The Wicked Wallflower

Bad Boys & Wallflowers #1

by Maya Rodale

Maya Rodale's captivating new series introduces London's Least Likely—three wallflowers who are about to become the toast of the ton…

Lady Emma Avery has accidentally announced her engagement—to the most eligible man in England. As soon as it's discovered that Emma has never actually met the infamously attractive Duke of Ashbrooke, she'll no longer be a wallflower; she'll be a laughingstock. And then Ashbrooke does something Emma never expected. He plays along with her charade.

A temporary betrothal to the irreproachable Lady Avery could be just the thing to repair Ashbrooke's tattered reputation. Seducing her is simply a bonus. And then Emma does what he never expected: she refuses his advances. It's unprecedented. Inconceivable. Quite damnably alluring.

London's Least Likely to Misbehave has aroused the curiosity—among other things—of London's most notorious rogue. Now nothing will suffice but to uncover Emma's wanton side and prove there's nothing so satisfying as two perfect strangers…being perfectly scandalous together.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Fiction, Audiobook

357 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 29, 2013

About the author

Maya Rodale is the best-selling and award-winning author of funny, feminist fiction including historical romance, YA and historical fiction. A champion of the romance genre and its readers, she is also the author of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. Maya reviews romance for NPR and has appeared in Bustle, Glamour, Shondaland, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and PBS. She began reading romance novels in college at her mother’s insistence and has never been allowed to forget it.

Sign up for her newsletter at www.mayarodale.com/newsletter

Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man.

This book is just. Stupid. The premise is sort of embarrassingly ridiculous, any attempt at humor falls completely flat, the pacing is awful, and the characters are just badly plotted. The hero and heroine never really get to know each other, making their pretense at some deeper connection wholly laughable, and the peripheral characters are shallow and uninteresting. They're all rather watered-down HR cliches, and even as cliches, they don't work.

It's been stated in other reviews, but I'll reiterate it; the historical inaccuracies made me cringe. When I got to 15% and Emma was riding in a coach with Blake without a chaperone? I was wide-eyed with disbelief. I don't ask for a ton of historical accuracy, but that was a pretty basic fact of life for that time period; unmarried women were not left alone with unmarried men. And it wasn't the only time Emma and Blake were left to their own devices. They were constantly going off alone together, a circumstance that would have resulted in a lot of righteous indignation in real life. They also kept holding hands, which is not only inaccurate, but doesn't make much sense in the beginning considering they don't seem to like each other very much.

The writing is redundant to the point of being maddening. Emma is a wallflower. We get it! It doesn't need to be stated every other page. Nor does her nickname. Speaking of which, how is "Buxom Bluestocking" an insult? And if I had to read the term "lover boy" just one more fucking time...

Aside from the inaccuracies and the redundancy, the story itself unfolded in such a lazy, half-assed fashion that I had a hard time not just giving up. The only obstacles to Emma and Blake being together are Emma's insecurities, and Rodale wasted page after page beating her readers over the head with them. "Oh, I'm just not pretty enough or interesting enough or funny enough" wah, wah, wah. And then the finale hurdle made very little sense; Blake wants Emma but he is convinced she loves Benedict more and just wants her to be happy, so he lets her go. But she tells him she loves him....so you would think that, at that point, he'd be like, "Oh, grand, darling, let's make this official!" Right?

Fucking wrong! He wishes he could take back everything he said, but then just figures "it's too late".

You know what, this fucking shit didn't even make sense, I don't even know why I'm bothering.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was such a fun romance! Thanks to Lisa for forcing me to read another great historical romance!

In this one, Emma is a wallflower with her two best friends. They're in their third (or fourth?) season and Emma is actually in love with a man who has to marry rich, which she is not. Her friends are talking about their situations as wallflowers and they all write a fake announcement that Emma is engaged to the notorious rake, The Duke of Ashbrooke. The letter is accidentally sent and Blake decides to go along with the engagement so that he can fix his reputation and acquire funds for a special project he's working on. I really loved how Emma was so adamant that she was in love with Benedict but she couldn't deny the rising attraction and infuriating banter she had with Blake. They had to go to his relative's estate to play in a game to compete for her inheritance. I love a good fake dating story and this one did it so well! I will say, Emma's adamance that she was in love with Benedict got old by the end of the book. I just wanted her to forget him and go with Blake already. I know she was very insecure and thought a Duke like Blake could never love a plain wallflower like her, but I wanted her to just get over Benedict much quicker, especially when he failed to show her what he'd put on the line for her (aka nothing). Some people might see this as cheating since Emma is supposedly still "with" Benedict while she's falling for Blake, but I didn't really see it that way. Overall, I really loved watching Emma and Blake fake date and fall for each other and Blake realize that he's really in love with Emma. I can't wait to continue on with this series and watch Emma's friends fall in love!

