Sophia Rose Reviews: The Wallflower by Frances Reynolds

Today Sophia Rose returns with a review of The Wallflower by Frances Reynolds, a novel in one of her favorite genres, an Austen retelling.
Enjoy!

The Wallflower by Frances Reynolds

Historical Romance

Publisher: Quills & Quartos

Published: 8.3.23

Pages:  148

Rating: 4 stars

Format: trade paperback

Source: Quills & Quartos

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

Amazon Blurb:

"Mr Darcy is the most honest man in London, I am perfectly convinced. So much so that even civility has no claim upon him."

FITZWILLIAM DARCY regrets his intemperate words about Miss Elizabeth's desirability as a dance partner, and wishes everyone—particularly the beguiling young lady herself—would allow them to be forgot. Alas with Charles Bingley set on winning Jane Bennet's heart and hand, he will have to do more than just wish. He will have to admit that a young lady left sitting without a dancer partner may still be very tempting indeed.
The Wallflower is a variation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice perfect for readers who enjoy seeing Darcy and Elizabeth get a second chance at love.

 

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

What if Darcy’s impatient, distracted remark about Elizabeth not being tolerable enough to dance with occurred at a London society ball and the rest of the Ton followed Darcy’s lead making the young lady a wallflower?  Will her courage rise to the challenge?  This London society season is about to become very entertaining, I think.

 

With a shorter page length, the plot moves swiftly in pacing, but balances with steady development in the romance.  It helps if readers are already familiar with typical Regency romance settings and situations so the reader gets into the world of the story and types of situations easily. 

 

Darcy is the hero coming from wealth and good family connections who has let his dislike of being chased by fortune hunters make him standoffish and only concerned with protecting himself so that he spouts a remark without thinking.  Wow, does he get a hard lesson in how callous, thoughtless words can do damage.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth who already knew she had slim hopes of a good marriage watches the snobby society people follow Darcy’s example in snubbing her before she pretends it doesn’t hurt and takes up friendships with the other wallflowers.  Her situation was not good, but her charm and character capture Darcy as a result if he can undo the harm and convince her he’s a good man who’s learned a lesson.

 

I feel like this was a lesson to us all about guarding our words and considering before speaking.  It wasn’t all hard lesson and pain because Darcy’s viscount cousin is a charmer and Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle and her friends rally around her in a way that had me applauding them all.  I liked seeing Darcy have to grovel a bit before getting his second chance.

 

Frances Reynolds crafted a quickly read novella-length vagary that had all the sparkle and shine one could want in a slightly over the top, heartwarming and sweet historical romance. 

 

Author Bio:

Frances Reynolds fell madly in love with "Doctor Who" at the tender age of seven. This, in turn, led her to embrace other quintessentially British delights such as tea, scones, Dickens, and Austen. When she is not wrangling wild data for a large financial firm, she is generally to be found reading, writing, or watching her favorite series (see above) while knitting.

Frances lives slightly south of Canada with her spouse and a small herd of cats, in a house which is continually upset that it has been obliged to remain standing since 1916.

 

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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