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blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
A Christmas novella in July, just xmas in July tells me. Perfect. Though I did wish it had been longer so I could truly have experienced them falling in love.
Hannah is just a poor relation.
Rafe's family wants him to marry Lady Natalie, but then he meets Hannah.
She thinks he is no good, he fancies her. They are at a houseparty and keep on meeting, alone. But yes I wish it had been longer to truly feel the romance. Now they met, and fell so fast and then lived happily ever after. I mean, not even any drama! Omg, not that I miss drama, or do I? Still, it was a good one.
A short sweet novella
I like Mary Jane Wells, she is a great narrator (though I did not remember Swift being that Irish, but I liked it.)
Hannah is just a poor relation.
Rafe's family wants him to marry Lady Natalie, but then he meets Hannah.
She thinks he is no good, he fancies her. They are at a houseparty and keep on meeting, alone. But yes I wish it had been longer to truly feel the romance. Now they met, and fell so fast and then lived happily ever after. I mean, not even any drama! Omg, not that I miss drama, or do I? Still, it was a good one.
A short sweet novella
I like Mary Jane Wells, she is a great narrator (though I did not remember Swift being that Irish, but I liked it.)
jarinpin's review against another edition
3.0
A bit mediocre. There are parts that I loved and parts that I hated and in the end it because I bit blah.
Hannah is sweet but I never really feel for the heroines who stomp their feet and insist everything must be proper - though I absolutely agree with her that Rafe kissing her while courting Nathalie is wholly inappropriate.
Rafe may have a tortured past but that doesn’t really excuse him from being a royal dick. He all but forces himself on Hannah and no one seems to care or validate her feelings that that was very not okay.
I also don’t really love the authors common trope of ‘I hate him right up until the moment that I love him’. I think she is well within her rights to hate Rafe and the little soldier toy doesn’t seem like enough to suddenly seal her affections, especially while he’s going around kissing both her and Nathalie.
At the end there’s no complication they just decide they both love each other and that’s that.
I think it would have been way better if someone had caught her and Rafe in a compromising position while he was supposed to be courting Nathalie and then banished her to cover it up. Then Rafe would have to declare his intentions and go chasing after her.
I came around to Rafe by the end but I didn’t really think he did enough to make up for his actions at the start.
Hannah is sweet but I never really feel for the heroines who stomp their feet and insist everything must be proper - though I absolutely agree with her that Rafe kissing her while courting Nathalie is wholly inappropriate.
Rafe may have a tortured past but that doesn’t really excuse him from being a royal dick. He all but forces himself on Hannah and no one seems to care or validate her feelings that that was very not okay.
I also don’t really love the authors common trope of ‘I hate him right up until the moment that I love him’. I think she is well within her rights to hate Rafe and the little soldier toy doesn’t seem like enough to suddenly seal her affections, especially while he’s going around kissing both her and Nathalie.
At the end there’s no complication they just decide they both love each other and that’s that.
I think it would have been way better if someone had caught her and Rafe in a compromising position while he was supposed to be courting Nathalie and then banished her to cover it up. Then Rafe would have to declare his intentions and go chasing after her.
I came around to Rafe by the end but I didn’t really think he did enough to make up for his actions at the start.
edressa's review against another edition
2.0
This is more of a 2.5 stars read, and I would have put it to 3... except that since I really did not care about the main couple for this book (Rafe and Hannah), it's staying at 2. The sad thing is that I think Rafe Bowman has potential as a character, but it just... stayed overall kinda meh. I didn't even mind the love triangle (love square?) or anything, except for the fact that all in all... Natalie was a much more interesting character than Hannah and I honestly would have preferred spending time with her rather than a character who's just kind of... there.
