kstep1805's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t really get into this one, it was simply to unbelievable. Got about halfway and then skimmed to the end.
andrearaereads's review against another edition
3.0
JEREMY. You were doing so well and then you said the worst shit of all time to Sarah when you found out she was the Lady of Dubious Quality? I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU
melodicfate's review against another edition
4.0
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Last year, I read and really liked the first book in this series, Forever Your Earl. The whole concept of women writers in the Victorian period intrigued me. Well, if I thought book one had an interesting heroine because she was a newspaperwoman, Temptations of a Wallflower took that to a whole new level. Upon reading the synopsis for it and discovering that the heroine wrote anonymous erotic novels, you bet I wanted to get my hands on this book. Thankfully, I was able to do just that, and I’m so glad for it.
The aforementioned erotica author was Sarah, a duke’s daughter. I was really happy that she had writing her stories to look forward to, because her social life was near to nonexistent. People called her the Watching Wallflower because she never participated in balls and dancing, only observed on the sidelines. They were missing out on such a smart woman, though. Sarah knew how to hide her identity as the Lady of Dubious Quality, and was just generally witty and fun to read about. Even though she wasn’t telling Jeremy everything about herself, I understood her. Sarah had to keep her secret, and the fact that the author made me agree with keeping it just shows how talented she is.
As for Jeremy himself, I admit his being a vicar made me even more intrigued to read this book. Especially once you consider that his heroine wrote erotic novels. I loved him. Very gentle and wanting only to help people, he was kind of a beta male, and we need more of those. Plus, he respected Sarah. It was just so nice to see a hero who thought about others, and didn’t hide it. As a bonus, Jeremy wasn’t a rake or very experienced with women. It was really fun having the whole dynamic switched, because he’d only been with one woman and Sarah, while having never been with a man, wrote erotic novels.
If that didn’t get you excited to read this novel, perhaps a brief description of the plot will. The book followed Jeremy and Sarah as they got to know each other. There was romance of course, but it was a bit complicated. This is because Sarah spent a great majority of this story trying to hide her identity as the Lady of Dubious Quality, and Jeremy was assigned by his father to find out who exactly this Lady was. I felt bad for both of them. For Sarah, writing was vital to her. It gave her an outlet for things, as well as a purpose in life. Jeremy’s plight was sympathetic because he had to do what his father said or lose his allowance. As a vicar, he didn’t make much, and so would do virtually anything to keep his income. It really helped that Jeremy was reluctant to find the author, since he liked her work. Of course, since the reader knows said author is Sarah, I spent a lot of time wondering how things would work out for them.
In conclusion, I really liked this book. The heroine was witty and sharp-minded, and the hero was kind and put others before himself. As I said, I loved that the whole dynamic was reversed, with Sarah knowing more about sexual things than Jeremy did. I mean, e used her books to learn stuff! How awesome is that? Anyway, this book had relatively low angst considering the secrets kept by the characters. It was fun to read, and for a few moments, I wasn’t even certain that Sarah and Jeremy would have their happily-ever-after. Of course, it’s a romance novel, so you know they will, but that’s a sign of a good author. I recommend you check this book out if you’re looking for a different sort of historical romance. I’m certainly eager to go back and read book two of this series, which I skipped. It’ll have a hard time competing with this one though.
Last year, I read and really liked the first book in this series, Forever Your Earl. The whole concept of women writers in the Victorian period intrigued me. Well, if I thought book one had an interesting heroine because she was a newspaperwoman, Temptations of a Wallflower took that to a whole new level. Upon reading the synopsis for it and discovering that the heroine wrote anonymous erotic novels, you bet I wanted to get my hands on this book. Thankfully, I was able to do just that, and I’m so glad for it.
