I loved this story but wanted to strangle Sophia at times. She is so stubborn. Thanks for allowing me to read and I look forward to reading more book by Ms. Collins

Manda Collins's third Studies in Scandal novel, Wallflower Most Wanted, pairs a painter heroine with the local vicar in a small-town cozy mystery regency romance mash-up.


Sophia Hastings is one of four bluestockings to have inherited a country house in Little Seaford from Lady Celeste. The set-up for the novel is somewhat complicated, which leads me to suggest that you read the series in order. I found the first 20% of the book slow-going as I tried to figure out who was who and how they were related.

The first two books in the series pair off Daphne and Ivy, leaving Sophia and Gemma for books three and four. I'm fairly certain Collins has shown us the pairing for Gemma, but I won't spoil that for you. Anyway, the four young ladies inherit the house, under suspend-your-disbelief conditions. In order to inherit, they must reside at the house for a full year. If they don't, their share will be split evenly among the other ladies. They're not competing, however, and are all content to reside there for the year and sort it out later. Lady Celeste sent the first two women on a quest that ended with them nearly being killed but ending up happily paired off, so you can probably guess what's going to happen here.

While this is certainly a romance, it feels like a cozy mystery with a regency romance twist. The book opens with Sophia falling off a short cliff after being startled by two men who proceed to talk about their plans to kill a third man. She and our handsome vicar overhear all of this, and the plot is afoot. Or a-sprained-ankle. There is, indeed, a murder, but nothing is quite what it seems and Collins keeps you guessing with twists and turns.

Peter Morgan, an industrialist who feels very representative of certain present-day political figures, has moved to Little Seaford and is running for office. He can't get elected to the House of Commons in Manchester, where his factories are, because he's such an unscrupulous bastard.

Despite the murder and the aforementioned unscrupulous bastard, this is a low-angst, fluffy read. The hero is a cinnamon roll, which makes sense as he's dedicated his life to helping people. Ben and Sophia both have the best of friends - the sort that will mercilessly needle you about being in love while you pretend otherwise. Early in the story, Ben is convinced that Sophia is completely unsuitable for the role of Vicar's Wife, but the two of them work it out quickly, which leaves the mystery to drive the plot. This isn't a bad thing! Sometimes it's nice to read about two lovely people being kind to each other and overcoming the external circumstances that are keeping them apart.

TL; DR - This is a cozy romance or a regency mystery with two likeable main characters and a somewhat overwhelming cast. If you haven't read the other two in the series, start there.

This is set in the small village of Little Seaford after the Napoleonic war and during the Industrial Revolution. It's a good reflection on the working conditions and a woman’s place!

Ben is the vicar in this small village. He is popular, mainly with the ladies for his good looks, and he comes from a titled family.

Sophia is one of four heiresses and a talented artist. Something that is frowned upon, for tapistry is more suitable for "respectable" ladies.

Ben and Sophia know each other through the church, but are not friends as such, until she falls at his feet. Literally! Ben comes to her rescue and they accidentally overhear the discussion about a possible murder. Since this ploy is related to an artist and an upcoming exhibition, she feels that it's her duty to investigate. Now that Ben is getting to know her, he starts to admire her free will and her determination. He fears for her safety and knowing that she won't give up on her quest, he insists on helping her despite her protests. Besides, they like each other's company and romance is in the air!

They have suspicions about the guilty parties, but without proof, it's not going to be so easy. While they are investigating, someone is murdered and this complicates matters even more. The main culprit is full of threats, sure of himself and lies through his teeth to get what he wants. There is a twist when one of his unsuspecting allies take matters into his own hands and turns everything around.

It's a good plot with interesting characters. Ben and Sophia make a good team. The romance is gradual, but real. The pace is a little slow and even though this can be read as a standalone, I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the previous ones. All in all, a fairly good read.

