I was really excited going into this book as it was my first Eloisa James. There was definitely some great banter and a lot of hilarity in the romance between our couple. The side character were also very endearing and it was a fun plot to follow.

Cleo was a fabulous heroine and one of my favourite aspects of this novel! She is a headstrong heiress and businesswoman who is determined to keep her wits about her and not let anyone (any MAN) take that.

My main issue is that the romance developed way too quickly. Out of no where the MMC decides he is 100% in love with her and will be selling all his American companies and moving the England to woo and marry her. And I was just like “SIR? SINCE WHEN?” Sadly, Jake just didn’t work for me and I’m sad about that. However, I did love the flowers he got her! I was also frustrated that Cleo thought she couldn’t be with Jake because her mother was unable to stay in a committed relationships—this is one of my least fave tropes so it isn’t the books fault, but a me fault.

I will definitely need to check out other books by her.

This book was lots of fun! Honestly, I wish the book included illustrations of the various wardrobes, because the descriptions were glorious. I really liked Cleo. James did a wonderful job of examining Cleo’s concerns about embodying the worst parts of her mother. I liked Jake, but thought his relationship with his mother played a role that was both too large and too small. It either needed to be more deeply explored or given less prominence. Overall, I really enjoyed the book!

What a delightful romp through the wilds of England. That is, through the wilds of theatre, actors, propriety, American rich “colonists”, and, naturally, the ton.
Cleo is determined to live her life her way-come he’ll or high water. Speaking of water, she continuously makes her own way via ownership of Lewis Commodes. Then she becomes embroiled in a business competition for a local business. Interesting how this whole business becomes a catalyst for a relationship with Jake, an American. Over time, they become good friends while they meet and make other friends. And as in real life, friends and family help to further define who Cleo and Jake become to each other.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

A few months ago, I found myself reading Eloisa James’s work for the first time in "Mistletoe Christmas" and I enjoyed her contribution to the anthology so much that I was planning on reading more of her back catalog in 2022. However, I recently received an opportunity to read this new title; I took advantage of that opportunity and I’m so glad that I did.

This is book one in the Would-Be Wallflowers series and after reading it, I am already looking forward to more from this series.

The title of this book is somewhat misleading, as the heroine of How to Be a Wallflower abandons her quest to be a wallflower fairly quickly. A more apt title would probably have been How to Be a Businesswoman in the 1810s, Foil Your Sexy American Rival's Plans, and Also Fall in Love With Him. That doesn't quite roll of the tongue in the same way though.

Reading How to Be a Wallflower was a lot of fun. Cleo and Jake had instant chemistry and great banter, and the stakes of the book are relatively low, meaning I was able to sit back and enjoy the ride. Eloisa James also came up with a handful of humorous details to replace the more usual tropes. Cleo is the heiress to - and proprietor of - a business that sells toilets (excuse me, *commodes*), a fact which she takes in stride but allows for plenty of silliness. And the bargain the two leads strike - where they each design each other's wardrobes - meant that not only does the reader get gorgeous descriptions of clothing, but also some excellent and often hilarious visual images. The thought of Jake in orange silk pants still haunts me.

That's not to say that there weren't plenty of emotional undercurrents. Cleo spends most of the book working through her issues surrounding her carefree mother's choices, while Jake has to reckon with the weight of his family name and whether that should mean anything to him. This book also employed one of my favorite tropes - the man falls first - to much success, leading to several swoony moments of Jake baring his soul.

It's hard to articulate why this wasn't a perfect read for me. I obviously enjoyed it a lot, but I think I felt that there was some sort of emotional weight missing in the "conflict" between Cleo and Jake. A little bit of style and flash over substance. Still, a fun time with plenty of laughs!

4/5

I absolutely loved this very charming romance between our English lady, granddaughter of a Viscount and Heiress to a toilet fortune and our rough and tumble American hero.

They had great chemistry, excellent banter, and the story was so fun and compelling.

