Member Reviews
Third in the 'Studies In Scandal' series...and just as wonderful as the first two.
Miss Sophia Hastings is an artist who paints provoking paintings. An accident sees her end up in the arms of handsome Lord Benedick Lyle, the neighborhood vicar. They've overheard something that may be a murder plot, someone is in dangerand they don't know who, so they proactively snoop for clues.
She also finds out she had been left a letter from her benefactor, asking her to complete a task...one that's not easy.
Plenty of clues turn out not to be, but more show there is definitely something going on in the village.....but not enough to act on.
Told with intrigue, humor and sensual romance, this tale is a must read for Historical romance fans.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to my delight.
Sophia Hastings is an unconventional lady and an artist. In fact, she's out painting on the cliffs when she accidentally falls off and onto our hero, Reverend Ben Lisle. Mid-rescue, they both overhear a nefarious and criminal conversation and so starts their investigation, which will lead them through danger, forgeries and historic crimes.
The book was a slow starter, and I found myself skimming through pages at the beginning. While I understand it's important to build a setting, atmosphere and characterisation, I found it frustrating the much of the book happens with Sophia and Ben apart - I don't pick up a romance because I want to read about the hero and heroine's separate family dynamics. I wanted to see a lot more of Sophia and Ben getting to know each other, rather than us getting to know them in unnecessary detail.
Overall, another good, fun read from Manda Collins and certainly not an entirely predictable villain at the end! A dash of drama and passion, some quirky side characters and a good amount of humorous banter thread through the whole story.
WOW what a fabulous book. There was so much going on in this and what a wonderful array of different characters. It's the kind of story that makes you stop and think about what really matters. I laughed and I cried as it was full of emotion too.
Not the best of the series, but non the worst either, still this series of Manda Collins seems so slow compared to her former works. Maybe it's just me. Anyway I think this is the first regency romance that I read where the main character is involved with a vicar, which was interesting enough. Let's wait for the sister book.
Non il migliore della serie, ma nemmeno il peggiore, ciononostante, questa serie di Manda Collins stenta a decollare, almeno per quello che mi riguarda, é veramente molto lenta, ma magari la colpa é la mia. A parte questo sono quasi sicura che questo sia il primo regency romance dove l'eroina s'innamora di un vicario di campagna, cosa che lo rende comunque diverso dai soliti, e ora aspetto l'ultimo libro sulla sorella.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!
I did not enjoy the book for the following reasons:
- The pacing was very inconsistent which lead to several unrealistic plot points
- Characters were bland and utterly boring.
- No character growth.
- Weak plot
***I received an ARC of this book for an honest review***
This was a miss for me. It took me a while to get into this one due to the formalistic, nearly prissy writing. I know that I just came off a RomCom and a YA spy novel, and that may have contributed. But the first 20% of this book was an uphill climb. It smoothed out some in the middle, but by then I was exhausted and over it. The end was a rushed blur of all the action - that I would have appreciated earlier on in the story.
<b>"'How can our joy in one another be a sin? We haven't yet wed in the church, but in our hearts we are and have been since that day in your studio.'"</b>
Sophia and Ben know each other from their small town. She's an artist living in a house with other brilliant woman. He's the vicar. A mysterious conversation about murder upon which they both eavesdrop throws them into closer proximity, and they become drawn to one another.
The story lacked the spark that made it worth all the work to read it.
*I'm going to assume that the significant editorial issues will be fixed by the time the book is released. They didn't factor in on my rating decision.
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I received an ARC for an honest review.
I can't begin to say how much I enjoyed this book in the Studies in Scandal series and it has easily become my favorite out of the first three.
This book is about Sophia, the painter of the bluestockings, and the local vicar Ben. The attraction between the two is instant and I enjoyed reading their interactions with each other how they fell in love. The book only takes place over the course of a few days but the pacing only feels slightly rushed between the two. Their love story is believable and I enjoyed that they realized quickly and easily that they wanted to be together.
Even though Ben is the vicar his character isn't bogged down by piousness and he does not deal with a conflict between being attracted to Sophie and being the local vicar. We see a few of his family members in this book, his father and two of his brothers, but Ms. Collins wrote this story in a way that does not make it feel crowded and gives some tie-ins to other series by Ms. Collins.
