Oh no, I've Fallen in love

by Louise Wise

Valerie Anthrope is a cut-throat business woman and happy being alone.
She answers to no-one. She's The Boss.

But enter Ellen in the guise of her fairy godmother wanting to make the
world rosy and smelling of marshmallow. How can Valerie cope with this burst of
sunshine? It gets worse, Ellen has a nephew who's equally chirpy, but he thinks
it's Valerie taking advantage of Ellen and sets out to take her down a peg or
two!

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

Unknown Binding

First published June 13, 2012

About the author

Louise Wise is a British author from the Midlands in England. Her debut novel is the acclaimed sci-fi romance EDEN, followed by its sequel HUNTED in 2013.

The forthcoming JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series is themed on the above Eden and Hunted books and is written under the pen name T E KESSLER.

HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO book 1
SURVIVING HER DOMINANT book 2
SPIDER book 3
MOON AND BACK book 4
NEMESIS book 5
TILL FOREVER FALLS APART book 6 (coming 2024/5)

Wise decided to write under the name of T. E Kessler for her JELVIA: NOT HUMAN series because of their more mature themes. Her other works include:

Eden (sci-fi romance)
Hunted (sci-fi romance)
A Proper Charlie (romantic comedy)
Oh No, I’ve Fallen in Love! (dark, comedy romance)
Wide Awake Asleep (time travel, romance)

Wise enjoys writing comedy and finds a place for it in ALL her books. She has written numerous short stories for women’s magazines, such as Take a Break and Woman’s Own.

Reviews

[Shasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny! And British! HEA!

Did notice at least one typo. Lots of semicolons. Heroine is in first person while other characters are in third. And the fortuneteller bit was too paranormal for this story in my mind.

PG

[Ruchira Khanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about Valerie and her unusual relationship with Lex. However, the chase between Val and Lex dragged on a bit too long, making me lose interest in their relationship. The author had an interesting take on POV's, and honestly, it got me very confused. When it's Valerie's turn, the POV is the first person. For Lex's sections, it's the third person. The story tackles depression due to past trauma, as seen in Valerie, and the author has done an excellent job of bringing out the issue. Overall a decent read.

[Tina Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romancing the Dark Side of Chick-Lit

I read Louise Wise’s sci-fi romance Eden, last year and really liked her voice. I was intrigued by the title of her more recent publication, The Fall of the Misanthrope. I bitch, therefore I am, especially with its billing as a ‘dark chick-lit!’ Misanthrope is a deeply romantic and insightful tale, which deals with difficult issues and the healing power of love. It is also very humorous and made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion!

In the novel,Valerie Anthrope (Miss Anthrope – I loved the pun) is a young woman who runs a financial brokerage. Valerie is not only serious minded and hard working but, she can also be a bit of a bitch. She lives alone and keeps herself to herself, concluding that it is best not to care for anyone. There nevertheless resides within her a deep sadness and vulnerability.

In steps Ellen Semple, a missionary worker returned from abroad, who, in true ‘fairy godmother’ form resolves to make Valerie her next ‘project. Ellen senses something is not quite right with Valerie and does her best to bring light into her darkness. She secures part-time employment in Valerie’s small office. Then, believing that Valerie’s outlook is due to financial difficulties, she persuades her nephew Lex Kendal, a successful businessman, to put a large contract her way. When she sees that Lex is intrigued by Valerie, she warns him off her, believing that Valerie is too fragile to handle Lex’s ‘love’em and leave ‘em philosophy.’ Yet Lex does not take no for an answer, and Valerie falls for him. When she discovers that he is Ellen’s nephew, a fact that they deliberately hid from her, she feels deceived, let down and deeply wounded. To protect herself from future hurt she dumps Lex, almost as soon as their affair has begun.

Yet it is too late, Valerie’s armour has begun to crack and she starts to unravel and descend into depression, the dark dreams she has been having since childhood intensifying. It is from this moment that the novel, much of which has been light hearted, becomes darker, yet humour still abounds. I am glad to say that the tale did reach a satisfying conclusion. The prologue and the epilogue also contain an unexpected twist and make the reader question both fate and free will.

Valerie is complex, early childhood events having shaped her into the woman she is. Indeed, she is ‘stuck’ in the past and needs to let go. The hard face she presents is very much a façade to protect herself from future hurt and loss. The circumstances surrounding Lex’s and Ellen’s deceit unlock her emotions, giving her a chance to face them and heal herself.

Lex, a divorced single parent is a loveable rogue. He is attracted to Valerie and decides to make her one of his many conquests. He has never really grown up. However, Lex becomes smitten with Valerie, who is so unlike his usual women and her prickly nature is a challenge he wants to win. At first he is not thinking long term, but he soon realises how vulnerable she is and wants to help. He finds that he is very much in love with her. I found their developing relationship believable and touching.

