From New York Times bestseller Eloisa James, a new Regency-set novel in which a heiress with the goal of being a wallflower engages a rugged American in a scorchingly sensual, witty wager that tests whether clothing does indeed make the man—or the wallflower!
HOW TO BE A WALLFLOWER
by ELOISA JAMES
Series: Would-Be Wallflowers #1
Publication date: March 22, 2022
Published by: Avon Romance
Genre: Historical romance
SYNOPSIS
Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors.
Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He's furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby's Costume Emporium from under his nose.
Jake strikes a devil's bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can't resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend.
It isn't until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she's stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn't belong in her refined and cultured world.
Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she'll have him!
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Praise for Eloisa James:
“Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic. Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” -- Julia Quinn
"The romance galaxy is filled with luminous stars, but few twinkle as brightly as James, who, with the launch of her Regency-set Would-Be Wallflowers series, once again dazzles readers with superbly conceived characters, a sublimely sensual love story, and sparkling wit." -- Booklist starred review
“Another bright, delightful read from a queen of historical romance.” -- Kirkus Reviews starred review for Say No to the Duke
"James delivers all the banter and sizzle her fans expect in the nuanced fifth Wildes of Lindow Castle Georgian romance...Series readers will be pleased." -- Publishers Weekly on Say Yes to the Duke
"A story as wild as the heroine's family name and one that will reward romance fans who want a funny book about an unusual heroine." -- Kirkus Reviews on Wilde Child
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.
After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.
Eloisa...on her double life:
When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.
When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.
So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.
One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.
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REVIEW
How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa JamesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'm a big fan of Eloisa James' books, so of course I was very excited at the opportunity to start a brand new series by her. Though, honestly, the synopsis seemed a bit muddled to me. I couldn't quite figure out what the goal their "competition" was supposed to be. She was going to create a dandified wardrobe for him to wear and he was likewise creating her an unattractive wallflower wardrobe. I assumed that the end goal would be revealed and things would fall in place neatly. Instead, the plot ended up feeling more confusing than anticipated.
Originally they were going to dress themselves, and when they told each other of their plan, decided to dress their opponent in order to make it "fair." That really made no sense to me. If they are truly competing and the hero felt that she was a worthy businesswoman equal to any man, why would they do this? He tells his friend, "All is fair in love and war" yet tries to win the game for her. I just couldn't wrap my mind around that. He grows attached to Cleo almost from the start, and he quickly adjusts his life plan to include a future with her. Unfortunately, she is marriage-shy due to her mother's flighty affections and infidelity towards men.
I have met any number of eligible men and they find me unsettling.Since I share their distaste, marital harmony is unlikely.”
She didn't have a positive role model to show her that relationships could be rewarding, or that marriage could be a joyous experience for the couple. Jake knows that it will be quite a challenge to earn her heart as well as her hand, and secretly decides to use their game to have plenty of time to be close to her. That means that their game/competition is rendered irrelevant right from the start since he secretly concedes and changes his goal.
Cleo was a strong, independent woman who lived the unconventional life that she wanted. She didn't fear a poor reputation or salacious gossip for not being confined to society's construct for women. She was brave in that way, but she had vulnerabilities like anyone else. She feared becoming too much like her mother. Bouncing from one whim to the next, and being ruled by fickle emotions. Her mother never seemed to care too deeply, and had no respect for others' marital status. She lived to please herself and no one else. Cleo did give love a chance in the past but the man ended up betraying her, so that cemented her resolve to avoid romance all together. She successfully runs the commode business her father founded and that allows her to be financially independent. If she married, the fruits of her labor would be transferred to her husband, which only serves to deter her even more from matrimony and love.
“You told me that a lady was never allowed to invest her own money.”“Normally, they are not,” Merry said. “Miss Lewis appears to be a true original.
I love Jake's adoration of Cleo. He falls hard and fast which does not necessarily feel organic, however, I did enjoy his utter determination throughout the book to win the woman that he loved. He was a very blunt, honest man who could be a bit rough around the edges, but what you see is what you get with him. He never plotted to seduce her which showed that he had a strong sense of honor. As well, he was shamed by his father's involvement in the Opium trade and changed his prestigious last name in order to distance himself from his actions. That's a pretty incredible thing to do back then. It showed that he prioritized honor over a false sense of social superiority.
I really respected him as a hero which is probably why I felt a little bit bad for him having to suffer being laughed at as he wore his absolutely ridiculous clothing to evening social events. He suffered the humiliation like a champ, but why should he have to? I felt that it was a little mean spirited for everyone around him to get so much enjoyment out of him looking garish while she got to shine. He even got attacked by thugs one night because he looked like an easy target and at that point I wondered if Cleo would release him from their agreement. I was disappointed when she never felt remorse or gave it a second thought.
The conflict at the end came, and it was just as I had anticipated early on. The foreshadowing made it quite obvious so I was waiting for the moment to come rather than dreading an unknown issue. This could be a positive thing for those who like low drama stories with little outside interference in the romance. Yes, there was a bit at the end that caused a little difficulty between them, but it was resolved quickly with proper communication between the two. I appreciated that aspect of it. While I didn't love this one as much as some others by Eloisa James, there was still plenty to enjoy. It was wonderful to revisit characters from My American Duchess, and I enjoyed Lady Yasmin who was introduced as a secondary character. She will inevitably end up with another side character in this story. Their antagonism and chemistry was very apparent, so I really look forward to seeing them find their HEA together. It will surely be an enemies to lovers romance with plenty of sparks flying. In conclusion, this was not an enthusiastic five star win, but a good series starter that left me in anticipation of what's to come.
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