I was kindly issued with an eARC and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Publisher's Description:

THE PICTURE OF ROMANCE

A dedicated painter, Miss Sophia Hastings is far more concerned with finding the right slant of light than in finding Mr. Right. But when an overheard conversation hints at danger for another local artist, Sophia is determined to get involved. Even if it means accepting help from an impossibly good-looking vicar who insists on joining her investigation—and threatens to capture her heart…

Reverend Lord Benedick Lisle knows that Sophia is no damsel in distress. But he won’t allow her to venture into peril alone, either. . .especially since he finds Sophia’s curious, free-spirited nature so alluring. But protecting her from harm is becoming more difficult than the vicar could have expected as he and Sophia confront their fiery mutual passion. Who could have known that the art of love would prove so irresistible?

My Thoughts:

"Wallflower Most Wanted" is the newest release of the Studies in Scandal series by Manda Collins, a page turning Regency romance.

This incredible book is #.3 of this series. I have read them all but this one is my favorite of the series so far.

Sophia Hastings is one of four young ladies who have inherited Lady Celeste Beauchamp’s estate. She is a dedicated artist and while painting a scene she is passionate aboutshe is startled by voices and falls down a cliff.
The local vicar, Reverend Lord Benedick Lisle rescues Sophia after her fall. The two of them overhear a startling conversation that hints at a murder plot.
Because the target is a local artist Sophia insists on investigating. Benedick will not allow her to jump into this alone.

Will this lead to a lasting love?
I gave this book 4.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and character development and a sensual rating of 3.5 of 5.0 flames. This one kept the intimacy until later in the book rather than jumping right in. This helped me understand the growing attraction between hero and heroine much better.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley to read and review.. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

The title is misleading as Miss Sophia Hastings, is both beautiful and brilliant and all the single young men are drawn to her. She has little interest in them, though good manners means she is unfailingly pleasant to her suitors. She does find the vicar attractive but knows she, as a lady artist, is hardly suitable to be a helpmate to someone in his position and anyway has no intention of competing with the ladies of the village who throw themselves at him. Until that is she does exactly that by falling over a cliff edge and landing at his feet! Another story, with an unfolding mystery, involving one of the Beauchamp heiresses and although the third in the series can be read as a standalone. I was disappointed not to find out what happened to the captured villains in the epilogue but I did enjoy the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Miss Sophia Hastings one of the Beauchamp heiresses is a dedicated & talented, one day whilst painting near the cliff edge she tumbles to the beach below where she is rescued by the local vicar Lord Benedick Lisle. However from the beach they overhear a conversation that hints at danger for another local artist, Sophia is determined to get involved. Ben knows that Sophia is no damsel in distress so they agree to work together to stop a murder.
This is the third book in the series & it could well be read as a stand alone novel but seriously why would you not read the whole series when it is so very good & each book reveals more about Lady Celeste. The characters are very well developed. The plot is a very good pace throughout & the climax certainly had me a little stunned, I wasn’t expecting it. Ben & Sophia are delightful & their attraction has been simmering for a while but it takes a sprained ankle & working closely for them to fall in love. I can’t wait for Gemma’s story hopefully with a certain editor!

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Posted to my blog and Goodreads today 1/24/2018. Since it can't be reviewed on Amazon yet, I will review it on Amazon on the 30th when it is released.

Wallflower Most Wanted

Studies in Scandal #3

Manda Collins

St. Martin’s Press, January 30, 2018 Release Date

320 pages, ebook, paperback

Historical Romance

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was provided a complimentary ARC of this book by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. This is my honest review for which I am not being compensated in any way.

Since this is the third book in the series, I’m going to give you some back story to bring you into the picture, though it’s not needed to be able to read this book. This could be a stand-alone, but I love the whole story and intend to get the previous two books and the fourth one when it comes out this summer.