[Milica's Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Svi znaju da ja obožavam istorijske romanse, pa ko ih ne voli neka preskoći ovo što pišem i ovu knjigu. Duhoviti dijalozi, zanimljivi likovi i rasplet..šta mogu poželeti više? :D

Lady Emma Avery je već tri godine zaljubljena u Benedicta,drugog sina jednog grofa i svo vreme očekuje da je zaprosi. Međutim, njegov otac se našao u neprilici i Benedict se mora oženiti naslednicom,a Emma to nije. Kako bi primorale Benedicta da napravi pomak u njihovoj vezi, Emma i njene dve prijateljice, napišu objavu o Eminim zarukama sa Blakeom, ozoglašenim vojvodom od Asbrooka, koja slučajno dospe u novine. Zamislite samo Blakeovo iznenađenje kad sazna da je zaručen za damu koju nikad nije upoznao...

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wicked Wallflower is a wicked good time read! I adore 'wallflower' stories because I love watching these women blossom! They're always more clever and exciting than society gives them credit for, and being there as they open up and let people see who they really are - often with the help of a devilishly handsome and rakish man - keeps me smiling and sighing throughout the story and, ultimately, falling in love!

This story is all that, as well as unique. The addition of "The Fortune Games" is ingenious! Likely to happen? No, but highly entertaining which is why I read fiction. If historical romance was written entirely factual...it'd be boring as hell and wouldn't be my favorite genre, which it is.

Anyway, I'm excited to read Olivia and Prudence's stories next!

An ARC was provided by Avon Books. In appreciation I'm giving them an honest, long over due review!

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs to be slashed with an editing pen; many redundant scenes and dialogue. Pretty much the run of the mill regency duke story, with a few cute pretty acts and colloquy. Read like the author's first book (it's not, but the first I've read by Ms. Rodale), there's something there but very infantile.

Oh, and you probably want to stuff any historical knowledge into a dark corner of your brain while you read this. I mean, I could be wrong but the terms "Lover Boy" and "God Awful" and an unmarried miss, albeit an engaged one, running wild unchaperoned with nary a raised eyebrow seem a tad off for 19th century England. Decently meh. I am going to plan on reading the second in this series though, and give this author another try.

[Colette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out so good. However when I got to the part where Emma, our heroine goes to a house party unchaperoned, I really should have stopped reading.
However, I liked the Duke & Emma, so I preserved.

When Emma and her friends refer to her finance's presence as the Ashbrooke Effect I really should've stopped reading. Did I? No.

When I got to the point when Emma arrives at the house party unchaperoned and no one comments on it, I really should have stopped reading. Did I? Nope.

The party itself-the fortune games where there is one sole survivor who inherits the Duke's Aunts fortune, was a cute concept-but when the author couldn't decide if it was the Hunger Games or Survivor, I should've known I was trouble. Did I stop reading? No, but I should have.

Then there was the moment when the hero uses the term God-awful in a sentence. However, I still really liked Emma and the Duke, so I kept reading. Even later, when he used the word ignoramus to describe himself, I didn't stop reading.

I kept on reading because the chemistry was wonderful, and I enjoyed the banter between the Duke and heroine. What stopped me reading when I got to the 52% mark was that even though he had yet to make appearance was that Emma kept going on and on about how in love she was with this other guy and that's why she couldn't have feelings for the Duke. After a really romantic make out scene she kept going on and on about this other guy, and honestly at this point I felt it was stupid. Why should I, the reader care about that when at this point he's not really a part of the story?

The other thing that annoyed me by this point by the language used in the book. Now, I am not a picky reader. I love my historical romances, but I do am not a stickler for the language-however, when it reads like a contemporary romance with a few things thrown in to make it a historical romance, that bugs the crap out of me. Please do not insult me by using words that weren't invented yet etc. That's just lazy writing and how can editors let stuff like that through?

This was my first book by Maya Rodale, and I have to say I wasn't impressed by it at all, and I've discovered I like more historical in my historical romance then I thought I did!

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK!!! Honest rating 4.5 stars!

It's about two opposites who are working together to fool his great aunt/grandma (i forgot her relation) to 'fortune games'. Whoever wins the game as the strongest couple will win her wealth and along the way, this couple falls hopelessly in love.

I love how Emma is so vulnerable and rightfully so. The entire town has read articles about her being the least likely to be married and everyone turning her down so she has very low self-esteem when it comes to Blake, who is handsome and a playboy. Despite her thinking she's inferior to him, she doesn't let the opinion of others bring her soul down as she's strong, witty, and ready to make her own path.

Blake has his own troubles too with him growing up as an orphan and loving his great aunt a lot but being taught that emotions--are useless. So he hides every emotion behind sarcasm.



I really liked the angst and tension between these two as both are so scared to let each other know that the feelings are real now as they don't want to get rejected. Emma, confused and saddened that Blake may not ever love her, decides it's best to go forward with her pursuit to marry her long-time crush, Benedict.

