I love the Wallflowers books, although this wasn't quite my favorite. For someone who seemed to have such a strong backbone, she continually undervalued herself in her relationship with Wesley. I liked how he bolstered her confidence, but I thought it got repetitive after a while. The great characterization of the supporting cast really saved this book for me and I"m very much looking forward to Aurora's book.

Another wonderful read written by the talented A.S. Fenichel. I devoured the first book in this series several months ago and was delighted to read the next book. I can't say enough about how much I loved this book and series. I can't wait for the next book. The characters are wonderfully crafted and the plot superb. This is going on my list of great reads to give to my friends.

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion and review. My comments were in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

Capturing The Earl
The Wallflowers of West Lane #3
A.S. Fenichel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mercedes Parsons and Lady Aurora Radcliff are the last two wallflowers of westlane that are not married. Mercedes has seen her friend Aurora go through a horribly abusive marriage and knows her friend doesn't want to do it again. Especially since the potential bride groom has not been investigated and since the friends throughly investigate every prospect they will do it again. There's only one problem as she is looking into Wesley Renshaw's character, she finds herself daydreaming about him more and more. Mercy doesn't have anything so she doesn't even understand what Wesley could even want with her. After all isn't the Earl supposed to be courting her best friend Aurora? Now if she can only keep her wits about herself and avoid giving into temptation. That is easier said then done though.

Wesley Renshaw is incredibly taken with Mercy. Her beauty and her personality are totally distracting him from what he is supposed to be doing and that is courting Lady Aurora, so he can reclaim his family's ancestral home. A wrong that he has been trying to right for his entire life. As he watches Mercy he becomes more enamored with her by the day. When he realizes her game of spying he decides that two can play the same game, but things don't always go as planned. As time goes on Wesley comes to the conclusion that he really has found the woman of his dreams and that is the penniless Mercy and not Aurora.

What happens next will test the boundaries of money and love and there is no turning back from it.

A.S. Fenichel brings us another book from the Wallflowers of Westlane that will steal your heart, leaving you breathless, and craving more. Mercy is such a special woman. She is very smart and can play practically any instrument that you put in her hand. She is loyal to her friends and doesn't want to see any harm befall them. Wesley is very protective and just wants to do the right thing. These characters are really sweet together and make a cute couple. I found this story utterly captivating and a real page turner. If you haven’t read these books you don't know what you have been missing. I can't wait for Aurora's story.

If you haven't checked out any of the Wallflowers of West Lane you are missing out on the regency romance your heart longs for. Fenichel writes compelling women who don't fit the mold and a friendship to inspire everyone. The friendship of these four ladies has created a family and home and a promise to protect one another from the perils of marriage.

Mercy is now possibly my favorite wallflower. She's an musical prodigy and kindhearted as well as fierce in protecting Aurora after her disastrous marriage ended. When an earl starts to court Aurora Mercy knows she needs to confirm his intentions even if she wants him for herself. Wesley Renshaw hasn't been able to stop thinking of Mercy since they danced a few months ago. She needs to marry her friend to get his family lands back, but he wants Mercy.

I found this story completely captivating and enjoyable. It had good obstacles for the characters to get over and the couples and relationships are swoon-worthy!

Wesley wants to marry Aurora because she holds the deed to a piece of property that should belong to his family holdings. He has been attempting to restore all that his wastrel grandfather gambled away. Aurora is a widow who survived a horrendous marriage and has no desire to wed. She is friends with The Wallflowers and Mercedes is part of that group. While she is a gentleman’s daughter, she has no title and lives with her aunt. Wesley met Mercedes at an event and cannot get her out of his mind. He is torn between his duty to his family, and his desire to marry Mercedes. While they do have their HEA, it is not without conflict. A good read!

Capturing the Earl is delightful. A regency romance with a feminist heroine who values her friendships. Mercy has suitors, but is not afraid to turn down men who don't value her and who she does not love. This is a wonderful book, and a breath of fresh air. I hope that there will be another Wallflower book.