Something different about this book from the first two is that the other bluestockings do not appear as much as they did previously even though they all live in the same house. They are still present and help the story move along, but I think that putting them more in the background was a good decision and allowed the reader to focus more on Sophia and Ben. We get to see how close Sophia and her sister Gemma are and even get a glimpse at who the hero in Gemma's story could be. <spoiler>Ben's younger brother Cam</spoiler>
The mystery that Sophia was given to solve wasn't as interesting to me as the mysteries in the previous books were. It added a lot of throw-away characters that were confusing to keep track of at times.
Overall, I give this book 4.5 stars. It is enjoyable and engaging and I cannot wait to read the final book in this series.
Wallflower Most Wanted by Manda Collins is a fantastic read. Ms. Collins has given us a book that is well-written. She has loaded the book with amazing, lovable characters. Sophia is an artist and overhears a threatening conversation. The voices startle her and she falls over a small cliff. Benedick is the local vicar and comes to her aid. Their story is loaded with drama, sizzle, intrigue, action and humor. I totally loved reading Wallflower Most Wanted and look forward to reading more from Manda Collins soon. Wallflower Most Wanted is book 3 of the Studies In Scandal Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this book that I received from NetGalley.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review. Wallflower Most Wanted is the third book in Manda Collins series Studies in Scandal. Ready Set Rogue and Duke with benefits being the first two. The series is about a group of four heiresses who are left Beauchamp house because they are blue stockings who are pursuing fields that Lady Celeste Beauchamp was interested in. I do think you will need to read the other books in this series as it is a continuing story with each of the heiresses being set a task by Lady Celeste. Sophia Hastings is the artist in the group of heiresses and although she is affectionately called Wallflower by the hero Benedict Lisle, younger son of a duke and local vicar, she is actually quite beautiful and has a following of the local males. Sophia discovers her task after she accidentally tumbles over a small cliff and while being assisted by our hero overhears 2 men plotting to eliminate a stumbling block. Murder, mystery and mayhem ensue as well as a quite steamy romance. I very much enjoyed this book as well as the other two in the series and look forward to the next one. Publishing Date January 30, 2018.
Although I love historical romances, this one had little to no tension at all. I'm willing to accept a fair amount of exposition, but this story simply could not get going. I had no investment in the hero, heroine, or the remainder of the characters. DNF.
The romance between Ben and Sophia had it all! There was chemistry between the main characters, some steamy romance scenes, action, and mystery. One villain in the story was easy to figure out, but the other was a complete surprise. I really liked the character of Ben, who is a vicar. Usually, I avoid romances when one the H is a vicar because their characters are usually stuffy, proper, and boring. Plus, I don't like religion and my romances to mix. I have to say the author did a great job of making Ben interesting and although he is a vicar, he is a man with desires and passion, too. He is not too preachy or stuffy. Sophia was a great character, too, as she is independent but knows when to let Ben handle things. Overall, this was a read that I'd recommend!
This is Sophia and Benedict’s story. She was a Beauchamp house heiress and he was a duke’s son and a vicar. Sophia sprains her ankle and and Benedict saves her. They get involved in a forgery mystery. While they investigate they fall in love. There are many twists and turns. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Wallflower Most Wanted is the third title in the Studies in Scandal series, but easily works as a stand alone title. Sophia is one of four young ladies selected by Lady Agnes to inherit her estate; each of the young ladies is an expert in a particular area of study. Sophia is a painter and while out painting, she falls and injures her ankle; luckily the local vicar, Benedick Lisle is in the area and comes to her rescue. As he is examining her ankle to determine extent of the injury, the two over hear several men plotting to kill a co-conspirator. After Ben helps her home, she is determined to figure out who the men were so she can warn the intended victim. Ben wants Sophia to leave the investigation to him, but she is determined to assist especially after learning from Ben's brother Lord Freddie that there is a plot in the area to sell forged paintings to unsuspecting buyers. At the top of the list of suspects is new to the area industrialist Peter Morgan who made his fortune on the backs of woman and children in his factories. What follows is a well crafted mystery that I would expect from a Manda Collins book. There is just the right balance of mystery and romance; it almost feels like a historical romance version of a Nancy Drew title. Ben is such as wonderful hero - he's dedicated to his calling as a vicar, supportive of Sophia's art, and recognizes her intelligence. He wants to protect her, but also realizes that she has a long to contribute to the investigation. I like that Sophia is dedicated to her art and independent, but also recognizes the limits woman face during this era. I was able to put together part of the mystery, but there was a shocker that I didn't see coming. Readers of previous series will recognize the Lisle family and will look forward to the next title in the series that features another of the Lisle brothers, Cam paired up with Sophia's sister Gemma.