ow to Win a Wallflower is the 3rd book in Samara Parish’s Rebels with a Cause Series
But in this case the wallflower is our hero! Let me explain:
John Barnesworth returns to London from Boston upon the death of his older brother Walter , Viscount Harrow only to find that the estates are deeply, deeply in debt and that the only way to get them out of debt might mean marrying a heiress or honoring a betrothal contract his brother made before he died.
Lady Charlotte, is the sister of Johns best friend Edward, Duke of Wildforde from book #2 and has had a crush on John since forever.
John has a bit of a stutter, social anxiety, is awkward in social occasions and would prefer to just stay at home and work on his inventions. I also believe he is a bit on the spectrum.
Charlotte is a social butterfly, acts at her brother’s hostess (even though he is married), dances every dance, and volunteers to head up any charity event she’s ask to.
How could such opposites attract? Charlotte’s brother is quick to remind her that they don’t and to not think of John in that way. But maybe if Charlotte helps John navigate the social season he’ll get to know her and then…. So you see John’s the Wallflower!
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It had components I love:
-Hero is bookish, had a shitty childhood, realizes best friend sister is all grown up now, 2nd son inherits a title they don’t want.
-Heroine has had a (not so) secret crush for years, has refused numerous proposals on the hope she will find true love
-Hero need heroine’s help and they work together and start to fall in love.
But the issue I have is that there was too much of a side story going on that took us away from the romance. The author re-introduces William, Edward and Charlotte’s brother who was basically banished to the military by Edward in book 2. He’s back and he is not in good shape, mentally or physically and he is also really pissed at his brother, and in debit to a gaming house from before his banishment!! Of which Charlotte decides that she has to figure out how to fix since William is in no condition to fix it himself. Although his debit does give our MCs an idea on how to get John out of debit it’s just too much side story for me. Most of it could have been left to the next book in the series which I assume will be William’s story.
Sound confusing? It was and by this time in the book I’m just scratching my head and thinking “when are we going to get back to the romance and some sex”?
I was also very frustrated by what was staring them right in the face to help John get out of debt. Charlotte talks about her huge dowry, it may not quite be enough but it’s a huge chunk. Her brother may not thinking she and John would be right for each other, but they don’t even try to talk to him about it.
Basically there’s a lot going on in this book and that doesn’t even take in the huge twist at about the 75% mark which , I have to admit, was pretty good and I didn’t see coming.
So my quandary is that I did like a good portion of this book so I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. And if your reading the series you do want to read this one before they next one comes out. But I will say that as far as this series goes it’s my least favorite so far.
BTW, even though this could be a stand alone, I think you will understand the the relationships and issues between everyone if you read book 2 first.
Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read the eArc via NetGalley for my honest review.

This is book 3 in the Rebels with a Cause series and follows Charlotte, the Duke from book 2’s sister. She was my favorite character in that book so I was very excited to read this one!

John’s brother dies leaving him with a mountain of debt and a fiancé John doesn’t want. Charlotte has always had a crush on her brother’s best friend, John, but her brother forbids their marriage.

I loved getting to know these characters more - Charlotte has such a sweet, helpful heart. There were some side stories going on which I think if you didn’t read at least Book 2, you might get bored with. So I’d definitely recommend reading the rest of the series!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

After living and working in America for years, John Barnesworth is back in England, but not by choice. His older brother Walter, who was unmarried, has died, making John the new Viscount Harrow. John has no desire to stay in England, he plans to quickly set the estate to rights and return to Boston, but that was before he learned his brother has bankrupted the estate, leaving a mountain of debt and the pièce de résistance – he signed a betrothal contract for the “Viscount Harrow” to marry Lady Luella, harpy of the first order. And if all this wasn’t bad enough – he finds himself attracted to his best friend, Edward the Duke of Wildeford’s little sister, Lady Charlotte Stirling, AND being warned off by the aforementioned duke. John has no idea how he is going to fix this mess, but one thing he knows for sure, there is no way he is going to marry Lady Luella.

Lady Charlotte has turned down at least twenty proposals over the last four years, not because she doesn’t want to marry, but because she hasn’t found the right man, which might be because he was living in America. Charlotte had had a secret tender for John for many years and was a bit heartbroken when he left England. But now he is back and even though her brother is telling her that John is not right for her and that she won’t be happy with the shy inventor, she can’t stop wanting him. When she learns that he may have to marry her nemesis, Lady Luella to save the estate, she hatches a plan that will enable him to pay off the debts without having to marry, unless he wants to (hint, hint) and it will also enable her to save her other brother, William out of a bind. She shares her idea with John, who is resistant at first, but then agrees to give it a try, and even though they are complete opposites; she is a social butterfly and he is happiest alone, they have a chemistry that cannot be denied and together they make an unbeatable team. But just when it seems like all their problems are about to be solved and HEA is within their reach, everything starts to fall apart and their love will be put to the test.

