Review : Once Upon A Wallflower

Once Upon A Wallflower by Wendy Watson

Genre: Historical Romance, Mystery

Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC

Date of Publication: 8-12-13

Number of pages: 178

Purchase Link:

Amazon

Book Description: 

A Perennial Wallflower…

  

When Mira Fitzhenry’s guardian arranges her engagement to one of the most scandalous lords to ever grace the peerage, all of society is abuzz. After all, the man has left a trio of dead young women in his wake, including his first fiancée. But Mira doesn’t see a killer in Nicholas’s moonlight eyes, and she resolves to find the real murderer before the wedding.

  

A Gothic Villain…

  

Expecting to scare the chit away within five minutes of meeting him, scarred and brooding Nicholas, the Viscount Ashfield, is intrigued by Mira’s tenacious resolve to prove his innocence. She’s not put off by his imposing appearance, but his family’s dark secrets mean he cannot let her get close.

  

As the wedding approaches, Nicholas and Mira grow ever closer, yet so does the danger.Will the truth bring Nicholas and Mira together or tear their love apart?

Mirabelle Fitzhenry the Younger, known to friends and family as Bella, burst into Mira’s bedroom without so much as a by-your-leave.

“There you are!” she exclaimed as she moved to the end of Mira’s bed, and, with a little hop, perched herself there.

Mira continued to fuss with her hair, deciding that she should strive to look her best whether anyone cared or not. “Yes, here I am. Where else would I be?”

Bella kicked her slipper-shod feet back and forth. She did not even attempt to keep the smirk from her face or her voice when she responded. “I don’t know. Given that you are about to meet a murderer, I thought you might have fled. After all, you are promised to him for the rest…of…your…life,” she concluded with melodramatic flair.

Mira shot a disgruntled look at her cousin in the mirror. “I am not at all certain this marriage will ever take place. Neither Blackwell nor Ashfield are fools. Once they realize they have been duped, handed the proverbial cuckoo’s egg, Ashfield will cry off. It is as simple as that.”

Bella shook her head, sending her own perfect blond ringlets bouncing. “I would not count on Ashfield jilting you just because you’re a trifle long in the tooth and, well, plain. Maman says Ashfield cannot cry off because it is not the gentlemanly thing to do.”

Giving up on her hair, Mira turned to face Bella. “There is a quite grievous flaw in Aunt Kitty’s logic, Bella. Blackwell is desperate to find a bride for his son because he is an alleged killer.” She swallowed and forced herself to go on, the voice of reason in this madness. “If he is guilty of those crimes, then he is surely no gentleman. Ergo, we cannot rely upon him to act as a gentleman in regards to the engagement, and there is a very real possibility that he will cry off. So I, for one, shall not be the least surprised when he publicly rejects me and denounces our entire family. Not surprised in the least.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Mira, Mira, Mira. It’s more than manners! Ashfield can hardly expect a better match, being a murderer and all. Maman says that even if Ashfield wishes to cry off, Blackwell will not allow it. I believe you are well and truly stuck with Ashfield. And I am so very glad that you will marry him rather than me.” With a shiver of delicious dread, Bella continued, “I would not wish to marry a murderer.”

Excerpt #2

“Mira, open your eyes and look at me.”

He was surprised that she did as he asked.

“Mira, your cousin is dreadful.”

She frowned in confusion.

“I was trying to think of a diplomatic way to say it,” Nicholas continued, “but there really is no way around it. The girl is dreadful. I suppose one might say she is pretty, if one had a penchant for girls with all the complexity and color of a cup of warm milk. But she does not appear to have one whit of sense. She never ceases to squeal and squawk about every meaningless bit of drivel. It is quite maddening.”

Nicholas paused for breath. “I am sorry to be so blunt, but Bella Fitzhenry is possibly the most horrid creature I have ever met.”

Mira’s eyes were wide with alarm. She looked at him as though he had gone mad.

“Mira,” Nicholas said, softening his voice, “your aunt and uncle may think they have cheated my family in some way. In fact, it may be that my father does feel cheated. But I assure you that I do not. I think your aunt and uncle did me a great service by bringing you to that ball in place of your cousin. For that alone, I am forever in their debt.”

Mira shook her head slowly. “No,” she stated emphatically, “no, I would not have lies between us.”

Nicholas released an impatient sigh. “Mira, you are a clever girl. Cease being so mulish about this. You must realize that I am being perfectly honest.”

“But how can that be?”

Mira sounded genuinely distressed. Nicholas could not grasp why she seemed so desperate to believe that he was disappointed, so reluctant to accept that he preferred her to her cousin.

“It simply is,” he finally answered.

“But she is so beautiful.”