The reason why this is not a perfect book is because it gets a little bit dramatic towards the end with the involvement of her mom and her friends who stick their toes in her fake relationship. It ends up making him disappointed and not wanting to pursue something but she's able to win him back in the end.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a B- at AAR, so let's call it 3.5 stars.

This first book in a new series by Maya Rodale is fun, fluffy, and unashamedly pokes fun at a number of trends in current popular culture. Now, I love well-done romantic fluff. It’s hard to write convincingly, and Ms Rodale certainly displays a talent for writing sparkling dialogue that flows effortlessly. The story is well written, there’s plenty of wit, the chemistry between the hero and heroine is wonderful, the love scenes are steamy and there’s a subtle undercurrent of deeper emotion that comes to the surface in the later part of the book.

Having said all that – why have I given the book a B-?

I think it comes down to the fact that I enjoyed the book in spite of the problems I found with it, but I was unable to ignore them completely.

Lady Emma Avery and her friends, Olivia and Patience are into their fourth seasons and remain unmarried. They have acquired the nicknames of “London’s Least Likely…”, Emma’s epithet being “London’s Least Likely to Misbehave.” For three years, Emma has had a suitor – of sorts – the impoverished second son of a Viscount, but his courtship has been so subtle as to have been practically non-existent, and Emma is trying to think of a way to bring him up to scratch.

One night when the girls have been at the sherry, Olivia and Prudence hit upon the idea of sending the notice of Emma’s betrothal to the newspapers. Emma is not keen (probably because she’s not quite as drunk as the other two girls!), and then things get out of hand when her friends come to the conclusion that if Emma is going to tell a whopper, she might as well make it a big one and announce her engagement to London’s Most Gorgeous and Unattainable, the rakish Duke of Ashbrooke. As Olivia and Patience are drawing up the announcement to the sounds of Emma’s protests, a house-fire causes them to have to leave in a hurry, leaving the letters behind them.

Of course, the notice appears in the newspapers almost immediately and the stage is set for a good “Rake and the Wallflower” story.

I raced through the first third eagerly, and was particularly pleased to note that the hero, who was described as a rake, pretty much was one – a man whose conquests were many and who made no bones about his frequent visits to the gambling table or to the brandy bottle. With so many recent books bearing the word “rake” in the title, that may sound surprising, but in most cases, the term has been misapplied to indicate a man with a degree of sexual experience and nothing more.

Blake Auden (who appears to have been named after a couple of poets), Duke of Ashbrooke, is a notorious womaniser whose good looks and charm have ensured he’s never short of women throwing themselves at him. But, he is, as the saying goes, much more than a pretty face. He’s a highly intelligent man and something of an inventor, but his reputation as a good-time-guy means he has trouble finding investors to take him seriously. I thought this was rather an interesting gender reversal, as it’s usually the story that the pretty woman with brains finds it difficult to get anyone to see beyond her looks and credit her with intelligence.

Once Blake gets over the shock of seeing his betrothal notice in the paper, he realises that an engagement to a young lady of impeccable virtue and reputation may be just the thing to help him to convince potential investors that he’s a sound prospect. So instead of denouncing Emma, he plays along, and they agree to a fake engagement to their mutual benefit at the end of which Emma will jilt him and they will go their separate ways.

I very much enjoyed the way the relationship between Blake and Emma developed. Their banter was delightful and I liked the way that Emma gained confidence and gradually began to see herself as Blake sees her. She is the one woman he has come across who is immune to the “Ashbrooke Effect” (more on that later), and of course, Blake is a man who loves a challenge. But very soon, Emma becomes more than a challenge and Blake is falling hard for London’s Least Likely to Succumb to his Charms.

The problem is that Emma has become so used to being a wallflower, a woman who is never really seen that she finds it hard to believe that the most handsome and eligible man in London could be genuinely interested in her, so her doubts and indecision as to the authenticity of his motives made perfect sense. There’s a wonderfully insightful moment late in the book where her mother tells her how upsetting it is that Emma had not only given up on doing the best for herself, she’d given up expecting it. What didn’t make sense, however, was Emma’s continuing preoccupation with Benedict, the young man who has been very half-heartedly courting her for the past three years, and who was, in my opinion, a mere contrivance to produce a little more conflict later in the story. He was never more than a cardboard cut-out and I thought that Emma’s insecurities and the way Blake was coming to terms with the fact that he’d finally fallen in love were sufficient to drive the narrative.

It seems to me what when < b>The Wicked Wallflower is good, it’s very good. I adored the scene where Blake and Emma stay up all night writing fake love letters and the use to which they are put later, and I thought Blake’s relationship with his prickly and unconventional Great-Aunt was so much the better for being understated.

But, as the rhyme goes, when it’s bad, it’s… well, not horrid, but not great. I really didn’t like the “rapid edits” between scenes which felt as though the author was trying to ape a film or TV show. The repeated use of “slogans”, such as the “Ashbrooke Effect”, to describe the swoon-worthy effect of Blake’s devastating good looks and charm upon any female within a twenty-mile radius; and “London’s Least Likely” to describe Emma and her friends were gimmicky and eventually became irritating.

