Good story of long-held misconceptions, strong friendships, and a love that can not be denied. I received an ARC of this book.

Hesitations and investigations in the husband-mart!

Four wallflowers, who'd been "hell-bent on embarrassing [their] families", school friends who'd met when they'd been sent to school in Lucerne to have their behaviour moderated, band together to discover the hidden characters of prospective partners their families might fling them at. One of their number, Lady Faith Landon, is to be married to an unknown duke. Their union having been arranged via letters between her mother and the Duke. Well!! The wallflowers aren't going to take this lying down. After one of their member, Aurora's abusive marriage, the husband now fortunately demised, the sensible plan is to discover all they can about the Duke. Lady Penelope Arrington decides to consult Aurora's brother and longtime family friend for his insights on the proposed bridegroom. The non romance between wallflower Poppy and rake Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden should have been sublimely hilarious and fraught. It was fraught to the point of annoyance. Rocks kept being thrown into their path, many self induced by the confused, stubborn and frustrating Poppy. I loved Rhys though. He took the star rating up for me. The story had a great basis for being so much more enthralling than it was. Although the four wall flowers, each in their own way, are interesting the writing seemed to surge and fade away at times. I hope the next in the series is stronger.

A Kensington ARC via NetGalley

Poppy was one of a group of four girls that were sent to boarding school where they forged a bond and called themselves the Wallflowers. One of her friends is to be married to a duke without ever having seen him. Poppy makes it her mission to make sure that the prospective husband is an honorable man. little did she know she was going to be aided by London's most unsuitable rake.

Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known Poppy since she was sent to boarding school with his sister. Their first meeting was an utter disaster and branded Rhys an unsuitable rake in Poppy's eyes. Rhys wants a chance to redeem himself and will help Poppy in her endeavors. As they attempt to find out more about the prospective Duke husband, Rhys develops feelings for Poppy. Can Poppy discover the man Rhys truly is and discover her own HEA?

I loved this book. It was so well written. While the book centers around Rhys and Poppy, the other Wallflowers play supporting characters. I felt bad that Poppy misjudged Rhys. Poppy was a strong character that stood on her own against her self-centered parents. I liked the ending of the book and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. Poppy has known her friend's brother, Rhys, for years and doesn't trust him. Now she has to work with him to investigate a mysterious duke who intends to marry another friend without even meeting her. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more stories in this series as well as other books by this author.

Great start to a historical series. Aurora was forced into an abusive marriage and 3 years later she is a widow, her best friends suffered with her and all were glad of his passing. While she is in mourning Aurora’s friends come to stay and Poppy meets up with Rhys, a rake she has been at odds with for years. When another arraigned marriage threatens will Rhys and Poppy be able to stop it? Fast-paced read with great characters, plenty of drama and great chemistry between Rhys and Poppy. I liked it.

I got a little aggravated by Poppy's attitude. She didn't seem to want to look at any other side. Rhys and Poppy got off to a bad start and it took years before they could be in the same room without arguing. Once Rhys really got to know Poppy, he realized that he wanted her to stay in his life. If only he could convince her that marriages aren't all bad. As they join forces to help her friend, they are both having a change of heart. Will it be permanent?

I hate giving negative book reviews, but this story was just not at all what I was hoping for in a sweet historical romance. I love wallflower tropes, and I thought this one would really work for me but it didn't. The plot was essentially non-existent, The writing also felt very cliched, and the dialogue pretty cringe worthy. I don't know what else to say except to say that I was left wanting a bit more.

I liked the character of Rhys very much, he was so considerate, kind and patient, handsome, a real gem of a man. Poppy was a different matter, I know she had a dreadful upbringing with her parents, but I felt like shaking her at times and saying , just look at the man Rhys is, rather than her preconceived perceptions. I also found her constant expressions annoying. I did enjoy the friendship that the four women had, and how they had each other’s best interests at heart. This was an engaging read with interesting characters and I look forward to reading the other women’s stories. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book and I should have been best friends and while there is nothing wrong with the book, I found it difficult to keep going with the book. I just ran out of steam. I am sure that other historical romance fans would really enjoy this book!

I was looking forward to discovering a new historical romance author, as they are my favourite thing to read. I am afraid that this book fell very flat for me.

I found the writing the main problem, the whole thing really suffered from too many modern turns of phrase, too many Americanisms such as “tossed in the trash” instead of “threw away”. The dialogue was very stilted, and the characters thoughts and feelings seemed to flip all over the place within a paragraph or even the same sentence. I found it very difficult to read, as it just didn’t flow at all. People are arrogant fops not fobs,

The story failed to grab me as there were too many sub plots and secondary stories going on, and I couldn’t focus on Penelope and Rhys enough.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

A refreshing new entry into the historical romance genre! I really enjoyed this story, especially how it built up the friendship and relationship between all four girls. And the romance between Poppy and Rhys was beautifully built up with the perfect blend of tension and spice. I can't wait to read the next entry in the series!