So, for the back story. Lady Celeste Beauchamp leaves her home, Beauchamp House to four bluestockings she has chosen. In case you aren’t familiar with that term, a bluestocking is a woman who isn’t involved in the regular womanly arts such as needlework, simple music, and watercolor or taking care of her family and home, but who partakes in more advanced arts such as oil painting of serious subjects; who reads books particularly those in the realm of what is considered to be manly subjects; who are active in fields of study or activity that are traditionally set aside for the male of our species such as archeology or any scientific study. Or any woman who reads more than just the Bible and the fashion newspapers and perhaps a woman’s romance or two in a year. Lady Celeste has chosen four such young ladies to inherit Beauchamp House. They must reside there for one year. The one to stay the longest within that year gets the house in the end. So we have Ivy Wareham, who is an extremely intelligent young woman. Lady Celeste leaves her the clues to be able to solve Lady Celeste’s own murder. She is book one with Quill Beauchamp, the Marquess of Kerr. Secondly, we have Lady Daphne Forsyth who is an advanced mathematician who enjoys puzzles. To her, Lady Celeste leaves the start to solve the Cameron Cipher. She is book two with Dalton Beauchamp, Duke of Maitland. Both of these gentlemen are nephews of Lady Celeste. That brings us to our own young woman, Sophie Hastings, who is an advanced oil painter. To her, Lady Celeste has left 6 paintings and a note regarding forgeries. But the note seems to be missing. She has the assistance of the vicar, Reverend Lord Benedict Lisle. And lastly, we have Gemma Hastings, a geologist and Sophia’s sister, whose book comes out this summer. She tangles with Lord Camden Lisle, a fossil hunter and the vicar’s brother in this book. We don’t yet know what will happen in her book, but she’s a feisty one, so it’s sure to be good.

Okay, so back to Sophia Hastings and the vicar. We start out intently painting the morning light on the cliffs over the beach very early one morning. So intent is Sophia, in the zone one might say, that she is quite startled when she hears a man’s voice behind her. She is startled right off the cliff and tumbles 10 feet down to land badly on her foot and sprains her ankle. The vicar just happens to be at hand for assistance. They both hear the two men talking about getting someone out of the way. Then the vicar carries our damaged painter up the beach stairs, across the lawn, and up to the house where she can be tended. Neither one of these two is in the habit of being this close to members of the opposite sex, so this closeness sort of gets thoughts and blood moving, which both of them try to ignore. Sophia is sure she’s be a lousy vicar’s wife and the vicar is quite sure she’s not interested in being one. Neither one of them really has a sense of just how attractive they are to the opposite gender either. But, of course, as this is a romance, she’s already quite aware of him as an extremely handsome specimen of his gender, and he’s definitely spotted her as the loveliest lady.

As this book has not been published yet, I’m not going to be as revealing as I typically am in a review. Suffice to say that the author takes us to a ball with a bad announcement for our side. There’s more sneaking around. And the vicar does get to carry sweet Sophia around a couple of more times, which they are both coming to really enjoy. In fact, it’s really getting out of hand more than a bit. Ben’s brothers pop in and out a time or two, and his father makes an appearance long enough to approve of Sophia. But Ben’s Bishop doesn’t. All four of our young heiresses get involved in the mystery of the forgeries, but in the end, it’s just Sophia and Ben who work out what’s going on. And, of course, they do it the hard way. Sophia gets grabbed by someone she thought she could trust and Ben has to save her. In the end, they marry by special license signed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a friend of Ben’s father, the Duke.

The pace is pretty fast throughout, but at times feels a bit too fast for what’s happening. The tension starts off with a pop over a cliff and then slowly builds until the end. The characters from the previous books were left as is, but the new ones were done up really well. We even get a preview of what Gemma is like for the next book. Even Morgan, the nasty industrialist was well-done. The guy you love to hate, right? And you had to love Ben, he was just so cute. Sophia was good, too, but there were moments when I felt the character wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be. She’s supposed to be a very confident, forthright young woman and there were several times she just sort of sat there and didn’t seem to know what to do. I wish the cover had revealed more of what the story was about, possibly her painting at the cliff or Ben carrying her since that happened so often and became such a joke.

Next book One for the Rogue #4 out this summer.

In the third book of the "Studies in Scandal" series we see the sparks fly between Sophia Hastings, the beautiful painter and the newly appointed and much sought after vicar of the village, Reverand Lord Benedick "Ben" Lisle.

Those who are familiar with the series know of the four heiresses who inherited Lady Celeste Beauchamp's estate and the mysteries and adventure that seems to follow them. The four heiresses are all highly accomplished in their own fields of science and arts and it's no easily feat to find the perfect match for them.

