Cover Image: How the Wallflower Was Won

How the Wallflower Was Won

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Member Reviews

Love Eva Leigh but wasn't a fan of this book. While the characters and the love story started off promising, it ended up feeling very tedious in the end.

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Finn is a gambler but not on love. He does better at cards than with people. He does need a wife to inherit from his father. Tabitha is a bluestocking and has had a disastrous first season. She wants to join a society that will only let married women join so she needs a husband. Finn and Tabitha decide to have an arranged marriage but they didn't factor falling for each other into the equation.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

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I tried to start this book and only got so far. This is a first by this author and her writing style might not be for me. Finn wasn't enough of a complex character even though i really wanted to like him. 3 stars.

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Not a bad way to spend a few afternoons. This is a great story with interesting characters. I found the plot interesting and well written with a few twists along the way. I look forward to reading more from Eva Leigh.

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After the disastrous plot that led to his sister being left at the altar in the first book Finn, his brother Kieran and their friend Dominic (the altar leaver in question) are given an ultimatum by their collective parents: all 3 of them must be married to suitable upstanding women within a year or all 3 of them will lose everything and be disinherited. Kieran has succeed in this task marrying Dominic’s sister so now there are only the two of them left. Except Finn has no interest in any of it and would rather focus on his gambling. Enter Tabitha who doesn’t necessarily want a husband but is in need of one. And on to a marriage of convenience where they sooooo aren’t going to fall for each other and no hearts will be entangled. Yup... not at all. I think I kinda of like this trope.

To be honest I was more interested in finding out what was going to happen in the 3rd book not that this was bad or anything I just really wanted to know how things would end up playing out. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy Finn and Tabitha I just want to read the next one sooo much.

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This was a really good historical romance with fantastic characters! Overall, I would definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

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Eva Leigh is a wonderful author and this new book doesn't disappoint. She is lovely with her tropes and the hotness of the love scenes is magical.

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I am a big fan of historical fiction but at times they tend to skip off into a completely different dimension which is where this one tended to go, ignoring all the things that could not have happened at that time we have a decent story that is overshadowed by one of the worst couples I have read about in years. Two exceptionally bright people that act like morons for most of the book, after a bit of a confusing courtship and a marriage of convenience since they both got something, they needed but taking up WAY too many pages for sex (a great way to avoid moving a story along while adding pages to your book) they still have to wait until almost the last few pages to be able to say "I love you" so I am being generous with 3 Stars for a story that really fell flat in several places.

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After the first book in this series, this was a must read. There is pining, spice, brains, and a marriage of convenience. It was such a good read.

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I enjoyed this latest installment in Eva Leigh's historical series - Last Chance Scoundrels - it's fun, sexy as hell, romantic and I loved watching the characters grow and change AND FIND LOVE right in front of me.

If you've enjoyed the previous books in the series, don't miss this addition!

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Finn Ransome who, along with his brother Kieran and best friend Dom, must marry in order to secure his inheritance. He attempts to match Dom with Tabitha Seaton, a bookish wallflower, but things don't go as planned. Instead, Finn proposes a marriage of convenience between himself and Tabitha. Tabitha also needs to wed for the chance to be accepted into the male dominated Sterling Society. Her goal is to open the discussion on the upcoming education bill to let more diverse voices be heard, thereby challenging everything the society stands for.

Finn and Tabitha agree to a marriage for expediency rather than love. They seem to be complete opposites so keeping emotions out of the equation shouldn't be a problem. But as they learn more about each other, what happens when they start to develop feelings and desires? Do they fight against the pull between them or do they attempt to change the rules of their arrangement?

I originally requested this book because the title was a great pun, so I want to call attention to the excellent title. Where this book hits some snags is it’s pacing, and this is ultimately why I rated it as a 4. The story was wrapped up nicely by 75%, and all the drama after felt too manufactured and unnecessary to me. If the main story had been drawn out for the duration of the book, this made more sense a felt less shoehorned into the end.