The Wallflowers of West Lane have made an impression on me, so much so that their books are an instant one click. Now if only Mercy and Wesley's story had been so easy - but where would be the fun in that?
I adore the relationship these girls have, and the fact that they're not all high society but don't really give a hoot about that. The initial meeting between Mercedes and Wesley was lovely, although his insistence on pursuing Aurora did really grate on me many times during the story. Mercy had her moments of martyrdom but overall it was clear to me as a reader that we were going to get our happy ending. The pages lit up when the two of them interacted. It was wonderful to see our previous couples pop up and take their part in said happy ending.
It makes me sad to think there's just the one book left in this series (well, I assume) but I think Aurora's may be the most bittersweet of them all considering what we have yet to find out. I wonder about Geb...
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t get into this one. Maybe I was just over my romance run that I was on for a while so it just wasn’t the right time, but I found this one on the boring side and more predictable than I wanted.

I received an ARC of "Capturing the Earl" by the fabulous author, A.S. Fenichel and Netgalley.  Each one of A.S. Fenichel's books is spectacular. Her stories and storylines are unique and fascinating. In this story, she has an even more unique way with her words that truly plucked my heart strings while making me remember all the reasons I fell in love.

Mercedes Heath, aka, Mercy and the Earl of Candlewick, Wesley Renshaw are very attracted to each other, but circumstances prevent them from trying to form a union. They both try to fight their attraction but destiny had its own plan.

A must-read!

I feel like this series keeps getting better - now that we know the ladies of the Wallflowers of West Lane better, I am enjoying the series more and more. This entry is focused on Mercy. Mercy is an incredibly talented musician - her parents died when she was quite young and she was raised by her Aunt throughout her teenage years. She was left in a very vulnerable position of having no one to protect her other than her aunt. Her friendship with the other wallflowers has sustained her and given her a family. When she meets Wesley Renshaw, an Earl who is interested in courting one of the other wallflowers, they are very much drawn to each other, but neither can see a relationship beyond acquaintances.

Wesley is a good man, who is focused on recovering his family's property after his grandfather lost almost all of it to settle his debts. The last piece is the ancestral home of their family - an enormous house in Cheshire. The house is owned by Mercy's friend Aurora. Wesley has focused on marrying Aurora to regain the property - despite the fact that Aurora has no interest in marrying him or marrying anyone. At the same time, it is clear to everyone that he and Mercy are meant for each other.

I loved Mercy's spirit and passion for music - and I loved Wesley's kindness and care for his family. Wesley is torn between what he wants and what he feels is his duty - but I wished he would have seen more clearly faster that getting back his family home really isn't really a fulfilling goal. There were also a couple of points that I didn't fully understand - Wesley's cousin is very passionate about getting the family home back, but it was never really clearly explained why. Perhaps its a subject for another book.

I am looking forward to seeing a book for Aurora and possibly for Wesley's younger sisters.

Overall - I really enjoyed it!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This is the third book in the series and Mercy has been one of my favorite wallflowers so I was looking forward to her book.

Wesley started out promising in the prologue, seemingly interested in Mercy. But he took a nosedive as the book went on, trying to woo Aurora so he could marry her to obtain her estate, which previously belonged to Wesley’s family while being attracted to Mercy. Mercy was rightfully confused and frustrated by Wesley and he had to work hard to gain Mercy’s trust (and this reader’s!). Ultimately I ended up liking Mercy and Wesley together especially since he was always clear that she should be valued for who she is, regardless of the fact that she’s lower on the social ladder.

I also expected there to be a bigger reveal regarding Wesley’s cousin Malcolm and why he was so opinionated about Wesley getting married.

Some little Regency social inaccuracies, such as Aurora’s mother saying the title will be passed through Aurora line and several titles are inaccurately stated in conversation. The historical junkie in me noticed it but in the end, it didn’t affect the story so not too big of an issue.