While out painting, Sophia hears two men speaking. She has no clue as to their identity but surmises from what she hears that they are up to no good and is intrigued and determined to find out what's going on. While eavesdropping she accidentally slips and falls right on the path of the vicar, Lord Benedick Lisle and she shares with him the details of the conversation.

And so the intrigue and suspense start as they find themselves trying not only to unveil the identity of the two men, but a web of crimes which include forgery, theft and even murder. As the plot thickens, we find our hero and heroine getting closer and closer to one another while trying to keep up appearances. It's one thing when a rogue tries to get away with dalliances, but another thing when it is the much respected vicar, who also happens to be the son of a duke.

I love the four heiresses. Not only are they smart and not afraid to flaunt it, but they are quirky, brave and totally entertaining. This is a great series that not only has a good dose of romance and sensuality but is also full of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat! I really hope that Gemma's match will be who I think it is ;) I don't want to give any clues away, but I've been suspecting this certain gentleman since the last book and if it happens to be him, I can't wait to see the sizzling chemistry come alive!!! Can't wait!!!

This is the first book I've read by Manda Collins but it won't be the last. This is the third in a series and can stand alone but it really made me want to know what happened in the first 2 books. The book is about one of 4 heiresses who share an inheritance of a house. Each of the 4 is a brilliant, independent and talented woman in her own right but together they are a force to be reckoned with.
In addition to being a romance there is also a mystery to be solved involving painting forgers and a subsequent murder.
All the characters are well written and strong and this was a delightful read.
I received an free advanced copy of this book.

Manda Collins has become one of my favorite Historical Romance authors. She never fails to please. Once again in Wallflower Most Wanted, book #3 in her Studies in Scandal series I have been charmed by her well-developed and "oh-so-lovable" characters. At first glance artist Sophia Hastings and vicar Lord Benedict Lisle seem an unlikely couple. But they find themselves attracted to each other as they attempt to solve a mystery in their village, Little Seaford.

The author's pace of this storyline of mystery and romance flows well. The plot is laid out such that clues appear along the way as Sophia and Ben follow along, yet there are surprises along the way too.

All in all this is a truly delightful stroy full of sweet romance and mystery. I highly recommend this book!

I voluntarily read an ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.

Wallflower Most Wanted is a fun, engaging historical romance with a determined and talented bluestocking artist and a handsome vicar with equal determination and strength.
I must admit, in all honesty, that I was not excited about reading this. I haven't read a historical Regency novel in a very long time and am quite wary of them because I'd grown bored of a lot of the sameness I was seeing in the genre. Fortunately, this story is refreshingly interpid, moved along at a brisk pace and provided lots of intrigue and excitement with a murder and forgery ring. That said, I still found the pacing and language to be a bit sedate for my tastes even as the story held my attention even as it was appropriate for the historical setting. What was different though was how unconventional Sophia and Benedick were.
This is the third book in the series and I had not read the two previous books. While I do not think it is necessary to read the two previous books to enjoy this one, I feel it necessary to mention that there is frequent mention of what happened in the previous books because the characters in the previous books also feature heavily here. There is nothing spoilery about the mentions of the previous stories, only a few hints but it's enough to make me feel like I want to go back and read the earlier books to find out what happened to Daphne and Ivy before they got their happy endings. You do, of course, learn a few things of what happened in the previous books, that's inevitable but I didn't feel like it made me think I needed the previous books to enjoy this one.
I adored Benedick. Even though he was the vicar of the small village, he was also the most eligible bachelor within the three counties with his prestigious lineage and respectable vocation. Despite being the vicar, I loved that Benedick was also very much a man and had the experiences of every other young man his age prior to settling into his career, and the appetites of a man. Aside from being handsome beyond words, he was also kind, caring and protective. And for a vicar, he was also very able. It was wonderful to see him demonstrate his strength and manliness to Sophia on more than one occasion. It was also wonderful that he wasn't preachy even though his profession was that of a man of God.
Sophia is a refreshing heroine for someone set in this time period. She's not a simpering miss but instead a talented artist with a mind of her own and a backbone of steel. When she happens upon a plot against some unknown person, she's determined to get to the bottom of the matter with or without Benedick's help. Personally, I'm glad that Benedick was there to temper some of her enthusiasm because I think she had a tendency to rush headlong into things with a bit of rashness and impatience. That said, she's bright, fun and kind, and charmingly unaware of her own beauty. She and Benedick make a delightful pair.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the book the more I got into it because for the first half of the book, I wasn't sure if I would. While I would have liked the prose to be a bit snappier, I understand that it's not possible considering the setting and the time period. All in all, I'm glad I read this. I think, when time permits, I'd like to go back and read Daphne and Ivy's stories. Also there were other characters mentioned who seem to be characters from other books of Ms Collins' that I'd like to find out more about.