A wonderful story that will evoke a strong emotional response. Poppy and her friends are a group of you g women who are trying their best to fight against society’s restrictions. Rhys has always been on the fringes of their lives. Now he has been invited in and begins to see things differently. As they spend time together things change but Poppy is still afraid. Rhys sets out to woo her with the help of their friends. It takes a lot to change her mind and accept the love that is being offered.

I wasn’t sure how to rate this. The author writes well and I liked Rhys. However, the trope of wallflowers, which I normally enjoy, fell flat for me in this read. So did Poppy. She was immature and I thought Rhys was an angel for putting up with her. Although I did not love the story, it wasn’t a bad read, but I’m not sure I will read the next in the series.

I went into this one thinking it was friends to lovers but instead it was enemies to friends to lovers and oh wow was it ever fun. It was a super light and easy read but it definitely had elements and themes that were darker and more serious that made the stakes higher. I really enjoyed reading this one and am excited to carry on with the series.

The story follows Lady Penelope and her best friends older brother Rhys as they set out on a mission to uncover as much as possible about the past of a potential suitor for one of their friends. Obviously adventures ensue and love happens. Their relationship was a lot of fun, Penelope holds a grudge against him (and all men really) from the time they first met and he loves getting under her skin. They slowly have to figure out how to work together to make sure their friend is marrying someone worthwhile and develop feelings for each other and time goes on. Their banter was a lot of fun and even though I think we lost some of the snarkiness from Rhys pretty quickly, it was still cute to read.

I also really loved the relationship between all the Wallflowers. You can tell that they are all friendships that have been build on trust and love for one another and that they'll do anything for each other. I'm very excited to read the rest of the series as it's released to get to see more about the rest of them.

Honestly this was just a really fun romance. It's not overly smutty, it's a bit cheesy, and Penelope is the most stubborn character ever. But it's just so much fun to read. I'll definitely be picking up the sequels and I can't wait to see how this world progresses.

I love any book that has to do with wallflowers but while I'd love to read about other stories in the series, I have to say I didn't particularly like this one.

First, long paragraphs. This was the very first thing I noticed and if it weren't for the story, I would never read it till the end. I hate long paragraphs.

Second: language. I've read my share of historical romances and while English is not my first language and I don't know much about the language in that era, I do know that the language used in this book is a little bit too modern. It didn't bother me a lot so this is not a reason for my lower ratings but I feel the need to mention it because some readers may not like it.

What I don't like in this book is Penelope/Poppy. She is way too stubborn and refuses to change her opinion. She assumed the worst of the hero based on the one experience she (didn't exactly) have with the hero years ago. YEARS! When they were both basically reckless and young.

She refuses to marry because she thinks all men are the same even though Rhys continuously showed her he's different. There were many times when I was thinking why he still didn't quit pursuing her because she was really immature for her age (21). Rhys was a complete sweetheart and did nothing to make her believe he was a rogue but she still called him that after one incident three years ago.

Penelope was just too rigid about her beliefs and the sudden turn of her feelings toward marriage at the end just didn't do it for me. It was way too quick and didn't feel like a progress of her character at all. It just didn't feel like her too.

Also, her clumsiness is just too awkward. She falls everywhere and at first it may look cute and funny but when it happens so often it doesn't amuse a reader anymore.

While the friendship she has with the other wallflowers is admirable I was hoping they would talk some sense into her. It was a miracle the MCs even had some alone time because The Wallflowers were together almost every moment. I am interested in the story of other women from this group particularly Nicholas/Faith and maybe Garrett/Aurora.

3.5 stars, first read by this author.

Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. Especially as Aurora was married to an abusive man. So when one of them is about to be married off to Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl. To her eternal chagrin and to his vague amusement they have been at odds over the memory of their embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings.
This is the start of a new series & I found it to be an entertaining read. I loved Rhys who fell hard for Poppy, he was so much in love, so caring & above all so very, very patient. Whilst I could understand Poppy's point of view it did grate on me & I'm surprised Rhys stayed the course. I did enjoy their banter & verbal sparring, there was chemistry between them but Poppy was just too stubborn for words. Aurora, Faith & Mercedes were all interesting & I look forward to their stories
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

<b>THIS DIDN'T EXCITE ME IN ANY WAY...

