Avon
Featuring: Lady Sarah Frampton; Jeremy Cleland
384 pages ISBN: 0062358669 EAN: 9780062358660 Kindle: B013CANDH6 Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
I read literally hundreds of books a year. Most of them
are romance, but many are from other genres. Romance is
far and away my favorite and what I read the most. Thus,
I've read nearly every trope out there dozens upon dozens
of times. I can spot them from a mile away and I can
usually tell if I'm going to hate, love, or be
indifferent to a book within about the first 10% of the
story. I rarely stop reading, by the way. I'm not like my
husband who will read to the very bitter end of a book he
can't stand and openly loathes, but I'm also not like my
brother who will read twenty pages of something and if
he's not gripped, walks away. I like to give the author
the respect of finishing their work, unless they do
something I simply cannot abide.
So, we've established I read a lot. So hopefully you can
appreciate that I say this with experience and
credibility: TEMPTATIONS OF A WALLFLOWER is a surprising
delight. It's not a surprise that an Eva Leigh book is
good as I've enjoyed most of her works. What's surprising
is how the plot is deployed and developed. This is a
marriage of convenience trope, by the way, with a
brilliant and brassy heroine and a hero who adores her,
but not in a creepy or worshipful way. If that ticks
boxes, buy this now.
Our hero Jeremy is a bit of an emotionally frozen dude.
Years of being abused and controlled by his absolute
dumpster fire of a father has led to a life he has not
chosen and is not particularly suited for. This twist
alone was fun for me - with the hero of the story placed
in the confines the heroine usually is. Leigh's
exploration of Jeremy's inner life was wonderful - how he
felt about being controlled, how he steeled himself for
interactions with his father. We get a lot of heroes in
Romanceland who are constrained but still exercise their
own agency because they're men dammit and they can do
what they please. Jeremy is a good reminder that people
rob others of agency in all times, cultures and spaces.
Lady Sarah, our heroine, is also constrained and yet she
is at the same time free. Her true fear is her freedom -
her secret identity as the best erotic author of the age
- would be upended by the reality of her life as a member
of the upper classes. She makes small and large choices
throughout the book - including the marriage to Jeremy -
that give into either freedom or captivity and it's
fascinating (and frustrating, as most humans are) to see
how she navigates that balance.
TEMPTATIONS OF A WALLFLOWER is recommended for anyone who
loves sass in their Regency, secret identities,
reconciliation, and people finding freedom where they
least expect it.
Eva Leigh’s deliciously sexy Wicked Quills of London
series continues as a Lady’s secret career writing erotic
fiction is jeopardized by real-life romance . .
.
In society circles she’s known as the Watching
Wallflower—shy, quiet, and certainly never scandalous. Yet
beneath Lady Sarah Frampton’s demure façade hides the mind
of The Lady of Dubious Quality, author of the most
titillating erotic fiction the ton has ever seen.
Sarah knows discovery would lead to her ruin, but
marriage—to a vicar, no less—could help protect her from
slander. An especially tempting option when the clergyman in
question is the handsome, intriguing Jeremy
Cleland.
Tasked with unmasking London’s most
scandalous author by his powerful family, Jeremy has no idea
that his beautiful, innocent bride is the very woman he
seeks to destroy. His mission must remain a secret, even
from the new wife who stirs his deepest longings. Yet when
the truth comes to light, Sarah and Jeremy’s newfound love
will be tested. Will Sarah’s secret identity tear them apart
or will the temptations of his wallflower wife prove too
wicked to resist?
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