My main problem with the book overall is that it’s very modern in tone. Blake and Emma travel together for several days unchaperoned – in fact, she never seems to have a chaperone. There was frequent use of anachronistic language – would a duke in 1824 really have referred to his elderly great-aunt as an “old broad”, or use the term “lover boy”? And the “Fortune Games” (which to me felt like a cross between The Hunger Games and Big Brother), in which members of the Arden family compete annually at the whim of Great-Aunt Augusta for the largest bequest in her will, felt completely contrived and out of place.

Having said all that, however, the book redeemed itself somewhat towards the end when things take a more serious tone and when I really felt deeper emotions coming to the fore.

On the whole, I did enjoy The Wicked Wallflower and, knowing what I now know about the tone and setting wouldn’t mind reading more in this series. I would, however, warn anyone who likes a reasonable degree of historical accuracy in their historical romances to leave that requirement at the door, because that is most definitely not the book’s strong point. But if you’re looking for an undemanding, fluffy read with engaging characters who wear nice frocks and tight breeches, this might be just the ticket!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Review posted on Got Fiction? Books http://gotfiction.com/review-wicked-w...

I really liked this book. You do have to suspend belief for the Fortune Games, and the dialogue was very modern, but I still had a great time reading it.

Lady Emma and her friends are drinking one night, lamenting the fact that they are still unwed and beginning their fourth Season. Emma meanwhile, has a boy (Benedict) who’s been courting her these past three Seasons. He and she have discussed their future life in detail, and yet he hasn’t proposed. So they think it would be a great idea to just write the engagement announcement and send it to the paper. But Emma’s friends feel that if they’re going to force an engagement for Emma, that it ought to be a better catch than Benedict. So they write in Blake, the Duke of Ashbrooke, the most eligible and handsome man there is. But the letter actually gets sent in to the paper, and that very week, Emma and Blake are announced as engaged.

Imagine Blake’s surprise at being engaged without having met the girl, let alone proposed to her. But he’s in the midst of trying to mend his reputation, so he thinks, what the hey, keep the engagement for a short while, and let the girl jilt him. This way he’s seen as being stable and dependable, and if she jilts him, she gets attention and reputation won’t suffer.

Meanwhile, his batty old aunt is throwing her annual Fortune Games. This is her way of deciding who inherits her estate. Every year she hosts the Fortune Games, and whoever wins, she names her heir, Until the next year. Basically Blake’s family is full of fortune hunters who are waiting for the old broad to die so they can inherit. But it’s fun, and funny.

I can see how this might not be realistic to the time as it would fit more in with today’s reality shows than a Regency family gathering, but it was still fun to read.

Blake and Emma begin to fall in love with each other, but even though Blake is trying to show Emma that he loves her, she doesn’t think for a minute that she can keep his interest beyond the week. But their romance is sweet and I loved it. Until Emma remembered Benedict (whose ending wasn’t quite what I expected and I can say I didn’t care for it). Other than that, I thought this story was great.

As my first Maya Rodale book, it was a definite win! I plan on continuing this series, to which by the way, she is writing a partner book as a Contemporary Romance called The Bad Boy Billionaire’s Wicked Arrangement.

A rollicking good time full of romance and fun, Maya Rodale’s The Wicked Wallflower was a great read.

***ARC provided by Avon Books and Avon Addicts

[Emilia Redington · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5☆☆☆☆
This was a delightful book. I enjoyed the heroine quite a lot and the Hero was refreshing as well. A smart and cocky Rake that is caught up by love.

There were some funny moments and some hot stuff happening but... the writing style was a bit messy for my taste. Another downside was the fact that this was quite the insta love happening in a week or two, which is unlikely to be "real love" but "real lust". Nevertheless, I can believe this couple could stand the pass of time, they were both smart, weren't awkward with eachother and I'm sure at least they won't get bored together.

It would've been wonderful to see a bit more of Blake, he was such a complex character and his potential was quite wasted from my pov. He was made to seem like a one dimensional character but there was so much depth that was left unexplored. Too bad.

Emma was very brave for a girl in that period, she was quite between two "loves" (at least I see a heroine in this situation and not only the hero) and we can see her struggle to make the right choice. I liked her wit but she, as well lacked some depth and we could have used seeing more of her and Blake.

I kinda feel that the author opened a lot of "doors" regarding the main characters personality, experience and wants but those were just let flat, were present and that was it. I wanted to see more, where it led, how they helped eachother to grow etc.

All in all I liked it against all the odds but I won't be reading the rest of the series, at least not anytime soon .

