Wow this book was just so good and so easy to get lost in. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I just didn't want it to end. I just couldn't get enough of these wonderful characters and I just loved getting to see their journey. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

Wow is all I can say! This is a home run. I love a good love story with a strong female heroine with a heart of gold. She is a reformed madam with a kind heart. She finds a man on the street beaten almost to death and saves him. He turns out to be a noble man. She hates noble men. What will she do? Save him, or leave him to the scoundrels.

Clara used to be a courtesan and madam. She has grown tired of that life and is looking for a fresh start. When she comes across an injured man. She feels she must help him only to discover he's a bit starchy. His ideas for London are firm. Is he willing to compromise for a woman of a lower class. Clara and Henry seem a bit mismatched, but....

The Spitfire may be the best in the Wallflower series because Clara truly is a spitfire. She has lived a difficult life and is now ready for something better for herself and others. Clara was forced into the life of a courtesan and wants to give women a choice such as she was not given. Her strength has brought others through troubled times; now she needs help. Ms. Caldwell interweaves characters from former books connected to Devil’s Den and the Dials, so we stay appraised of their lives. The one to help Clara the most now is Reggie, and possibly, Reggie’s husband, Broderick Killoran. As another ‘product’ of the Devil’s Den, Clara has her own issues or demons with which to deal. She, too, has become stronger for them.

Our interesting hero, Henry, is an MP. He is considered proper and pompous even to himself, but especially to others. He seems above the typical ways men of the time acted. Henry seems to not have any vices, yet he is suffering for his sister Lila’s situation and blames himself for her ghost-like existence. Henry believes that a national police force could have helped prevent her from getting hurt in the Peterloo incident seven years prior. Henry will do anything to get the votes for the police force he wants.

Lila overheard the conversation between Clara and Henry discussing Clara saving him on the street and his legislation causing her opera to close. Lila is the first surprise element in this book that brings Clara and Henry back together. The other surprise is following Henry and Clara’s time together. Again, he is unusual for a male peer of the time period.

Henry comes through when it is important, that is what counts for Clara. His mother and sisters are great secondary characters. They add to his unusual existence. My only ‘regret’ is that I would have like Lord Peerson to have had to ‘pay’ just a little bit for his actions.

Book five of the Wicked Wallflowers featuring Clara Winters is a delight. Thus far we have been steadily introduced to all the characters from the gaming hell known as the Devil’s Den and each have had to deal with their demons, shortcomings and life’s tragedies. In book five believe it or not for me Henry is the one that brings all the human emotions which I find unusual for a male character.

Henry is so earnest in his need to do right and fix all that he unwittingly takes responsibility for you can’t help but to love him. Usually it’s the male characters that are ensconced in their selfish ways or hauteur that need to be brought down a peg or too. Here poor Henry needs to realize that he can not shoulder all the ills of the world when it comes to keeping his family safe and happy. Most importantly, Henry gets to understand loving is a reciprocal thing. His family loves him as much as he loves then and would never be ok with him over burdening himself to the point that he is not living at all. Enters our heroine Clara as he is literally on the brink of death to make him understand that.

Ironically while she could see those traits in Henry to control every thing around him, she doesn’t see that due to her own experiences and hang ups she is in a way refusing to budge when it comes to the location of her music hall as well. Clara’s dream of a reputable and fulfilling endeavor in the form of her music hall for the commoners of St Giles had come to be jeopardized one faithful night, after she chooses to save a man injured by playing nursemaid. Of course the injured man turns out to be our nobleman Henry March, the Earl of Waterson

Henry who is used to order and making deals to push his agendas through parliament brokers a political compromise that has a disastrous consequence for his angel of mercy and her dreams. This of course affects this newfound fledgling love with Clara and puts their entire future together in jeopardy. He must come to his senses on time or he’ll lose out on a lifetime of loving with his spitfire.

We get to see old characters from the previous books in order to see how true friendship manifests itself to aid these new characters to trust, not only in themselves, as in the sense of their worth, but also in each other and in loves capacity to transcend. I truly enjoyed reading this book and I would highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary download of this book through Montlake Romance Publishers on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own and sincerely given.

I finally got to read a historical romance where the heroine was a courtesan and wants to change her life but in view goes our hero that is so sweet and more innocent than what we are expecting in a high-class society behaviour for a man of his rank and fortune.
Age gap but as the heroine is in her thirties it's so much more reliable and understandable.
I liked the writing, the characters coming from different backgrounds and having a different view of life but brought together by an unmissable attraction. Really enjoyed this book and will recommend to all my bookish friend.

