I rarely enjoy a Harlequin Special edition book any more as much as I liked this one. Bravo to Ms. Major because I felt that Erin could have be any one of us in real life! What I also loved about this story is that the romance was BUILT! David took the time to get to know her and romance her. That doesn't seem to happen anymore in romance stories, so 10 stars! Pick it up you won't regret it!

A story about learning to trust, finding your courage to open up to love, and discovering there are second chances even for the troubled, dysfunctional families, and flawed people.
Erin MacDonald is like many of us, she loves to cuddle with a good book in her favorite PJs after a hectic day. She is a stellar kindergarten teacher, her dedication to the children and their success is admirable. She is an introvert who has challenged herself to be more, to go out there and be open and vulnerable, and let life happen to her, instead of watching it happen to others.
David McCay, a former baseball player, an uncle, and a brewery owner is Erin's crush. He is a kind man, his heart is in the right place. He is willing to take care of his nephew when life hits his family in the face. He has his wounds from the past, he is not perfect, and he knows it.
I expected the secret, the mistake he made that had marked his life and made him think he was not worthy, to be more profound but the author explained well why it had hurt David so deeply. His pull and push with Erin went a bit too far for my taste, yet again the author managed to pull it all into an acceptable twist in the plot.
I liked that Erin and David were such real and raw characters, their life-like issues, their troubles, and fears were things anyone could relate to, and find a common ground with them. They both are very much likable characters, well thought out, and developed. The insecurities that run deep on both of them were heartening in a way of feeling sympathy towards them.
The secondary characters had depth and were refined. They played an important role in the story and contributed to the plot, but especially little Rhett stole my heart. His interactions with his uncle, with everyone really, were so sweet and adorable.
A charming tale about learning to trust and falling in love, opening your heart to the possibilities life can offer for you. There's always a new chance if you are willing to work for it and be vulnerable.
~ Three Spoon with a teaspoon on the side

Erin had her heart crushed before and pretty much shut herself off when it comes to the romance department. One day she manages to muster enough courage to proposition David McCray an old crush of hers. When she realizes he's having a bit of trouble in his life taking care of his nephew shes there to help him out. Meanwhile David has his own set of issues in his life and he takes up caring for his young nephew whose mother is in rehab. Refusing to let his nephew go what he went though he accept a bit of help from Erin, teacher of his nephew. Last thing they expected for a few sparks to fly the more they are with each other.

I really did enjoy this book. If you like a good romance story with an generic story line and interesting characters this is for you. I've read plenty of books like this maybe a bit different situation but its been told many times before and I still found myself enjoying this book. I loved how David was trying to redeem himself of this past making a few mistakes along the way but improving. I loved seeing the romance between the two. I loved how everything was handled when trouble came their way and how it ended up in the end. Overall it was a pretty great story, I really enjoyed it.

This was such a sweet book! I was really hooked at the end of chapter one—what a cliffhanger!

I tend to like dorky or plain heroines and Erin is someone I would like to be friends with. Her interaction with the hero’s nephew is especially nice to see. Sometimes her timidity is a little frustrating, but it’s nice to see her grow as a character—or maybe it’s that she starts to be herself more—throughout the book.

I especially liked how the hero fell in love with the heroine. It’s not just that he found her suddenly attractive, but that she showed him something differnt from what he was used to with his family background and what he’d been taught was a “normal” relationship. One section was a good description of why he fell in love:

“Despite a long string of girlfriends, he’d never been one for domestication. He was used to tumultuous relationships— loud arguments and intense make-up sessions that he’d assumed were normal given how he was raised. Everything in his life had been emotional crisis and big scenes. But Erin made the ordinary bits feel just as exciting as the adrenaline rush that came from being swept along in a drama-filled haze.”

Watching the hero change throughout the book was also nice to see. He has a lot of emotional baggage that comes out later and the heroine is perfect to help him deal with it all.

There were some spots in the middle where the conflict lagged a bit, but things picked up and the ending was especially nice. Overall, a sweet, heart-warming book.

She taught him how to trust. He showed her the meaning of true love. David and Erin did not have an easy romance, but the cloudy days made the sunny times so much more profound. Romancing the Wallflower is the best of Michelle Major. A journey of love, a story of hope and a road map to understanding. The attraction is a combination of subtle and intense. Romance sneaks up on your heart and after tightly taking hold, refuses to turn it loose.

