I tried to really get into this book, but the story was just not holding my attention at all. I don't know if it was the writing style or just the story overall. DNF for me. I will probably try picking it up again at a later time.

Sent abroad to a finishing school, four self-proclaimed misfits bond over a shared desire not to follow society's strict conventions. But when one of the four, Aurora, is married off to, and, shortly thereafter, widowed by a brutal man, the young ladies take things a step further; they vow to never be married to someone they barely know simply because their parents set it up.

This vow is put into effect when a different member of their group, Faith, has a engagement set up for her behind her back. With the sassiest of the group, Penelope ("Poppy") Arrington at the forefront, the group aims to do a little digging on Faith's future husband, especially since he insists on being secretive about his past.

An interesting premise, certainly. I can only wonder what the book would have been like if the book's pitch was actually representative of the majority of the content.

Helping with the snooping efforts is Aurora's older brother Rhys, who has always had a contentious relationship with Poppy. She's unarguably the heroine of this book, although Aurora has just been widowed and Faith is the one who's engaged to be married. Rhys ostensibly assists Poppy in finding out more about Faith's betrothed, but the book ends up being an elaborate (and frankly annoying at times) dance between the two of them.

The story was the author's excuse to play with these characters which I'm not entirely mad about - they're fun characters! But to claim this is a period piece when the two love interests are getting handsier than Gossip Girl characters? Careful you don't pull a muscle with that reach.

This was a fun book, but basic and repetitive. Even the spicy scenes (yes, plural) repeated the same lusty language and the preview of the next book had me howling with laughter - this author loves saying that the female character will be the male character's "undoing." No one is undone at the end of this book, but I very well may be done with the series if it's going to be literally the same book over and over again.

Found the heroine too immature and judgmental and just couldn't understand what the hero saw in her that was so beautiful and noble when she came across as brash and over-the-top in her negativity. As such, did not enjoy this book

This was a very enjoyable book. It was very slow since it was so detail oriented, but the author did not confuse the reader in any way. It was a sensual love story so be prepared for some intimate details. This opens as a story of four girls who attend finishing school together and one of the four was a recent widow of a horrible husband. We pick up the story after the funeral and while all four woman are in the story, this is clearly a story about one of the woman and her path to an HEA. Sometimes with detailed stories like this the characters are two dimensional, but in this story, the characters are all unique and likeable. There is a little bit of adventure in the form of determining the worth of one of the women's fiancee, but there is no action or danger. This lively story entertained me throughout and I enjoyed correct grammar and spelling. There were a few oxymorons that I was able to overlook, but the majority of the story stayed on point and there were no danglers. It was consistent and had a smooth segue way into the next of the series, but this was definitely a stand alone story and the reader doesn't have to read another book to determine the fate of the main characters. I would gladly purchase this book and recommend other to buy and read for themselves.

I got a free copy to review from NetGalley. I did not like this at all. The main woman dances with a man once and smiles, so the main man asks her if she loves him? What?!? The sex scenes were not steamy and the two main characters felt wooden and boring. This is my first time reading a book by this author and I don't think I'm going to continue on. The plot felt overly contrived and not in the fun batty way a good historical romance can be. Yes there should be obstacles the two main characters have to face before they can get there happily ever after; but the ones in this book seemed over used and under thought out. Would not recommend.

I received an ARC through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own

What drew me to this book is the cover -- and I think it's breathtakingly beautiful. This is a cover meant to be displayed.

The book (and the books to come) follow a group of young ladies in their early twenties. They met in a finishing school for naughty girls (or girls whose parent's wanted them gone). They formed a friendship in those years, and after leaving the school, one girl, Aurora is married straight away.

The book starts after the funeral in Aurora's husband; a cruel man whose action nearly killed Aurora a few times and frightened the other girls from marrying. When Faith announces that her parent's have found a match for her, the girls decide to investigate the potential groom to see if he will be cruel as well. Aurora's brother Rhys is persuaded to assist the girls in discovering the nature of Faith's fiance.

What follows is Penelope and Rhys being put together in a variety of schemes. Penelope has very strong feelings against marriage, and even stronger feelings against Rhys. It was Penelope and Rhys's relationship that I couldn't understand. I didn't understand why Penelope disliked Rhys so vehemently. I also didn't understand why Rhys like her (except that he seemed to be a nice person overall). Their relationship felt so repetitive with Rhys all "I Like You" and Penelope "I hate all men and will never marry". This results in Rhys's feelings being hurt and Penelope sees he's hurt, so she's upset. Wash and repeat.