The character of Ellen is pivotal. It is Ellen who decides to turn Valerie’s life around. She starts by making small changes in the office, trying to draw Valerie out in conversations and encouraging her to socialise. Oh, and she also introduces her to Lex! The secondary characters of Tim and Paul, Valerie’s employees are also supportive of her. Tim in particular is also very protective, knowing of her history.

I feel that anyone who has experienced anxiety or depression due to past trauma, or is close to someone who has, will find that this book deals sensitively with the subject. It also illustrates the redeeming power of love. Despite the serious subject matter, Misanthrope is a very funny love story, the humour ranging from light to dark. The author’s descriptions of how Ellen bursts into Valerie’s ‘grey’ world and adds shades of colour to it are hilarious, as is the banter between Valerie and Lex and her reaction to his tried and tested seduction techniques.

Louise Wise is a British author and, like Eden, the novel has a British feel. I again found her voice fresh and original and I was immediately intrigued by the characters and quickly drawn into the plot – it would make an excellent screenplay with the right cast. I recommend this book to all romance lovers, not just those who enjoy contemporary romance or chick-lit.

[Sarka-Jonae Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of the Misanthrope has something I really enjoy in chick lit: a flawed heroine. Valerie has seen serious pain and it colors the way she relates to the world. Her issues and her eventual decision to allow others to help her overcome the problems from the past was intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the last 20% of the book once we knew more of what was wrong with Val.
Valerie is alone in the world. Her parents and brother died when she was young, and to cope with the tragedies she created a wall around herself. She runs her own insurance office, which allows her to be the boss and lose herself in work. Then two new elements come into her life: the crazy missionary Ellen who deems herself Val's fairy godmother, and an injured kitten in need of rescue. In their own way, each help Valerie to open up, but not before Ellen asks her nephew Lex to throw some work Val's way. She makes sure that he doesn't reveal their blood relationship thinking that Val would reject charity. Unfortunately, the womanizer finds Val's callousness charming and he begins to woo her. Both he and Ellen don't know that Valerie's dark past has left more scars on her psyche than they can imagine.
Valerie is an unlikable character in some ways, but there is quite a bit of humor to lighten the dark tone and great characterization in Valerie, Paul, Ellen, and Tim that draw you in. I didn't completely fall for the story's hero, Lex. He went from playboy to good guy a little quickly, but his relationship with Aunt Ellen added a very interesting element to the story.
There was one thing that I found difficult at first. The book is written from the points of view of Valerie and Lex. When it's Valerie's turn, the POV is first person. For Lex's sections, it's third person. With no labeling, I was initially very confused why the POV switched from first to third. It took a while to figure out that the first person sections were always from Valerie's POV whereas a third person POV meant we were following Lex around. I also thought that having such a dark book end on a happy note would have been better than reaching a joyful resolution but tacking on mention of another tragedy.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valerie Anthrope is a cut-throat business woman who's had alot of bad luck and is happy just being alone.
She answers to no-one. She's The Boss.

But enter Ellen in the guise of her fairy godmother wanting to make the
world rosy and smelling of marshmallow. How can Valerie cope with this burst of
sunshine? It gets worse, Ellen has a nephew who's equally chirpy, but he thinks
it's Valerie taking advantage of Ellen and sets out to take her down a peg or
two! Will the "fairy godmother" & her nephew teach Valerie there's more to life or will she hang on to her life of being alone?? You gotta read to find out.

This is a quick read. It's not the type of book I usually read, but I really enjoyed it. The story was captivating & the characters easy to love. This is the first book I've read by this author but I'd love to try another. Very entertaining story.

[Lolli Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie Anthrope is a young driven woman—both driven to achieve success in business and driven to avoid caring about others or letting others care about her. Lex is the nephew of a busybody woman named Ellen who pushes her way into Valerie’s life. It’s enjoyable watching their relationship grow—well, at least most of the time. Other times, it’s almost painful.

The author tells Valerie’s story from the first person point of view and Lex’s from the third person. I liked that. I think it was necessary to get inside Valerie’s head through the first person, but at the same time, Lex’s third person let the reader see Valerie from the outside. Valerie is often a hard character to like. I wanted to have sympathy for what she endured as a child—and I did—but she was so often cruel to others that it was hard to hold that sympathy. But she was suffering from depression, and as she finally comes to realize, sufferers of mental illness are self-absorbed.

This book is billed as comedy mixing dark humor with light. While there were a few somewhat funny scenes, especially involving Ellen, I wouldn’t call it a comedy. Valerie’s verbal cruelty to others and the extremes she goes to in pushing others away from her were not funny. This is not to say it’s not a good story. It is—just not my idea of a comedy, even one with dark humor. I’m also picky about copyediting, and this book could use another pass at that. I was able to correct in my head as I read, though, and still enjoyed the story. It’s worth a read.

[Cynthia Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie Anthrop has lived a horrendous childhood filled with loss and sadness. The fortune teller she met as a youth was right; everyone she loves will die.

As an adult, Valerie has carried that cursed day with her and has managed to cope through life by building a wall of ice around her heart and pushing everyone who cares away.
That plan seemed to work until she met Ellen, an eccentric woman who would not take no as an answer. Ellen managed to finagle her way into a job with Valerie and then eventually into her home and heart.

Becoming tangled in more than just Ellen’s crazy web, she meets Lex, Ellen’s playboy nephew who just went through a well-publicized divorce. And it seems Ellen is not the only one in the family who wants to get closer to Val.

I really enjoyed digging into Val’s childhood and learning of the trauma she suffered. It was understandable as an adult, why she fled from every relationship. However, I felt the chase between Lex and Val dragged on a bit too long until I found myself no longer interested in what she chooses. It was also a bit hard to like Lex when he called Val a ‘bitch’ at least three times in the book. Sometimes it was jokingly, but it was still a turn off. I will say, the back and forth banter reminded me of the characters from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and I couldn’t help imagining Valerie as Audrey Hepburn. If you’re a fan of old school Hollywood love stories, you will love this book.

[Robert Williscroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale did not work for me as well as I had hoped. For half the story, we see the world and life through the eyes of the maladjusted protagonist, Valerie, in a first-person narrative. I like a first-person narrative, but it didn’t work in this case. The other half is told from the point-of-view of womanizing Lex in the third person. This worked better, and I wish the author, who is a very good writer, would have written the entire book in the third person.

Valerie suffers from depression, and this story is about how she deals with her problem and the roles played by the people in her life. It is well done, really, but I kept wanting to grab Valerie by her shoulders and tell her to “Suck it up and get on with it.” But it’s the author’s story, so I did not let this detract from my enjoyment.

I give this story 4-stars, down from 5 because of the odd first-person/third-person choice the author made.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[K.S. Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valerie Anthrope is content with her life. It's logical, and ordered, and has no soft edges. She doesn't need her time wasted with friendships, she'd much rather spend it improving her business.
Long time do-gooder Ellen Semple has decided to be Val's self-appointed fairy godmother and make her life better; with a little help from Lex, Ellen's nephew, who just so happens to be the most eligible bachelor around.


Ok, so the prologue was a little unexpected. We get to meet Valerie as a young girl, get a glimpse of her family, and get a little psychological background. But then there's a rather scary lady, and all I could think was - you can't say that to a kid!
Then we get into the main section of the story, meeting Valerie in her mid-twenties, making her monthly visit to the graveyard where her parents and her brother are resting. Which quickly and efficiently sets the scene for Miss Anthrope.
We are treated to a quick review of her employees at work, the hard-working and faithful Tim; and the waste of office space Paul. They have worked for Valerie for a few years now, but she has always maintained a maximum distance from them, refusing to socialise, or allow any familiarities.
Which is a shame. Because as the story goes on, it's really sweet how Tim has long seen Valerie as a daughter, he understands her need for independence, but still cares for her. And Paul, who seems so vacant and off in his own little world sometimes, has actually known Valerie's family for years, but never felt the need to say, because no one asked.

Ellen may be getting closer to retirement age, but nothing slows her down. After years of travelling the world, helping the poorest people, she know wants to help people closer to home. She's quirky, confident, and full of a bubbly energy that is as irritating as it is lovable.
She thinks she has found an easy solution, as she assumes that Valerie's struggles are all financial; so she drags in Lex, who happens to run a large department store that's thriving, to make up a contract with Val's company.
But money isn't an issue. It turns out that Valerie is just on emotional lockdown.

This story held no surprises in way of romantic plot, it plays out exactly how you think it'll play out: emotionless bitch + lothario = rocky road leading to happy ending.
It was fun following Val and Lex, the flirtations and the magnetism between them.
I have to say I was a little disappointed how quickly Lex changed from keeping an emotional distance from the women he screwed, to suddenly proclaiming that he was in love with her. But he made up for it by his actions later in the book.

That was all ok.
What makes this better than ok was the supporting characters. Tim was a star throughout, and I was so glad for his own little happy ending. Then there was Paul and his wife, who are portrayed with casual disdain to begin with, but turn out to be really sweet.
I would have liked Gemerald to be in a little more, she seemed a pretty wise character.
And of course Boots, so tiny, yet played such a big part in making those first cracks in Valerie's tough façade.

