Will a woman choose to run away and let her fears decide her future or will she faces them ...

The blurb with this new style trendy cover caught immediately my eyes, so I was eager to read this first in a series.
But I must say I have had a problem with the heroine. Her will to have a different future than the one expected for her is very understandable and louable but her blindness to everything else that might sway her way of thinking had me upset.
She hold a grudge for years about an event which had occurred when she and Rhys were only youths, just out of the schoolroom.
That she swore to herself to never marry because of her father’s debauched way, why not but she uses her father’s behavior as a shield to draw all men as the same.
I can understand when she was a teenager as she has no other view of men but painting Rhys on the same colors because he was young and wild is rather a proof of a closed mind than a clever one.

The more the plot advanced, the more I distanced myself from Poppy, I understand her plea about women’s fate and lack of rights, but Rhys despite his past and present mistakes never treated her badly not threatened her security.
Her strong will seems more like an awkwardness among society. As is her clumsiness. She plays a long game of cat and mouse with Rhys, always running away instead of confronting her doubts and thoughts, she is so set on her course, she refuses to budge.
At a time I felt quite bored with the one step forward then two backward because of Poppy inability to trust, her distrust at Rhys’ every move and word.
I was very sorry for him and wondered if she in fact deserved to win him for all the pain and hurt she caused him.
Her epiphany arrives very late in the story. Rhys has the patience of a saint, and if not for him, I might have gave up this book.

4 stars as it introduces a group of friends I want to get to know and a very devoted hero only aiming to please.

I was granted an advance copy by the author, I had my own previously preordered. Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

This one was pretty cute but it wasn't anything to write home about. I liked the story and characters but it just didn't have enough of a spark to really stand out. Overall it was worth the read but not one that I would read over and over.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Poppy and Rhys! This was such a fantastic start to a new series. Poppy is such an independent and headstrong heroine. It was very refreshing to read in a historical romance. I really felt for her and understood her hesitance toward marriage. She was frustrating at times, but I love that Rhys never gave up. A hard fought for love is always the best kind. Rhys knew his mind and wasn’t willing to settle without doing everything he could. I love all of the other Wallflowers’ individual and unique personalities. They added fun and depth to this well rounded story. I can’t wait for Nicolas and Faith’s story!!

The characters were strangely anachronistic and the relationships seemed forced. The language used just didn't feel correct coming out of the characters mouths.

Even before being approved for an ARC, I was excited to read this book and had marked it down on my to-read list - it matched a lot of my interests.

Unfortunately, I knew within the prologue that I would struggle to get through it; the writing tried too hard to show and tell at the same time and the internal dialogue seemed forced. The external dialogue was equally stilted, and the curses (“demon’s breath!”) were just weird for the setting.

Did not enjoy, would not recommend.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sexy, romantic, proto-feminist fun. Very enjoyable pleasure reading

A group of four girls, Faith, Aurora, Mercy and Penelope are popular, rather unpopular for their empowering ways, their un-lady like mannerisms, thrown into a school for them to learn how to behave as ladies become the best of friends. These four misfits find their fit with each other. One of them (Aurora) gets into an abusive marriage but fortunately her husband dies. Now these four women vow to protect each other from such offences in future.

Few years later, Faith receives a hand in marriage, from an Earl so the 3 ladies are determined to help ascertain Faith's soon to be fiance's character. Aurora has to be in mourning, Mercy has to go on a trip, so Penelope decides to help Faith. Aurora's brother Rhys who's an Earl as well decides to help them. Penelope and Rhys share a past and cannot see each other face to face but now they are forced to work together to help Faith and save her from the trouble Aurora went through. 

It was quite a predictable book, I hated the concept of a woman being ruined after losing her virginity but the story was set in an era where there still were carriages, need of chaperones for a lady and stuff so I can understand the context. Other than that it was an okay read. It does have adult content. I received this book by the publishers, all opinions are my own.

Rating- 3.5 stars

⭐⭐

#TheEarlNotTaken #NetGalley

This book is about a group of gal pals (Aurora, Mercy, Faith and MC Poppy) who become friends at a school for disreputable young ladies. They are the best of friends and following one very bad, short marriage, they decide to vet any new man hoping to marry one of the ladies. As it happens, they are assisted in this by Aurora's brother Rhys (Earl).