What also doesn't help is that Lillian gets a whole ass subplot, while we barely see Annabelle and Simon or Daisy and Matthew together, and Seb and Evie get one small chapter all to themselves - and thank God for that given they're my faves, and it's a pretty good scene too and probably the one single part I actually loved. To add insult to injury, Lilly's subplot is DUMB. She comes to think Marcus is cheating on her since he gets along well with another lady to whom he's also writing letters to (LOL Meg if you're reading this you're probably laughing your ass off right now), but we as readers know that clearly is not what's happening, because this is a historical romance and of course the hero of a novel in the series is not going to cheat on the heroine after their HEA. And of course, when the confrontation actually happens, I clearly get the impression this was meant to be a funny scene, but I just didn't laugh. I was yelling at Lilly for being an even bigger idiot than she was in Daisy's book or in her own frigging book.
*sigh* Anyway, this book is easily skippable imho. I appreciate the research that went into describing what a Victorian Christmas was like, but it also comes off as an effort for the author to get extra money from what is probably her most popular series - which is fine with me, like, go get that coin girl, I guess I just wished it was a little more interesting.
That Seb/Evie scene though. Hot damn.
What also doesn't help is that Lillian gets a whole ass subplot, while we barely see Annabelle and Simon or Daisy and Matthew together, and Seb and Evie get one small chapter all to themselves - and thank God for that given they're my faves, and it's a pretty good scene too and probably the one single part I actually loved. To add insult to injury, Lilly's subplot is DUMB. She comes to think Marcus is cheating on her since he gets along well with another lady to whom he's also writing letters to (LOL Meg if you're reading this you're probably laughing your ass off right now), but we as readers know that clearly is not what's happening, because this is a historical romance and of course the hero of a novel in the series is not going to cheat on the heroine after their HEA. And of course, when the confrontation actually happens, I clearly get the impression this was meant to be a funny scene, but I just didn't laugh. I was yelling at Lilly for being an even bigger idiot than she was in Daisy's book or in her own frigging book.
*sigh* Anyway, this book is easily skippable imho. I appreciate the research that went into describing what a Victorian Christmas was like, but it also comes off as an effort for the author to get extra money from what is probably her most popular series - which is fine with me, like, go get that coin girl, I guess I just wished it was a little more interesting.
That Seb/Evie scene though. Hot damn.
mjwerts's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the characters, hated the pacing. Hannah is a fine addition to our original Wallflower quartet, and Rafe is entirely believable as eldest brother to Lillian and Daisy. However, the novel, being half the length as the previous ones, goes from lust to love fairly rapidly, causing the main characters to do some uncharacteristic things. For instance, Hannah's devoutness to propriety is nowhere to be found in the latter portion of the book. A higher page count to allow these two entertaining characters to come together more naturally would have greatly improved my rating, as I adored the other books in the Wallflower series.
jopcy's review against another edition
3.0
Creo que fue buena idea leer esto en el mes navideño, me sentí en conexión con los personajes cuando hablaban de ciertas tradiciones, como por ejemplo; decorar el árbol de navidad o besarse bajo un muérdago.
Aquí Lillian me cae mejor, no es mi favorita pero al menos no me hartó como otras veces. El mejor cameo se lo lleva Sebastian St. Vincent con su entrada triunfal a la habitación de Evie, de verdad que los adoro mucho. Con el tiempo, me he dado cuenta de que Simon y Anabelle me gustan más ahora que cuando leí su historia juntos, les he agarrado mucho cariño y creo que es de las mejores parejas qué hay (en estas historias, claro).
Ver lo que han logrado todas las floreros me pone muy nostálgica y feliz, pensar en cómo iniciaron y ver lo contentas que terminan me deja con el corazón en el puño. Les agarré mucho cariño a ellas y sus esposos.
Creo que los señores Bowman serán una pareja que siempre me pondrá triste, más que nada por la señora. Sigo analizando las palabras que le dijo a Lillian antes de que se casara con Marcus y me duelen. Si fuera por ella, su matrimonio hubiera sido más bonito, lastima que el señor Bowman vea esto como debilidad e infelicidad.