This was an interesting read that uses some tried and true tropes like opposites attract and forbidden love. John and Charlotte are very relatable and easy to like, making it almost impossible not to root for them in their quest for HEA. The book has a lot going on; secrets, lies, drug/alcohol addictions, characters with self-esteem issues, questionable choices, warm love scenes, nail-biting moments, surprises, shocks, and a comedy of errors leading to a HEA. It was a good read, but frankly, it seemed a bit too much at times, especially at the end when it really started to unravel – seriously, it was over the top. But, despite the ending, I did enjoy the story and would definitely recommend it. This is the third book in the series, but you could easily read it as a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

This is the third book in the 1820’s England Rebels with a Cause series but I read it as a stand alone and enjoyed it. Now I’m going to read the first two as well. Lady Charlotte, daughter and sister of a duke, is beloved by all for her outgoing and kind nature and her many good deeds. As the 4th season after her “come out” moves on, Char remains unmarried even though she had many offers. She’s had a crush on her brother’s childhood friend and next door neighbor, John Barnesworth, second son of a Viscount. Charlotte has been secretly holding out for John as she wants a love match, despite that he lived in a secluded cabin outside of Boston, USA. After John’s older brother dies, he returns to England to assume the title of Viscount Harrow. She’s outgoing and lively, he’s an introvert and greatly embarrassed by his stutter. She’s a force of nature and he’s a handsome and nice man who just want to payoff his brother’s outrageous debts and return to Boston. What could go wrong?! I enjoyed how these two very different t people fought for and found their way to each other.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

For Lady Charlotte Stirling, her brother's friend John Barnesworth has always been the one, but he's never seen her as anything other than his friend's little sister. After being in America for so long, he's returned to discover he has inherited the title, and has a responsibility to the estate. He needs help, and turns to Edward and Fiona, and to Charlotte, indirectly. The estate is in tatters, and he needs money to save the title after his brother's mismanagement. Honouring the engagement with Lady Luella as the fiancee of Viscount Harrow, he knows that her dowry will be enough to rectify the debts, but he can't stand the lady herself, and she seems to have a personal vendetta against Charlotte.

When I saw who the main characters were going to be in this book, I knew it would be a good one. The few scenes of Charlotte and John in How to Deceive the Duke were enough to whet the appetite, and I'm happy to say that this book lived up to expectations. Charlotte has been the perfect lady for so long, helping others and doing whatever she could for her brother. But she needed to be able to be herself, and with John, she could be. I hated the actions of Walter, John's brother, and Lady Luella. Just when you thought that John and Charlotte could be happy together, another spanner was thrown in the works. Honestly, I didn't know how they would be able to be together with how it was going, especially in the last 15% or so. It was slightly stressful waiting for the next scene, but the ending more than made up for it. Charlotte and John's romance was perfect for them, and I'm so happy they got their happy ending!

3.5 Stars

This book evoked a lot of emotions, some felt very vital to the story, others just left me completed frustrated. There we’re definitely times when I wanted to absolutely throttle the FMC.

This book did have an amazing twist that I was not expecting, but the run around at the end of the book felt confusing and almost jumbled. The way the intimacy was handled in this book was also a little confusing. Closed door to open door to closed door again.

Readers could read this as a standalone, but the previous events of the prior books (especially #2) are heavily referred to.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to try this new book by Samara Parish, a relatively new author to HR. I didn't realize at first that this was book 3 in a series, but Parish did a good job at making everything easy to understand without having read books 1 and 2.

Our main characters are Charlotte Stirling and John Barnesworth, a viscount. Charlotte is a social butterfly, while John is more introverted. He is a brilliant scientist and inventor. I wonder is Parish intended for him to be neurodivergent? Anyway, Charlotte has always had a crush on John, so when he returns to England from America to inherit a debt ridden viscountcy, she decides to help him earn funds so he won't have to marry her enemy, the cruel bully Luella.

What I liked about this book is that it seemed that there were a lot of odds the couple had to face before they could be together. There were the debts needing to be paid, Luella, and Charlotte's brother Edward coming betwern them. Despite that, they were determined to be together. I also love how sweet John was, and his dog, of course. The proposal scene was just adorable.

Another thing I liked was how Parish tried to make Luella more sympathetic. At the beginning, I hated her, but I quickly realized that she was suffering on the inside. At the end, she managed to somewhat redeem herself. I wonder if a book is in store for her, and I'd be interested to read it.

The only reason I docked a star was that I felt like the end was stretched out a bit, and that the conflicts could be ended sooner. Despite that, it was a solid HR and I am interested in reading books 1 and 2.

