Love Blossoms Unexpectedly for 3 Unassuming Wallflowers
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Blog Tour
Part of the Timeless Regency Collection, To Kiss a Wallflower is an anthology of three stand alone Regency Romance novellas written by three well-known and talented writers. The novellas range from 88 to 108 pages in length, and each features a heroine who is reserved, unassuming, and an introvert. I hope this break down is helpful!
THE WALLFLOWER’S DANCE – Jen Geigle Johnson
- Type of Story: Best Friends to Lovers
- The Premies: Lottie and her childhood friend Denny approach the season with the intent to marry. But what happens when they realize the person they want to marry most is their best friend…
- My Thoughts: Such a charming story! Lottie and Denny are wonderfully endearing. It was sweet to see these two try and navigate the season together – how they planned to support each other no matter what, and how Denny would vet and investigate any of Lottie’s suitors. I loved seeing both characters work through their feelings – how they reacted when other marriage prospects paid each other attention, and what happened when the depth of their feelings finally dawned on them. This was a tender and beautiful story about friendship growing into something more.
LETTERS TO A WALLFLOWER – Heather B. Moore
- Type of Story: Pretend Courtship
- The Premise: Miss Ellen Young is exhausted from the activity and attention of the season, and would love nothing more than to go home and work in her garden. And when she discovers that Lord Ravenshire – one of her many suitors – feels the same, they establish a courtship ruse to mutually benefit both of their desires…
- My Thoughts: This pretend courtship gave me some Bridgerton vibes. I loved how Ellen and Aaron each had their own passions – Ellen her roses, Aaron his Merino sheep, and I loved witnessing them share about their passions with each other. It was interesting to see how this relationship developed since both were not initially interested in marriage with each other and were primarily courting through correspondence. I did wish this story was just a little longer.
TO MARRY A WALLFLOWER – Anneka R. Walker
- Type of Story: Marriage of Convenience, Mistaken Identity
- The Premise: Luke is generous and caring and always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. Which is how he found himself offering to marry the daughter of his father’s dear friend to save her from a slanderous spurned suitor. Now he wants to learn about what sort of woman is he marrying…
- My Thoughts: Such a fun tangle! Both Charlotte and Luke try to learn about each other through secretive and misleading ways. I appreciated how these characters were developed, and the little bits about their personalities and pasts the reader learns alone the way. It was wonderfully entertaining to see them adopt false personas and how awkward it was for them to talk about themselves to each other. I loved the drama of them falling in love with each other when they aren’t supposed to and then the surprising moments when their true identities were revealed. This one was my favorite!
CONCLUSION:
As a shy and introverted person myself, I was attracted to this collection of stories because it was spotlighting the types of heroines with whom I can easily identify. I loved these tender and sweet tales of quiet heroines being noticed, valued, and appreciated by worthy men. The stories in To Kiss a Wallflower are delightful, cheering, and entertaining. I enjoyed them all.
Three couples who seem to be interesting people similar to those in “Hotel Portofino”.
Ooh! Thanks for sharing, I will have to check out Hotel Portofino!
What a delightful review, Meredith. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this collection. I think I might have to try it. On the TBR pile it goes. Heavy sigh. Those tropes are my favorite. Blessings.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read my review, Jeanne! I agree – they are some of my favorites too!
sounds like a wonderful anthology.
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Yes – I really like the theme for this one.
Lovely review, Meredith. Sign me up. These are some of my favorite tropes, too. With the exception of Heather B. Moore, I’m not familiar enough with the authors’ names to say I know their works, but I do know that of the entire series/brand: ‘Timeless Regency Collection,’ I’ve enjoyed the story collections I have purchased. A large group of authors and each collection is a reliable sweet read. They all have heart. It’s a very nice way to discover an author you might not otherwise have been exposed to.
Thank you, Michelle! Same here – Heather B. Moore wasn’t new to me in this anthology, but the other two authors were.
I agree – you can definitely count on those elements with these anthologies.
Those three stories look all much intriguing, thank you for this lovely review, I added this anthology to my list.
Hi Elodie! Thank you so much for checking out my review! I’m so glad you find this anthology intriguing!
What a wonderful collection of stories, interested to read them now.
This series is full of them! I hope you get the chance to read this collection soon!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Meredith. I am glad that you connected with the theme of the collection and enjoyed the stories. I loved discovering the wallflower’s happily ever afters and look forward to the next anthology in the Timeless Romance Collection, An Autumn Kiss in September.
My pleasure, Laurel Ann! Thank you so much for the wonderful opportunity to take part in this lovely blog tour! I’m so grateful to you for introducing me to this anthology series!