Total, el epílogo fue muy bonito, Rafe resultó ser más romántico de lo que se pensaba, su pareja con Hannah me ha gustado mucho, ambos personajes fueron muy cutes
Aquí Lillian me cae mejor, no es mi favorita pero al menos no me hartó como otras veces. El mejor cameo se lo lleva Sebastian St. Vincent con su entrada triunfal a la habitación de Evie, de verdad que los adoro mucho. Con el tiempo, me he dado cuenta de que Simon y Anabelle me gustan más ahora que cuando leí su historia juntos, les he agarrado mucho cariño y creo que es de las mejores parejas qué hay (en estas historias, claro).
Ver lo que han logrado todas las floreros me pone muy nostálgica y feliz, pensar en cómo iniciaron y ver lo contentas que terminan me deja con el corazón en el puño. Les agarré mucho cariño a ellas y sus esposos.
Creo que los señores Bowman serán una pareja que siempre me pondrá triste, más que nada por la señora. Sigo analizando las palabras que le dijo a Lillian antes de que se casara con Marcus y me duelen. Si fuera por ella, su matrimonio hubiera sido más bonito, lastima que el señor Bowman vea esto como debilidad e infelicidad.
Total, el epílogo fue muy bonito, Rafe resultó ser más romántico de lo que se pensaba, su pareja con Hannah me ha gustado mucho, ambos personajes fueron muy cutes
j_elphaba's review against another edition
4.0
Opinião completa em: http://historiasdeelphaba.blogspot.pt/2014/12/tentacao-perfeita-lisa-kleypas-opiniao.html
Indiscutivelmente, é sempre um prazer imenso voltar às palavras da talentosa Lisa Kleypas.
Maravilhosamente concebido, o livro Tentação Perfeita é o presente porque te todas as adeptas de romances sensuais de época aguardavam, com um doce retorno à série de ficção À Flor da Pele que nos oferece mais um delicioso olhar sobre quatro inesquecíveis encalhadas que outrora ousaram procurar por si mesmas a felicidade, enquanto nos convida a descobrir mais uma pequena grande história de amor entre sussurros, saiotes e confissões envolvidas em espírito natalício.
O enredo gira particularmente em torno de Rafe Bowman, irmão das singulares americanas Daisy e Lillian, da sua previsível noiva Natalie Blandford e da prima desta, Hannah. Como já vem sendo habitual, nem tudo corre como o esperado e o solteirão Rafe acaba por se sentir atraído pelo par mais improvável da grandiosa festa de natal organizado pela Lady Westcliff, na afamada propriedade rural de Stony Cross Park, o que, para agrado desta vossa leitora, dá origem a mais uma história romântica e divertida onde todas as adoráveis personagens das obras antecedentes desempenham um pequeno e fundamental papel no decorrer da acção.
No que respeita ao romance e respectivo casal principal, a narrativa segue o protótipo de cavalheiro rico e donzela pobre, com uma protagonista de língua viperina e personalidade forte mas, ao mesmo tempo, dotada de grande sensibilidade e inseguranças associadas aos seus afectos e condição social. Já Rafe, por seu lado, é um homem robusto e senhor dos seus atributos, com a confiança de quem depende apenas de si mesmo e um toque de arrogância que só o torna mais atraente. Ainda assim, este americano tem uma condição familiar difícil que lhe despertará fragilidades emotivas quando descobre sentimentos que desconhece, quando descobre o poder da paixão e vê despertar em si uma ternura crescente ao longo das páginas.
Embora contraditório, considerei este par muito assertivo, com a relação entre ambos a funcionar na perfeição.
(...)
Indiscutivelmente, é sempre um prazer imenso voltar às palavras da talentosa Lisa Kleypas.
Maravilhosamente concebido, o livro Tentação Perfeita é o presente porque te todas as adeptas de romances sensuais de época aguardavam, com um doce retorno à série de ficção À Flor da Pele que nos oferece mais um delicioso olhar sobre quatro inesquecíveis encalhadas que outrora ousaram procurar por si mesmas a felicidade, enquanto nos convida a descobrir mais uma pequena grande história de amor entre sussurros, saiotes e confissões envolvidas em espírito natalício.
