Series: Wallflowers, #3
Traits & Tropes: marriage of convenience; reformed rake; sick/comfort; wallflower heroine
Publication Date: 02.28.06
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England, 1843
Heat Level: 4
Rating: 5 stars
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Evangeline Jenner is desperate to escape the relatives who wish only to control her inheritance. With her father on his deathbed, Evie has little time and seeks London’s most infamous rake, a man who happens to be in need of a fortune, and suggests a marriage of convenience.
A shy wallflower with a pronounced stammer, Evie is the last person anyone would’ve paired with the all too handsome Viscount St. Vincent, but her quiet strength soon becomes obvious and Sebastian winds up wanting her more than any other woman he has ever met.
Evie will settle for nothing less than Sebastian’s heart, but it means driving a hard bargain: he must remain celibate for three months before she will allow him back into her bed. But when a spiteful enemy threatens Evie, Sebastian will do anything to protect her, even if it means sacrificing his own life.
This was my second time reading this book, but I don’t think I ever wrote a proper review so now that I’ve done an audio revisit, I think it’s time to do one. Since the first time I read this book I finally read It Happened One Autumn, so I was nervous about how this would hold up on a reread since Sebastian’s selfishness and general disagreeability is on full display in that book. Fortunately, Sebastian’s single-minded devotion to Evie, even before he understood his own feelings or cared to admit or explore them, made the book for me once again. Sebastian is the ultimate reformed rake and I think the concept of a man who is completely gone for his lady is something I’ll always be a complete sucker for. I also loved seeing Evie come into her own away from the overbearing pressure of her awful family and learned to stand up for herself and what she wanted. Thanks to her determination and willingness to challenge him, Evie established a healthy marriage both for herself and for Sebastian. Their bond became a safe place for her where her stuttering didn’t matter and a place where Sebastian didn’t have to feel alone or mask that loneliness with intercourse. Of course, this was not without strife as Sebastian attempted to keep Evie in the neat, safe box occupied by most wives, but of course, she would have none of it. I loved that between her stubbornness and his protectiveness and general confusion about the overwhelming new emotions he was feeling, Evie and Sebastian were able to establish a true partnership. I’m so happy with how this book held up and it will continue to be a favorite of mine.
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