This was another great historical romance novel from Samara Parish! I loved the characters in the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

A whirlwind of intrigues
As a second son, John led a quiet existence in America. That changes when he inherits a title on the brink of bankruptcy upon the death of his brother. He also inherits a horrible harpy of a fiancée.
Charlotte is his best friend little sister so off-limits despite of the attraction between them.
She concocts a scheme to pay her brother’s and John’s inherited debts. They are going to win at cards at a notorious gaming hell.
But not everything goes according to plan…
And could John’s older brother not remain dead?

When John Barnesworth’s brother Walter dies he inherits & becomes Viscount Harrow, he abandons his solitude and returns to London to settle his brother's affairs, only to discover his estates are crumbling and he is now betrothed to his brother’s unpleasant fiancée, Lady Luella. Her dowry might save him from ruin, his only hope lies with the vivacious, charming Lady Charlotte Stirling, whose audacious solution to John's troubles might actually work. Charlotte knows she can’t fall for John. He’s her brother’s best friend, he’s engaged to her mortal enemy, and he wants to return to America.
The third book in the series & another well written delightful read, the characters had depth & were well portrayed, I really liked both John & Charlotte & was routing for them. There was quite a bit happening in the book with secrets, lies, some edge of the seats moments as well a an endearing romance. Things seemed to be going well until things went belly up. I also liked that Charlotte wasn’t the wallflower!
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

How to Win a Wallflower is fantastic book! I absolutely loved this one. How to Win a Wallflower is the third in Samara Parish's first series, and I have really enjoyed each one. I really liked John in the first book, and was hoping despite him going to America that we'd get his story!
Charlotte Stirling is a great heroine. I thought John was a little grumpy, but the antidote to that is Charlotte's personality! The chemistry was really there and I was so mad at John not seeing Charlotte was for him right away -- but we wouldn't have a great story without that angst so it was all worth it. I just loved Charlotte!
The dialogue is great in How to Win a Wallflower, as it is in the whole series. I could sense the determination, frustration, confusion and other emotions and feelings of the characters through the great dialogue. This was a fun, well-written book that I'd recommend to HR readers!

This is the third in the Rebels with a Cause series. The Duke of Wildforde's sister Lady Charlotte is the mc in this book. She has been out for a few seasons but hasn't found the right man yet. More like has been waiting for her childhood crush to return so she can claim in.

John Barnesworth her lifelong neighbor has returned from Boston since his brother the Earl was reported to have died. But left his estate in very bad debt and disrepair.

Loved the rekindling of a past relationship that turned into a mature adult relationship. There was a lot of legalities and contracts that the new Earl was being told he was responsible for.. ugh. His brother really was a sweet talking flake..I can't even think of a word for him. Narcissist, maybe.

But John and Charlotte with all the money issues had a hard time trying to find a way to be together.. And just when everything is just right it all falls apart again.

Very much so enjoyed these delightful characters with their scientific pursuits and ideals.

Thank you readforeverpub and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

The second installment in the Rebels with a Cause series, How to Win a Wallflower but the its not woman but rather than man who plays the role in this novel. John is reclusive having left London for the American wilderness and only communicating through written letter. Much to dismay, John finds himself back in London to manage the estate his brother has left in ruin.

Charlotte has secretly pined for John since her youth, and NOW he's back. John just also happens to be her brothers best friend. She's vows to help him with all debts his brother left in his wake. These two scheme their way into gambling rings at balls and halls throughout London. This slow-burn romance is a sure bet.

So safe to assume book #3 will be William's story after he's returned from war, and with the help with Charlotte "Charlie" he's got the zest for life again!

Thank you Forever for the complimentary copy.

When John’s brother suddenly dies he is left with a title he never expected to inherit and more debt than he can comprehend. Lady Charlotte, the younger sister of John’s best friend, has always been in love with John and realizes that this is her opportunity to help him and take his notice. The pair begin sneaking around to gaming houses and raking in winnings to pay off the debts and John realizes that he is just as attracted to Charlotte as she is to him.

I really liked both Charlotte and John. They are seriously a pair of opposites attract and honestly if they were real people I would think they are too opposite for things to work, but in happy romance book land they are perfect for one another. I liked that they both had familial issues that they needed to work through because it put them on more equal ground. I really liked that neither were perfect people, but they were both good at their center. I did find my self growing frustrated toward the end of the book by all the antics and miscommunications that felt thrown in to create a more exciting climax.