Absolutely astounding!.. I was totally gripped right from the start. I will never know how Christi Caldwell manages to do tis time and time again, but that just goes to show what a fantastic a true author she is.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and didn’t lit it down for a second. The characters were so good and set each other to a tee. The ending surprised me and I liked that as it went against the norm. It had just the right amount of love and passion for me and I loved every single second. 5 stars just isn’t higher enough for this book. Truly an amazing read.

4 stars

Well, I went in to this one blind. I've read other Caldwell books and I've liked them. This one was good. I wasn't too lost and I understood what was going on even though this is the 5th in the series. Clara and Henry's interactions were constant and they had good chemistry and dialogue.

The overall story line was pretty entertaining. But, *spoiler-ish* that ending! We were really on a roll with a LOT thrown at you all at once and then BAM, turn the page, and that was it. That was the ending. No epilogue and a mad dash to it's conclusion.

Henry March, the Earl of Waterson, only knew honor and respectability. He protected his mother and sisters and as MP he strives to protect all of England. Yet when one of his sisters needed him the most he was not there to protect. And the guilt when she spirals into a ghost amongst the living. He would do anything to help her but at what cost to himself and others?
Clara Winters had her dreams stolen from her, and her life took a regrettable direction. To survive and thrive Clara became a courtesan, a whore and Madam and she worked to get back what the dream she had of opening a music hall.
Clara met Henry at his lowest, she should ignore the scene in front of her but she could not. Knowing no good will come from her helping, but old habits are hard to break. Helping Henry will open Clara to a world she wants nothing to do with and a man who will prove all her dislike of men to dust. Henry will come to realize the shell of a man he’s become and how one spitfire of a woman can bring such light and joy to his soul.
My heart Brock for both Clara and Henry, with everything working against them both self made and self deprecating their relationship was everything and unattainable at the same time.

Clara Winters rescues Henry March, Lord Waterson from men trying to kill him. She takes him home to take care of him and this changes both of their lives forever. He has no other life than Parliament and his family. She wants to open a music hall to help those who have the ability but not the means to better themselves. Who was behind the attack on Henry and who is behind keeping Clara from her dream? She has loosened Henry from the very serious man he was and he has given Clara someone she can believe in again. It has not been easy but then most worthwhile things in life are not easy to accomplish. Very enjoyable read.

Clara Winters is striking out on her own after years of working at the Devil’s Den. She wants her freedom by opening a music hall and to try and give a respectable living to others in St. Giles. She and Reggie her business partner are on their way to being professional business owners and plan on it being successful. One night she rescues an injured man only to discover discovers he’s Henry March, Earl of Waterson who will not think kindling of being nursed by a former Devil’s Den madam. Henry begs her to let him stay until his injuries are healed. The two become closer as they soon realize the misconception each has of the other class. A captivating tale of two mismatched people finding love in the wrong places. I have voluntarily read and reviews romance story.

This was another great book in the Wicked Wallflowers series. I have to admit it was not my favorite book in the series but it was still a good book and I enjoyed reading it. Clara Winters a former courtesan/madam was introduced in a previous book of the series. It was nice to see she gave up the life of being a courtesan and got her HEA. She and her friend Reggie (also in a previous book) have worked hard to open the Muses, a music hall. It has been a dream of hers to help provide women with a job other than being a courtesan. She rescues Henry, the Earl of Waterson, one night as he is on the verge of being killed. Reluctantly, she lets him stay with her instead of going to his home to recover. Months later she discovers he is behind a political "cease and desist" order for her music hall. He has helped the bill for "indecent plans" to go through so he could get help to back up his bill for a police force. The book was well written, the characters and story line well developed. I hope to see Lila get a story of her own and a chance at happiness.

I am sad to see this series end but all good things must come to an end, right?! Another fantastic story by Ms. Caldwell. The compassion of both Clara and Henry, the innocence of Henry and the hardened Clara makes this book a special read. A slow burn romance that will make you believe that most people are good and decent. I loved it.

I love a story that features a strong woman and Clara Winters was certainly strong and determined to make her way without the help of any man. Clara hadn’t had an easy life and a man had made life even more difficult for her. When she helps Henry March, Earl of Waterson, little did they realise what affect it would have on both their lives. Henry hadn’t met a woman quite like Clara and she rarely leaves his thoughts. Henry had always been known as stodgy, he does take his familiar responsibilities very seriously. He is especially concerned about his younger sister Lila, who is recovering from a traumatic event. I enjoyed how opposite Clara and Henry were and yet they had an influence upon each other and couldn’t forget about things the other and said. This was a captivating story, I just couldn’t put it down. An excellent read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I first read about Clara in book two of this series called The Scoundrel’s Honor, I didn't think I will enjoy her story. She was a former mistress of the hero and a Madam of a brothel in his club. Then we met her again in The Governess as Reggie’s business partner. But as I started reading her back story, she became more and more interesting to me. I loved the chemistry between her and the hero, who is normally very staid and proper but had started to smile after meeting her. I loved her independent spirit and self confidence that was unwavering in so much uncertainty and hardship. It was the little moments in this book that I really enjoyed and made me love this story. I am a little sad to see the end of this series but hoping that we get a chance to read Sylvia and Lila’s stories in the future and they too get their HEA’s. This was book five in the Wicked Wallflowers series.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