James writing is always so enjoyable, tight and clever and swoonily romantic.

The whole transaction that got the ball rolling seemed silly and unrealistic but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this book. I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers and this is a good one. The characters and their romance were fun to watch.

I wanted this book to work so badly. I have been reading EJ's backlist and am completely obsessed. But this book was slow paced and took ages for the story to be set up. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read and review.

I think I’ve grown out of Eloisa James. I was excited for her return to the Regency after the Georgian series that held no appeal for me, but her writing just does not work for me anymore. It’s super stiff and formal, yet the characters feel like they’re meant to be anti that?

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Bestselling Historical Romance novelist Eloisa James has a new novel coming out this month: How to Be a Wallflower.

The heroine is Cleo Lewis. Cleo is an extremely beautiful, hard-nosed businesswoman. Her father (a blacksmith’s son) invented valves for commodes and built a water-closet empire, which Cleo inherited. Her mother was a free spirit – a lady who ran off and eloped, and then never met an actor she didn’t sleep with. Cleo is also the granddaughter of a viscount. Now that her parents are both dead, Cleo wants to have more of a relationship with her grandfather. Naturally, he wants her to marry a worthy gentleman. But she has no interest in marriage at all. First, her husband would automatically gain control of her company and her fortune. And second, after seeing the way her mother constantly hurt men, including her father, Cleo wants no part of love or sex.

The hero is Jake Astor Addison. Jake is very large (all Regency Romance male protagonists are behemoths) and very American. He’s a businessman as well. He’s come abroad to buy things and invest. Eventually, he plans to return to the U.S. and marry the sweet, dull, cow-obsessed woman his mother has picked out for him. Then he meets Cleo.

They are vying for the shop of a theater costumer. It isn’t much of a contest. Jake never met the proprietress and just assumed she and all her staff would move to America for the money he was offering. The woman doesn’t want to move. Cleo offers more money and a chance to stay in London.

Jake doesn’t like to lose, so he starts making plans to ruin the woman’s business so that she will be grateful for his rescue. Cleo heads him off there as well. They enter into a wager, involving commissioning clothes from the costumer. But before the wager gets far off the ground, Jake falls hard for Cleo and changes his plans. Completely. He doesn’t want the business. He doesn’t want to return to America. He no longer wants to marry the girl at home. He wants Cleo.

Fortunately, Cleo wants him as well. She just needs to be wooed, reassured that he won’t take control of her fortune and her business, and reassured that her need for Jake is nothing like her mother’s need for any man on a stage.

This is an entertaining, fairly quick read. The conflicts are muted. The development of the romance relies very heavily on sexual attraction and much of the plot revolves around their mutual seduction. (The business wager that was set up comes to nothing.) But the characters have interesting internal conflicts. Cleo is clear-sighted and kind. Jake grows from bullying and unlikeable into a devoted, giving man. Fans of Eloisa James will not be disappointed.

"I am not the sort of man who's good at smooth conversation." I felt that this quote from the male protagonist in this book best encapsulated "How to Be a Wallflower." I usually enjoy romance novels, but this one was very difficult to get through. The writing was very labored and awkward in the character descriptions and dialogue. The author was heavy handed in her continuous deliberate inclusions of how independent the main character was and how much more she new about business than the men around her (and how to approach men in business matters). I anticipated liking this book, but was disappointed in how difficult it was to try to connect with the characters and their arcs.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

A commode heiress named Cleopatra Lewis with an unconventional upbringing who’s also the granddaughter of a viscount.

A self-made brawny American businessman, Jacob Astor Addison, who is the possessor of a formidable jawline.

What kind of trouble could they get into when they both want the same costume business?

I always enjoy Eloisa James romances. They seem so sophisticated—I think it’s how her characters banter— & they’re sexy & bold. She’s keeping the streak alive for me with How to be a Wallflower, a romance featuring a lead whom every other character knows is *not* a wallflower.