I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the book, I truly did in many ways. The best thing about this book, and the series as a whole, is the wonderful friendship between the wallflowers and that wonderful camaraderie continues here in some serious but lots of laugh out loud moments. Also, I really like Mercy’s Aunt Phyllis. And Geb continues to be an awesome character and we absolutely need more of him.

We get Aurora’s book next, right?

3.5 stars rounded up because the awesome women and Geb and his household make up for Wesley’s character.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After two of her very close friends married recently, Miss Mercedes Hawke is anxious that everything is changing. She still has best friend, Lady Aurora Radcliff, who is adamant she will not remarry after her horrific first marriage, but when the one gentlemen to ever make Mercy think again starts to woo Aurora, she needs to put a stop to it. Wesley Renshaw, the Earl of Castlewick, has been more than intrigued by the beautiful Miss Hawke after their dance a few months ago, but needs to woo, and marry, the widowed Lady Radcliff to recover part of his ancestral estate that was sold off by his penniless and debt-ridden grandfather. Mercy is the only thing standing in his way, but the more they are together, the more their feelings and chemistry grow, and it soon becomes apparent that no one is wanting the marriage to go ahead, except for the Dowager Countess of Marsden. Will Mercy and Wesley find a solution to their problems, or was their relationship doomed from the start?

After finishing the previous book in the series, Misleading a Duke, I was fascinated by the Wallflower group, and definitely wanted to continue the series. Mercy and Wesley were wonderful characters, and voices for the story. Because of her upbringing, and losing her parents when she was 14, Mercy isn't exactly what you would call a catch in the ton, so is often overlooked, especially when her three best friends are either a duchess or a countess. She's used to this, but the attention and real chemistry between herself and Wesley was undeniable, and seeing him come and call, but to court Aurora, was heartbreaking. I really understood Wesley's motivation for it, but definitely appreciated the way he struggled with his own feelings too. He was drawn away from Aurora again and again to Mercy, and it was inevitable that the two of them would find themselves in more and more compromising situations. Unlike the previous book, there wasn't a lot of danger and angst, but the heartbreak was real, and pulling on my heartstrings on a wet, autumnal morning when I read Capturing the Earl. I'm not sure if there's another book planned, but I'd love to see Aurora be happy, and see more of the three main couples as they move on in their own relationships! I really need to get a copy of book 1 now, to see how Poppy and Rhys fell for each other.

The Wallflowers of West Lane is a series of books about a group of close friends who met at Wormbattle school (I imagine it must look a bit like Hogwarts). A couple of friends in the group got their happily ever after and her friend Lady Aurora is a widow. Miss Mercy Heath is the only unmarried girl left in the group. None of the men who seem attracted to her raise her interest, except Wesley Renshaw, the Earl of Castlewick. There is definitely some passion there, and he appreciates her musical talent and encouraged her to wear her spectacles in public. But he's made it clear he wants to marry Lady Aurora who owns property that he wants returned to his family, and Mercy has no money to speak of. Everyone gathers at a houseparty hosted by Mr. Geb Arafa, an Egyptian friend of the Wallflowers.

This book is quite nicely written and I liked the discussions various people were having about social privileges and prejudices, questioning society expectations and feelings of entitlement. Mercy gets treated like a paid entertainer by some of the characters and then there are some who don't see why the servants deserve any respect.

But I had a hard time warming up to the hero who kisses one woman while he attempts to court another, and thinks things like, "Aurora was the woman he would marry. She was titled, the daughter of an earl, and she held the title to his ancestral home. Nothign would get in the way of his goals, not even his own ridiculous desires." Aurora has indicated that she has no wish to remarry but he considers their marriage a done deal as if she had no say in the matter. The next thing he's trying to make love with Mercy.

I like a hero who knows what he wants but this man is a terrible waffler.

There are some minor homophone and grammar issues in it but I read an ARC I got from Netgalley and it's possible the actual book is different.