O enredo gira particularmente em torno de Rafe Bowman, irmão das singulares americanas Daisy e Lillian, da sua previsível noiva Natalie Blandford e da prima desta, Hannah. Como já vem sendo habitual, nem tudo corre como o esperado e o solteirão Rafe acaba por se sentir atraído pelo par mais improvável da grandiosa festa de natal organizado pela Lady Westcliff, na afamada propriedade rural de Stony Cross Park, o que, para agrado desta vossa leitora, dá origem a mais uma história romântica e divertida onde todas as adoráveis personagens das obras antecedentes desempenham um pequeno e fundamental papel no decorrer da acção.
No que respeita ao romance e respectivo casal principal, a narrativa segue o protótipo de cavalheiro rico e donzela pobre, com uma protagonista de língua viperina e personalidade forte mas, ao mesmo tempo, dotada de grande sensibilidade e inseguranças associadas aos seus afectos e condição social. Já Rafe, por seu lado, é um homem robusto e senhor dos seus atributos, com a confiança de quem depende apenas de si mesmo e um toque de arrogância que só o torna mais atraente. Ainda assim, este americano tem uma condição familiar difícil que lhe despertará fragilidades emotivas quando descobre sentimentos que desconhece, quando descobre o poder da paixão e vê despertar em si uma ternura crescente ao longo das páginas.
Embora contraditório, considerei este par muito assertivo, com a relação entre ambos a funcionar na perfeição.
(...)
leabookjoy's review against another edition
5.0
French & English reviews
Une romance que j'ai beaucoup trop tardé à lire !
Je suis ENFIN sortie de mon vide livresque et je peux remercier Lisa Kleypas pour ça ! Un soir où je n'arrivais pas à dormir, je suis retombée sur la série des Hathaway que j'ai relu avec un grand plaisir ... J'avais oublié à quel point j'adorais cette famille !! Et c'est comme ça que j'ai réalisé que je ne les avais pas tous lu et surtout je n'avais pas fini les aventures de la famille Bowman =D
Une nouvelle que j'ai ADORE !! J'ai beaucoup aimé Rafe Bowman (tellement américain, j'ai adoré leur première rencontre <3 tellement romantique, la lettre notamment <3), j'ai adoré Hannah (tellement britannique, j'ai adoré la scène du sapin <3), j'ai adoré revoir nos Wallflowers (Les Saint-Vincent qui restent mes favoris bien sûr <3 mais aussi cette petite intrigue avec Westcliff et Lillian (cette scène dans l'étable <3) qui m'a donné envie de relire leurs livres !) et cette fin (le coeur brisé et après trop choupignon <3)
Bref, une petite conclusion magique pour une série de romances historiques parmi les meilleures que j'ai jamais lu <3 Si vous aimez les romances historiques avec de l'humour et de la passion, à lire absolument !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A romance that I have long waited to read !
I am FINALLY out of my bookish vacuum and I can thank Lisa Kleypas for that ! One evening when I couldn't sleep, I came across the Hathaway series which I reread with great pleasure ... I had forgotten how much I adored this family !! And that's how I realized that I had not read them all and especially I had not finished the adventures of the Bowman family =D
A novella that I LOVED !! I really liked Rafe Bowman (so American, I loved their first meeting <3 so romantic, the letter in particular <3), I loved Hannah (so British, I loved the Christmas tree scene <3), I loved seeing our Wallflowers again (The Saint-Vincent family who remains my favorites of course <3 but also this little intrigue with Westcliff and Lillian (this scene in the barn <3) which made me want to re-read their books !) And this ending (the heart broken and after, way too cute <3)
In short, a magical little conclusion to a series of some of the best historical romances I've ever read <3 If you like historical romances with humor and passion, a must read !
Une romance que j'ai beaucoup trop tardé à lire !