Cleopatra is a standout of the book. Every time she does something without permission, like staying in a hotel while unwed, smoking a cheroot, deciding to buy a business, I cheered internally.

As Jacob comes to appreciate the same qualities that once bedeviled him & stops being as misogynistic 🙄😆 he grew on me too. Do you remember how I described him earlier? He’s a real fox.

But one development in the romance arc happens abruptly for me & overall the arc isn’t quite as smooth & straightforward as I would like, particularly when it comes to potential other entanglements like the woman in America Jacob has “an understanding” with.

All things considered How to be a Wallflower is invigorating, refreshing, sensual fun & the epilogue has me 👀 for what I assume is book 2.

4 ⭐️. Release date: 03/29.

[ID: a series of yellow daffodil blooms are lined up to the left of the ebook, all of which sit on a brown table.]

In How to Be a Wallflower, we get to experience London society from the viewpoints of two outsiders who aren’t even trying to become insiders. Despite being a Viscount’s granddaughter, Cleo is the product of “less than desirable” parentage and makes money selling commodes. (Yes, toilets. And you can just imagine the hilarious contrast between the uptight British peers and a commode salesman.) Jake is an American. They joyfully prance around the edges of society caring little about what people think.

It is hard to fit this romance in a trope category. While they begin as enemies when Cleo buys a business out from beneath Jake’s nose, they quickly form a friendship. Furthermore, Jake decides fairly early on that Cleo is the girl for him, so there is a touch a pining hero. Overall, it is a delightful story.

A lovely slow-burn enemies to lovers historical romance!

I’m a fan of Eloisa James, so I was ecstatic to read this. Just like her previous works, her writing is delightful and poignant and evokes fuzzy feelings from me.

I find the story enjoyable with appealing characters. Both Cleo and Jake are wonderful individuals and good people. Their background and family history may be different, but both of them are molded to what happened in their past and find it hard to shake off, especially Cloe. I understand her hesitance to leap, especially with regards to a relationship. Jake is adorably so out of his element when it comes to courting, which makes it a fun read. Cloe and Jake have fun banter and lovely moments together. I adore the other characters in the story too!
Looking forward to other books in the series!

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager as well as NetGalley, for the e-ARC.

I can tell that this book is going to be one of my favorite this year. I read a lot of historical romance, especially Regency, and they can blur together over time. This one will not be blurring. There just aren't many histroms with a heroine who wants to be a wallflower and owns a commode company. I really loved Cleo because she truly was independent and clever, not just whining about wanting to be independent or how no one realizes how smart she is. Not everyone values her appropriately, but she is still getting things done.
It is no surprise that Jake can't stay away from her. He realizes immediately that she is one in a million, even if he isn't quite sure what to do about that for a bit. He is a terrific character in his own right. He knows he is not everyone's cup of tea, but he stays true to himself and doesn't feel the need to force everyone to do his bidding. I appreciated his respect for Cleo and Martha, the seamstress.
The secondary characters add a lot of fun to the story, too. The women who I suspect will be the other wallflowers in the series are introduced, and I am so curious about their stories. What we know about them already makes them unique. I will reread this book with pleasure each time the next book is released.

Who knew that kippers, commodes, coffee, and fashion could blend so well with romance? Eloisa James! "How To Be A Wallflower" is a fun mix of humor and romance that will keep you engaged from start to finish. Cleopatra and Jacob are two of the most interesting characters I've ever seen in a romance novel. They initially start as adversaries over a costumier and her business, but soon become friends and eventually lovers. Jacob, through a great deal of love and patience, overcomes Cleopatra's fear of disloyalty and unfaithfulness due to her mother's behavior (she had a lot of paramours). Along the way are other characters that add an extra dose of humor to the story, particularly the gentleman who took great pleasure in picking out the most outlandish colors for Jacob's clothing, and the French woman who had such an interesting vocabulary. It's been a while since I've read an Eloisa James novel, but after this book, I'll definitely add her to my list of favorites again. It was a pleasure to read, and I'm hoping the French woman gets her own book. I'd love to read her story!

