Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3)

Devil in Winter Summary: 
A Devil's Bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts—which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions... or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

Devil in Winter Review: 

   I initially read this book, and absolutely loved it. But re-reading It Happened One Autumn, framed St. Vincent differently. I love when authors create characters that push the boundaries of morality and try and make the audience sympathize with them because it pushes us to understand the reason behind their actions. However, St. Vincent's reasoning was hard to grasp and his actions were wrong. Ms. Kleypas did try and give some back story into him, but it was just a short sentence. It didn't really reveal his personality as much as it needed to. Usually, the Wallflower and Hathaway books don't focus too much on the past, a lot is spent on developing their future relationships. This works for everyone else; however, St. Vincent needed to be redeemed. A hint of the past is not enough to prove that St. Vincent is intrinsically a good person and deserves forgiveness.
 

   St. Vincent, without context, was your typical rake. He was arrogant, good-looking, great at making money and just living up to that stereotype. Not that it's a bad thing, especially in romance! It's just that Evie's past was explored so much more, and St. Vincent's was glossed over when he needed the most exposure. As a standalone, he was a classic book boyfriend, as a continuation of a series he was lacklustre. There was a moment where St. Vincent apologized for his actions, but he only did "on screen" to Westcliff, not Lillian. The person that he kidnapped and assaulted! In that regard, the book felt unfinished. And his actions tainted every part of the book. He came off as over-aggressive, especially with his language towards Evie in the beginning, too masculine, too arrogant, etc. The bullet wound was a nice touch, but it just wasn't enough. I'm going to keep repeating this, had it been any other series, this book would have been spectacular! It was why I loved it before I re-read It Happened One Autumn through a new perspective. Reading Devil in Winter before It Happened One Autumn definitely reads better.
 
   On the other hand, Evie was a sweetheart throughout the novel. Her going from a blushing, shy girl to a confident woman was amazing to see. It was a slow progression, and the book ends with room for more growth. I would have loved to read even more about her life and her journey. And her backbone! From the very beginning, she was so strong; it's so interesting to see a heroine that isn't upfront about her strength. She knows when to push for something and when to back down, especially after Lillian and so many of the Urban Fantasy novels, it was refreshing. In terms of side characters, Cam was interesting. Daisy and Annabelle were great to see as well!
 
Overall this was a 2-start read, but it used to be a five.  

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers #2)

It Happened One Autumn Summary: 
It happened at the ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden...

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed... thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable... as his bride?

It Happened One Autumn Review: 

I wanted to start by writing a trigger warning for this book due to instances of rape and assault. I also wanted to say that there will be spoilers in this review.

    This book is hard to finish. From their first intimate encounter, a precedent is set for the rest of their meetings. It also states, quite adamantly, that when a woman says no, it actually means yes because she secretly wants it. Throughout the novel, there is a push and pull relationship between, which does have its funny moments. The rounders game where Lillian tackles Westcliff was funny and reframed their previously, antagonistic relationship. However, for many of the events, Lillian comes off childish and Westcliff appears domineering. Luckily, whenever the secondary characters showed up, the story became a lot more interesting. Lillian and Daisy's antics were especially fun to read about. This will be further explained below, but the progression of their love story is tainted by their intimate encounters. Below, I discuss three instances where the men's behaviour was either rape or assault. Most readers believe that these three events were passionate and sexy, in a good way. But I will try and explain my stance on why these actions were wrong.

    The first time that they kiss, which is very early on in the book, Westcliff ends up kissing Lillian three times. She repeatedly tries to push Westcliff off and says no. But based on the perfume she wears, he was to over come to listen to her. And she responded during the first so she must have wanted it to continue. For me, this appears similar to people under the influence who exhibit poor behaviour; however, a perfume's scent can hardly be equal to an intoxication. There are more factors than just someone's attraction, such as their comfort level which are important to consider in any interaction. Especially, somewhere as restrictive as the Victorian society.

    Then there is the first sex scene. Westcliff has walked just in on Lillian drinking brandy until she is drunk. Westcliff himself states, "[s]he was foxed, staggering, tap-hackled, top-heavy, shot-in-the-neck, staggering drunk". Its hilarious, and Lillian adds to this with her actions. Westcliff further comments that starting anything sexual with her, no matter how flirty she may act, would be wrong and taking advantage of her disposition. Nonetheless, Westcliff reaches a certain where he can no longer control himself. He can no longer handle Lillian's drunk advances anymore and decides to have sex with her. Now, many readers say that Lillian was asking for it or that she wanted it. However, she was not in control of her facilities during this time...BEING DRUNK. To contrast her drunkness, Westcliff is stone-cold sober during the entire interaction. Additionally, he has a larger sexual knowledge than Lillian does because women are kept innocent until marriage. Both St. Vincent and Westcliff describe Lillian as such. So Westcliff can think both clearly and has a greater understanding of what is coming next. He should be acting as her guide; instead, he becomes her rapist. This is rape. She can't give her consent because she is intoxicated which means that this is non-consensual sex or rape. It doesn't matter how much she wants it, as stated before there are multiple factors other than their physical attraction to warrant an intimate event. This was a disgusting scene and it made the next scene, where he cleans her up after forcibly stripping of her blanket, even worse.