I breezed through the first 25% of the book before I became a little overwhelmed with the writing style. It felt stilted and choppy. I didn't actually feel much for the characters - except irritation as the story progressed.

Don't take this too seriously and just enjoy it as a fluff. Poppy persuades Rhys (the Earl), brother of her friend Aurora, to help her find out more about the man Faith is found herself engaged to. She- and the friends she went to boarding school with- are all leery of marriage, which has not done well by any of them. Poppy might seem a bit immature but remember that she's 21 and her life has been largely lived in a small way. Her interactions with Rhys - well, you know where this is going to go! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

This wasn’t terribly original, and the wallflower/klutz tropes got old (as did some of the issues between Penelope and Rhys). It was a pleasantly entertaining read but not a standout debut novel

This book was a surprise for me. I was expecting more of a routine regency novel- something more along the lines of a “bodice ripper” I guess based on the title and setting. But, this book was refreshing. It had interesting characters, although Poppy did seem to hold onto her childhood feelings towards Rhys long after he proved them incorrect. I did feel like even though Rhys and Poppy were previous aquatints that they jumped into sex so suddenly. Poppy just all of a sudden decides she wants to get it over with? Too sudden and silly for me- strongly disliked that part. Other than that good book.

**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I liked this. I loved Rhys. He was such a good hero. I liked the four girls. Poppy kinda got on my nerves, i saw where she was coming from but she was alittle jugdemental . Can't wait for next storty.

I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. The cover is so pretty and the blurb reads like a historical romance I would normally enjoy.

Blurb:

"Left standing on the side while their contemporaries marry into society, four young ladies forge a bond to guard each other from a similar fate . . .

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 . . ."

But I didn’t. I had a thought in the prologue this book might not be for me and it only got worse the further I read. Stilted dialogue, lots of telling not showing, annoyances I had with the heroine and her behavior, and then when after a while I was irritated with the constant references to the four close friends/current and future heroines referring to themselves as ‘The Wallflowers’ or ‘The Wallflowers of West End’ I knew I had to set this book aside.

DNF

The Earl Not Taken by AS Fenichel

The Earl Not Taken by AS Fenichel is the first book in the series the Wallflower of West Lane. The series focuses on Poppy, Aurora, Mercy and Faith; four women were sent to a finishing school in Switzerland. The four women bonded over shared experiences and now are in a fight for a friend being forced into marriage with an unknown man.

Penelope Arrington knows she is in an unusual situation. She wants to help her friend by finding out more information about her fiance, but needs help. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden is the one to help. He is her friend’s brother and someone she has known for a very long time. Together they work to gather information and find out more,while they are spending more and more time together and falling for each other.

I enjoyed the story and found the characters enjoyable. The storyline had some fun elements and really showed the closeness of the women and their backstories. Living in such restricted times made the four friends rely on each other. The Earl Not Taken by AS Fenichel was a fun read.

As the first book in the Wallflowers of West Lane series, The Earl Not Taken set the stage well for the following books. The four wallflowers have such a close bond, they will do anything to protect each other -- Aurora, Faith, Mercy and Poppy, the lead in this romance. Other secondary characters are introduced whom you know will figure greatly in the rest of the series, Garrett, Rhys’ (hero) close friend, and the Duke of Breckenridge.

Sadly, I did not care for the introduction of the hero, Rhys, being introduced with his male member in use. Yes, I know all about ‘sewing your wild oats’ and that the young lady was willing. It just struck me as wrong. One theme throughout the beginning of the book is Rhys not understanding why Poppy does not like him. Really? Could the original event be a possible reason? He spends a lot of time trying to figure out why she does not like him. Again, really? Finally, he admits it was his own foolish actions ‘of the offers of a girl from town’ that might be causing Poppy to not care for his rakish ways. Being a person who, myself, walked in on a couple having sex, I, nor they, have ever forgotten it. Yet, Rhys takes most of the book, 6 years, to figure out why Poppy does not think too highly of him, nor trust him. Not sure if Rhys would have had his ‘aha’ moment without the help of his good friend Garrett. Poppy seems to take just as long to decide she can trust Rhys. Loved the change in him once he figured her out!

That being said, her parent’s relationship and Aurora’s relationship with her deceased husband does not help. The HEA is reached, but seemed to take a looooong time getting there. Having read several Fenichel books, this did not seem to be her best. It was not bad by any means, just not as good as previous books. I will continue to read her work as she did a great job of setting the stage for the rest of the series.

