Wallflower Most Wanted by Manda Collins Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on January 30th 2018
Pages: 320
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THE PICTURE OF ROMANCE
A dedicated painter, Miss Sophia Hastings is far more concerned with finding the right slant of light than in finding Mr. Right. But when an overhead conversation hints at danger for another local artist, Sophia is determined to get involved. Even it means accepting help from an impossibly good-looking vicar who insists on joining her investigation—and threatens to capture her heart…
Reverend Lord Benedick Lisle knows that Sophia is no damsel in distress. But he won’t allow her to venture into peril alone, either. . .especially since he finds Sophia’s curious, free-spirited nature so alluring. But protecting her from harm is becoming more difficult than the vicar could have expected as he and Sophia confront their fiery mutual passion. Who could have known that the art of love would prove so irresistible?
I received Wallflower Most Wanted for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I’ll admit I was a little hesitant about reading a love story about a vicar. In my mind, when I think of a vicar I think of creepy Mr. Collins from Pride & Prejudice. This man isn’t any vicar. He is Reverend Lord Benedict Lisle, second son of the Duke of Pemberton. He was introduced to the Studies in Scandal series in book two and I liked him, so I was willing to step out of my reading comfort zone and give him a chance.
Once Ben found the woman he was meant to be with falling off a ten foot cliff, I knew this wouldn’t be any ordinary love story. Miss Sophia Hastings was lucky Ben was walking along the beach that day. The fall and the overheard conversation set the pair off in search of a forgery ring and love.
Sophia is one of four young ladies whom inherited Beauchamp House from the late Lady Celeste Beauchamp. Her artistic talent and ability to show the world thought provoking pieces caught the eye of Lady Celeste, earning Sophia a place at Beauchamp House. Just like her fellow heiresses, Lady Celeste left Sophia a mystery to solve. Find the perpetrators swindling art lovers by selling forgeries through a local gallery.
Ben and Sophia tangle up in each other as they work to find the culprits. I would’ve thought a vicar would show more restraint than Ben did when it came to his affections toward Sophia. Turns out even vicars have a libido that runs wild when confronted with beauty and brains all embedded in one woman. It made for one wild ride for the vicar and the artist! I was on edge thinking “Will he or won’t he?” When Sophia needed to, she gave him the little push he needed. I gave her a virtual high five for going after what she wanted.
While this is the third in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I do highly recommend reading the first two installments, Ready Set Rogue, Ivy and Quill’s story, and Duke with Benefits, Daphne and Dalton’s story. The series is not over yet! Book four, One for the Rogue, Gemma and Cameron’s story, is set for release June 26th, 2018!
Read my review of DUKE WITH BENEFITS.
About Manda Collins
Manda Collins spent her teen years wishing she’d been born a couple of centuries earlier, preferably in the English countryside. Time travel being what it is, she resigned herself to life with electricity and indoor plumbing, and read lots of books. An affinity for books led to a graduate degree in English, followed by another in Librarianship. By day, she works as an academic librarian at a small liberal arts college, where she teaches college students how to navigate the tangled world of academic research. A native of coastal Alabama, Manda lives in the house her mother grew up in with two cats, sometimes a dog, sometimes her sister, and always lots of books.
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