Whenever the Christmas season rolls around, I always have a great desire to read Christmas regency romance novels. I don’t know why – but that is the way it is every year! While I was Christmas shopping in Target back in November, I noticed A Wallflower Christmas and picked it up. After I started reading the novel, I realized I had been tricked! The cover of A Wallflower Christmas features three ladies in what I thought was Regency era dress, but the book actually takes place in 1840’s England. The Victorian era setting is also a great time for Christmas stories, so I was okay with the slight deception!
I also discovered when I started the novel that it is actually the fifth book in a series. While I think I would have gotten more out of the novel if I would have read the other books in the series and knew the backgrounds of each character, the book does a great job of giving you enough background to get by and I enjoyed the novel on its own.
Hannah Appleton is the companion of her rich aristocratic cousin, Lady Natalie Blandford. She loves Natalie and has her best interests at heart. Therefore she agrees to meet with Rafe Bowman and his family before Rafe is to meet with Lady Natalie. Rafe is a rich, crass, and very sexy American that has arrived in England looking for a bride. Lady Natalie is the woman chosen by his father for his attentions. Unfortunately, Hannah finds herself strangely attracted to this entirely unsuitable American. At a Christmas house party at Lord Westcliff’s famed Stony Cross Park Estate, romantic entanglements ensue with the help of the four former Wallflowers.
I enjoyed this book. It had a great romantic story that followed through and finished on a great note. I loved the Christmas setting with the very tall tree at Stony Cross Park and Hannah’s reading of A Christmas Carol to the children. It was a great incorporation of the Dickens classic.
I would really love to read the previous four books in this series. Has anyone else read them? Did you enjoy them?
Book Source: I purchased this book at Target.
This is nice! and I can understand perfectly.
ReplyDeleteLaura I love this series. I would highly recommend you read the other 4 books. Evie and Sebastian were my favorite couple. Also if you haven't read any other Kleypas book I'd recommend you try her. She writes great historical romances. Recently she has moved on to contemps but her historical are still my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a pretty popular series. I bought the first a while ago but haven't had time to read it yet. Maybe I can catch up by next Christmas and read this book then :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree, this book was a fun Christmas read.
ReplyDeleteThe Wallflowers quartet is very popular. My favorite was Book 1, Secrets of a Summer Night. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the comments! I'll definitely need to check out the rest of the quartet!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a popular series - I've read the first two. I wasn't terribly impressed with Secrets of a Summer Night (Book 1) - although I loved the breathless anticipation Kleypas evoked in the prologue!
ReplyDeleteBut Book 2, It Happened One Autumn, is one of my favorite romances! It has a definite Benedick and Beatrice feel with the main characters bickering to hide their underlying attraction. It was so much fun!