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How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh is book 2 in the Last Chance Scoundrels Series. This is the story of Tabitha and Finn. Tabitha is a hardcore bluestocking. Tabitha wants to be excepted in to the Sterling Society but to do so needs a husband. Finn's family has laid the law down that he needs to marry or to loose everything. Finn has had issue reading other things that has turned him into a playboy of sorts. This starts their story.

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Eva Leigh has done it again! How the Wallflower Was Won is the second in the Last Chance Scoundrels series, and I loved falling in love with Finn and Tabitha! Rogue and gambler Finn needs a bride to secure his financial freedom. Bookish Tabitha needs a husband so she can join a revered intellectual society. When his attempt to set her up with his friend falls through, Finn offers for her hand himself. Their marriage of convenience turns out to be a lot more real than either of them bargained for, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Finn feared they were unequally matched because of his learning disability and her thirst for knowledge, but in truth, they were each other's perfect complement.

Eva Leigh is one of the reigning queens of steam. Finn and Tabitha have sizzling chemistry; their connection is electric. However, I also loved that they brought out the softer side in each other too. Their souls recognized something in each other that they had been missing before. Leigh has delivered another wonderful, low-angst romance with a satisfying happily ever after.

I'm so grateful to Avon and Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for my review.

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Glorious follow up in Eva Leigh's Last Chance Scoundrels series. How the Wallflower was Won works fine as a stand alone but there is much of the over arcing plot from the first novel that would enjoy.

In the first in series we have an ultimatum that three men (2 brothers, 1 friend) must marry to keep their inheritance. Here the focus is on the other brother, Finn Ransome. Finn has a brilliant mind for numbers and makes a living gambling. He struggles with reading though and it is a great sore spot for him. I'm always looking for fresh perspectives in my historical reading so love the addition of a dyslexic hero!

Finn thinks to set up his friend, Dom, with a blue stocking named Tabitha Seaton. Tabitha is a splendid character with a brilliant mind. Dom is suffering from a deep depression and refuses the set up. What starts as a possible marriage of convience blooms into more. Loved the evolution of their emotional growth. Also, lots of spicy kissing scenes!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced read. All opinions are my own.

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I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Finn Ransome knows that he has to get married to keep his inheritance, but with his brother about to be married, he turns his attention on his friend, Dom, who is still devastated from leaving his betrothed at the altar. He wants to match make Dom with Miss Tabitha Seaton, a blue stocking, but when Dom wants no part of it, Tabitha and Finn come to a mutually beneficial agreement that they will marry but keep love out of the equation.

I mean, Eva Leigh knows how to write passion and sex. That comes so naturally to her, but what felt unnatural about this book were these two characters and their journey to their happily ever after. There was a lot of internal dialogue about their arrangement, and how they would distance themselves from each other. I guess I am sort of getting tired of the third act I love yous, and how it happens so quickly. I would like to see it build a little more, and because of that their emotional connection was lacking for me. The physical stuff was there for sure, but I would have liked some more emotional depth, and that I see it later than the last couple of chapters.

Still a good book, but still not quite as good as the first one for me.

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The rake-and-debutante pairing is a classic for a reason, and there are few things I love better than a classic finessed by an expert. In Eva Leigh’s ebullient HOW THE WALLFLOWER WAS WON (Avon, 366 pp., paperback, $8.99), Finn Ransome, our rake, has developed his flirtatious persona to compensate for what modern readers would call dyslexia. It’s also why he discounts his attraction to our bluestocking debutante, Miss Tabitha Seaton: What would a brilliant, bookish woman ever see in someone with his struggles?

Tabitha has given up on husband-hunting in favor of courting a spot in a prestigious intellectual society, only to discover they won’t admit her unless she’s married. Finn offers to arrange a match with his wounded bear of a friend, who also needs a quick wedding, but soon Tabitha begins to think considerate, affable Finn himself is a far better prospect.

