Oliver York comes back from the war destitute; he needs to find a rich woman to marry or else he will lose everything. Oliver is now the Earl of Carlisle, his father recently died but not before squandering almost everything the family had. American Grace Halton finds herself in a similar predicament: she must sail to England to marry in order to get her meagre dowry from her English grandparents; she needs money so her sick mother can heal. For neither Oliver nor Grace is falling in love an option. And yet, when Oliver sees the poor Miss Halton, exceptionally beautiful but so uncomfortable at a ball, he invites her to dance and that's how everything begins.

And what a memorable dance it is! It's at the very beginning and it constitutes one of the most exceptional scenes I have ever read: so lovely, sad, funny; no one will forget that fabulous passage in the book.

I was anxiously awaiting book one of Ms. Ridley's Duke of War series as I had so much enjoyed the prequel, and saying THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER does not disappoint is the understatement of the year! Grace and Oliver are lovable, charming, touching characters, their romance is heartbreakingly beautiful and moving. I also loved how Grace and Oliver interact with each other; they are truthful, they respect each other, and yet they are in such pain because they fall in love and it cannot be. Ms. Ridley sweeps the reader across time and space with her glorious, flawless, lush, witty prose; such superb writing: clever, airy, accurate; sheer perfection, and things move along swiftly. The characters are all so different, genuine, multifaceted; there are several players on the scene, and all of them are so fascinating that I can only hope we get to read all their stories.

THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER is a simple story really, but it is made magnificent because of all the emotion Ms. Ridley infuses in her story; her descriptions of the clothes, the society, the gossip, make everything so authentic that the outside world ceases to exist for a while. I smiled, I laughed, I cried; I felt for those fictional characters. This is Regency romance at its very best! I cannot recommend THE EARL'S DEFIANT WALLFLOWER highly enough! Outstanding!