Review: Eva Leigh's HOW THE WALLFLOWER WAS WON.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

This or That: Historical Romance
 18th century or 19th century
 Marriage of convenience or class difference
 I hate everyone but you MMC or dutiful, uptight MMC

Wow, let’s give a round of applause for Finn Ransome, his sweetest soft secret heart & his basically 12 pack 😆. He was  the standout of Eva Leigh’s How the Wallflower Was Won for me. Unfortunately some other parts of the book—including the heroine and conflict—don’t work for me as much.

That could probably be my review in its entirety but I’m going to add more 😆 .

This is a marriage of convenience tale with a cerebral wallflower heroine & a bold & studly gambler hero who is secretly very self-conscious about his intelligence, particularly when it comes to reading.

From the beginning of their marriage these two burn up the sheets but the emotional intimacy is a long time coming, especially for our very smart heroine Miss Tabitha Seaton.

Tabitha has big ambitions & she wants to use her brain & her drive to help others. All of that is admirable, & I loved seeing gambler Finn appreciate those aspects of her over & over again.

But the conflict made me have bad feelings 😆, especially how Tabitha handles it all.

Setting that frustrating moment of the plot, on paper this book has so much going for it. But while there are some moments that had me feeling the swoons (like the steam—Tabitha seems to have a lot of climaxes —), overall this one left me a little cold.

3⭐️. Out 09/27.

CWs: Finn’s father makes insulting comments about his intelligence. Finn is self conscious and anxious about intelligence, especially when it comes to reading & books. Misogyny against women & Tabitha specifically when she tries to join a special club for learned people. This list isn’t exhaustive.

[ID: a white hand holds the book in front of an open antique desk with lots of cubbies & a white bookcase filled with books. A yellow wall is in the background.]