I was hoping this book would distract me from what is going on in my life but in the time it took me to read this my life became more interesting than the book. This book follows Sophia and Ben as they try to solve the mystery as to who is behind paintings that turn out to be forgeries created in their area.

I don't feel like Sophia and Ben had any real chemistry or heat between them. In the beginning they seemed pretty shy to me and then all of a sudden they supposedly couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Well I wasn't buying it. They were pretty boring together to me.

What I did like about this book was the action and twist that occurs towards the end. I actually became pretty interested once the twist happened and the action started. It ended up saving the book a bit for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

Manda Collins has once again created a story that captures the beauty of being different in a society where conventional is the only accepted way of being. She really captures the essence of her characters in their witty retorts and brave deeds, and that's what makes the story feel so alive. While her books are typically a hit or miss for me, this one was definitely a hit.

Miss Sophia Hastings refuses to be ordinary. Creating thought-provoking yet scandalous paintings is her life's mission, and she is very good at it. However, her passion has led to her being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she finds herself at the bottom of a cliff listening to two men plotting to kill a third in the forest above. And she is not alone - Lord Benedick Lisle, the local vicar, has rushed to help her. Each have vastly different reactions to the scenario. Sophia wants to rush headlong into danger in order to help the unsuspecting victim, while Ben is more cautious and wishes to protect Sophia from potential harm. Soon there is a battle of wills between the two, and it's only a matter of time before the battle turns into one of both the mind and the heart.

It was definitely interesting to have a vicar as the hero, let me say! My brain was having quite a hard time finding its groove in this romance, as half of it expected a clean romance (given the religious nature of the hero's occupation) while the other half knew there was bound to be some fun times in the coming pages (given the author). The odd feeling never fully went away, especially when Benedick mentioned God several times, and I was thrown for a loop again. In most historical romances I have read, it's either no religion or a lot of religion, with no in between. Manda Collins did a good job creating a hero that was able to balance both religion and lust in a way that wasn't awkward, which I think says a lot. Sophia was a fun, spunky heroine that was seemingly Ben's polar opposite, and there were a few times where I just wanted to shake her and tell her to listen to his wisdom. She was a bit too impetuous and came close to having some TSTL moments. In the end, though, I am happy to say that she lives and matures, and it was a lovely progression.

This was a very enjoyable read and one that prompts me to anticipate the next book, sure to feature Sophia's sister, Gemma. It's bound to be a very interesting and entertaining story!

Sophia Hastings is another of the Beauchamp heiresses, a talented painter and artist. She finds herself paired up with the local vicar, Benedick Lisle, to solve a mystery. Unbeknownst to them both Sophia was actually charged with this task by Celeste Beauchamp herself, though they will find this out later in the story. Sophia and Benedick's story line was very similar to those in the previous two novels, and while things did start to feel a tad repetitive, Sophia and Benedick had a story all their own. One of the things I love most about this series is that it features intelligent and strong women, and also women that form a deep and meaningful friendship with each other even though they're all technically "competing for their own legal rights to this house. I think that it is so inspiring to read about such strong and talented ladies. That being said, the characters weren't as fully formed as I think they could have been and also with the plot it felt almost like we dove right in without much preamble, which felt a bit jarring at first. I thought this was a sweet story though and a good romance novel, and a good addition to the series. I look forward to reading the rest of the ladies stories (hoping for one on Serena's story too!).