The aforementioned erotica author was Sarah, a duke’s daughter. I was really happy that she had writing her stories to look forward to, because her social life was near to nonexistent. People called her the Watching Wallflower because she never participated in balls and dancing, only observed on the sidelines. They were missing out on such a smart woman, though. Sarah knew how to hide her identity as the Lady of Dubious Quality, and was just generally witty and fun to read about. Even though she wasn’t telling Jeremy everything about herself, I understood her. Sarah had to keep her secret, and the fact that the author made me agree with keeping it just shows how talented she is.
As for Jeremy himself, I admit his being a vicar made me even more intrigued to read this book. Especially once you consider that his heroine wrote erotic novels. I loved him. Very gentle and wanting only to help people, he was kind of a beta male, and we need more of those. Plus, he respected Sarah. It was just so nice to see a hero who thought about others, and didn’t hide it. As a bonus, Jeremy wasn’t a rake or very experienced with women. It was really fun having the whole dynamic switched, because he’d only been with one woman and Sarah, while having never been with a man, wrote erotic novels.
If that didn’t get you excited to read this novel, perhaps a brief description of the plot will. The book followed Jeremy and Sarah as they got to know each other. There was romance of course, but it was a bit complicated. This is because Sarah spent a great majority of this story trying to hide her identity as the Lady of Dubious Quality, and Jeremy was assigned by his father to find out who exactly this Lady was. I felt bad for both of them. For Sarah, writing was vital to her. It gave her an outlet for things, as well as a purpose in life. Jeremy’s plight was sympathetic because he had to do what his father said or lose his allowance. As a vicar, he didn’t make much, and so would do virtually anything to keep his income. It really helped that Jeremy was reluctant to find the author, since he liked her work. Of course, since the reader knows said author is Sarah, I spent a lot of time wondering how things would work out for them.
In conclusion, I really liked this book. The heroine was witty and sharp-minded, and the hero was kind and put others before himself. As I said, I loved that the whole dynamic was reversed, with Sarah knowing more about sexual things than Jeremy did. I mean, e used her books to learn stuff! How awesome is that? Anyway, this book had relatively low angst considering the secrets kept by the characters. It was fun to read, and for a few moments, I wasn’t even certain that Sarah and Jeremy would have their happily-ever-after. Of course, it’s a romance novel, so you know they will, but that’s a sign of a good author. I recommend you check this book out if you’re looking for a different sort of historical romance. I’m certainly eager to go back and read book two of this series, which I skipped. It’ll have a hard time competing with this one though.
wellactjoally's review against another edition
4.0
She taught him how to have good sex but he didn’t know it was her because of the pen name.
hannah_b_nana's review
4.0
I thought I would be a bit more put off by one of the main characters being a vicar, but it was an interesting take on it - the representation of religion was more like community with a side of spirituality, and it was a refreshing change from your Repressed Lords and Reformable Rakes. This series was a lot more about how women balance career and relationships than your typical Recency romance!
ugne_j's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
anarosareads's review
5.0
a little soft five stars! god, this was like a balm after many meh books lately.
hollish's review against another edition
4.0
Really fun read. I absolutely loved Sarah and Jeremy. Their romance was sweet and sexy. Impressively believable love between a secret erotic romance writer and a vicar.
I felt that the ending could have been stronger - bigger. The stand-off with his imposing father was unsatisfying. Dad didn't really have much to say and the real big life changes happened between the ending and the epilogue. I would have preferred to read that.
I felt that the ending could have been stronger - bigger. The stand-off with his imposing father was unsatisfying. Dad didn't really have much to say and the real big life changes happened between the ending and the epilogue. I would have preferred to read that.
funsizelibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
This novel started off on the wrong foot for me, with the hero being a staid, lackluster vicar who caves in to his father instead of reaching for what he really wants in life. On the other hand I really enjoyed the heroine, who took what she wanted out of life despite the potential danger to her reputation.
Overall the book was well written, though overly melodramatic for my tastes. I might pick up another title by this author in the future, but not for awhile.
Overall the book was well written, though overly melodramatic for my tastes. I might pick up another title by this author in the future, but not for awhile.