[Justin Chen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This could've been a GREAT novella, but whoever made the decision to stretch this material into a full-length novel completely wrecked its potential. It's a shame because The Wicked Wallflower started off strong: extremely likable heroine/hero with a balanced mix of appeal and vulnerably, as well as seeds of interesting idea (a spoof on the Hunger Games, the nod to the Difference Machine, the world's first computer), all tied together by Maya Rodale's bright, digestible writing, which perfectly articulated the witty banter and scene of steamy passion.

But the enticing promises were never fully followed through: The described as high stake, totally bonkers 'Games' came and went like elementary school-level riddles. Fictionalizing the hero as the inventor of the Difference Machine was a bold move, but the book completely lost track of it, never resolved this thread that had strong tie to the character's childhood trauma. The Wicked Wallflower even stumbled when it came to romance; I thought I had a case of amnesia when I read multiple chapters where the romantic tension culminated to a kiss—building up to the first moment intimacy made sense, but was it really necessary to devote full chapters describing the progression getting to the second, third, and fourth kiss? Or were they really just padding for length at this point? This is a prime example of my dislike in a historical romance, where the plot (as well as its heroine/hero) is so preoccupied by the romance it cripples everything else; I still need a narrative with purpose and momentum, as well as characters who have a well-defined identity and agency beyond just love and sex.

The Wicked Wallflower was ultimately frustrating because I could identify the maneuvers made to lengthen its page count. Characters had extended moment (as in CHAPTERS) of indecisiveness and inaction for the simplest ask, or out of the blue saw the relationship in absolute term in order to initiate an unearned conflict. Yet where additional complexity could've boost the narrative or the fictional world at large (the rules of the Games, the historical context of the machine, etc.) the author decided to avoid development or research. Judging solely from this experience, Maya Rodale's work might be a pass for me.

[Hannah B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5 no thoughts until HarperCollins strike ends with a fair bargain.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please note that if there was ever a book to be named a 'mistorical' , this would be it. Any resemblance to 19th century England is purely coincidental. I'm generally not a stickler for accuracy, more important is story. This story, however, did not even come close to compensating for the many, many baffling inconsistencies in the world building (a newly betrothed couple traveling together for three days without a chaperone, nor anyone commenting on it, was the least of it) . Rote characters, incoherent plot and the writing was not only anachronistic but also had too many flaws and wrong words.
This author is not for me.

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Maya Rodale and I had several problems with her writing style and story construction. I didn't like the constant back and forth between scenes that are taking place at the same time in two different locations—just write one, then write the other. There were also several inconsistencies or things that didn't add up (her parents are in the carriage with them, but then they're back home to greet her when she gets back; why would Benedict act so quickly and I don't believe Lady Katherine, as she's written, would do that (accept Benedict just to have a husband for the four-year reunion, when she's the belle of the ball and can have anyone; it's not either the Duke or a second son she never paid attention to, there's plenty in between); and other things). There were also several things that felt forced and other than Aunt Agatha and maybe Blake's valet, most all of the secondary characters were completely flat. I couldn't tell if his friends were really his friends, and her friends (Olivia and Prudence, who are the heroines of the other two books) act super silly and stupid sometimes.

After all that, why did I not give it 1 star? Lol. Yeah, so there were a bunch of bad things, but it wasn't ALL bad, hence the 3-star rating. The premise was funny, I loved the twist at the end, and Blake is really adorable in how he starts to fall in love with Emma (her back and forth between him and Benedict was another annoyance though; she acts like they're interchangeable). Aunt Agatha was a pill and a fun character (though the whole "battle to be her heir" was a stupid plot ploy—and right, hello, why did everyone forget that even if you "won," nothing happened unless she DIED, so none of you should be so excited about winning; I honestly think Rodale may have forgotten that at times). I appreciated the change of the hero being more open about his feelings than the heroine.

So this is odd, because now I'm wondering why I don't have more positive things to say for a 3-star read, but I don't ... and instead negative things keep on popping up. I stick with my 3-stars though, because it wasn't a total waste of time and I don't regret reading it. It was disappointing though and since this was my first book by this author, I'm not sure whether this will be a pattern for me or with her books or whether maybe this was just a one-off bad one. Hopefully the latter ... guess we'll see!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won't lie, I almost labeled this one as a DNF. I wasn't the biggest fan of the beginning. Both characters were kind of annoying and I wasn't really digging the way the scenes kept switching back and forth. But I kept reading because I usually love Maya Rodale's work and I am so glad that I did. Once I got to the halfway point I just couldn't put this book down. I loved the banter and humor between Blake and Emma and I found myself really falling for Blake. Once he became aware of his feelings for Emma I loved watching how he dealt with everything. I think what I liked most about these two characters was their intelligence and their sly sense of humor. I really learned to love these two. I can't wait to read more.

[Lady Gabriella of Awesomeness (SLOW) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly delightful read <3
Would defiantly recommend !