Nicholas narrowed his eyes, trying to pin down the frustrating woman before him. “Do you really think me so shallow, that I should only be interested in a woman’s appearance?”

“No,” Mira responded, puzzlement slowing her words, “no, of course not, but…”

“Mira-mine,” he questioned softly, “what do you see when you look in the mirror?”

She frowned, suspicious. “I see myself.”

“Yes, in a way. But seeing is not an objective exercise. Think of my paintings. They reveal how I see the world, colored with my own emotion. When you look in the mirror, you see the actual image of yourself there, but you also see what you expect to see. You see every unkind word your aunt and uncle and cousin have said about you. You see every feature that does not meet Society’s standards of what is beautiful.”

“Oh.” Mira’s voice was quiet, still uncertain.

“Would you do me a favor?” He waited for her to nod in agreement. “Tonight, look in the mirror and try to see what I see when I look at you. Try to see a woman with hair the decadent color of Chinese poppies. Try to see a woman with skin as rich as Devon cream, and eyes the startling blue of lapis lazuli. And, more importantly, try to see the fire and the intelligence and the good, true heart that make you the person you are. Because,” he added, his voice rough with the vehemence of his words, “I think that if you look in the mirror and see what I see, you will understand why I am glad to be marrying you rather than Bella.”

With that, he pulled her close, kissed her hard on her still-trembling lips, and then stalked out of the room.

As he made his way back to his tower room, his leg throbbing from overuse, he licked the salt of Mira’s silent tears from his lips. There was no doubt that her arrival in his life had heralded the end of his solitary existence. For better or worse, his life would never be the same. The only question that remained was whether the upheaval of his life was for the better. Or for the worse.

Excerpt #3

“You talk too much,” he said, his husky growl sending shivers down her spine.  “I think we could put that luscious mouth of yours to better use.”

And with that, he drew her into a crushing embrace, his mouth coming down to consume hers. This kiss was unlike any they had shared before, more intense, more passionate, and with a subtle edge of desperation to it.

She melted beneath his onslaught, her body leaning into his of its own accord. As his hands twisted in her still-damp curls, she raised her own to his head, her fingers searching through the soft waves of hair and pulling them free of their queue.

When one of his hands drifted down the side of her face, the curve of her neck, to rest on the swell of her breast, Mira uttered a moaning little cry and surged forward, seeking more of his heat. More of his touch. More, more, more.

And when his hand on her breast moved, brushing over the sharp bud of her nipple, with only the fine wet fabric of her dress between his skin and hers, Mira thought she might die. A whirling dizziness overcame her, and she had to fight for breath.

Emboldened by the fire tearing through her, she let her own hands fall to Nicholas’s chest, and she explored the hard contours of the muscles beneath his shirt. She had never felt anything like his body, so hard yet gently yielding beneath her fingers. So warm and so alive. With a sudden flash of daring, Mira echoed Nicholas’s own caress, brushing her hand across the bulge of his chest, feeling the tight male nipple there.

He sucked air through his teeth and drew back with a sharp laugh. “Oh, Mira-mine,” he groaned, “such a clever, clever girl.”

He rested his forehead against hers, breathing deeply as his racing heart began to slow beneath her hand.

Mira struggled for composure. She had come here to discuss the murders, not to kiss Nicholas…no matter how delightful the kissing was. But he seemed determined to distract her from her mission. Did he not grasp the gravity of this situation?

Of course he did.

My Thoughts

Mari ended up a pawn in her uncle's gambling debt and is set to be married to Nicholas who has be accused with more then one murder with no proof. At first Mira didn't like the idea and was going to break it off but didn't. Rather then not giving it a chance she decides to find out the truth to the murders and see if the man she's going to marry really the killer.

I just couldn't put it down. I loved how this book always kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew who the murderer was there was a twist. I loved how there was two point of views. I loved how smart and clever Mira was. I loved the connection between Mira and Nicholas. Overall I enjoyed this book and think you lovely readers should check it out.


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Wendy Lyn Watson writes mysteries of all types: contemporary, historical, and cozy. Whatever the time or the tone, her mysteries always feature a dose of humor and a dollop of romance. Her first cozy series, the Mysteries a la Mode, feature the owner of an ice cream parlor in a small Texas town. 

Once Upon a Wallflower, due to be released in August of 2013, is a Regency-set romantic mystery. While Wendy does not commit (or solve) mysteries in real life, she can kill a pint of ice cream in nothing flat. She also enjoys 80s music, Asian horror films, quilting, and vegetarian cooking. 

While she was born in Ohio and has called half a dozen states home, she currently lives in a college town in North Texas along with her husband and their three cats (Iphy, Squeak-a-Doodle, and Todd Baryshnikov). 

She loves to hear from readers, so find her on Facebook at @wendylynwatsonauthor.

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