. There are very dysfunctional families issues, child abuse, society's judgement, deceit and mystery. One of my issues with this story thus the 3 star review is that the main answer to the mystery is revealed too soon in the story for me. The book did not really hold my attention after that reveal.
February 16, 2023
Evil Aunt and wicked father
He is scarred. She is has been touched by scandal and sent to an aunt who has plans for her that are undesirable. Can a runaway and a man fearful of outsiders overcome their troubles and find happiness. A charming main tale coupled with a lovely lost sibling subplot.
He is scarred. She is has been touched by scandal and sent to an aunt who has plans for her that are undesirable. Can a runaway and a man fearful of outsiders overcome their troubles and find happiness. A charming main tale coupled with a lovely lost sibling subplot.
February 18, 2023
Beauty and the Beast
Retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, with the twist! The beauty is ruined by a vile man and sent to the country with a very cruel aunt, runs away and stumbles into Antony, Duke. Many twist and turns before the ending!
Retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast, with the twist! The beauty is ruined by a vile man and sent to the country with a very cruel aunt, runs away and stumbles into Antony, Duke. Many twist and turns before the ending!
May 5, 2023
Duke and Wallflower
I could happily give this book 5 stars except for two things. Our heroine was pretty wimpy, and I was expecting more spunk from her; and there was no reason why the Duke and his sister were separated in the first place. Perhaps a sequel will explain the latter!
I could happily give this book 5 stars except for two things. Our heroine was pretty wimpy, and I was expecting more spunk from her; and there was no reason why the Duke and his sister were separated in the first place. Perhaps a sequel will explain the latter!
January 5, 2024
This read like a dark, depressing, gothic novel. I’m going to be blunt: This was horrible. The H and h were pathetic. Way too many villains. I hate when authors claim “steamy”… and it is NOT.
Skip this one if you have to pay for it!
Skip this one if you have to pay for it!
February 7, 2025
A Puzzle/A Runaway/A Friend & Love..
A Despicable Family helps Isabel see them for what they are & she runs away & finds herself in a fix! Meanwhile, Lewis & Marina try to see the person causing all of the trouble but eventually it is a puzzle answered with high hopes for all!!
A Despicable Family helps Isabel see them for what they are & she runs away & finds herself in a fix! Meanwhile, Lewis & Marina try to see the person causing all of the trouble but eventually it is a puzzle answered with high hopes for all!!
February 18, 2023
Enjoyed this fairy tale for adults set in the Regency period. The characters were very well written and the story was a very enjoyable read.
April 19, 2023
Super quick read. Cute regency, love story based off of beauty and the beast.
December 12, 2025
I only read about 1-4 of the book before stopping. could not identify with the characters.
March 23, 2025
A Fairytale Romance.
Two romances for the price of one.
Read in Kindle Unlimited.
Two romances for the price of one.
Read in Kindle Unlimited.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews