[ARC Review] How to Win a Wallflower by Samara Parish
When John Barnesworth inherits unexpectedly, he abandons his solitude and returns to London to settle his brother's affairs, only to discover his estates are crumbling and he is now betrothed to his brother’s unpleasant fiancée. Her dowry might save him from ruin, but at what cost? His only hope lies with the vivacious, charming Lady Charlotte Stirling, whose audacious solution to John's troubles might actually work. If only he can keep his feelings for her out of the equation . . .
Lady Charlotte Stirling knows she can’t fall for John. He’s her brother’s best friend, he’s engaged to her mortal enemy, and he wants to return to America. Not to mention he’d never survive in her bustling social life. She can, however, try to solve his money problem. But the closer she gets to ensuring his freedom, the harder it is to let him go . . .
My thoughts: Parish really gave us brother's best friend, opposites attract, disability rep, and a third act twist that I didn't see coming - all in less than four hundred pages.
How to Win a Wallflower has been my favorite Rebels with a Cause book, and I highly recommend this one to all historical romance lovers. While Fiona and Wildeforde (the main characters of book two) do make more than a few appearances in this book, readers can definitely enjoy John and Charlotte's romance without reading either of the first two books in the series. However, for those who do read the first two books, Parish does an excellent job at including little details and references from those books that anyone new to the series might miss.
I adored Charlotte as a main character. As the sister of a duke, Charlotte was raised to be a lady. But she wasn't above doing some very unladylike things, like sneaking into a bachelor's home, gambling, and enjoying some very scandalous things in a hackney. Despite Charlotte's popularity in the ton, I loved that Parish gave her doubts when it came to whether she thought she was good enough for John or not - because she believed he deserved someone more intelligent than her. Not more connected, not richer, not prettier, but more intelligent.
This historical romance was definitely on the less conventional side, since the titular wallflower was, in fact, the male main character. With plans to disappear into the wilderness with just his passion to invent to keep him company, John was definitely a different kind of leading man. But he really was the perfect foil for our very social heroine.
Between excellent characters, a sweet and daring main plot, and an unexpected twist that could easily undo everything John and Charlotte worked so hard for, How to Win a Wallflower immediately made its way to the top of my list of favorite Samara Parish titles.
[A huge thank you to Forever for providing an advanced copy of this title for me to review. All opinions are my own.]
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Release date: 12/13/22
Format: eARC
Format: eARC
eARC provided via: NetGalley
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