Je suis ENFIN sortie de mon vide livresque et je peux remercier Lisa Kleypas pour ça ! Un soir où je n'arrivais pas à dormir, je suis retombée sur la série des Hathaway que j'ai relu avec un grand plaisir ... J'avais oublié à quel point j'adorais cette famille !! Et c'est comme ça que j'ai réalisé que je ne les avais pas tous lu et surtout je n'avais pas fini les aventures de la famille Bowman =D
Une nouvelle que j'ai ADORE !! J'ai beaucoup aimé Rafe Bowman (tellement américain, j'ai adoré leur première rencontre <3 tellement romantique, la lettre notamment <3), j'ai adoré Hannah (tellement britannique, j'ai adoré la scène du sapin <3), j'ai adoré revoir nos Wallflowers (Les Saint-Vincent qui restent mes favoris bien sûr <3 mais aussi cette petite intrigue avec Westcliff et Lillian (cette scène dans l'étable <3) qui m'a donné envie de relire leurs livres !) et cette fin (le coeur brisé et après trop choupignon <3)
Bref, une petite conclusion magique pour une série de romances historiques parmi les meilleures que j'ai jamais lu <3 Si vous aimez les romances historiques avec de l'humour et de la passion, à lire absolument !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A romance that I have long waited to read !
I am FINALLY out of my bookish vacuum and I can thank Lisa Kleypas for that ! One evening when I couldn't sleep, I came across the Hathaway series which I reread with great pleasure ... I had forgotten how much I adored this family !! And that's how I realized that I had not read them all and especially I had not finished the adventures of the Bowman family =D
A novella that I LOVED !! I really liked Rafe Bowman (so American, I loved their first meeting <3 so romantic, the letter in particular <3), I loved Hannah (so British, I loved the Christmas tree scene <3), I loved seeing our Wallflowers again (The Saint-Vincent family who remains my favorites of course <3 but also this little intrigue with Westcliff and Lillian (this scene in the barn <3) which made me want to re-read their books !) And this ending (the heart broken and after, way too cute <3)
In short, a magical little conclusion to a series of some of the best historical romances I've ever read <3 If you like historical romances with humor and passion, a must read !
xvicesx's review against another edition
3.0
It was lovely and a nice end for the whole thing, but as I came to the end of the whole thing, I just missed Evie and St. Vincent more than anything else. That particular couple are simply amazing as a mix. At the end of the day, though, A Wallflower Christmas was alright.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
2.0
A cute little epilogue featuring our Wallflowers and one of the Bowman brothers. Let's be honest, Evie and St Vincent were still the most interesting part of the entire novella despite the fact that I didn't fall in love with their storyline.
wwrlad's review against another edition
3.0
I'm being lazy and reviewing the entire series as one. Also many of my thoughts apply to all the books. I've never been a big romance person but I've never been opposed to them either. I discovered this series on a list for top romance series when I needed something for the 2013 Challenge Group Februray Challenge. Spoilers for the series follow:
One thing I didn't like about each book was, with one exception, every single female was a virgin and every single male had had plenty of partners (and in the cases where the male was already attracted to her, he thought of her when with the person). The reason some of the proposals happened was because he had "compromised" her (loved that phrase). Yet the men never had that worry about all the other women they had been with?
Past that these books were fun and I enjoyed each one. I was happy I read Again the Magic first since then I had a prior knowledge of the Westcliffs and in particular Marcus. I was sad that Aline and McKenna never appeared in the rest of the series. McKenna's proposal was probably my favorite of all the couples.
Simon and Annabelle were probably my favorite couple overall. I was surprised that many other reviewers labelled her as snobbish. I understand at the beginning she was hellbent on marrying a peer but primarily for the money for her family. I don't see anything wrong with that. Simon only went after her as a mistress and that was why I felt she ignored him. Once he did actually propose she almost instantly accepted him. Loved that he kept trying to compromise her afterwards in order to make sure she would marry him. After the marriage she did have trouble accepting the change in her life but she never blamed him. I adored the ending with her going after him and Westcliff saving them both and the two of them finally getting along.