How to Be a Wallflower
A Would-Be Wallflowers Novel
by Eloisa James

I received a digital arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eloisa James does not disappoint. This book was simply delightful. We start out as enemies to lovers but the adversarial tension is not overdone. The takes on the supporting characters were so refreshing. There’s usually some older adult trying to keep young people toeing the line during the process of courting in a historical romance. Not these two, they are the masters of their own destiny and know exactly what they want; or at least they think they do but will soon learn.

I loved that the servants were mildly supportive of the impropriety. I loved that the side characters were just like yep here to be supportive but not pushy about it.

I loved the fashion involved for both leads. I loved that the cover is exactly how she is described in a certain dress.

Our hero truly respects our heroine for her brain not even just her kindness or something less substantial but genuinely asks her for advice in business often and appreciates her answers. The heroine is confident and self possessed but not annoyingly so. The hero does not take himself too seriously and the instigating events that lead to leveling up their relationship are unique perfection.

I hope this is the beginning of a series because I need to know what else happens with many of the side characters. Loved this one! Already looking forward to a re-read!

High steam, open door also wait until you see this guys carriage. Wow.
Trigger warnings - parent death, parent cheating.
5/5

The premise was a bit silly and required more suspension of belief than I usually care to utilize. Cleo is the owner of a toilet company and Jake is a rough and tumble American looking to buy a theater costumer when the two clash. They make a bet and it involves them picking out clothes to be made for each other? That being said, the chemistry between Jake and Cleo is lovely. I adore when the man falls first and hard. The romance faced real challenges in terms of family expectations, societal conventions, and some real trauma. This is the first in a series and the set-up for the next book made me look forward to reading it.

I have to say that I got a little board with the first third of the book then it just grabbed my attention and took off. This one may start off a little dry from her normal writing but if you are patient trust me you will fly through the story as if you are right next to these enchanting characters.

Miss Cleopatra Lewis, Cleo to friends, is a smart, no nonsense, take charge woman who can handle anything thrown her way. A water for a company she but our from under an American invested is nothing.

Mr Jacob Astor Addison, Jake as he prefers, runs his father's American theaters. He wants the best and has traveled far to get it. When he starts negotiating for Quimby's Emporium the best and most desired in England, he is unaware of what the splinter has done. Thinking he owner knows of the move to America, but to find the shocking truth of the falsehoods told. Then to have it snatched up but a female!

A wager ensues as to who should rightfully own Quimby's. Which would be better for them to continue costume and in America or both costumes and find garments in London.

This leads to all sorts of shenanigans and romance. Will they stay in London or go to America? Who has the better garments? What happens to the two of them? Will the past interfere?

Find out in this exciting drama that engulfs you in a world of theater. Laugh, cry, and dream right beside these two as if you are a friend watching.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book! Thank you @netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers!

Y’all… I am a sucker for anything Eloisa James. She is one of my favorite historical romance authors. She always has the right mixture of wit, humor, romance, and historical detail in her books. She does not disappoint with this one either!

I loved everything about this book! The MCs (Cleo and Jake) are so fun and cute… and so is their little wager. I love how both Cleo and Jake have businesses and are business savvy, and how that plays into them falling in love.
Gotta love Eloisa James for making yet another strong baddy female character! 💪🏼

Oh and their banter is so clever and fun! And let’s not forget the spice🌶…. That was on point too! 😂 The other characters in the book are fun too.. and I can’t wait to read Yasmin’s story.. bc that’s next right? Please.. 😂
The kippers… oh the kippers… with coffee 🤢😂 But hey.. if a man like Jake was bringing me some.. I wouldn’t complain 🤣
I can’t wait for the next one!!!