Reviewed for THC Reviews"4.5 stars" It Happened One Autumn was another great book in the Wallflowers series. As with the first book of the series though, it got off to a somewhat slow start for me. The first half or so of the book is primarily character driven relying heavily on internal conflicts. I'm not really a big fan of love/hate relationships or of the hero and heroine holding each other at arms length for an extended period of time. It seemed like the early part of the book was pretty much a circular cycle of Marcus and Lillian having a passionate encounter, fighting their feelings because they think they're wholly unsuited for one another, and then arguing a bit, with a side dish of St. Vincent occasionally thrown in for good measure. I don't mean to make it sound boring, because it really wasn't. Overall, it was well-written, but I felt like there was a dash of something missing. Once Marcus and Lillian finally stopped fighting fate, things really got going and then with the exciting plot twist in the final chapters, I was thoroughly into the story.Even though I wished there had been a little more action in the early parts of the book, there were still other things that kept the story fun and interesting. I really enjoyed the light banter between Marcus and his sister, Olivia, as well as the sisterly exploits of Lillian and Daisy. There were a couple of amusing side plots that had me grinning from ear-to-ear, one involving a supposedly aphrodisiac perfume and its effects on a couple of the ladies' love lives, and the other involving a conversation between the men about how often was often enough to have sex. The dynamic of the wallflowers was delightfully breezy, continuing the lighter tone of the series. I still adore Evie and if things work out for her the way I hope, I still think she will probably become my favorite wallflower. I also enjoyed Daisy with her love of books and a more cerebral curiosity. The sexual tension between Marcus and Lillian was very nicely done. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing Annabelle and Simon (Secrets of a Summer Night), and Gideon and Olivia (Again the Magic) still madly in love. Marcus is definitely going to be awarded a spot near the top of my favorite romance heroes list. He was very protective of Lillian right from the start, and although he didn't always address his concerns for her safety in the most diplomatic way possible, he wasn't averse to apologizing and behaving in what I would characterize as a very magnanimous manner once his temper cooled. I was very impressed with how intuitive Marcus was in recognizing when Lillian was feeling ill, and the gentlemanly way that he helped her. In fact, there were a number of times that Marcus cared for Lillian in a tremendously sweet and tender way, and he was also a thoroughly attentive lover, all of which was quite swoon-worthy. Marcus was a man whose heritage and responsibilities as an earl weighed very heavily on his shoulders, but when he opened his heart, it was like opening a floodgate of passion that was buried beneath his reserved surface which was absolutely irresistible. The way he handled his horrible mother had me cheering him on every minute, and I loved the soft spot he had for both of his sisters and how he treated them with such kindness and respect. Overall, Marcus was a near-perfect romance hero, and in my opinion, one of the best Lisa Kleypas has ever penned which is saying a lot since all of her heroes have been pretty yummy so far.As with Annabelle in the first book of the series, it took a little while for me to warm up to Lillian. Early on, she could be pretty stubborn and difficult, even resorting to doing something flat-out stupid merely to rebel against Marcus's perceived intrusion into her life, even though he was only looking out for her well-being. There were times when she still didn't seem to be above doing whatever it took to get what she wanted which seemed a little childish to me. I realize that she became frustrated by Marcus's seeming indecision and that she genuinely liked St. Vincent at the time, but to me, it felt like she was only seeing him to spite Marcus. Lillian also had the habit of vociferously confronting Marcus, sometimes about things he had actually done, but other times, based on nothing more than false assumptions. I could understand her wanting to be involved in any marriage plans and desiring for Marcus to say he truly loved her, but when she was still upset with him (at least momentarily) even after he had made the most beautiful marriage proposal ever, I thought she seemed a bit shrewish. Thankfully, most of her “episodes” were fairly short-lived, which allowed her to slowly grow on me as the story progressed. I came to admire her independent streak that made her stand up for herself against Marcus's mother. It also helped her to keep her head and take action when the unexpected happened. It's readily apparent that she cares deeply for her sister, Daisy, and the other wallflowers too. Not to mention, she had some moments that were more placid and humorous such as when she imbibed a bit too much brandy, which was another scene that had me laughing.Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent, was a secondary character in It Happened One Autumn, but a very important one. Before picking up this book, I had repeatedly heard from other readers that he was the villain of this story. For quite a while, I kept wondering why, because although he maybe seemed a bit too suave on occasion, for someone who was a self-proclaimed dissolute rake-hell, he was quite charming and behaved in a gentlemanly way toward Lillian. He even had good chemistry with her, but knowing that both of their romantic destinies lay elsewhere, I couldn't invest myself in anything that happened between them. I also couldn't help feeling that their scenes took away time that she could have been spending with Marcus. In any case, Sebastian got quite the introduction in this book, and I almost wondered a few times if he wasn't subtlety trying to push Marcus and Lillian together using reverse psychology. Perhaps I was reading too much into that though, because an unexpected plot twist, completely altered my opinion of him. By the end of the story, I wasn't liking him well at all anymore, and I have to say that Lisa Kleypas will have to pull off a small miracle to get me to forgive his duplicity. Of course, if anyone can do that it would probably be Ms. Kleypas, and I'm eager to find out exactly how she manages it, and if like so many other fans, I fall madly in love with him too.;-)It Happened One Autumn is book #2 in the Wallflowers series. It is preceded by Secrets of a Summer Night, and followed by Devil in Winter, Scandal in Spring, and A Wallflower Christmas. I may have had a few minor issues, but the combination of a strong story, a thoroughly lovable and yummy hero, and an exciting conclusion, has earned it a spot on my keeper shelf next to the first book of the series. With a cliffhanger of an epilogue for Sebastian and Evie, I don't think I'll be able to wait long to get started on their book.