Two misfits collide and brings us a sweet love story! A trip to Crimson, Colorado is just never disappointing! It's a town filled with a down-home feel, fun characters and a depth of realness to each and every story that makes you feel like you're right there beside them. I always leave looking forward to my next visit!

When a crisis with a student brings kindergarten teacher Erin MacDonald within touching distance of her secret crush, she can't believe her life! Always deemed the plain, boring one, Erin doesn't really think anything she does makes a difference in the world until she's put in a situation that has her reaching out with comfort and earning back the trust of a weary little boy and his self-crucifying uncle.

Pro baseball pitcher turned brew master David McCoy moved to Crimson two years ago to be there to support his sister and nephew. When a melody of bad decisions by his sister leaves him filling in as parent to his nephew, he ends up relying on Erin more than he ever thought possible. She's a great person ... he only wishes she could see that!

MY RATING: 5/5 STARS 

An arc was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

GUYS. WHERE DO I START WITH HOW AMAZING THIS BOOK WAS? I CAN'T EVEN CONTAIN MY JOY AFTER READING THIS ONE. 

It's been so long since I've read a "perfect" harlequin novel and I'm super surprised that I did enjoy this more than I thought I would simply because Harlequin Special Editions isn't what I typically lean towards. 

Without further rambling, let's discuss Romancing the Wallflower. Our resident heroine, Erin is a bookish kindergarten teacher that doesn't see the true value in herself. Her entire life, she has been told she was average and not extraordinary like what David makes her feel or what he literally tells her. She has trouble with having attention put on her as well as having trouble in believing in herself that she can achieve much more. Throughout the book, we see the character development of Erin. She takes back pieces of her life that was lost because of low self-esteem bit by bit and for that, I am grateful she exists in books. I related a lot to Erin.

In addition, ladies. I found Erin very refreshing to read because she was just like us. She likes to curl up in bed and read in her hello kitty jammies. I know a lot of authors like to write relatable bookish characters like Erin but Michelle Major didn't make her seem pretentious so I am so happy.

Now, let's move to our hero, David. Okay. Hi. Hello. He's my new book husband/boyfriend. I freaking adored David because he was flawed and he knew it from the start. Coming from a major league baseball career, David knows his way around the block and believes he's not good enough for Erin because she's all American dreams and deserves the picture perfect husband, 2.5 kids, and the house with a white picket fence. BUT. Instead of pushing her away, David still really likes her enough to...

Get this ladies...

COURT HER.

I was swooning. I'm swooning. I'm still swooning. Please send help. It was so freaking adorable to see David just keep trying and of course, watching him fail because he's not used to doing any of this dating thing. He's used to easy hook ups and groupies of girls. And I'm not saying, he's flawed because he's promiscuous. I'm saying he's flawed because he doesn't know how to express himself sometimes and his misdirects his anger towards others, hurting them in the process. It was heartbreaking to see David treat Erin poorly but it was what needed to be done in order for him to see his faults and make the changes he did. 

Moving onto the plot of the book, I enjoyed it very much. I loved the relationship David had with his mother and how they managed to repair in the end. I loved David's dark secret when he revealed it and how he got his injury that stopped him from playing the major leagues. 

AND CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT I CRIED? BECAUSE I CRIED. I LOVED IT SO MUCH THAT I CRIED. 

And the ending? It was spot on. Not rushed at all. 

MY RECOMMENDATION:

READ IT ! READ IT! READ IT! READ IT!

I like how the relationship between Erin and David developed little by little even though there was a strong attraction. A nice romance and a light read for any day.

This is part of a series. I have not read any of the other books and I was not lost at all. It can easily stand alone though the other characters/books sound intriguing. This story stars Erin, the sweet and kind teacher or the wallflower. The guy she has a crush on his bar owner and beer brewer and uncle David who is hot and ex ball player.

These two have a lot in common for one they LOVE Rhett, David's nephew. And second their moms really screwed them up when they were younger. They also don't feel like they are worthy of eah other and that really is the story. Erin who has never felt like she is a success, wonders why David would ever want her and David thinks he is a total screwup and Erin is too good for him.

The two come together over Rhett, whose mother ends up in rehab and Erin who is Rhett's Kindergarten teacher wants to help him through this difficult time. David discovers the beautiful person behind the wallflower and they fall hard for the other. They just have to see that they are worthy of the other.

This was a really wonderful story and I really enjoyed it. It moves fast and the two characters were really great together. I definitely would like to read more by the author.