A short, round, redheaded, outspoken, bespectacled heroine meets a tall, handsome, urbane duke who is pining after another woman. Naturally they were meant for each other.

Fun, sexy, and well-written, with good characterizations. Recommended.

Another great title in the Wallflowers series -- this is perfect for your romance readers who love the Regency English era, lots of steamy love scenes, and a strong female character who finds herself in an enemies-to-lovers relationship. Great read with fun secondary characters to round things out.

Eloisa James does it again! I love Stella, she's brave, funny, and learns to be confident in herself. Our piratical Duke in question wastes the first part of the book pining after another lady but once he comes to his senses, he's all in on Stella. Throw in some fun side characters and a kitten and we're off to the races!

I DNFed this one at about 4%, because the male love interest made a mildly transphobic joke, that I truly did not vibe with. It seemed shocking that in 2023, we are still writing books with such strong male/female centered language, regardless of it being a historical.

What a lovely and interesting book. The first part takes place at the same time as the previous book, The Reluctant Countess, and gives us another view of events. I found Silvester enjoyable in the previous book but Stella is the one for him and watching him realize it was a delight. I love that Stella is a smart heroine who doesn't hide her brain and stands up to bullies. At one point, I was sure I heard the sound of ghosts of middle school bullies being vanquished. Even though there is crossover with The Reluctant Countess, this book can easily be read as a stand alone.

I LOVED this one! Just the right amount of steam for me, and I loved Silvester's affectionate nickname "Specs" for Stella. I really believed in their love.

Before I say anything I want to share that I HATE love triangles. They are the worst and I avoid them at all costs which is why I did not like the previous book in the series. This book is a love triangle and honestly it continues on to almost the end of this book which was the only thing I did not like about this story.

In this book we meet Silvester and Stella. He is a Duke who needs to marry and he has fallen in love with Yasmine. But his mother thinks she will be a horrible wife for him and instead she wants him to marry Stella and they become friends as he courts Yasmine and she falls in love with him. Throughout this entire book he claims to love a woman that married someone else or loved someone else. He lusts for Stella but he claims lust and not love because Yasmine is his great love. If that was not bad enough everyone knows it, including his mother.

The book is told in 2 parts. The first part is about his relationship with Stella while he courts Yasmine. Then he appears to ride off with Yasmine. If you read the previous book you know this. Then part 2 is what happens after that. He treats Stella horribly in my opinion. Riding off with another woman and then he comes back like he never betrayed Stella. I wanted Stella to hate him and thats what I did not like about her. He treats her terribly and while she gets mad she still comes back for more and that drove me crazy.

I did not love part one but it does move fast. If you like love triangles then you will love that because the author did a good job with it. I LOVED the second part. I did not agree with some of Stella or Silvesters behavior in the second part but I did adore it and felt at times it was so romantic,

The only thing I hated was how Silvester keeps talking about his love for Yasmine while with his wife. Ick! But if you love a good love triangle you will prob love this book.

Oh man this was so good and you really need to have read the previous book in the series The Reluctant Countess since the 1st half of the book involves Giles Earl of Lilford and Lady Yasmin who Silvester, Duke of Huntington is courting as well until spoiler she ends up with Giles which is what happens in the previous book. Silvester figures out he isn’t actually in love with Yasmin and asks Lady Stella to marry him since he finds her attractive and thinks that can work with that to have a happy marriage. Stella thinks she is second choice but wants to marry Silvester and make it work. Oh man the angst and drama since Stella thinks Silvester is in love with Yasmin and Silvester doesn’t know how to make Stella understand that he wants her and loves her and doesn’t care about Yasmin. But it was really great and I can’t wait to read another of Eloisa James novels.

Thanks to Avon and Harpers Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

The story was great! Loved the characters and the orginality. Just a few notes. The character sounds plus size in the book butthe model is not. No boobs on the model on the cover. The abstract was completely incorrect. I would have someone re-write it. The main H was handsome but his nose was not? Huh? Otherwise, great characters, fanatastic progression and pace. Eloisa James is a very talented writer.

I LOVE the cover of this book but unfortunately this book didn't work for me. For the entirety of the story, Stella feels less then the beautiful Yasmin. This plot point really bothered me because it went on for so long. Also, Sylvester is wishy washy with his feelings and doesn't speak what he is feeling.

I really enjoyed this book in Eloisa James's new Wallflower series. It's billed on Amazon as an enemies to lovers, but I never feel like SIlvester and Stella are ever enemies. I'm a sucker for any book that has a heroine that has glasses and curves.

I like Eloisa James's books and this is another solid effort from this well-known author. This book is not anything particularly exciting, but definitely worth reading for James and Regency romance readers.

A disappointing title from an otherwise solid author. The beginning was difficult to get into (I didn’t frankly) and the romance had no chemistry. I didn’t care for the leads either… at all. I’ll always show up for James’ books, and not every title from such a prolific author can be a winner and that’s ok.

A really great read to quench all the Duke desires. This was a great read that delivers everything you could want from a wallflower romance.

Silvester, the Duke of Huntington has eyes for Yasmin--just like the other male aristocrats of the ton--she's this seasons favorite and Silvester intends to make her his. Silvester also really enjoys his dances with Stella, the least popular (and most clumsy) miss of the last few seasons. His eccentric and oh so delightful mother, the Dowager Duchess of Huntington, intends to see him wed to Stella.

Stella is just trying her best to put up with her aunt's attempts to make her more appealing to the ton, while day dreaming about her future as a spinster living next to a bookshop. She's clumsy, she's sweet, and she has the fiery temper of a red head. She also has a big crush on Silvester and looks forward to their nightly dances.

Silvester and Stella are a darling couple and I loved this book so much!
Silvester manages to be a great Duke without being dark and brooding, he is clever and kind and truly cares for his family, especially his mother. Stella is clumsy and bookish and I really relate to her. The side characters are really well developed and enjoyable. There is a great part of this book that deals with female friendships and support (always a winner when written this well). There is also a really cute kitten!

This is everything I want in a historical romance. Thank you Eloisa James for still delivering the genre these gems!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for my advanced reader's copy.