5++ stars – Historical RomanceWOW! I loooved this second installment in Kleypas’s extraordinary Wallflowers series about four very different young ladies in Victorian era England society whose deep bond of friendship sustains them through the trials and tribulations of life, family, relationships, and love. Wealthy American heiress Lillian Bowman is fiercely independent, strong-willed, feisty, daring, obstinate, brash, honest, outspoken, free-spirited, opinionated...pretty much everything lacking and undesirable in a proper English bride befitting of someone as renowned as London’s most sought after bachelor, Marcus, Lord Westcliff. That’s just fine by Lillian, because the last thing she wants is a domineering, stuffy, snobby, dogmatic, pompous aristocrat for a husband. But it doesn’t take long before sparks fly and fireworks explode between the two stubborn rivals who have a lot more in common than either of them wants to admit, and their intense attraction and volatile passion soon becomes too strong to ignore. Boy oh boy did I love these two willful hardheads together! Talk about powerful, electric zing-chemistry...Marcus and Lillian had it in spades! I enjoyed their sarcastic, witty banter and spirited arguments, and their smoldering hot passion scorched the pages. But most of all, I loved the tender, romantic moments (like the scene below) that demonstrated how perfect Marcus and Lillian are together.Marcus, Lord Westcliff:“Rest. You’ll need to regain your strength...because once we’re married, I won’t be able to leave you alone. I’ll want to love you every hour, every minute of the day.” He nestled her more closely against him. “There is nothing on earth more beautiful to me than your smile...no sound sweeter than your laughter...no pleasure greater than holding you in my arms. I realized today that I could never live without you, stubborn little hellion that you are. In this life and the next, you’re my only hope of happiness. Tell me, Lillian, dearest love...how can you have reached so far inside my heart?” He paused to kiss her damp silken skin...and smiled as the wisp of a feminine snore broke the peaceful silence.It Happened One Autumn is a remarkable, intensely romantic, and enchanting read that will hold a top place on my keeper shelf for years to come! Verrry big 5 stars! And just for fun and laughs, I had to capture the hilarious scene between the wallflower gals discussing, or perhaps more accurately, vehemently dismissing, Evie’s rather portly cousin Eustace being her one and only marital prospect.“Wait a minute,” Daisy said suspiciously, coming to Lillian’s side. “We’ve met Evie’s cousin Eustace before. Lillian, do you remember the ball at Winterbourne House?” Her eyes narrowed accusingly. “He was the one who broke the chair, wasn’t he, Evie?”Evie confirmed Daisy’s question with an inarticulate murmur.“Good God!” Lillian exclaimed, “you are not considering marrying him, Evie!”Annabelle wore a puzzled expression. “How did he break the chair? Does he have a foul temper? Did he throw it?”“He broke it by sitting on it,” Lillian said with a scowl.“Cousin Eustace is rather l-large boned,” Evie admitted. “Cousin Eustace has more chins than I’ve got fingers,” Lillian said impatiently. “And he was so busy filling his face during the ball that he couldn’t be bothered to make conversation.”“When I went to shake his hand,” Daisy added, “I came away with a half-eaten wing of roast chicken.”“He forgot that he was holding it,” Evie said apologetically. “He did say he was sorry for ruining your glove, as I recall.”Daisy frowned. “That didn’t bother me nearly as much as the question of where he was hiding the rest of the chicken.”BUWAHAhaHAhahaha!!!! That scene just flat-out cracked me up! :)
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'Wallflowers' series will always be my first love in historical romance. And even though I've only read the first two books so far, I have this distinct feeling that I will forever cherish these stories, the romances and the wonderful characters. With this book, we're told the story of Lord Westcliff, close friend of Simon Hunt -the previous book's hero- and Lillian Bowman, the sharp-tongued wallflower. Lord Westcliff, I already loved from the previous book. Sure, he was cynical, seemed to be a
—Gokce ~Muslin Myst~
Why are the best books the hardest to review? I'm not sure I can come up with enough superlatives for this one, the second book in Lisa Kleypas's magical Wallflowers series. I think she hit the ball out of the park with this humorous, emotional, romantic read!I had my doubts coming into this, after reading Secrets of a Summer Night. In that book Marcus, Lord Westcliff (most eligible bachelor in England), was such an uptight, humorless stick-in-the-mud--how was I going to fall for him in his own book? Ahh, but LK did a 180 with his character, giving us his whole backstory (including brutal childhood), and I got to understand him, and fall in love with him right along with the heroine, American soap heiress Lillian Bowman.Now, Lillian--I loved this girl despite (or maybe because) she was so opinionated, headstrong, irreverent, stubborn, sharp-tongued, funny,--and she took no guff from the button-downed, often arrogant Westcliff. Oh how they battled! Their arguing and sniping masked a heap of sexual tension between the two. He wanted her but hated that he did; she wanted him but hated that she did! You knew something had to give--who would be the first to break down and do something about it?There were many, many scenes in this book that either made me laugh or made me sigh in satisfaction. Laughing? Any of the many conversations between Lillian and the other Wallflowers (Annabelle, Evie, Daisy--they had such fun together), but especially between Lillian and younger sister Daisy and the experiments with the perfume that Lillian insisted worked as an aphrodesiac. I also got a chuckle out of Westcliff and his friends (Hunt, St. Vincent, Shaw) discussing the frequency of their sexual liasons, and the time Hunt caught Westcliff and Lillian in a compromising position and teased him about his "once a week" beliefs.The sighing? When Westcliff decides to give Lillian a few pointers about how to bat; their first kiss while hiding behind the hedgerow; the scene in the Butterfly Court (smokin' hot); the scene with the pear brandy (funny and scorching hot); when Westcliff professes his feelings and tells Lillian that she can be whoever she wants to be as long as she's with him; the poached pear scene (yowza!); and finally, when Westcliff stands up to his viper of a mother and tells her where to go! Yay, Marcus!As usual, Kleypas's story is superbly written, with vivid descriptions of the characters, the food (the calf's head!), the clothing, and Westfield's beautiful estate of Stony Cross Park. Kleypas leaves no stone unturned in her storytelling--the characters backstories and every emotion are all layed out for the reader to enjoy--I felt that I was right there in the 1840s English countryside, witnessing it all.Now LK threw a bit of a curveball that I didn't see coming, regarding St. Vincent (who I was liking just fine), that made me dislike him. Now how is she going to redeem him in his book (Devil in Winter)? I can't wait to find out! I don't know if she can top this one, which earns 5 big stars!Westcliff (as I see him)...
—Auntee
Miss Annabelle Payton, Miss Lillian Bowman, Miss Evangeline Jenner and Miss Daisy Bowman are regular sights at the peripheral of a ballroom. Each young lady has their own difficulties making them untenable prospects to the bachelors of the ton. However, they strike up an unlikely friendship each vowing to help the others out to find a husband by means fair and foul. After Annabelle’s successful marriage to Mr Hunt, it is now the turn of the dollar princess, Miss Lillian Bowman, she is both irreverent and bold, and she views the lords of the realm as insufferable bores, most especially the stuffy Lord Westcliff...Another fine addition to the Wallflower quartet, the story of Miss Lillian Bowman and Marcus, Lord Westcliff is a lively, funny and romantic story. I loved both the characters, and although at first they seem like complete opposites, with Westcliff giving a very austere impression and Lillian being very outgoing, I thought that under the surface they had similar characteristics, both domineering, stubborn, convinced they are always right, prideful, and had the tendency to hide their feelings behind various facades. But that seems to give them a rather negative character assessment, but that is far from the truth, they are also both fiercely loyal with lively and caring personalities. The romance between the two was inevitable, and was started really in “Secrets of a Summer Night,” as demonstrated by the rounder-in-knickers incident *giggles in remembrance* They are both drawn to each other despite the rather low opinions they have of one another at the beginning. Westcliff thinks that Lillian is an abrasive, ill mannered, savage; however, I wonder how much of his rather unreasonable hostility was a defence mechanism, and Lillian thought he was an autocratic boring brute, although it seems that is more a reaction to his behaviour. I like how as they both get to know each other, they begin to realize they are more then they appear and perhaps they are exactly what the other needs, despite of and maybe because of their flaws. As well as romantic relationships, you also see the group of friends, the wallflowers, come together again, I love seeing their friendship blossom and continue, and the cast of different characters in this series is, apart from the romances, one of the best things about it. You get to see the continuation of Annabelle and Simon’s HEA and the further character development of both Evie and Daisy in preparation for their own books.There was also in the introduction of the infamous rake Lord St. Vincent, one of LK’s most famous heroes. He is a rather notorious scoundrel and rake, and despite his physical charms and his “animal magnetism” a very cold and immoral person. He plays the part of villain in this book, but is there anything but self interest and hatred below pretty facade, hmmm, I guess I will have to read on to find out...Again in this book, the writing was witty and funny in both the dialogue and storytelling, it keeps you engaged, effortlessly giving you a window into the Wallflowers world. I would recommend this to all Lisa Kleypas fans, and those who love historical romance. It is well written, with well fleshed out characters that feel like old friends and a believable love story.
—Suzanne the Mighty (Under the Covers Book blog)