[Viri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayyyyyyyyy pero es que ha sido maravilloso😍😍😍
En serio, fue terminar y quedar así: 😍🥰👏🏻

Me enamoró Blake con su humor seductor y perspicaz, me encantó ella con su dureza y puntas afiladas, sip, a veces no la entendía y estaba casi al punto de hacerme rodar los ojos pero me terminó gustando mucho, y la historia tan sencilla y cliché ufffff... Eso sí, llena de situaciones extrañas y poco creíbles 🙃🤣🤣🤣

No le doy más por los terribles errores ortográficos pero no tiene nada que ver con el libro, más bien con la traducción no oficial qué leí.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuando leí la sinopsis me llamó mucho la atención es muy de mi tipo.
Me gustan mucho las historias de fake romance y súmale un DUQUE no pss GUURL!!!

El libro si es divertido tiene escenas lindas sobre todo de parte de él al final con esa propuesta que soy bien cursi y caigo rendida.

Pero también hubo cosas que no me gustaron del todo como la actitud al principio de él y luego la de ella que la llegué a odiar casi al finalizar el libro.
Aunque todo se arregló para bien.

Le daré 3.5 estrellas porque siento que la prota si me estropeó un poco la lectura.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This romantic comedy was light and humorous in tone and should have been exactly the sort of tale I loved but for some reason I just never connected with Maya Rodale's writing or found myself getting fully sucked into the story. It was a real pity as my feeling is that Rodale and I do enjoy the same sort of romance stories as this was filled with happenings I should have loved! It even had one of my favourite tropes in the fake romance as a building block for the story.

The premise was fun. Lady Emma Avery, a wallflower in her 4th season, has accidentally (and very publicly) announced her engagement to one of the most most eligible men in England. It comes as a shock to all the ton. Especially the groom, the Duke of Ashbrooke, as he cannot ever recall having met his supposed bride! Emma fears she will soon be replacing her role as unnoticed wallflower for that of very public laughingstock but is shocked when her proposed fiancé pops up and decides to play along with the charade. The Duke has an awful reputation for being an irresponsible drunken wastrel who lurches from one scandalous affair to the next and none of that is inspiring any of his fellow members of the nobility to place their trust in him and invest the money he needs to bring his new invention to life. A proposed marriage to a woman of good reputation might be just the thing he needs to redeem his name and reputation and prove to everyone he can be trusted! For Emma it is the chance to be noticed and shine in the spotlight which she hopes will finally prompt the man she really wishes to marry to finally propose to her when her fake engagement finally ends.

It was a fun enough premise and the story was filled with a nice mix of romance and hilarious happenings. It was just a pity I never really connected with it as this really is the sort of tale I typically love!

I made it to the end of this but definitely did not love it.

Rating: 2.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 3 stars as I really feel like I should have enjoyed this more lol.

Audio Note: Carolyn Morris was not the best audio narrator I've come across. I've listened to worse but her character voices were a bit samey for my liking.

[Kerrelyn Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. Clever and fun!!

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. Loved Aunt Agatha!

[Desi · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first and likely last Rodale. Some redeeming humour, the occasional clever turn of phrase and good relationship portrayal between people who have difficulty expressing emotion like the duke and his aunt.

Last few chapters flowed well and everything was wrapped up very satisfyingly. Tough to get to that point though as most of it was Torturous.

Here's why:

1) Endless repetition of the word wallflower. We get it. She's not the most popular gal at the party. (Repetition in general really but I'll keep that problem to this one example, let's be concise and all)

2) Exhaustive self-denigration by Emma. Get over yourself. You're not an ogre. Babies don't cry at the sight of your face. No one runs away screaming.

3) Referring to a man as "Lover boy". Really? So very, very jarring. Amongst other glaring historical inaccuracies.

4) Ridiculous pseudo reality show style house party called "Fortune Games". How can the plot hinge on a hypothetical inheritance from an old woman who could live several years into the future? Who fully intends to change, and has in fact always changed, her will yearly and might do so on a whim even before that?

... Utter stupidity is what it is.

5) Childish, pointless, Blake, who is probably incapable of coming up with a viable business plan which is likely the real reason no one wants to invest in his harebrained scheme.

6) Umm. Why is there a woman at White's GENTLEMEN'S Club?

Excerpt- “The Duke of Ashbrooke, reformed?” gasped one matron. “I never thought I’d live to see the day!” “By all accounts, you have,” the gentleman replied dryly. “Pity, that,” she murmured. -White’s Gentlemen’s Club A private room

And for those continuing with the series, I truly hope the assorted "London’s Least Likely" references end with this book. Because it was way overused.

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not well written. Which is sad because I love wallflower stories! :(

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wicked Wallflower is the first in an intriguing-sounding new series that mixes historical and contemporary romance. It will consists of three historical romance novels that are "written" by the protagonist of a set of contemporary novellas. The "author" bases her novels on her own love life and the short stories show where the inspiration came from.

I have been reading Maya Rodale ever since her debut novel, The Heir and the Spare, and have enjoyed all of them. So I was definitely excited to try her new series especially when I learned about the different approach she is taking with these books.