The "crimes" for which they are sent to this reprobate school are only hinted at (talking to farmer's daughters), but it seems incredibly mild. What I gather is that these ladies are slightly unconventional and a little mouthy, which draws the ire of their families. Boring. They keep referring to all these antics, but the only real story is that they tied Rhys to a tree and went shopping... Don't think about it too much or it all falls apart.

There are some hijinx as the ladies (mostly Poppy and Rhys) try to uncover the secrets of Faith's intended... Sneaking in the garden at night, eavesdropping, fake kisses, etc, etc... HEA and delightful setup for the next book.

I was super excited to read about a girl group. I mean, what's not to love? Female frienships are unique and amazing. Unfortunately, the ladies in this book were not very well sketched... Poppy (main character, mind) is fiercely independent in that she doesn't want a husband. I mean, girl I hear you, but that's almost her whole thing. I don't know what she likes, other than her friends. Does she want to make soap or raise chickens? Nope, just hang with her girls...

The rest of the girls are pretty thin on characteristics, but as this books seems to focused on setting up a series, maybe we'll see some better drawn characters in the next one.

I ended up enjoying many of the male characters a little more. They (Rhys, Nicholas, Geb) actually has some interests outside of the relationships, and there was even a little character growth.

***SPOILERS***
they are pretty mild, but I can't talk about my problems with the book without em.

1. Friend betrayal - not believable... At all! We spend a million pages waxing poetic about their girl gang (Wallflowers of West End) and there's a betrayal?
2. Rain=fever... this is just one of those things that annoys me. Sense & Sensibility did it best, maybe hang it up, it's lazy.
3. Girl stops being clumsy after sex! One of Poppy's many "faults" is that she's clumsy and always ruining her dresses. This is like when someone wears glasses so everyone thinks they're unattractive. 🙄😤 Magically, she is cured of this after sex.
4. Egyptians wear turbans? I mean.... I'm no expert on 19th century Egypt, but that seemed like a way to make the reader see how foreign they are. Geb and his household are foreigners in England, but I don't feel like there is any true understanding of the people's experience. The only prespective on their outsider status is an English POV. 🙄


**SPOILERS over**

None of these drawbacks is a deal breaker on continuing the series, but I would want to see some more attention to detail in follow up books or I will complete forget having read it.

The cover of the book was very pretty. It's was an easy read with lots of things happening. The chapter from the upcoming book was a fun read as well.

This book left me pleasantly surprised! Historical romance is not my go-to but this one sounded different and I’m so glad I gave it a chance! I loved every character and can’t wait to read the sequels about the other Wallflower girls. Somehow Fenichel also managed to include a host of important issues without getting too preachy. I loved it. What a fun, wonderful read from start to finish. Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for the ARC. #TheEarlNotTaken #NetGalley

This was a pretty good first in a series. The self-styled Wallflowers are an awesome group of friends who have each other’s backs even if their good intentions aren’t always logical.

Rhys and Poppy have had different reactions to an embarrassing moment from years ago but throughout this book in some of the outlandish situations they end up in they start to realize their feelings for each other have changed. You understand throughout the book why Poppy thinks so poorly of marriage even if you wanted to yell at her sometimes about how Rhys isn’t that kind of person.

I am a bit more interested though in Faith and Nicholas’s future and I’m looking forward to reading what I’m assuming is their future book.

Last but not least, the dedication by the author was awesome.

4.5 stars - I enjoy this read from start to finish and am so looking forward to the next book in their series. I love when I discover new-to-me authors to like. Now, I'm going to find her previous works and get to reading while I wait (impatiently) on the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