Its a small thing, but as someone who had a hyper-fixation on wooden tall ships in the early 1800s, they did not have horns. I was happily reading along until the second to last chapter when the horn on the ship they were on sounded. Fog horns weren’t invented until the 1850s and this book was set in the 1820s. If it had been a bell or maybe a whistle it wouldn’t have mattered but horns require steam which a tall ship doesn’t produce. It was a small detail that took me right out of the story.

Overall I did enjoy the book and will read the next in the series should there be one. Thank you to Forever for the gifted copy and Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upon inheriting a crumbling estate along with the numerous debts his late brother has saddled him with after ha has the audacity to die a sudden death, John sees no alternative but to seek a lady with a large enough dowery to the debts and return the estate to what it should be.
John seeks the help from his best friend's sister Lady Charolette to find a suitable well endowed lady to marry, never expecting to find his feelings for Lady Charolette to be anything more than sisterly,, he finds he is sorely mistaken on this point and many others.
I enjoyed this rollicking fray of Lords and Ladies, some of which are not behaving at all ladylike.. Charolette and John find themselves in some sticky situations as Charolette tries to save him from the fate of marrying her mortal enemy. This book moves along quite rapidly, not letting you miss a single beat, it stays interesting and you just can't wait to see how it all ends!! The characters are well developed, the conversations are quick and witty, and time and place is spectacularly set. I would certainly recommend to all regency romance readers looking for their next best read. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Seductive, scandalous, and entertaining!

How to Win a Wallflower is a playful, heartwarming tale that sweeps you away to London during 1825 and into the life of the shy, handsome, newly appointed Viscount Harrow, John Barnesworth who, after living a quiet life surrounded by his inventions in Boston, returns home to find his family’s estates in shatters and relying on the help of his best friend’s little sister, the beautiful Lady Charlotte Stirling who may have been secretly pining for him for years.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are loyal, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a delightfully enchanting tale full of friendship, family, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, danger, and steamy romance.

Overall, How to Win a Wallflower is an addictive, charming, enticing tale by Parish that I absolutely devoured and which is another fantastic addition to what is hands down one of my all-time favourite historical romance series.

How to Win a Wallflower is an enjoyable historical romance. Samara Parish takes the sibling’s best friend trope and spins it into satisfying story with decent people trying to do the right thing so that everyone can be happy in the end.

3.5/5 stars

Charlotte has a longtime crush on John, her brother Edward’s brainy, socially awkward best friend. John, a second son, recently returned to London from the wilds of Boston upon the death of his older brother. Even though he is now a Viscount, Edward makes it clear that he thinks that John would be a terrible match for his social butterfly sister (who is clearly not a wallflower). But John now has to find a solution to the age old question of how to save a failing estate from ruin: must he marry for money or is there another way? And what can he do about his burgeoning feelings for Charlotte?

It’s clear from the start that Charlotte and John are a good example of opposites who bring out the best in each other. For instance, John has a stutter but not around Charlotte since he’s comfortable with her. Both are unerringly earnest. And, they both adore my favorite character, Newton the charming deerhound.

While both characters always try to do the right thing, neither one seems to have grit when it counts. Even the parts of the story that are supposed to be seedier don’t work as well with this squeaky clean duo. Sometimes it’s a fine line between naïveté and stupidity, which can be frustrating when these characters are billed as highly intelligent.

Even though she was the villain, Luella is one of the more interesting characters and I wish we saw more of her in addition to her quick appearances as a plot device. The reader even misses out on her big scene at the end, which is simply talked about after the fact by other characters. The same holds true for Charlotte’s brother Will, whose injured return from war seems like it could also have been an opportunity to highlight a character with a little more multidimensional depth.

If your perfect escape is a sibling’s best friend historical romance, How to Win a Wallflower fits the bill. Even though it is the third book in this series, it was my first by Samara Parish, and can be read as a stand alone. The plot is entertaining and satisfying, if somewhat predictable. And, by the time Charlotte and John reach their HEA, readers will agree that they deserve it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This romance is the third of a series but it can certainly be read as a standalone. Edward from "How to Deceive a Duke" plays a large role as the brother of Charlotte. Charlotte harbors affection for Edward's childhood friend John. Unfortunately, Edward is very much against their match.
Charlotte and John really have the deck stacked against them. They end up joining forces to deal with all of their problems. They make an incredible team. Unfortunately, there are unexpected complications and a few plot twists before they are able to reach their happy ending.
I especially enjoyed the character of Louella. She was much more than the typical two-dimensional villainess. It would be interesting to see her get a story of her own at some point.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a solid 4.5 book for me.