I haven't read the remainder of this series but now I need to. In some way, it feels like this historical romance also tackles mental health in a very modern way? It's not at all a central plot point but as someone with MH struggles, I felt very supported reading this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This was my first ever historical romance, and I’m not going to lie, I quite enjoyed it! It gave me all the regency vibes that I was expecting, and I felt transported to another era!

I thought the characters were really interesting, and I found the story and plot quite good as well! This book gave me grumpy/sunshine vibes as well as brother's friend, and I really liked how this also felt like a bit of a slow burn! There was some miscommunication in this book, but I thought it was well done and was really well wrapped up. I especially loved the ending.

I found that there was a lot going on in this story, but it kept me intrigued the whole time. I really liked Charlotte's and John’s relationship; I really liked how this was very much an opposites attract kind of story, and I liked the pace of their relationship and how it developed gradually, as well as how they helped each other with their problems. I really liked Charlotte despite finding her to be a bit naive at times; I thought she was really smart and it was really nice to see her learn and grow into the women she is.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be checking out the other books in this series 🥰

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Samara Parish for this ARC! Out December 13th!

3.75⭐️

This is the third in the Rebels with a Cause series and this involves the sister of Duke from How to Deceive a Duke. The title is misleading because Lady Charlotte Stirling is not a wallflower. She is a social butterfly, taking up every cause, invited to every ball. She does take an interest in helping the wallflowers. John Barnesworth returns to London when his brother dies unexpectedly. He is an inventor and businessman. After inheriting his new title he learns his brother has bankrupted the estates and it falls on him to save them. There is an heiress with a dowry but Charlotte has other ideas.

Charlotte has been in love with John since she was a child and wants to help him in any way she can. She also has reasons of her own to make extra money. The plot is very complicated with additional twists coming just when you think things are getting resolved. I’m honestly not sure these two should be together as they genuinely want different things. They are both willing to change and make sacrifices for love especially Charlotte.

Some plot points get dropped along the way. The Duke’s opposition to their marriage, the brothers serious health issues, and I lost track if there were gambling debts to be paid back after the beating. This book doesn’t flow easily. And Charlotte herself seems very naive for her years. Very clueless about intimacy but then boldly spending nights away from home. It wasn’t consistent. I enjoyed the story but if I hadn’t read the author previously I’m not sure this book alone would have me anxiously waiting for the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 3 of the Rebels with a Cause series

We have our duke's sister Charlotte, who's the younger sister of the main guy from Book 2 and she's in her like 4th Season and uninterested in any suitors. She mostly spends her time helping her brother's political causes and charitable causes. Charlotte is the ultimate do-gooder social butterfly. Also, she's not the wallflower in this story.

No that goes to our guy John who is Charlotte's brother's friend who has spent the past ten years away from the London scene, working on his various scientific inventions. He's back in town though because his older brother died, leaving him as the new viscount and in a whole heck of a lot of debt. John needs to figure out a way to pay off all these debts, so he can go back to his very solitary lifestyle in a cabin in the woods.

Charlotte's had a crush on John for years and years, so she decides to help him with his debt problem. They need to work together and they get closer, even though our dear brother duke has already warned each person away from the other. We'll see how that actually turns out...

How to Win a Wallflower is the third book in Samara Parish’s Rebels with a Cause historical romance series. This is Charlotte’s story, and it’s a lovely opposites-attract romance between her and her brother’s friend John, who has recently returned to England after several years away. During that time, Charlotte has received and declined two marriage proposals.

When John inherits his brother’s title and returns from Canada to clean up the financial mess his brother made, he realizes he is in worse financial straights than he imagined. Luckily, Charlotte, who has cared for John for many years, sees this as an opportunity to help him. Charlotte is a fixer, ad she proposes a risky plan to help John. As the pair enters the gambling arena to win enough money to pay John’s debt, they also resist their growing but forbidden feelings for each other.

John and charlotte have a lovely opposites attract, brother’s best friend romance. Charlotte has loved John for so long, and John is now seeing Charlotte in a new light. She’s no longer the little sister of his best friend, but a beautiful, vivacious woman, and he finds her hard to resist. It’s lovely to see his feelings change and grow. They have such a great connection, and even though they’re opposite in many ways, they fit.

John helps Charlotte see certain things about herself. He gives her the confidence to seek her own happiness. Charlotte is so helpful and giving and altruistic, and she always puts her own feelings and wants behind others. It’s nice to see her assert her own wishes, and I love that John encourages her. He is a man who sees Charlotte for who she is not what she can do for him, and that’s unusual for her. There’s a scene in the book where it shows how perfect they are for each other and says, “Where she was weak, he was strong. What he lacked, she had in abundance,” and I just love that. They are so different in many ways, yet they complement each other well.