What I Liked

---I love a good wallflower/rake romance which is one of the reasons I was drawn to this book. The meeting of opposites (in society's mind) is always intriguing. Emma and Blake are an example of a couple that shouldn't work, but they ended up being perfect for one another.

---The hero, Blake, stole the book for me! I love it when rakes get their comeuppance and he took his feelings for Emma in stride. I thought his obsession with his Difference Engine and his past made him more than just a pretty face. Plus it was awesome that he was the first one to reveal his feelings!

---Female friendships are another thing that I love to see in books and the one between Emma, Olivia, and Prudence was well-written. The scene where the girls drink too much sherry and write the infamous letter sounds like hang-out sessions that I did with my best friends. I'm interested to see how their friendship develops as more of them get married.

---The Fortune Games was such an entertaining concept! I am a reality show fan so I appreciated the finer details that Rodale threw in there like the bizarre points tallying to the abrupt evictions. It was just a nice way to force Emma and Blake to spend time with each other after announcing their "engagement" away from the distractions of London.

---Aunt Agatha was my second favorite character because she is what I want to be when I get to be her age: confident in my self and not afraid to say what I want when I want to. Her relationship with Blake was especially touching.

What I Didn't Like

---I am just not a fan of love triangles in any genre. Even though with this being a historical romance, the reader knows who will get the girl in the end and I just found myself being annoyed with that whole plot point. I wish more time had been spent on the obvious couple getting to know more about one another than dealing with the "who will she choose" question.

---In connection with the above point, I really started to get annoyed with Emma towards the end. I know she had convinced herself that she was in love with Benedict, but I wanted to smack her in the head when she kept going back and forth between the two men. I wanted her to just make a decision and stick with it. I actually started feeling bad for Benedict because of the way she was stringing him along.

My Conclusion

I thought this was an adorable love story between two likable people. It is light-hearted (for the most part) and I appreciate the skill involved in writing something like that. Definitely got what I expected with this one and am looking forward to reading more of the series.

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.5, really. It was a pretty fun read, but I had a couple of minor issues.

I'm one who can usually roll with some historical inaccuracies. Forthright, independent, sarcastic regency heroines? Sounds great! Rakish, womanizing heroes who are almost always the impossible combination of rich, titled, built, intelligent, and charming, and who never ever have the myriad sexually transmitted diseases to match their alley cat lives? Sign me up! Because here's the thing: a modern reader looking for a fun read will not enjoy that kind of historical accuracy. (Unless it's written by Cecelia Grant. Then all bets are off.) We don't want to read about a heroine who is largely denied education, who is confined by both her clothes and her society, and who is obedient at best and mercenary at worst. And no one wants the reality of either a hot, penniless scoundrel going mad from syphilis, or the fat, horrible aristocrat who would never in reality notice a woman, at least in a marriage way, unless she had a massive title, a massive fortune, or preferably both. And who was probably also suffering from the syph. Or was at least an alcoholic and a misogynist.

So, yeah. Hit me with the historical inaccuracies. But either go whole hog and ditch them, or try to keep the really obvious ones, at least. For example, our heroine hops into a carriage with the hero shortly after their engagement is announced to attend a house party with the hero. They stay at an inn along the way. Zero mention of a chaperone. Not even a maid. And yet, later on in the book, the same heroine mentions that they should have a chaperone for their drive through Hyde Park. Consistency, please!

And I couldn't help but think that wacky Aunt Agatha with her Fortune Games (and if that made you think "Hunger
Games," you're not far wrong,) would certainly been committed to Bedlam by one of her grasping potential heirs. You can't tell me that, in a time when being blind or poor could land you in permanent involuntary commitment in the most horrible conditions imaginable, a woman that eccentric, even a rich one, wouldn't have been sold out like that.

But it's not too hard to get past all that, and the story is a fun one. I especially like the meet-cute. A four-season wallflower has her engagement to a handsome powerful duke (who she's never met) announced in the newspaper? Yeah. That's pretty fun.

Oh! And also - that cover art. So terrible. She looks either horribly bored or very stoned, and he looks like he's suffering an odd combination of being nearsighted and confused. Blech.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

FIRST THOUGHTS:

I can never resist a wallflower story. Plus, if it amuses me, that usually means good things!

REVIEW:

If you’ve been following this blog for a long time, you’ll know that I’m very fond of historical romances! While I usually stick to my favorite authors (Garwood, Kleypas, Quinn), I do take chances on other authors sometimes. This book, The Wicked Wallflower, however, is one I picked up on a whim. It wound up being really enjoyable – and it’s not very hard to see why!

(Sidebar: Bonus points for you if you sang the last part of that last sentence. Just saying.)

Honestly, I really just want three things when I’m reading a romance – fascinating characters, amusing plot points (even better if the humor is really present!) and a swoony romantic relationship. It’s rare that a novel hits all three points, but The Wicked Wallflower certainly came close.