The title of this book "The Spitfire" is PERFECT. Our heroine, Clara Winters, from a young age was forced into a life she did not want but had no choice in order to survive. Years later she has stopped her former career. She scrimped and saved for a dream to have a place of entertainment. She wanted to employ talent to give women and men a different safer choice to earn a living. She lived in the slums of London and knew what it took to survive. Her dear friend and partner Reggie stood by her side. As a woman it was unheard of establishing her own business and there were some who did not like it. Our hero, Lord Henry March, Earl of Waterson, was in the slums on business when he was attacked, stabbed and left for dead. However, when the two thieves realized he was not dead they started to drag him into an alley to finish the job. Clara was watching with trepidation whether to get involved or not. It was a dangerous proposition. Clara was a "strong, direct and honorable" woman despite her past. She intervened with Henry's attempted murder and rescued him. She took him to her humble apartment and cared for him. When Clara went out to attend to her business, Henry arose, dressed and left her a note with his gold watch as thanks for her rescuing a stranger and caring for him. Months passed by but neither could quite forget the other. One day at the business Clara received a cease and desist order stating she would never be able to open her establishment. It was sent by Lord Henry Waterman. Furious, incensed and feeling betrayed, she immediately took herself to Henry's home. She was going for the jugular. Now the rest of the story is so fascinating you will have a hard time putting this down. There are compromises made, deals struck, political ploys advanced, lies told, a betrayal, a rebirth, emotional self awarenesses for Henry, his sister Lila and Clara. Oh yes and an unlikely romance between Henry and Clara. The troubles for both of them were only beginning. A shocking and captivating ending that you don't want to miss. I do wish there had been an epilogue tying up a few loose ends. Whatever became of the person behind the attempted murder of Henry? Who was pulling the strings against Clara and her establishment and was he brought to any type of justice? It also would have been nice to see the reaction on Henry's domineering mother's face when she found out Henry proposed to Clara. And what of Lila? What of her future? I would have given this a 5-star rating but because of the loose ends I have rated it a 4. I loved Clara as "The Spitfire" for she surely earned the title. I really enjoyed reading this and do recommend it.

This book is written in a way to tell a story of a strong woman who will fight for what is right. Whether it be saving a man left for dead, opening her own music hall, or helping anyone that needs it. She is a woman who was hurt numerous times and now she will not let anything stand in her way.

I thought this was well written, it resonates with reality, and ut was a good read.


** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**

This is the 5th book in the series but it can be read as a stand-alone. Clara is leaving behind her life as a courtesan and madam to open a music hall. She finds Henry, a member of parliament and an Earl, beaten and badly injured and nurses him back to health. Sparks fly between them but they come from two different worlds and Clara is glad to see him go. She then receives a notice that she must close her music hall and Henry is the one behind it. Will she get him to change his mind? Fast-paced read with loads of drama and suspense. I was really drawn into the story and the characters have great depth. I really liked it.

Henry and Clara are a fabulous couple! I couldn't put this book down. I love that no matter her past Henry only sees the good in her and makes her feel valued.

Two imperfect people meet in an unexpected circumstance and find out there are possibilites in life not know before. Christi Caldwell, with her masterful writing, takes us on a journey into the attraction of two people from different classes, who learn a lot about the other and how wrong some of their assumptions had been.
Growing up with few choices, Clara had been forced to survice the best way she knew how. But now she wants more and still had her dreams. Fate seems to step in when she finds a man beaten and she steps in to help him heal.
Henry, Lord Waterson and a leader in Parliment, has been beaten and almost dies but Clara nurses him back to him. But he had experienced some terrible times himself and as he got to know Clara got to know each other, both of their worlds seemed to open up!
Such a brilliant emotional story and the end to this spellbinding series that has held me in its grip since the first book. Romance, sadness, fierce determination, dreams coming true and finding true love will pull you into this story and wrap around your heart. Thank you Christie for giving your readers everything we need to have stories that takes us away but bring us back to wait for the next one.