I loved the story of it. It was very Bridgerton-esque. With a little bit more risk to it. I took very highly to Charlotte as a character. I think she made a wonderful leading lady and I don’t know how you wouldn’t want to read about her.

The plot of the book was good and very well developed. As it progressed so did the character development and I think the pace of all of it was really good as well.

It did become a bit redundant at times when new problems rose because they were all nearly the same. And it was slightly annoying to me that the book was essentially rewriting history with the inventors of things. I wish he was coming up with new inventions and had his own story in that sense.

I also love books that are standalone series also. I didn’t realize this was book 3 in the series but I don’t feel like I missed anything in particular by not reading the first two. And I mean that in a good way. It still provided enough background the events made sense to me. But I definitely want to go read the others.

Will she realize her heart is her home …

This is my first read by the author, so I was a bit curious about her style and way to bring plots and characters together.
I must say the words flow easily, she gives voices to her characters so much they are fleshy and you hurt for them or root for them, whatever their successes or failings.

Charlotte is more than a do-gooder, she is a fixer. she does not stop at handing her coins and time, she needs to know the well fare of whom she has taken charge. She is not one to give up, whatever the circumstances, she fights to right at best she can the wrong she is able to.
John is a genius in his own right, but because of his singularity, he has always been viewed by his kin as embarrassing and thus rejected. Why he is awkward among people and prefers lonesomeness to crowd who enhance his discomfort. Why he wants to have nothing to do with his family’s title.
Alas he must now do with the cards life just handed him.

These are some of my favorite tropes, scholar and opposites attract, as they are two very different persona, a social butterfly and a reclusive, flourishing in a crown when he is overwhelmed and awkward among people.
Yet despite or because of their differences, they are perfect for one another, together they are quite a team, and even if they make mistakes, they are mature enough to accept them. So while on Charlotte’s side, her love for John is a sure thing as she has fallen for him a long time ago, it is him who slowly warm for her, sees her as more than his best friend’s little sister. Her kindness, resourcefulness and determined win him one deed at a time.
Then when they were close to have sorted everything out, with the finish of the book still a bit away, I wondered what kind of shoe would drop to keep them apart. And while it was entertaining, some part of it was quite outstanding and overdone like this chase after one another.
But it did not spoil the pleasure of this read.

I am just a bit dubitative about the title, why wallflower when the heroine in fact was the very opposite, it would have been more accurate to name this book How to Win a Scholar/Genius …
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

3.5 stars rounded up
This is the third book in the series and my first. It's definitely better to read the books in order so you may understand who the characters are and their backstory.

John Barnesworth is the second son and an inventor who lives in Boston. When he's heard news that his brother the viscount has died and left a sizable debt. John must return to England to rectify the debts and become the new viscount. Charlotte is John's Best friend's little sister she has been secretly in love with John her whole life. Her brother Edward is against any love match. Charlotte decides to help John get rid of the debt.

This was a fun book about the Ton. I really liked the writing and the characters. I wished I read the books in order to fully enjoy the book.

IG thanks to Forever Publishing for the ARC of this book. This review is being given honestly and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

CWS: mentions of abusive parents for both MCs, PTSD of a side character, alcoholism and addiction/addictive behavior from a side character

This is book 3 in Samara Parish’s Rebels With a Cause series and features Charlotte and Kohn, two characters previously mentioned in both books. Charlotte is the sister of a Duke and John is his best friend who has been away to America for a few years. Charlotte has been in love with John since she was a child.

This book starts off with John coming home and inheriting the Viscounty from his wastrel of a brother who died. Charlotte fads out he is engaged to her arch nemesis and can’t abide it.

In her quest to help John they start a scheme to get the money he needs quick which leads to spending a lot of time together and this a lot of feelings to spring up. John can’t help but notice his best friends sister is all grown up and more beautiful than ever.

There are quite a few anxiety inducing moments in this book that really had me on edge but I was also loving every minute of it and them! I loved that Charlotte and John got together relatively quick and without trouble/drama or without the ‘your brother said to stay away so let me hurt you to keep you away’ which I absolutely appreciated.

I will say I did not love the third act breakup but I think it was resolved relatively quick. Def recommend this book and will say that it is def okay to read this without having to read the first two (because I haven’t read the first two).

Lady Charlotte is a social butterfly who thrives on being in the thick of a crowd and helping others. John is an inventor and an introvert, forced back into society only when his older brother dies and he inherits the family title. They’re so different, her older brother (who happens to be his best friend) forbids them from being together. But of course, opposites attract.

When John inherits the title, he also inherits all his roguish older brother’s debts. His only solution might be to marry a cruel heiress, and the plot really kicks off when Charlotte begins to help him come up with solutions to get the money in other ways. They pair together to swindle other gamblers, and working together makes them both confront their attraction. Watching it grow into real feelings so naturally made for a really lovely story. There are speedbumps along the way, but they’re so good together, you just know they’ll figure things out despite their many differences.

The parts of the story that focus on John and Charlotte, which is much of the book, truly shine. But the scenes with her brothers had the rare effect of making me feel like I had missed something by not reading the other books in the series first. (I tried! My library didn’t have a copy.) Ned and Will have a rough history, and that really plays into the plot in a huge way. It would have been a great foundation to read Ned’s story first, I think.

Still, I really enjoyed this book. I would absolutely read anything Samara Parish writes.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was my first Samara Parish novel and I can promise you it won't be my last. How to Win a Wallflower is a gender-bending tale of love, loss, lying, and more. Where typically in romance novels the man has to woo the woman who is the wallflower, our main character Charlotte is the extrovert whereas the man catching her eye - John - is the wallflower. Throughout a series of mishaps, John comes back home to take over the house his brother left behind after his untimely death, John discovers that his brother not only left the house but plenty of debt for him as well. He and Charlotte team up to ensure the debts are paid and through their adventures together fall deeper in a love that has been forbidden by Charlotte's guardian and brother.

While the novel introduced a lot of characters at the beginning and it took me a couple chapters to understand who was who, once I got a grasp of the book I could not put it down and finished it in only a few days. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publishers for a copy of the eArc to read via NetGalley!

Walter Barnesworth was a well-liked scoundrel who ran his estates into the ground and left huge debt after he passed suddenly. Now his younger brother John inherits the title and debt, but all he wants to do is return to his quiet life in Boston rather than deal with the ton of London.

Charlotte, darling of the ton, is the younger sister of John’s best friend, Edward Stirling, Duke of Wildeforde. She has always had a crush on John, and now that he’s returned, she hopes to catch his eye, even against the wishes of her brother.

How to Win a Wallflower starts slowly but gains momentum. I loved seeing John and Charlotte get to know one another and figure out that they are better together. He helps her realize she’s not selfish if she wants to take time for herself; she helps him realize that not every aristocrat is a horrible person. They both are so happy together, even when just being friends. Their schemes to raise funds for John are a bit crazy and dangerous, but it’s part of the story and works. I’m glad that they realize the folly of their schemes and eventually stop (after he learned a hard lesson). I was a bit frustrated that there seemed to be a mystery brewing early on, but then it is dropped for much of the story.

There is a huge plot twist that I didn’t see coming and probably should have. It had my heart racing, and I couldn’t stop reading until I knew the couple was together safe and sound. My heart broke for the pair and for each as individuals, which ended up connecting me to their happiness strongly. I also like that those who wrong them get their just desserts, and the pair doesn’t soil themselves in the process.

The ending of the story is too drawn out and ridiculous. It’s fine for what happens to happen once, but then it just goes on and on, bringing the rating down a bit.

Overall, How to Win a Wallflower is an enjoyable read. It took a bit for me to become invested but then I hit a point where I couldn’t put it down.

My Rating: B

This was my first book by Samara Parish. I enjoyed Charlotte and John's story, but I also found myself invested in the other characters. I'll definitely be reading more by this author.

We were charmed by this "brother's best friend" romance. The only thing we were a little unsure about was the title: you see, Charlotte is the opposite of a wallflower. She's the life of every party and champions every cause, and not just because she feels a sense of noblesse oblige; she actually loves it. ⁠
⁠
So really, the wallflower here is John. He's a reclusive genius who, despite being a viscount's son, lives in solitude in the American wilderness, communicating with his collaborators through letters. Unfortunately for him, upon his brother's death, he inherits the debt-ridden title, so he's back in town. ⁠
⁠
Charlotte's been gone on him since forever, so she hatches scheme after scheme to get his estate in order without his having to resort to marrying her social archnemesis: heiress Lady Letitia. These schemes include: gambling at balls! Gambling at hells! And (of course) marrying a DIFFERENT heiress (i.e. Charlotte). ⁠We really enjoyed seeing these two finally get together.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.