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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this a lot, and obviously Lisa Kleypas is a terrific writer; however, I wasn't crazy about the hero. I didn't mind Annabelle, to me she was just slightly boring but Simon was too....sensitive for me? I don't know I felt like he kind of jumped into his proposal to Annabelle. I mean one scene he asks her to be a mistress, and the next he's proposing marriage and becomes this devoted husband over night. I did enjoy aspects of their romance but I felt like the friendship between the wallflowers largely overshadowed them. Nevertheless, I recommend this book and still really enjoyed it.
Ugh, I hated the prologue on this. It was so dulllll. And the the first chapter started, and it was all better.
Normally, when I give a romance five stars, it's because of the romance. The romance was okay here, but it was the friendship of these girls that pushed this one over the edge. Annabelle pushed so close to the edge of being an unpleasant, unlikeable character...yet I loved her. So well pulled off.
For some reason, I was thinking this was a Regency, but I backtracked and checked the date: 1841. WHEW. Everything made sense.
Normally, when I give a romance five stars, it's because of the romance. The romance was okay here, but it was the friendship of these girls that pushed this one over the edge. Annabelle pushed so close to the edge of being an unpleasant, unlikeable character...yet I loved her. So well pulled off.
For some reason, I was thinking this was a Regency, but I backtracked and checked the date: 1841. WHEW. Everything made sense.
July 2021 - This "read" was listening to the audiobook and I think Rosalyn Landor is my new favorite audiobook reader. I got all of the Wallflowers audiobooks thanks to a sale at Chirp and I am soooo looking forward to listening to the rest.
This was perfect! I can't wait to forget it enough to read it again!
I wasn’t impressed with my foray into Kleypas’s Ravenels series, so I figured I’d try Wallflowers on account of I’ve heard a lot of positive things. Overall, I found this book to be rather charming; it’s something of a slow burn romance with a slight enemies-to-lovers element, and I found the hero to be surprisingly likeable. The main reason why I’m not giving it a full 5 stars is because it felt like the last 30% of the book had no direction, but prior to that point, there were a lot of things I liked, so it’s a 4 star read for me.
Writing: Kleypas writes in a style that one might expect of a historical romance. The prose flows well and it’s easy to get through, and I think it balances telling and showing fairly well. I also liked that the pace felt appropriate for a slow burn; it was deliberately slow without making the story feel like it was dragging, and moments moved quickly when they needed to.
Plot: The non-romance plot follows Annabelle Peyton, an impoverished lady with no dowry who must marry member of the peerage this season if she is to help spare her brother and mother from the economic and social consequences of making their poverty known. Annabelle is friends with a number of young ladies who have deemed themselves “the wallflowers” on account of their lack of suitors and interest at social events. The four of them make a pact to help one another net husbands, and they start with Annabelle, since she is the oldest and is in most need. Making things more complicated is the fact that a lecherous Lord Hodgeham is hanging around the Peyton household, secretly paying off the family debts in exchange for sexual favors from Annabelle’s mother.
Annabelle sets her sights on Lord Kendall, one of the more agreeable eligible bachelors “left” this season, but competition is fierce, and to make matters worse, she has caught the attention of Simon Hunt - a “new money” entrepreneur in the railroad business who has wealth but no title on account of his middle class background. Simon and Annabelle don’t quite get along; Annabelle loathes him, and Simon comes off as predatory, wanting to bed her without the burden of marriage. When everyone is invited to an extended vacation at Earl Westcliff’s estate, shenanigans ensue.
I really liked that Kleypas made Annabelle’s situation feel desperate without being overly dark and depressing. The pressures Annabelle was facing felt very real, and the threats felt immediate, but they were balanced with moments of lightness and friendship so I didn’t feel like Annabelle was always wallowing in despair.
I do think, however, that the last 30% of the book was without much direction. The things that happened in the last 30% weren’t bad, per se, but it felt like they were stuck on without much set-up earlier in the book. Because Annabelle has achieved her goals by this point, there doesn’t seem to be much driving the events of the plot. I think if Kleypas had done more to make Annabelle more introspective and had a big overarching character arc about Annabelle letting go of her classism, the events in the last part of the book would have felt more cohesive with the first 70%.
Characters: Annabelle, our heroine, was rather interesting because she was determined and independent but had believable flaws. She was ruthless about achieving her marriage goals, but her classism really blinded her to alternate possibilities, and she was willing to stoop to deception in the pursuit of Lord Kendall. Kleypas did a good job of making Annabelle a little reflective on her flaws, but I think it could have been pushed a little more. I think I would have liked to see more introspection from Annabelle, and making the story more about growing as a person rather than securing her financial future would have been more satisfying for me, personally.
Simon, our hero, was surprisingly likeable. At first, I thought he was going to be one of those dark, grumpy, possessive bad boys, but although he was blunt and direct, he was also surprisingly tender and considerate. When he takes charge and Annabelle protests, he backs off, and he puts Annabelle’s emotions front and center in most of their interactions. I would have liked to see more of Simon’s perspective, however, especially so I could see him change from a man who doesn’t want to marry to someone who does, but as it stands, he was easy to fall for.
Supporting characters were well-written and felt purposeful. Annabelle’s friends (”the Wallflowers”) were wonderful support systems that I took to right away. I loved that they all had distinct personalities and bonded over their shared state, and I loved that they had each others’ backs when facing adversity. I also liked the friendship between Simon and Lord Westcliff, and though Westcliff had a very negative opinion of Annabelle, I liked that over time, they learned to respect one another and become friends.
Our antagonist, Lord Hodgeham, was something of a mixed bag. While I don’t think all stories need to be light and I think writers should be able to explore darker topics, whether or not you think Hodgeham was used well will depend on your tolerance for reading about sexual coercion. Personally, I found him repulsing, so I think Kleypas did her job in that respect.
Romance: Annabelle and Simon’s relationship was a pleasant slow burn that didn’t feel rushed or based solely on physical desire. I really enjoyed that a large part of their story involved Annabelle overcoming her dislike and learning to see Simon for who he was - a man with ambitions who didn’t feel at home in upper class circles and who wasn’t ashamed of his upbringing. In this respect, it felt like the story was mostly about Annabelle’s transformation and learning not to judge others, and I think the two meshed really well because so much time was devoted to emotional intimacy and building trust.
TL;DR: Secrets of a Summer Night is a pleasant slow burn romance held back only by the lack of direction in the last 30% of the book. With a flawed yet compelling heroine and a likeable hero, this book is comforting in its familiarity, yet stands apart due to Kleypas’s skill portraying friendships that enhance the romance plot.
Writing: Kleypas writes in a style that one might expect of a historical romance. The prose flows well and it’s easy to get through, and I think it balances telling and showing fairly well. I also liked that the pace felt appropriate for a slow burn; it was deliberately slow without making the story feel like it was dragging, and moments moved quickly when they needed to.
Plot: The non-romance plot follows Annabelle Peyton, an impoverished lady with no dowry who must marry member of the peerage this season if she is to help spare her brother and mother from the economic and social consequences of making their poverty known. Annabelle is friends with a number of young ladies who have deemed themselves “the wallflowers” on account of their lack of suitors and interest at social events. The four of them make a pact to help one another net husbands, and they start with Annabelle, since she is the oldest and is in most need. Making things more complicated is the fact that a lecherous Lord Hodgeham is hanging around the Peyton household, secretly paying off the family debts in exchange for sexual favors from Annabelle’s mother.
Annabelle sets her sights on Lord Kendall, one of the more agreeable eligible bachelors “left” this season, but competition is fierce, and to make matters worse, she has caught the attention of Simon Hunt - a “new money” entrepreneur in the railroad business who has wealth but no title on account of his middle class background. Simon and Annabelle don’t quite get along; Annabelle loathes him, and Simon comes off as predatory, wanting to bed her without the burden of marriage. When everyone is invited to an extended vacation at Earl Westcliff’s estate, shenanigans ensue.
I really liked that Kleypas made Annabelle’s situation feel desperate without being overly dark and depressing. The pressures Annabelle was facing felt very real, and the threats felt immediate, but they were balanced with moments of lightness and friendship so I didn’t feel like Annabelle was always wallowing in despair.
I do think, however, that the last 30% of the book was without much direction. The things that happened in the last 30% weren’t bad, per se, but it felt like they were stuck on without much set-up earlier in the book. Because Annabelle has achieved her goals by this point, there doesn’t seem to be much driving the events of the plot. I think if Kleypas had done more to make Annabelle more introspective and had a big overarching character arc about Annabelle letting go of her classism, the events in the last part of the book would have felt more cohesive with the first 70%.
Characters: Annabelle, our heroine, was rather interesting because she was determined and independent but had believable flaws. She was ruthless about achieving her marriage goals, but her classism really blinded her to alternate possibilities, and she was willing to stoop to deception in the pursuit of Lord Kendall. Kleypas did a good job of making Annabelle a little reflective on her flaws, but I think it could have been pushed a little more. I think I would have liked to see more introspection from Annabelle, and making the story more about growing as a person rather than securing her financial future would have been more satisfying for me, personally.
Simon, our hero, was surprisingly likeable. At first, I thought he was going to be one of those dark, grumpy, possessive bad boys, but although he was blunt and direct, he was also surprisingly tender and considerate. When he takes charge and Annabelle protests, he backs off, and he puts Annabelle’s emotions front and center in most of their interactions. I would have liked to see more of Simon’s perspective, however, especially so I could see him change from a man who doesn’t want to marry to someone who does, but as it stands, he was easy to fall for.
Supporting characters were well-written and felt purposeful. Annabelle’s friends (”the Wallflowers”) were wonderful support systems that I took to right away. I loved that they all had distinct personalities and bonded over their shared state, and I loved that they had each others’ backs when facing adversity. I also liked the friendship between Simon and Lord Westcliff, and though Westcliff had a very negative opinion of Annabelle, I liked that over time, they learned to respect one another and become friends.
Our antagonist, Lord Hodgeham, was something of a mixed bag. While I don’t think all stories need to be light and I think writers should be able to explore darker topics, whether or not you think Hodgeham was used well will depend on your tolerance for reading about sexual coercion. Personally, I found him repulsing, so I think Kleypas did her job in that respect.
Romance: Annabelle and Simon’s relationship was a pleasant slow burn that didn’t feel rushed or based solely on physical desire. I really enjoyed that a large part of their story involved Annabelle overcoming her dislike and learning to see Simon for who he was - a man with ambitions who didn’t feel at home in upper class circles and who wasn’t ashamed of his upbringing. In this respect, it felt like the story was mostly about Annabelle’s transformation and learning not to judge others, and I think the two meshed really well because so much time was devoted to emotional intimacy and building trust.
TL;DR: Secrets of a Summer Night is a pleasant slow burn romance held back only by the lack of direction in the last 30% of the book. With a flawed yet compelling heroine and a likeable hero, this book is comforting in its familiarity, yet stands apart due to Kleypas’s skill portraying friendships that enhance the romance plot.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes