What a Wallflower Wants by Maya Rodale (Bad Boys & Wallflowers #3)
Released: September 30, 2014
Historical Romance
Avon
Reviewed by May
Not for the first time did she curse The Beast.
If it hadn’t been for him, she could have climbed into that carriage and let herself fall in love. If it hadn’t been for him, she’d probably have been happily married to a wonderful man with a baby in the nursery and another on the way. She wouldn’t have been here – jilted and on the road with nowhere to go, refusing the offer of a handsome man.
Prudence Merryweather Payton learned years ago, and the hard way, that just because someone is a gentleman by title, in no way means that he isn’t a beast eager to ruin young innocents at a ball. Ever since that terrible night when she found herself ruined, alone, and with no one she could turn to she has been self-reliant and determined to not find herself in such a situation again.
So when she ends up alone, in the middle of nowhere after being robbed and her sham of a fiancé having thrown her out of the carriage what is a lady to do? Now she is truly alone in the middle of an epic storm that won’t end, and at an inn where she is forced to accept some company and kindness from a handsome stranger.
John Roark, aka Viscount Castleton was on an epic winning streak. While he sensed trouble when he saw Prudence for the first time, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. Things are not all they seem with the Viscount, and he has plenty of his own secrets.
The chemistry between these two was strong, and I really enjoyed the contrast in their personalities as well as being able to see them in a fairly isolated manner without tons of other characters tromping through the romance.
“Prince Charming never comes. God doesn’t answer. A girl is on her own.”
“That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” John said softly. “You are too young to be so jaded.”
“Would you like to borrow my handkerchief?” she asked. “Shall I excuse you whilst you have a bit of a cry?”
It was Castleton’s turn to blink in surprise. There wasn’t any malice in her voice, just the sort of impatience reserved for those in the throes of excessive emotion over trivial things. This girl was strong.
John recognizes why Prudence is scared to be alone with him, and why she trusts no one almost immediately due to his own past and experiences. I found this entirely too convenient, and I was also bothered by how quickly Penelope simply accepts him, his touch, and all things physical.
I am not sure that I can properly explain this, but basically it made me feel like he fixed her. I didn’t like that at all – it bothered me greatly to think that had he not swept in and rescued the helpless female she would still be petrified to be touched by or alone with any man.
“You have survived the worst thing that could happen to you,” he said softly. “And you have carried on. Prudence, you are far stronger than you know.”
What I did really like is that the author took the risk to create what she describes as a darker story. It stands to reason that this did happen to young girls- and how horrifying to think about the fact that if caught a girl would be forced to marry her rapist and be trapped with him for life. That Prudence realizes this fate and is grateful to have avoided it really is shown well in this book.
What was unnecessary and often annoying were the flashbacks including rehashing the night Perudence was raped. The prologue was artfully handled with Prudence in shock, alone, and trying to grasp what had just been done to her. We didn’t need to see how she used to be, hear more about the rape, or any of the useless flashbacks that kept popping up. It slowed the plot down and pulled me out of the story.
So where does that leave me? I liked this book. The chemistry between the couple, the unusual story and situation of both main characters, and the bond between Prudence and her two best friends were all well done. But it isn’t a perfect read – not even close. With such a set-up there could have been a much deeper, more emotional story made. The ending was my final issue – suddenly things move at a breakneck pace and it felt disconnected from the bulk of the story. Had some aspects been handled differently I might have really loved this book.
If you want a book that edges into a more serious (and all too real I’m afraid) situation of rape that a young lady at a ball might face, and if you’d like a very romance story centered tale of two people finding a most unlikely love, then this might be your book.
Grade: C+
Goodreads l Author Website l Series
Leave a Reply