A charming story. Poppy (Penelope) is an independant thnker and with her three friends doesn't want to end up married to a poor husband. She's not that keen on Rhys her friend, Aurora's brother because of indiscretions in their youth. I think Poppy was being a bit squeamish here as Rhys didn't seem to be a predator and was just enjoying life. I did think that Poppy needed to loosen up a bit and in the course of the book this happended. Her father was a bully and this probably affected her attitude. I'm not that fond of the school girl circle but can understand that it lends itself to a series. I expect we will get Faith and Duke Nicholas's story next. The Cover is cute.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the first book by this author that I have read and although a fairly long book it was an enjoyable read. The characters were well written and the interaction was well planned. There was a small amount of mystery and suspense, a few sex scenes that this reviewer as usual skipped. I must admit that I found Polly got a bit annoying with her unwillingness to get on with life but then that is what the book is about. There was a good set up for the next book and I will be looking forward to reading it. I received this book as an ARC and freely give my review

I was so excited for this one, but I ended up being disappointed. I love historical romances and I've read so many, which may have contributed slightly to my rating. There were points where I really liked the main characters Poppy and Rhys, but other times I hated following them. I would say I preferred Rhys over Poppy. Their relationship had points where I was rooting for them. My problem lies with Poppy, who's characterization flip flopped quite a few times. Some of my issues with her are spoilers and just things I don't personally like. Rhys literally goes above and beyond to show her how much he cares, but she either is too dense to realize it or refuses to believe him for no reason. I have some issues with his character as well, but Poppy frustrated me so much. I did really enjoy the side characters: the other wallflowers, Rhys' friend Garrett, and the Duke, Nick, and his friend Ged. They were all really interesting and I wanted to know more about them.
As for the structure and writing style, it did take me a couple of chapters to get into the story. Some of the sentence structures were confusing and the dialogue was a little stilted at times. The middle of the book was the best written section and had some really nice banter between our couple and the friends. The end also suffered a little from the same writing issues from the beginning.

Overall, I would give this a 2.75 stars out of 5. I would be interested in reading the next books in the series. I think based on the excerpt that the next one is about Aurora and Garrett and I would like to know what is next for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read and review this book.

The teaser description of this book drew me into wanting to read this as I love Regency historicals. Especially books about Wallflowers. However, I really didn't feel the four friends were exactly what wallflowers are known to be. Poppy just doesn't want to get married. And this mainly has to do with an encounter with Rhys, the hero and her father. She despises Rhys so much it is hard to reconcile that she agrees to conspire with him to investigate her friends betrothed. And I enjoy a good verbal sparing between hero and heroine, but the dialogue just wasn't witty it was whiney.

I made it though three chapters and just couldn't finish.

Im disappointed.

First of all, this book has all of my favorite tropes: wallflowers, bad boys, and maybe not hate, but at least dislike to love. And this book did all of those tropes very well while still being original and new.

What really makes this book is the characters. Our main character, Poppy, is just amazing. She was tough, but loving, adorably herself, and wasn't afraid of society. I loved how much of a feminist she was and how she knew her own mind! Her, and the rest of the Wallflowers of West Lane, were the highlights of this book. Their friendship and loyalty to one another was admirable and so fun to read.

Besides the women, the men were also a great part of the story. Rhys was a great guy, and the romance between the two was the best. Sweet and, at times, very steamy. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Overall, it was a very cute story and I definitely recommend if you enjoy historical romances and strong female leads.

This book is a cute 19th century romance. I find the characters to be fairly interesting to read; I read through the book fairly quickly, and I was not bored by most of it. Polly and Rhys' relationship is well-written in that it progressed at a believable pace.

What a great book. I really felt connected with this story. It hooked me right in. Can't wait for her next book!

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a recency era historical fiction. I wanted to like this book so very much but the steamy content. I did not finish the book because of the content. I liked poppy and Rhys as characters and they have a happily ever after.

This is my first Fenichel book, and I was a fan! I'm a sucker for a group of wallflowers looking out for one another, and this was a fun little story of just such a group. Due to one member of their group having been placed in a horribly abusive marriage and thankfully outliving her abuser, the other members of the Wallflowers of West Lane decide they must investigate the new betrothed of another of their ranks. Thanks to timing, our heroine Poppy is forced to do the brunt of the investigating with her best friend's brother, Rhys, whom she has disliked ever since they met when he was seducing a local girl in the woods. Rhys is happy to prevent another woman from facing a husband like the one his sister had, and goes out of his way to prove to Poppy that he's not a heartless rake as she's assumed all these years. I look forward to the next installment, featuring the much-investigated Nicholas, and Lady Faith!