Beautiful story! It was well written and so heartwarming. The characters were charming and easy to love. It had an interesting plot and grabbed my attention from the beginning.
I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was lacklustre. There was nothing that set it apart from all the other wallflower romances. The plot was weak, and the characters felt two-dimensional. Poppy was very unlikeable, and she showed very little growth. The female characters felt too modern for their setting. I am all for independent women but there are limits an author needs to set in a historical setting. There are some sex scenes in the book but its not excessive. While it was an okay read, it wasn't entertaining enough for me to recommend it.

I did find the cover to be beautiful. I am a fan of illustrated covers, and I hope more authors follow suit.

I was excited to read The Earl Not Taken as the beautiful cover and book description definitely caught my eye. Unfortunately we ended up not being a match. I found the characters, while lovely, not fully fleshed out and the plot while entertaining didn't go below the surface. When I read romance and Historical romance I am looking for characters that really tell a story and not just a romance. For me, this was not it.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for a DRG in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did - I'm a big Austen fan and love anything in that vibe, but the writing just wasn't quite up to par for me and it felt a little cheesy. That being said, it still was enjoyable to read and I'm sure other people will really love it - just not so much me! Gorgeous cover, though.

This story is supposedly set during the Regency and features Poppy, one of four close friends, self-described as "wallflowers'. As one of the group, now a widow, was abused by her husband, they have undertaken to protect each other from dangerous men.

The story involves an investigation of a supposed mystery involving a man to whom one of the group has been engaged without having met him. However, the mystery just fades away, and is overtaken by an enemies to lovers romance involving Poppy and Rhys, the older brother of the widowed member of the group.

I enjoyed the close bonds among the friends. However, their description of themselves as wallflowers is erroneous. Their background story is anachronistic and the goal of their group, while laudable, is also anachronistic.

If set one hundred years later, this story would have avoided the most glaring historical errors.

I liked the growth shown by Rhys. Apart from his concern for his sister, he was basically unsympathetic at the start; for example, he was unable to understand Poppy's dislike of him, when he'd mocked her for years. Poppy, on the other hand, showed no growth. Her lack of self-esteem was believable, given her upbringing. Her constant clumsiness was not believable, and her hatred of all men became old, as did her tendency to run away and put herself in danger when faced with unpalatable truths.

Besides the historical errors and unbelievable plot points, there are a number of distracting errors in grammar and proper word usage,

General:
This was a cute book with an intriguing premise. The characters felt like they were real with a few exceptions. The friendship between the wallflowers was strong and their bond was interesting. The relationship between Poppy and Rhys worked for me but.... ugh sometimes Poppy just couldn't see past her own opinions for way too long.

What I Liked:
I loved Poppy's curses! Instead of standard curse words she used phrases such as "Hades fire" to better conform to the lady-like standards that her family and society expected of her. Poppy's struggle to accept that someone could love her for herself was heartbreaking to read. Sometimes I wanted to shake her for not getting it but the supporting characters were so understanding and supportive of her. Rhys was adorable with the strength of his love and compassion for his sister (and the rest of the wallflowers).

What I didn't like:
Where to start, the plot was really slow moving and was a bit all over the place. The friend's start off by investigating a mystery but that is quickly tossed over and the relationship between Poppy and Rhys takes center stage. I kept waiting for something more to happen but was left wanting.
The characters also continuously refered to themselves as Wallflowers with very little evidence to that state.

Overall:
This was cute but not outstanding. It took me much longer to read than most historicals because it never quite grabbed my interest. The characters were mostly forgettable. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a historical with medium/low level steam and an easy plot.

The Earl Not Taken is Pride and Prejudice on its head.

Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has been harboring unrequited feelings for Poppy Arrington for years. The out-spoken wallflower is his sister's dear friend, and despite his many attempts, she harbors nothing but contempt for him. The man believes that it's her refusal that breeds his lust for her and that once she favors him, it will go away. But he's suffering something far worse than pride, Rhys is head over heels for the unconventional miss, and there is no cure.