I enjoyed the book and thought the story had a lot of layers. Ultimately, it’s about the relationship between John and Charlotte, but it’s also about family and friendship, taking risks, and fighting for those you love. The characters struggle with addictions, expectations, peril, and PTSD. It definitely highlights many of the issues that were prevalent at the time, and many that continue to plague people today. I’m eager to read the next book in the series, especially after seeing the pain and suffering Charlotte’s brother has endured since the first book. I have a feeling his story will be really moving.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

DNF at 15%

While I had DNF'd Samara Parish's debut novel earlier in the year, I had heard from several reviewers that I trust that her second release had vastly improved upon the first. Therefore, I figured I was safe to pick up How to Win a Wallflower when I saw it on NetGalley.

This book started out lukewarm for me, but I figured that I could persevere and that things would improve as we got the exposition out of the way. However, once we got to the introduction of the over-the-top villains, I couldn't deal with it anymore. I'm DNF'ing this book as I am realizing that Parish and I might not be the best fit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was different then most. In a mostly positive way.
Charlotte has been infatuated with John since he used to visit her brother at their estate. But John has been in America for years.
John did not want to return to England but he had no choice with his brothers death. Now that he is back he must deal with his brothers massive debts. But charlotte has a plan.
I liked John and Charlotte together but I feel like the plan was too drawn out and slowed down the book a little.
I feel like the ending was dragged out a little too long as well but overall I enjoyed this book.

I adored this book! Charlotte is so easy to love and I championed her personal growth, learning to accept she has worth without needing to constantly pander to others. John is truly good man who has never felt he fit in with society due to a stutter which affects his confidence. Watching him come to life in Charlotte’s company was magical.

The progression of their friendship and romance was a real joy to watch and I was dying for them to get a happy ending.

I've loved all of the books and couples in this series, but John and Charlotte may just be my favourite.

I've discovered a new author to follow! Thanks to Net Galley for this advanced copy, I made sure to read the other two books before this one. While they are mainly standalone in terms of the overall storyline, the characters and secondary stories are intertwined enough to recommend starting from book 1. I've realized that Samara Parish really makes these characters work for their relationship and when things go bad, they ARE BAD. I binged this series because I was so invested in the characters. It also made me think about some of the great inventions during that time and how much of it was truth or not. I think having an author's note would be a great addition, especially given that her characters are all involved in STEM in some way. John and Charlotte are very much opposite and this grumpy/sunshine couple is so cute I couldn't help but smile every time they are together. The secondary storyline was definitely a lot darker and I am hoping that it results in a book 4!! I did have some unanswered questions on some things regarding societal protocol but overall it was an entertaining enjoyable read, with you feeling empathetic towards these very human characters and I appreciate that some 9f the "villains" are not 1 dimensional. I am a bit torn on the ending and whether I enjoyed how it played out but it was definitely fun to visualize. Also, there is a Scottish Deerhound featured in the story, and who doesn't love a wolf-sized puppy?!

Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️❤️❤️

John is a second son who stutters, and therefore is not appreciated by his family. Charlotte is a social butterfly who has always loved John. When John, a brilliant physicist, inherits his father’s title he enlists Charlotte to help him restore the family coffers and name. The wallflower in the book is John not Charlotte. As he learns to be more comfortable around the ton he starts to think he and Charlotte might just work together permanently. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Forever for my honest review.

Brother's best friend is one of my favourite tropes in historical romance and "How to Win a Wallflower" delivered it quite meticulously. John and Charlotte's love story was easy to read and easy to feel their emotions.

4.5/5 stars
2/5 spice
Lots of plots and twists in this fun regency romance

The wallflower in this book is actually the MMC, John, who suffers from social anxiety and stutters when nervous. Charlotte, while the social butterfly of the ton and unfailingly kind, is also a massive people pleaser. John would prefer to stick to his inventions and 5 close friends instead of taking care of his late brother's debts and fiancée. Charlotte, being the helper that she is, can't help trying to rescue her childhood crush from an awful situation.

Their escapades were entertaining and full of twists. I greatly enjoyed seeing them bond and grow closer together as friends and eventually fall in love. There are A LOT of plot twists in this book that you keep wondering "What's going to happen next?!" It definitely kept me turning the pages...

Great for fans of Bridgerton and historical regency romance. This is the 3rd book in a series but works as a standalone.

Tropes:
Friends to lovers
Grumpy/Sunshine
Opposites attract
Age gap
Carriage fun 👅

CW/TW: Bullying, emotional abuse discussed, PTSD from war, violence, sexual content and dialog

Thank you Netgalley and Forever/ Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.

I’m a sucker for a cute wallflower novel and this was completely adorable. I enjoyed the pace and humor.