    The final incident includes St. Vincent and Lillian, not Westcliff. St. Vincent has captured Lillian in a stupid kidnapping scheme to force her to marry him because he is severely in debt. Nothing in this book explains this random behavioural change in St. Vincent and the only reason it is likely here it to create a redemption arc for him in the next novel and create a climactic end. The kidnapping leads to Lillian tied up on a bed, where St. Vincent opens her dress and gropes her breast. And the book highlights that she turns away her head in discomfort and shame. This event by itself would not be problematic because it is quite clear that it is sexual assault. However, St. Vincent is the hero of the next book Devil in Winter, and the novel (as well as the next one) states that the main problem was actually stealing Westcliff's girl. It never labels St. Vincent as an assaulter. Especially telling is the conversation in the next book where Evie boldly states that St. Vincent could have never raped Lillian; however, his incredibly aggressive behaviour in this novel shows otherwise. More on that in the next review.

    While this novel was great the first few times I read it because I, like many other readers, either ignored the scenes or assumed that it was what normal love looked like. Now, I know better and this novel makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it. I'm not passing judgement on those that continue to enjoy the novel, this is a work of fiction. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the underlying issues.

    This brings me to my next point, which is becoming more apparent through Ms. Kleypas' novels. The heroes seem unduly aggressive. For example, Simon from the previous novel grabs and kisses Annabelle without her permission. Additionally, whenever there is a sex scene, the heroines are described using words such as helpless or use actions such as crying or quiver. Not only is that kinda weird in general, but its also uncomfortable when paired with the "manly" way the heroes are described. It is important to note that Simon and Mathew (Scandal in Spring) are quite nice as heroes and there many attempts to place them on equal footing to the heroines.

Overall, the novel is a 1-star read.

Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers #1)

Secrets of a Summer Night Summary: 
Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton, determined to save her family from disaster, decides to use her beauty and wit to tempt a suitable nobleman into making an offer of marriage. But Annabelle's most intriguing--and persistent--admirer, wealthy, powerful Simon Hunt, has made it clear that while he will introduce her to irresistible pleasure he will not offer marriage. Annabelle is determined to resist his unthinkable proposition . . . but it is impossible in the face of such skillful seduction.

Her friends, looking to help, conspire to entice a more suitable gentleman to offer for Annabelle, for only then will she be safe from Simon--and her own longings. But on one summer night, Annabelle succumbs to Simon's passionate embrace and tempting kisses . . . and she discovers that love is the most dangerous game of all.

Secrets of a Summer Night Review:      

    This is one of my all-time favourite books; I re-read this book almost once a month! The characters are witty and complex, the story is whimsical and the book just leaves you with a joyful feeling in the end. Secrets of a Summer Night is a typical historical romance, which means that all loose ends are tied and it leaves you eagerly awaiting the next book. However, its characters and story make it stand out amongst the cliches.

   Secrets of a Summer Night starts off by showing the financial struggles and strong will of Annabeth. It also establishes the alluring and magnetic personality of Simon, when he comes to their aid to pay for the play tickets. The connection between the two is instantaneous after they share a smouldering moment (to borrow a phrase from Ms. Kleypas). From there the romance slowly transformed from lust into love in a spectacular way. And it mirrored the transformation of Annabeth from a toughened, prejudiced noblewomen into a softened, knowledgeable middle-class woman. On the brink of poverty, she is trying to marry a wealthy aristocrat. Having to deal with poverty and the societal implications, especially in a blue-blood family, would toughen anyone up. Annabeth was no exception. And her belief in high society meant that those of the lower classes were generally avoided. Her transformation was a prime example of how to represent growth in a character; it was incredible! I know that a few readers had problems understanding how she could be so ruthless in her pursuit of a husband, but her actions embody those in a similar situation. Annabeth desperately wants to save her family and retain some dignity during the process. While she may not be morally right at all times, her actions are understandable.

   Simon's development throughout the story is a bit more subtle. Readers understand that he is very ambitious and is just searching for an unknown that would fill the emptiness in him. While this is an overused trope in Romance, it was well thought in Simon. He was not over-eager in his pursuit. Instead, he relied on honesty and sweetness to win her. He was incredibly self-aware; however, he could still make mistakes, which really opened up his character. And the fact that he would marry her even if she was not a virgin, stood out in this historical piece. Simon's drive made the pursuit of Annabeth so captivating. Instead of it being one-sided, both characters pushed, moved...aggravated each other, setting off fireworks whenever they were together. They broke down each other's walls and formed a genuine connection over time.

   Historical romance novels usually stop developing love after marriage, but that doesn't happen here, which is fantastic! There were marital problems that took communication and compromises to change. Was it a bit dramatic? Of course, but there were so many parts of their relationships and marriage that were realistic. There was still growth that needed to happen after this book had ended, but the foundation was there. One thing that really stands out is their chess games. They were some of my favourite scenes; there was so much emotion in those scenes that didn't need to be spelled out for the reader.

   Now the Wallflowers. They were a beautiful addition to this book. Each came with their own personality and added to the hilarity of Secrets of a Summer Night. Their rounders scene had me in stitches! And I can't wait for Lillian's and Marcus' book (which is next)!

   Overall, a heart-warming, enticing read. A definite 5 star read and highly recommended read for new and old fans of Historical romances!