In Leigh’s romances, even when I can see the gears moving, the machinery still works. I get that telltale swoop in the belly every time, watching her characters go through the dance steps. Partly it’s because they’re so generously, unabashedly sexy.

Partly, too, because Leigh’s books ask things of the reader that few romances do. Many’s the novel where past leads show up in the final chapters — for the same reason the whole cast gathers onstage at the end of a Broadway musical — but here that particular set piece is leveraged as a pointed call to destabilize the status quo. It feels as though not only the characters but also the readers are being asked to exercise courage. Not the full Cat Sebastian “be gay, do crimes” approach, but not far off.

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Despite having read a good amount of Eva Leigh, this was my first in this series and it stood on its own well. I really enjoyed how Tabitha and Finn got together. Initially trying to set her up with his friend, I enjoyed their interactions and appreciated the straightforwardness of these two, despite the fact that of course nothing goes to plan. And I really loved how Finn supported Tabitha. It’s so nice when so much of the story still takes places after the wedding. I admit, I found myself a bit frustrated by Tabitha at times. Holding on to a stupid comment made years ago, she allowed it to really impact far too much of her future and relationships with others. Finn made a completely reasonable comment and she blew it way out of proportion and was hurtful herself. But I liked how things were able to resolve. I can’t wait for Dom’s story!

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Finn Ransome and Tabitha Seaton were a likeable match in the latest in the Last Chance Scoundrels series. Their strengths and weaknesses complimented one another so well. The way they both came to the defence of the other was endearing. The set up, pace, romance and heat level were perfect.

My only complaint was that the conflict at the end did not fit what I came to expect from Tabitha. For someone concerned with being overly emotional, she was next level irrational at Finn's choice of words when trying to help her out. If ever a guy had the audacity to ask if it was "that time of the month", that was the one time. His degree of groveling was both unnecessary and excessive.

With the exception of that minor glitch, this was a lovely romance.

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Finn Ransome is on a deadline. If he doesn’t marry within the year, he will lose his inheritance. While he makes a good living at the card tables, it would be stupid to throw away perfectly good inherited money. And, with a dark secret, marrying for practical reasons suits him. It will hurt less when his bride inevitably finds him stupid and unfit for company, as his family already has.

Tabitha Seaton needs to find a husband so that she can join the famed intellectual Sterling Society in time to help further an education bill that will greatly benefit society, especially those at the bottom of it. Anyone will do, as long as they don’t attempt to prevent her intellectual pursuits. But when she meets the darkly handsome Finn, she finds that a lot more than her intellect is engaged.

They meet several times socially and find that both of them are passionately attracted to each other, but they also quickly become friends. They marry, and while Finn finds his new wife enthusiastically encouraging him to open his own gaming hell as he’s always dreamed, and behaving enthusiastically in their bed, she quickly leaves it to return to her books as soon as the deed is done, leaving Finn feeling rejected, even though he knew it was coming.

The real reason Tabitha is burying herself in study even more than usual is that she could easily love her husband and fears to do so.

It’s an excellent setup, with Finn feeling overwhelmed by his intellectual bride, despite being an absolute genius at math, himself. And his created inferiority complex is both understandable and gives you great sympathy for his angst, which can often be boring, but is wonderfully earned here. Everything about these characters feels real and the conflict in the relationship stems from who they are and how they guard themselves to avoid pain.

Sadly, the author just drags it out too long, and while the plot continues in the book, the conflict between the central couple feels inauthentic and forced. The third act falls apart.

I really wanted to like this much more than I did. I had great sympathy for both main characters and their goals. But the insistence on keeping them apart and having conflict between them, when it was already seemingly settled, just got dull. It’s not bad and the first two-thirds are solid. It just didn’t work for me.

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Eva Leigh has become a staple in my historical romance reading rotation. I thoroughly enjoy every book of hers I pick up. The character development, the plot and angst are build so well that I get completely immersed in the story. On top of all of the wonderful little details we get the MMC always steal my heart, they're top tier book boyfriends.

HIghly recommend and look forward to more from Eva Leigh in the future.

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