DARING MISS DANVERS is Book 1 in Vivienne Lorret's
Wallflower Wedding series. DARING MISS DANVERS
contains some of my favorite romance tropes: a pretend
engagement and marriage of convenience. Oliver Goswick and
Emma Danvers have known each other for what seems like
forever. He is a good friend of her brother Rafe and their
families have always been close. When Oliver needs a very
proper fiancée to parade in front of his grandmother, Emma
is the first woman he thinks of to fit the bill. I like
that he is up front with Emma and her family about the
predicament he's in. I also like the reason he's so desperate for the inheritance from his grandmother is not
for any frivolous concerns.
There are many things about DARING MISS DANVERS that stand
out to me and make me love it. Oliver, Viscount Rathburn is
not the irredeemable rake that Emma first supposes him to
be. After floundering for a brief period after his father's
tragic death in a fire, he has turned his life around and
is working hard to commemorate his father's life in a
meaningful way that will benefit others. He has a nice
blend of bad boy sexiness and good guy sweetness. Emma is
also not quite what she appears to be. Oliver first picks
her to impress his grandmother because she is a stickler
for proper decorum, and Emma reigns supreme in that regard.
However, when they seal their bargain with a kiss, sparks
fly. I was happy to get a window into Oliver's mind to see
the evolution of his feelings for Emma.
DARING MISS DANVERS
brings romance to the forefront of the story in a big way.
There are a million little gestures and sweet nothings that
make my heart melt while reading Emma and Oliver's love
story. The many flirtations they share build the
anticipation, making it all the more satisfying when they
finally give in to their feelings. I also like how they
both had a fear of being found lacking as a person. Oliver
is able to recognize this similarity before Emma.
Vivienne Lorret does a good job of explaining Emma's
reticence toward getting involved emotionally with Oliver.
Her view of what a successful relationship or a successful
life should be is colored by her observations of her
parents and their way of life. The lesson she learned from
her parents being spurned by society for their artistic
endeavors is to suppress her own artistic impulses. She
also worries that the passion she starts to feel for Oliver
will result in her unleashing her other impulses.
I love the romance and unconventional characters packed in
this story. DARING MISS DANVERS is a charming story with a
swoon-worthy romance and great characters! I eagerly await
the next books in this series to see what's in store for
Emma's friends.
It's all fun and games … until someone falls in love.
Oliver Goswick, Viscount Rathburn, needs money—and soon.
With time ticking away and his inheritance held hostage
until he's properly wed, Rathburn's slim options point to a
single solution: a faux engagement. In need of the perfect
bride, he knows of only one candidate: his best friend's
wallflower sister. The plan seems flawless, except for one
problem …
He can't help falling in love with her.
Poised, polished Emma Danvers knows nothing good can come of
Rathburn's scheme. Spending the next two months engaged in a
mock courtship is not what she'd imagined for her final
season. Yet, charmed by his roguish ways and the
inexplicable hammering he causes in her heart, she accepts
his challenge.
For Emma, keeping the secret seemed easy when it was just
a
game …
But as Rathburn begins to see past her reserved
exterior to the passionate woman within, the risk of losing
her heart becomes all too real.
Excerpt
She looked at Rathburn, watching the buttons of his waistcoat move
up and down as he caught his breath. When he looked away from the
door and back to her, she could see the dampness of their kiss on
his lips. Her kiss.
He grinned and waggled his brows as if they were two criminals
who’d made a lucky escape. “Not quite as buttoned-up as I
thought.” He licked his lips, ignoring her look of disapproval.
“Mmm…jasmine tea. And sweet, too. I would have thought you’d
prefer a more sedate China black with lemon. Then again, I never
would have thought such a proper miss would have such a lush,
tempting mouth either.”
She pressed her lips together to blot away the remains of their
kiss. “Have you no shame? It’s bad enough that it happened. Must
you speak of it?”
He chuckled and stroked the pad of his thumb over his bottom lip
as his gaze dipped, again, to her mouth. “You’re right, of course.
This will have to be our secret. After all, what would happen if
my grandmother discovered that beneath a façade of modesty and
decorum lived a warm-blooded temptress with the taste of sweet
jasmine on her lips?”
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