Westcliff is probably my favorite male character and I did really like Lillian. Their book was not my favorite because I felt it borrowed too much from Pride and Prejudice, which I adore. The two stubborn lovers with the male as an upper class aristocrat, a bad first proposal, a wedding obsessed mother, and a conniving countess. Loved the ending again with Westcliff beating the shit out of St. Vincent. Hilarious! This book did have my favorite passage:
"You may set your mind at ease with the knowledge that I do not find you desireable in any way whatsoever."
"I understand. Enough said, my lord."
"If the two of us were left alone on a deserted island, I would have absolutely no thought of approaching you."
"I realize that," she said shortly. "You don't have to go on and on about it."
"I just want to make it clear that what I did was a complete aberration. You are not the kind of woman wom I would ever be attracted to."
"All right."
"In fact-"
"You've made yourself quite clear, my lord."
St. Vincent and Evie's story was enjoyable and I thoguht they worked quite well together. I was sad that none of the other wallflowers showed up till over halfway through the book. I also didn't realize that Evie's father appears in an earlier series, so I may have to pick that up next.
Scandal in Spring was my least favorite of the four wallflower series. I liked the concept but I figured out basically what Matthew's secret was from the start and kept getting annoyed that he put off telling her till it was too late. The game between the two of them was interesting and I enjoyed seeing how protective Westcliff had become of Daisy.
Wallflower Christmas was fun but I did not enjoy it as much as the previous five books.
Spoiler
One thing I didn't like about each book was, with one exception, every single female was a virgin and every single male had had plenty of partners (and in the cases where the male was already attracted to her, he thought of her when with the person). The reason some of the proposals happened was because he had "compromised" her (loved that phrase). Yet the men never had that worry about all the other women they had been with?
Past that these books were fun and I enjoyed each one. I was happy I read Again the Magic first since then I had a prior knowledge of the Westcliffs and in particular Marcus. I was sad that Aline and McKenna never appeared in the rest of the series. McKenna's proposal was probably my favorite of all the couples.
Simon and Annabelle were probably my favorite couple overall. I was surprised that many other reviewers labelled her as snobbish. I understand at the beginning she was hellbent on marrying a peer but primarily for the money for her family. I don't see anything wrong with that. Simon only went after her as a mistress and that was why I felt she ignored him. Once he did actually propose she almost instantly accepted him. Loved that he kept trying to compromise her afterwards in order to make sure she would marry him. After the marriage she did have trouble accepting the change in her life but she never blamed him. I adored the ending with her going after him and Westcliff saving them both and the two of them finally getting along.
Westcliff is probably my favorite male character and I did really like Lillian. Their book was not my favorite because I felt it borrowed too much from Pride and Prejudice, which I adore. The two stubborn lovers with the male as an upper class aristocrat, a bad first proposal, a wedding obsessed mother, and a conniving countess. Loved the ending again with Westcliff beating the shit out of St. Vincent. Hilarious! This book did have my favorite passage:
"You may set your mind at ease with the knowledge that I do not find you desireable in any way whatsoever."
"I understand. Enough said, my lord."
"If the two of us were left alone on a deserted island, I would have absolutely no thought of approaching you."
"I realize that," she said shortly. "You don't have to go on and on about it."
"I just want to make it clear that what I did was a complete aberration. You are not the kind of woman wom I would ever be attracted to."
"All right."
"In fact-"
"You've made yourself quite clear, my lord."
St. Vincent and Evie's story was enjoyable and I thoguht they worked quite well together. I was sad that none of the other wallflowers showed up till over halfway through the book. I also didn't realize that Evie's father appears in an earlier series, so I may have to pick that up next.
Scandal in Spring was my least favorite of the four wallflower series. I liked the concept but I figured out basically what Matthew's secret was from the start and kept getting annoyed that he put off telling her till it was too late. The game between the two of them was interesting and I enjoyed seeing how protective Westcliff had become of Daisy.
Wallflower Christmas was fun but I did not enjoy it as much as the previous five books.