I enjoy a rebel bluestocking, but Poppy is too much. What she has against Rhys is that he is unforgivably male: men are controlling, violent beasts, who revel in the ownership of women. Poppy holds on to this prejudice until magically cured of the misconception. There were no steps to the epiphany, and it made me feel like she had no growth.

This role reversal, with Poppy lacking emotional availability and Rhys, as the one who is eager to explore his feelings, makes The Earl Not Taken a unique, refreshing read. With a good deal of Rhys' POV reading in a casual state of acceptance, unlike any other hero I've encountered. Rhys is determined and onboard.

One of the issues I ran into with this novel was the pacing. There are some significant parts to it where the writing is on point, and then the pacing drags. The last few chapters felt interminable, with the author putting all her ducks in a row. The end of The Earl Not Taken does nicely set up the next book, which I will be happy to read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position.
This was an ok story. The plot was fairly basic. The characters were ok. I hadn’t read this author before, so there weren’t any expectations. It just wasn’t for me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

I have mixed feelings about this book. There was just a lot going on. It was hard to get into and I found myself frustrated with both Poppy and Rhys. While Rhys proved himself a decent fellow and Poppy became more sympathetic as the story went on, it just kept going past the point I thought everything should be wrapped up.

First off, there's enemies to lovers vibes stemming from their inauspicious first meeting. Then, there's Poppy's issues with marriage based on the unhappy marriages she's seen around her. On top of that, there's an investigation into the character of her friend's betrothed. While this is going on, Poppy decides to get rid of her virginity (pesky thing that it is) and Rhys agrees (never a good idea). Of course, this leads to mutual pining, matchmaking shenanigans, and parental meddling.

Like I said. It's a lot.

The best bit of this book was the friendship between the Wallflowers. The four girls are very much individuals but support each other as a group, sometimes to ridiculous extremes. I honestly hope they all get their happy endings and may keep an eye out to see if they can get there without all the to-ing and fro-ing.

This may well suit those who like their regencies packed with plot, but it wasn't for me.

Three stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

This book surprised me. I went into it expecting to like it. After all, Regency romance? If it’s not too outdated/playing into gender roles, I’ll love it. But Poppy, Rhys, and the other characters absolutely blew me away with their rich backstories, honest sexuality, and innate feminism.

Poppy is one of our two main characters. She has four best friends who she has been close to since meeting them before or during finishing school: Aurora, Faith, and Mercy. Aurora’s husband has just passed, and it’s a good thing – he was an awful man who beat his wife. Faith, on the other hand, recently became betrothed to a man she never met. The four BFFs, who call themselves the Wallflowers (of West Lane, Aurora’s home that they are all moving in to together), plan to learn about Faith’s betrothed to ensure she is marrying someone who will treat her right.



Rhys is Aurora’s brother. He knew nothing of her treatment, until now, and as a result is willing to join in to help. Because Aurora is in mourning and Mercy has obligations, it’s most convenient for him to find out about Nicholas, Faith’s betrothed, with the help of Poppy. Rhys loves teasing and annoying Poppy, but has always been attracted to her.

Poppy, on the other hand, hates Rhys. When she first met him, she was a teenager (presumably he was not much older), and she caught him in the act. He’s a bit of a known rake, and Poppy’s father cheated on her mother. She has a bad opinion of men given all of this and Aurora’s experience, and never plans to marry. She also holds the indiscretion she caught Rhys in against him all these years later. But OH BOY, when these two get alone together, it’s obvious just why Poppy was so salty. She wants Rhys just as badly. The two embark on their journey of discovering Nicholas… and one another.



Rhys is my new book boyfriend. He is absolutely wonderful to Poppy. He loves her and wants to marry her, but never pressures her. Their first and main love scene is spectacularly feminist, with Rhys giving the most wonderful explanation of consent. He tells Poppy to stop if she wants to stop, and she basically asks him, “Don’t you mean tell you if I want to stop?” Rhys says he meant what he said – if she stops, so will he. And even though he is desperate to marry her throughout the novel, his plan is to woo Poppy as gently as possible and to let her come to terms with her love for him and her changing opinions.