Another great story. I thought the characters were well developed and the author had a interesting plot. I would read more books from this author.

Sophia Hastings is a talented painter. She is more concerned with finding the right inspiration for her next art, than finding a husband.
She is very beautiful and friendly enough to make several gentlemen want her company. She is kind to all but gives no hope to any of them.
In fact, the only one who catches her attention is exactly the one she can not have, after all, Lord Benedick Lisle is the son of a duke and vicar, which means being a man of God, and God and Sophia have not been in a lot of contact lately...

Benedick, or Ben, is not yet looking for a fiancee, but he knows he will soon be looking for it.
However, he himself is the target of some machinations of single women wanting to entangle him, since he has a cherub-like appearance.

He may be a vicar but he is not blind, and he has already noticed the qualities of Miss Hastings.
One morning as he walked along the beach, he saw Sophia, distracted while painting, fell from a cliff and twisted her ankle. Ben was promptly helping her to the Beauchamp House.
But Divine Providence wanted the two to be together when they heard a mysterious conversation about someone who needed to be eliminated.
Immediately Sophia's detective spirit has surfaced despite her bruised ankle, and with that Ben finds himself involved in discovering with her what could hardly happen in Sussex.

Further on, one of Ben's brothers, Frederick, looks for him with a shocking revelation: the city of Sussex was being targeted by forgeries of famous paintings, and the time that had happened coincided with the permanence of the heiresses of Beauchamp House, and precisely Sophia, among them, was known for being the artist. Was she involved in this devious act?

As the mystery unfolded, the couple who could not be together yielded to the attraction one feels for the other.
But being so different and unlikely, would there be any possibility of being together for good?
Who was the forger? Who was in the gang? Who would be the next victim?

Book 3 in the series Studies in Scandal.
5 stars

As promised, this is a fair and honest review in return for this ARC. This is now the third book of this series that I have read. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed them all and can't wait for Gemma's story. These are the Beauchamp Heiresses! Strong women who fight their way through the barriers put in front of them due to their gender. Intelligent and very good at their chosen pursuits. These book all have intrigue, laughter and love which combine to make them oh so readable.

I received a review copy of this book via Netgalley in exhange for an honest review. At first I put off reading this book for two reasons: 1) I wasn't sure if I was going to be interested in another one of Lady Celeste's mysteries and 2) I have absolutely no interest in the remaining wallflowers.
However this is one of my all-time favourite historical romance series so I gave it a go and I'm glad I do.
The book opens immediately with a mystery. Painter, Sophia overhears a conversation between two men who are planning to get rid of someone. She teams up with the handsome vicar, Ben and they try to find out who is in danger, why and from whom.
I loved the chemistry between Sophia and Ben. They have a really genuine, playful relationship and I loved that.
This book was well-written and once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I loved that it was different to the previous books but it still retained the same air of mystery. It is very easy for this series to get repetitive and predictable (it's a series about wallflowers solving mysteries) but so far Manda Collins has done a great job making each book unique. This book can be read as a part of the series or as a standalone. I loved this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good romance or mystery book.

These books are fantastic. I couldn't stop reading them I was so engrossed in everything that happens with the heiresses of the Beauchamp house. They are such strong talented women who have a perchance for trouble. Though they do end up with some protective but supportive men in their lives. I can't wait to see what happens with Gemma and whatever man comes into her life in the next book.

This is the third book in the Studies in Scandal series by Manda Collins. While I have not read the previous books, I feel certain Wallflower Most Wanted can be read as a stand alone. I loved the idea of bringing together the village vicar and eccentric artist all while adding in a dash of intrigue and suspense as well as romance. Those are all elements that make a successful story that I normally love. The premise is sound. While the main characters, Benedict and Sophia, were extremely likable, the pacing of the storyline was a bit too slow for my taste. And even though this book did not pique my interest, it certainly will not deter me from reading this author’s work in the future.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.