Plot: Honestly, the story is where majority of The Wicked Wallflower’s appeal lies. It helps tremendously that I’m fond of wallflower tales! But really, what I liked about it is that it was so darn entertaining. There were moments that made me giggle, and moments that had me smirking. Really, the combination of banter, awkward situations and sweet, sweet moments just created the perfect romance reading cocktail for me!

Romance: I was really rooting for this romance, right from the extremely awkward start. Seriously, there is nothing more fun than seeing how two characters can work out their relationship when they began on such false pretenses (and not intentionally). Plus, their conversations and encounters just amped up my feels for them, until there was no doubt in my mind that Blake (Ashbrooke, if you want to be so formal) and Emma were meant to be!

Characters: Blake’s a handsome fellow, complete with all the male pride and innate stubbornness that usually entails in romance heroes. Emma’s a clever, witty girl who acts as I would imagine any girl in her (awkward) position would. But, seriously, these characters are where the novel fell a wee bit flat. While both are normally the type of characters I’d really fall for, I lacked a real connection with them as individuals.

Still, I found The Wicked Wallflower fun. There’s nothing quite like reading about a wallflower heroine (since I usually identify with them well) who gets her happily ever after, even in circumstances like Emma and Blake’s. If you’re looking for a new romance author to try out, or just want more wallflower heroines to read about, I’d definitely suggest giving this a try.

{If you liked this review, check out Alexa Loves Books for more!}

[Inna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is my first full-length book by author Maya Rodale. So far, I have enjoyed a couple of her short stories, and decided to try this book with the hope of finding a new HR author to love.

So let me begin by saying that this book is not for those of you who care about historical accuracy. There is a lot fudging with reality in this book- from a total lack of chaperones, to modern day language, all the way to the whole concept behind the story. If all it took to marry a Duke was a marriage announcement, surely this would have been very common!

That being said, this book has some really positive aspects. I never felt bored while reading this book, the pace was very well done. I enjoyed the series of events that took place in the story, with the exception of the unneeded drama at the end. I really liked the heroine, who was strong and kept a level head around a hero who tried to seduce her at every step. I liked the secondary characters, even the awful ones.

What I didn’t like, however, is why this book is not getting a higher rating from me. The hero of this book might have had a RAKE™️ stamp on his forehead. He was such standard rake material that I just found him ridiculous and one dimensional most of the time. I never quite understood why he fell in love with the heroine - he literally only liked her for the chase. That’s not love, and therefore, I didn’t buy the romance. Simply, the hero was just too shallow of a character for me to believe in a major change in him.

I’m probably going to try another book by this author before declaring a final judgement about my feelings for her work. I do think she’s a talented writer overall, so it’s possible this book just didn’t work for me.

I’ll call this one SWE; my best guess is that the hero and heroine are only with each other from the start… but tbh, there were a few times when I wasn’t sure, which I absolutely hate. I would have to go back and reread passages that seemed rather vague to me, but I listened to this on audiobook and don’t have a written copy. Heroine virgin, hero manwhore, his escapades are mentioned too often for me. The heroine also considers eloping with OM. OW drama from many women randomly hitting on him.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly romantic story of a wallflower, Lady Emma 'Least Likely to Misbehave' and how London's most notorious rogue, the Duke of Ashbrooke falls for her. I enjoyed how Emma refused to fall to the Ashbrooke Effect but finds herself unable to stop thinking about him...or kissing him. Her lack of confidence in herself was a bit frustrating but Ashbrooke strives to help her see who she truly is, how he sees her (some very romantic gestures happen). We also see more to Ashbrooke than the rogue...he is deeply attached to eccentric aunt and has a deep desire to have his mathematical machine be produced.

I was a bit unsure about the contemporary tie in Maya Rodale has for this new series but now I am very excited to read it as well as the next historicals featuring the other two wallflowers we are introduced to in this book! Really enjoyed this one! It was fun (laughed quite a bit at the banter), sexy (Ashbrooke seems to just want one kiss...often) and swoon-worthy romantic. (Though I did wonder where the chaperone was during a house party). 4 1/2 stars

[Katyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ridiculously fun.

Now. Let's get this out of the way: for people who are sticklers for historical accuracy, skip it. The Fortune Games are such a leap that you'll probably never get past it.

For people who just like a good story, though, and don't particularly care about genre rules... it's a hell of a lot of fun. I loved the characters, the wit, the banter, the twists and turns and grand gestures. I was barely able to put this book down to go to work, because it was so engrossing.

So incredibly much fun.

[Lady Wesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I like more H in my HR."

That was my one-line quickie review immediately upon finishing this book. I planned to write a more thorough review, but reconsidered. If you like fun, fluffy, not badly written but utterly ahistorical romance, then you'll enjoy this book. I do not and did not. The author plans to publish a contemporary version of the same plot, but really it won't require much rewriting to do so.