And then to make it great - when I picked this up, I thought it was going to be a fun, light read. And it was. And then you got caught up in the characters, caught up in Valerie's journey, and before you can back out, you are living the emotions along with her.
This book appealed to me because I will be the first to admit that I am an emotionless bitch; so I was shocked by exactly how much this hit a nerve with me, and I do admit to actual crying!
If that isn't worth 5 stars, I don't know what is.

[Cindy Roesel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valerie Anthrope is a hard as nails, cut-throat business woman. She's the boss. She's in control and answers to no one. She's had quite a bit of sadness in her life and she's happy to be alone, thank you very much.

THE FALL OF THE MISANTHROPE: I BITCH, THEREFORE I AM, by Louise Wise is a smart novel that deals with serious issues. It's a romantic comedy that confronts clinical depression. I'm stating this at the top of this review because it's important. But you must know, Louise Wise is able to, dare I say, thread a serious theme throughout her humorous, clever book - not an easy task for a writer to achieve, but she does successfully.

If any of you reading this have been tormented by or are still struggling with depression you know how paralyzing it can be. Louise does a brilliant job describing the protagonist's struggle with the disease in a way we can relate to or learn from. If not you, perhaps you have someone in your family or a friend that's suffering. This may help you understand that person better, as well as enjoy a cheeky novel. (Cheeky... That's a British word I learned from Louise. FYI: The book is full of British humor!)

"I closed my eyes. It wasn't the usual feeling some people had of not wanting to climb out of bed in the morning. I really did not want to get up. There was a feeling of darkness inside me; but it had weight too. Pressure, and it was building fast."

This is a clear description of the protagonist, Valerie just trying to take on the day. She believes she has been cursed since she was a little girl when her brother died and then her parents passed. Now at twenty-six, she keeps herself isolated and immersed in insurance work at Sunny Oak Brokerage!

She visits her family grave yearly and it's there she meets an eccentric old woman, Ellen Semple who ends befriending Valerie and showing up at her Brokerage company looking for a job. Ellen takes it upon herself to become Valerie's, Fairy Godmother and make her life burst with sunshine! Ellen isn't the only ray of sunshine that unexpectedly comes into Valerie's life. There's a whole rainbow. Well, you'll just have to read the novel. But as I like to write, this is a rom-com, so there is a happily-ever-after.

There's an element of magical realism and somewhat of a fairytale, but I love the characters Louise creates. They're fully developed and each has their own uniquely developed personalities. When I finished reading, I thought I might like a sequel, but I'll leave it up to Louise. I still might, but I did LOVE the ending!

Thank you, Miss Louise Wise. xo cindy

FYI: If you ever feel like your blues are making a turn towards BLACK, you're not alone. HEY, you're reading this. You can reach out to anyone of us, starting with ME! Just do a Google search for DEPRESSION, and check out the area where you live. We've ALL been there!

[Julie Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of the Misanthrope by
Louise Wise

Valerie Anthrope is a cut-throat business woman who's had a lot of bad luck and is happy just being alone. She answers to no-one. She's The Boss.

But enter Ellen in the guise of her fairy godmother wanting to make the
world rosy and smelling of marshmallow. How can Valerie cope with this burst of
sunshine? It gets worse, Ellen has a nephew who's equally chirpy, but he thinks
it's Valerie taking advantage of Ellen and sets out to take her down a peg or
two! Will the "fairy godmother" & her nephew teach Valerie there's more to life or will she hang on to her life of being alone?? You gotta read to find out.

This is a quick read. It's not the type of book I usually read, but I really enjoyed it. The story was captivating & the characters easy to love. This is the first book I've read by this author but I'd love to try another. Very entertaining story.
I rate this book 3 1/2 stars
Jennifer Wadkins
free books for free review juliebookreview.blogspot.com

[Natasza Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smidge of paranormal, a lot of love and gallons of tea and coffee! I say this with my tongue in my cheek. Although I didn't count, someone was always boiling water...loved it. Very British.

Great story telling. I liked all the characters and they were all very well developed. Lex is hot and I'd like to put an order in for one just like him. Ellen is awesome and sneaky in a loving way. Valerie, the heroine of our story is haunted. I just love a challenged heroine with a hard past. And of course Lex is the answer. Great and believable dialogue all the way through.

Very good story writing.

Natasza

[Francine LaSala · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very dark but entertaining read about a woman with very bad luck who'd suffered some big losses and shut herself off from loving anyone as a result of that. Not a downer of a book, though. Another woman becomes a sort of "fairy godmother" for the unlucky woman, and we really get a really interesting look at a character we'd love to hate for her attitude but can't because we get to see her vulnerability. It was very well done and moved quickly. I liked it a lot.