Actual rating: 1.5 ⭐</b>

I am an absolute sucker for historical romance - they are my go to 'feel good' books - so I was really excited to get this ARC from Netgalley. However, all my hopes and expectations fell flat almost instantly. Sadly, there was hardly anything that I liked...

<b>👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍</b>

<u>Poppy's curses</u>: The female protagonist, Poppy, had a habit of issuing some very colourful curses, such as 'Hade's fire'. I enjoyed that.

<b>👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎</b>

<u>Plot</u>: Can you dislike a plot that is non-existing? Honestly, this plot reminded me of warm water being passed off as tea...

<u>Wallflowers</u>: Poppy and her three friends constantly refer to themselves as 'The Wallflowers'... Even though one of them was recently widowed. It felt so childish and, honestly, I could only think of Lisa Kleypas' wallflower series. All I could do was compare the two and this one fell waaaay short.

<u>Writing</u>: There were so many cringe moments when it came to the writing. It was clichéed an unoriginal.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I requested The Earl Not Taken due to hearing about the author, A.S. Fenichel, sometime in the past (I forget when) and being intrigued to see another publisher attempting a historical with an illustrated cover. And unfortunately, while this attempt suits the cover style more tonally, the book failed to impress me in almost any way.

The one positive is the hero, Rhys, who is a reformed rake trying to be a better person. In spite of his checkered past, he consistently shows to Poppy that he’s a good person, and while I did feel like their relationship was tepid, and he ought to have had more resistance and honor initially, I still felt like he did try to do the right thing when it counted.

But Poppy…she’s a mess. She apparently doesn’t want to get married because she’s seen relationships like her parents’ sour. That’s fine. It’s also fine to have her want to experience passion without marriage in spite of the risk to her reputation. But given how often this has been done (with one recent release even going against the grain and not marrying off their anti-marriage heroine), I wanted a little more exploration of her motivations behind her original choices and fully explore her evolving change of heart. This is where it being a lighter read really suffered, as there are things touched on that I think would have benefited from more depth to keep it from falling into the typical historical romance cliches.

The writing is also just…not engaging. While it’s not often something I critique authors for, it did not engross me in the story or the world, and I could not help but feel like, as GR reviewer I’m friends with said in her review, that this was as if “an 8th grader has been assigned historical romance as her class project.”

This book does seem to be getting a lot more negative-to-lukewarm reviews, so I’m glad to know I’m not alone in disliking this book and finding it boring and predictable, even beyond the expected amount for a romance book. In short, I don’t really recommend this, as there are so many other stories out there if you need your historical romance fix.

Penelope "Poppy" Arrington knows two things: she does not want to marry, and she strongly dislikes Rhys Draper, her best friend's brother. She knows that all men just want to treat women as their property, and by getting married, she's giving a man the ability to own her, to treat her poorly, and to constrict her freedoms. And on the second point, ever since she first saw Rhys Draper deflowering some town girl in the garden of his vast estate, she knew she didn't like him. However, when Poppy vows to investigate one of her friends' husband-to-be to figure out if he is a good person and Rhys insists on tagging along for the adventure, both of those notions are about to be challenged.

The Earl Not Taken is a sweet, quick read that feels like a fluffy fanfiction. The writing is a bit stilted - I mean, it's tough to read and write Regency novels that are written in modern-day, as you just know that it lacks the authenticity and voice of someone like Jane Austen, no matter how hard the author tries to emulate it. The characters are rather flat, even as the author tries to develop them, I couldn't see them as three-dimensional people and not just a set of traits. Despite a number of events that should lead Poppy to change her stance on marriage, she refuses to think any other way. Like, I understand the good ol' miscommunication trope, but this was ridiculous. On the other hand, Rhys does a complete 180º turn in the first chapter or two of the book, unexpected for a character like his. The initial conceit is a good idea, but it quickly falls to the background amidst Poppy and Rhys's romance, and showing it to just be a tool to set up the two MCs and nothing more. In the end, it felt a bit too much like it was trying to be [book:Pride and Prejudice|1885], with a feminist, anti-marriage female protagonist and a wrongly-perceived, rich male protagonist.

Overall, this book was sweet but forgettable, not a romance that I would pick up again. I would rather re-read Pride and Prejudice to satisfy the same craving that this book is intended to create. However, this is a promising debut novel from Fenichel, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other Regency-era plots she devises. Thank you to Kensington for the ARC via Netgalley.

I tried to really get into this book, but the story was just not holding my attention at all. I don't know if it was the writing style or just the story overall. DNF for me. I will probably try picking it up again at a later time.