Every Wallflower Has Her Thorns by Bronwen Evans

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Revenge of the Wallflowers, #26

Release Date: August 27, 2024

Lady Alice Montague, sister of George Montague, the Earl of Hampton has a secret, she is in love with her brother’s best friend Calum Arden, Marquess of Skye and heir to the Duke of Galloway. Too bad he only thinks of her as a sister and even worse, feels guilty about her wallflower status, because he thinks it is because of the riding accident she had ten years ago while following George and Calum. The accident resulted in a broken leg that was set poorly and left her with a limp and labeled as a “cripple”. But that is not the reason Alice hasn’t married; she hasn’t married because no man has ever captured her heart like Calum and the thought of marrying anyone else is untenable. But when Calum gets it into his head to help her find a husband, things take a turn that she never could have imagined, and they end up engaged. It should have been her dream come true, but instead it is a nightmare, and she would rather be ruined than marry a man who she loves but who will never love her.

Calum Arden, Marquess of Skye is not ready to marry, and he definitely isn’t looking for love, he’s been there, done that, and regrets it. No, when he marries, it will be a sensible arrangement with a lady of good birth, with no messy emotions to muck things up. Besides he has plans to travel the continent and sowing some wild oats, before returning to Scotland and learning his future responsibilities to the dukedom and doing his duty in finding a wife and siring an heir. He plans to leave in a few months and is enjoying the London season, but when he notices that Alice is playing wallflower, it upsets him, and he thinks it is because of her limp. He decides to help her by paying her some attention, so the men of the ton will see what they have been missing. But things do not go as planned and he finds himself betrothed to her. Can he marry her and leave her for a year to travel or will he give up his travel dreams and end up resenting her? Neither thought is appealing, but soon that is not his biggest worry, since she seems set on ending their betrothal!

This was a nice addition to the Revenge of the Wallflowers author collaboration series, Alice and Calum are both likable characters and there is clearly a strong attraction between them. The story is a friends-to-lovers / brother’s best friend romance with quite a bit going on for a novella. The book has secrets, betrayal, unrequited love, a forced betrothal, scheming harpies, chess, horses, a heroine ready to be a martyr, a once-bitten-twice-shy hero, steamyish love scenes and finally a hard-won HEA complete with an epilogue. Overall, it is a quick read with cute, yet steamyish love story (perfect for those who enjoyed the Bridgerton season 3 carriage scene), that I would happily recommend to my fellow Regency romance readers. This is the 26th book in the series, but as with the other books, each is a standalone title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *