Reviews

The Wicked Wallflower by Tracy Sumner

mssarahbni's review against another edition

4.0

This was a good historical romance. It was my first time reading a Tracy Sumner novel and I found her style of writing was good. The storyline was entertaining and I liked the characters. I really think that fans of historical romance will enjoy this.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

scribe391's review

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Beginning in 1824 Hertfordshire, Lady Philippe Darlington has an unspoken attraction to Xander Macauley, her brother’s friend and business partner.
Two years later, Pippa crosses paths with Xander again.
A very steamy age gap historical romance.

justinejustreads's review against another edition

5.0

Xander Macauley and Lady Pippa have pined for each other for a good while and hidden their infatuation well until Pippa's schemes have Macauley interfering to protect her. She is determined to make her own way, and he is determined not to fall in love with his best friend's sister. After all, he might be king of an empire now, but the world he comes from is too dirty for a Duke's sister.

First of all, can we all just take a moment to relish when a man who declares he'll never settle down trips and falls on his ass in love? It's my favourite. It's a sure thing. Tracy Sumner gives us one heck of a slow burn with this one and if you enjoy being tortured with pining you'll find the frustration worth it with several deliciously spicy scenes. I enjoyed both Macauley's emotional turmoil and Pippa's spirited good intentions. I do wish Pippa would have fought for what she wanted a little harder in the final conflict, but I'm gluttonous when it comes to angst. He deserved to wait a little longer before she jumped back into his arms, but I genuinely liked these characters so much and was happy they got their perfect ending.

4.5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and WOLF Publishing for the ARC.

thebookishbanker's review

lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

jla's review

funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Xander Macauley may be my new Rhys Winterborne.  I loved Pippa.  There was great chemistry,  good spice, and good groveling without all the angst.

solaana's review

Another romance between two messy ass bitches that I wouldn’t want to meet irl

juliereadsromance's review against another edition

5.0

What a gem of a book! Xander and Pippa are possibly my favorite H and h ever (in a lighthearted, adventurous way!).

hans_cosy_corner's review

4.0

The wicked wallflower is a fun, spicy historical romp perfect for fans of Bridgerton or Courtney Milan. There were so many future pairings within the pages, and I hope there’s more books to follow. Pip was a wonderfully boisterous character, though there were times I wanted a bit more from her, more gumption and fire. I loved the character of Macauley though, he was truly individual and I wish we’d had more time with his history - perhaps a solid nightmare scene or a conversation where he opened up about the workhouse to Pip. the same comes for Pip
Though, I wanted to know more of her history, more of the story with her father. It doesn’t detract from the book at all, but I just found myself so full of curiosity around both of their backgrounds. It’s important to note though that this is third in the series and I’ve not read the other two, so it could be very well explained there. The romance scenes were wonderfully written and very spicy, and Tracy Sumner is a beautiful wordsmith

rainelle_barrett's review

5.0

I liked the story very much. The writer did a wonderful job with the characters accents in the book. This made the dialogue more enjoyable to read. The writer kept the pace of the book moving with ease. The plot is logical to the characters motivations back then. I understood the story as well as where the writer was leading the characters. Philippa and Xander made the story fun and exciting with their mission of protecting Philippa. I have to say that The romance was very charming. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

erinarkin20's review

4.0

This was the first book I've read by Tracy Sumner but it definitely won't be the last. Actually, once I finished this one, I went back and read the first two books of the series as I wanted to not only read them but also get a better picture of all of the characters. With that said, I think you could read this as a standalone but I recommend you actually read the first two books as you'll have a better idea of who some of the secondary characters are as well as some of the backstory for our main characters in this book.

Phillipa (Pippa) Darlington and Xander Macauley are the main characters and I really enjoyed their story. This is a class difference trope so you have two characters who are drawn to each other - Pippa is a lady and Xander is common born but connected to the Ton via his friendship with Pippa's brother and Tobias Streeter.

As Pippa and Xander spend more time together, they learn more about each other and find themselves drawn to each other more and more, despite Xander doing his best to keep her out of his world. I loved how their relationship evolved. There's banter and the build of the inevitable romance and I loved every bit of it.

If you haven't picked up this series yet, definitely do - I love how Sumner has developed all of the characters so far and look forward to what comes next with this group!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.