Overall, I really enjoyed the wallflower concept of this read. But i really stuggled with the pacing and the length. The first half was super well done, but the second half dragged and was not that captivating. I really lost interest and found it it be a bit boring but I will prob check it out the others through audio in the future. ( )

Overall, I really enjoyed the wallflower concept of this read. But i really stuggled with the pacing and the length. The first half was super well done, but the second half dragged and was not that captivating. I really lost interest and found it it be a bit boring but I will prob check it out the others through audio in the future. ( )

This was super sweet! The entire time, I was aawwwing, laughing, and cheering with the characters. I was so invested in this story!

I do appreciate that Kleypas is focusing on friendships between women. This gave the characters a dimension I wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Overall, I think this book did a great job balancing different emotions from sweet to steamy to suspenseful to funny. The only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because I felt it could've ended about 75 pages sooner. While it was interesting to read about a couple transition from single to married, the literal honeymoon period could've been condensed, in my opinion, and the tension between the couple's families could've been played up. ( )

I was so addicted to Secrets of a Summer Night that I read the whole book within 24 hours! While it is not my go-to genre, sometimes I just need a good romance book, and this one was so satisfying. This is a solid four stars, please read on for my full review!

Plot Summary
Four “Wallflowers” aka rejects of the Regency-era marriage season (think Jane Austen and Bridgerton) who always find themselves with empty dance cards at the balls, decide to team up and help each other find a husband. Their first project, the subject for Book 1, is Annabelle who is desperate to secure a wealthy husband to save her family from complete ruin. She has her sights on securing an aristocratic husband but must fend off the attentions of the bold and brash (but filthy rich) “commoner” Simon Hunt.

Characters
Annabelle Peyton
Annabelle is not really what I would consider a Wallflower, not in the sense that their sitting on the sidelines is due to her having a shy personality or any anxiety. She is not a shrinking violet and has no problem with conflict or speaking her mind, or chasing down her goals.

She is very practically-minded about the reality of her destitute family and what that means for her future. I wouldn’t say she has a lot of character beyond the typical “feisty” protagonist of this genre. She has no interests outside of finding a husband and then having a husband.

Love was a luxury she had never allowed herself to hope for—a distinctly superfluous issue when her very survival was so much in question.

She has some growth in that she goes from being snobby about “commoners” to embracing Simon and his family, and appreciating there may be more worth in work than loafing around all day living off your ancestral wealth.

The Wallflowers
The other wallflowers will get their novels, but for now, we also have two American heiresses – both lively and confident – and a shy, emotionally abused Evie who has a stammer. Evie is the true Wallflower and she has very little to do in this book really, she fully disappears for the final section.

Simon Hunt
Simon Hunt is your typical ruggedly handsome, all-muscles and dark-hair, love interest. He speaks his mind, he’s a bit rude.. think Mr Darcy type but he’s a wealthy entrepreneur, not a landed gentry. I have to say his motives towards Annabelle I found quite murky – we get a mix of his and her perspectives. He has been in love/lust with her from afar for years but she keeps turning him down. Yet he still only appears to be interested in sex and not in marrying her – which he knows she needs – so I found this quite confusing.

When exactly he has his change of heart from just wanting her as a mistress to proposing I am unclear – I just really didn’t understand what he was playing at! There are a lot of mixed messages as he has many thoughtful actions such as gifting her boots, or preparing her private feasts – acts of love – while at the same time asking her to name her price as his mistress… What do you want Simon?!

On both sides, I would say that the emotional progression towards love and marriage was disjointed, and a little nonsensical in places (I mean it’s so obvious that Simon is the answer to all her problems). But then this is a romance book and if characters had fully functioning brains and could communicate they’d be 50 pages.

“Oh, all right,” she said balefully, beginning to shake all over. “I’ll admit it—I want you. There, are you satisfied?
I want you.”
“In what capacity? Lover, or husband?”
Annabelle stared at him in shock.

Writing
The writing is very engaging, I did read this in a day! The author is American writing British characters which does show – she is more favourable to the American characters (of which there are a surprising amount) and her writing of the servants is frankly bordering on offensive (I write this as an English person)!

“Take my arm, please, miss,” the younger of the two said, extending her forearm for Annabelle to take hold of. “Yer not quite steady on yer feet looks like.”
“Me ma allus says ’tisn’t good to bathe when yer ill,” the maid told her dubiously.

I’m sorry, what now?

I just chuckled at this, enjoyed an eye-roll to myself and moved on as I enjoyed the rest of it so much!

One point that I didn’t think the author resolved is that she built up some conflict with Westcliff (Simon’s closest friend/business partner) hating Annabelle without ever explaining the reason for this. At one point he warns Simon off –

“You should,” the earl said emphatically. “Miss Peyton is a selfish jade if I’ve ever seen one.”

But I have no idea why he thought this. So much is made of his dislike it was strange that it was never developed – I expect we’d find out there had been some kind of misunderstanding, but no.

Themes [For a more detailed review on themes see the review on my blog]
- Vulnerability of women
- Blue Blood is a depreciating currency
- Love is action not words

Recommendation
I did blow through this so fast, I loved it. It was exactly what I needed, sometimes these formulaic romance books are what I want, and this one is very well written. There is some comfort in knowing what is going to happen next.

If you are a romance fan, especially this style of Regency romance you’ll love it. If you enjoyed Bridgerton on Netflix and those books, you’ll love this! ( )

Loved this book; one of my favorite series ( )