Trigger warning for some references to domestic violence.

There is a lot to like here, and the book is worth a read, even though I got a bit frustrated in the last third of the plot.

I really liked the female friendships and secondary characters in this novel. It made me want to read the rest of the series.

However, the heroine (Poppy) has a lot of issues and took way too long to deal with them. Rhys (the hero) was great and did a lot to prove himself to her. It got frustrating waiting for her to trust him.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

3.5 stars
This had the essence of a grand start for the series. I happened to like the H more than the h. I think she was a bit too stubborn and he really was showing her he wasn't like all the other men in her life.

The Wallflowers of West Lane persevere despite their families.
Four young women sent away to a school designed to break their spirit became close and each others support. The group stood together no matter what and continued to after returning to London.
Aurora was married against her wishes to a brute, and when the group gathered after the funeral, Aurora offer sanctuary to the rest, to which they eagerly agreed.
Faith was being put into the same situation and the other woman along with Aurora's brother Rhys agreed to try to find out about the gent.
Poppy and Rhys squabbled often since they were young, but now their squabbles were different, he was falling for her, but the lessons learned as a child remained firmly in her head.
Ms. Fenichel's tale of the four as they navigate their situations is detailed and interesting. The additional characters add to the interest with the way they handle events. I look forward to reading the tales of the remaining Wallflowers.
I requested and received a netGalley ARC to peruse and offer my opinion freely.

Jackie Horne's Reviews > The Earl Not Taken
The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel
The Earl Not Taken (The Wallflowers of West Lane, #1)
by A.S. Fenichel (Goodreads Author)
1290506
Jackie Horne's reviewMar 07, 2020 · edit
bookshelves: dnf, netgalley

DNF
ARC courtesy of Netgalley

Tried on two different occasions to get through this take on the historical romance "wallflowers" trope, but I couldn't make it past the third chapter either time due to the poor writing and historical anachronisms/mistakes.

It feels as if the author used a thesaurus to look up more formal words to use to try and evoke the feel of a past era, but without being familiar enough with the connotations (and even often the denotations) of those more complex words, ended up misusing them ("Mother's own marriage might have been an embittering ordeal, but that didn't mean she was immune to the notion of her daughter becoming a countess"; "the clientele was not from our immediate associations"; "Faith and Poppy scooted away, hoping the crowded ballroom would obscure them from disappointed parents"). Even shorter words are sometimes misused: "I shall attempt to be less the arrogant fob you think I am." With almost every other sentence, I was popped out of the story, struggling to figure out just what the author was trying to say.

The lack of familiarity with simple Regency-era details was also off-putting. For example, one of the secondary characters, who is a duke, is referred to by his first & last name, rather than by his title; a gentleman is described as wearing a "cummerbund" at a ball; the four female friends decide to live together in London, even though three of them are unmarried. The friends aren't even wallflowers, as they are asked to dance at the ball in Chapter 3...

As the characters and plot did not promise to be much better than the writing or the historical details, I found a better use for my time than reading further.

Goodness gracious.

There was nothing objectionable about this book. And nothing particularly interesting. Imagine that an 8th grader has been assigned “historical romance” as her class project. Voila. Painfully historically inaccurate. Overly simple. Silly. Bumbling writing. And a quick easy read soon to be lost in the shuffle.

I won’t read this author again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to offer my honest opinion.

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Even if I found the MC interesting and the book well written the story didn't keep my attention and it fell flat.
Some anachronism in the language.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. I am just going to share a few of my impressions and not provide a synopsis that others have done quite well.
Wallflowers are definitely in vogue in the historical romance genre and Fenichel’s latest series has adopted that popular trope. There are wicked wallflowers, sinful wallflowers, wallflower brides, etc. I remember enjoying the Kleypas series very much. We root for the underdog and wallflowers are the quintessential underdogs in historical romance novels. Poppy, the heroine in “The Earl Not Taken,” and her finishing school friends delight in calling themselves wallflowers, and their friendship is the best part of the novel. Unfortunately I found it hard to root for Poppy. She is very annoying in her incessant repetition of how all men are evil. Certainly there were some explicit examples of a few men, but she seemed so childish in her insistence that she would never marry. I also was hopeful that maybe Rhys wouldn’t give in to her curiosity about sex. That would have been different. So while this book was disappointing, I am hopeful that some of the subsequent stories about her friends may be more to my taste.