The other characters are lovely, too, though I was cross with one of them at the end. Book 2 is assuredly about Nicholas and Faith, and I have an inkling that we’ll see Rhys and Aurora’s friend Garret paired up with Aurora at some point. Maybe the secondary character Geb can end up with Mercy? I’m a huge fan of him.

Overall, this was a 5 star read for me. It checked all of my boxes! This promises to me a beautiful series about love as well as friendships between women!

Overall about a 2.75 star read. I really enjoy historical romances, but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. Rhys is the brother of one of Poppy's close friends, but due to a mishap when they were younger they have been at odds for most of their acquaintance. When one of the girls in the "Wallflower Club" becomes engaged to a man she doesn't know, Poppy and Rhys join forces to find out what they can make of his character. Unfortunately the plot didn't turn out to be as interesting as outlined. There were no real capers happening, in fact nothing much seemed to happen at all. I was also not a fan of Poppy's character. While I understand her distrust of marriage after observing her parents, the man hating got a bit old. She didn't even have real character development until she was literally lost and injured in the woods and her life flashed before her eyes. On the positive side I enjoyed Rhys's character and I thought he showed a lot of character development and growth. I just wish the plot had more substance to it, and that Poppy could have had a fuller development arc.

This book was missing something. I just couldn’t get interested in the characters. There didn’t seem to be any depth to the story. I finally skipped to the end and was glad I did because it didn’t get any better. After one of their group had an abusive marriage, Poppy and her three wallflower friends didn’t want another to marry the stranger her parents had chosen without knowing more about him. The abused woman’s brother decided to investigate the man with Poppy. Huh? After some implausible plot points, the story was left open for the next book which I won’t be reading.

This book took me little longer to finish it..
I like the general idea of the book and the characters.
It just couldn't keep my attention, I'm not sure maybe it's not my thing the historical romances.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read something new for me.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

Really clunky read. I just couldn't keep the wallflowers characters straight and found the storyline confusing. Just okay.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Loved the premise and even the characters. Loved the focus on female friendships!! It just couldn't keep my attention? I'm not sure if it was the pacing or something else, but it just wasn't as engaging as I'd hoped. Still glad I took a chance.

Sadly, couldn't get through it. Loved the concept and really appreciated the focus on female friendship that many romances lack, but the book didn't grab me enough and I had hard time connecting with the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher Kensington Books for an advance reader copy of this book for an honest review.

The Earl Not Taken is the first book in the Wallflowers of West Lane series.

When Penelope “Poppy” Arrington and her three friends who call themselves the Wallflowers of West Lane, four girls who met at a finishing school. The girls have made a vowed pack to never let another friend get hurt in a bad marriage again.

When Lady Faith Landon, is to be married of to an unknown Duke. The wildflowers step in to make sure that Faith is not going to an unhappy marriage. Poppy and her friend's brother Rhys to make sure her friend's potential suitor is a decent match and not a someone dangerous.

As others said, love the cover and the premise, but the execution was lacking. IDK If it just needed more editing? So clunky I just couldn't stay with it. DNF

Beautiful cover, promising storyline, disappointing execution. First of all, let me say, I loved Poppy and her strong-willed, sassy nature. Some of her expressions had me chuckling out loud. Her assumptions and protective guard were challenged a little too easily for what I would have expected from a firecracker like her. I loved the idea of her friends forming a club, born out of rebellion, tried by time and proven true by loyalty in all of life’s circumstances. That kind of sisterhood is a perfect element for a story such as this. Rhys is the kind of gentleman I would expect to sweep Poppy off her feet, but some of the interactions felt rushed. The forwardness of conversations felt out of place for this genre and made it a little hard to pass off as a regency tale. I have never read this author before, so expecting a clean read and finding it has a lot of steam is no one’s fault but my own but did contribute to my decreased level of enjoyment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions expressed are solely my own.