A Wallflower Christmas (Wallflowers, #4.5) in Romance Series Lists

Aug 13, 2008 Auntee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lisa-kleypas, 2010_reads, keepers, made_me_cry, historical-romance

What more can be said about this sweet, passionate book that hasn't already been said? With over 150 reviews here at GR and over 1,000 ratings (Am I the last person on Earth to read this book?), I'm sure just about every view has been expressed already. But I might as well throw my two cents in too, maybe I'll come up with something everyone else missed (highly doubtful).:)

First of all, this is one of my favorite series ever. I don't read a whole lot of historicals, but I have been a fan of LK f What more can be said about this sweet, passionate book that hasn't already been said? With over 150 reviews here at GR and over 1,000 ratings (Am I the last person on Earth to read this book?), I'm sure just about every view has been expressed already. But I might as well throw my two cents in too, maybe I'll come up with something everyone else missed (highly doubtful).:)

First of all, this is one of my favorite series ever. I don't read a whole lot of historicals, but I have been a fan of LK for a long time. For the past couple of years I've been reading mostly contemporaries, but with so many of my GR buddies praising this series, I had to see what all the fuss was about! Why oh why did I wait so long to join the Wallflowers fan club?

I adored this book! I love a good Cinderella story. And I love a scandalous rake. And I love Cinderella and a rake together! I loved Hannah Appleton and dark and delicious Rafe (his name just oozes sexiness) Bowman--their chemistry was out of this world. I loved how Hannah got under Rafe's skin, how she pierced his cool veneer, how she caused him to want something like he never had before! I loved their witty dialogue, Hannah's put downs, their passionate interludes, and I loved how Hannah got Rafe to consider his happiness and his future. I liked Hannah a lot. She was a strong, practical woman with a kind and gentle heart. I wanted her to win Rafe's cynical heart! I loved seeing Rafe struggling with his feelings for her as he fell under her spell. The letter that he wrote to her expressing those feelings (that was tossed in the fire but recovered by a maid)--holy smokes but that was hot! And the little toy soldier that he gave her and the story behind it? It just about broke my heart. It made me understand Rafe so much better. And the jealousy he showed after hearing about Hannah's marriage proposal from another suitor---and what he did about it--hawt! Oh yes, and the 'first time' in the bachelor's house? Wow.

Well enough about Hannah and Rafe. They were perfect together and I loved them. Another thing I loved about this book was that we got to see all the wallflowers and their sexy husbands again as they gather at Stony Cross manor for a Christmas celebration. Lillian and Westcliff have prominent roles (as expected, since Rafe is Lillian's brother)-- and could there be a crack in their happy marriage? Westcliff, really?! I think Lillian lost her mind for a moment there! Annabelle and Simon Hunt are as passionate as ever, Daisy and Matthew are going strong (and Daisy the booklover has a new career!), and Evie is pining for St. Vincent (who is staying with his sickly father for a while). When St. Vincent finally arrives (with the 'family jewels') and disappears with Evie for a few days behind closed bedroom doors (*sigh*)...ah, that made me happy.:) Lucky, lucky girl.

Once again, when the four wallflowers got together, it was magic. I love when they get to chatting, because all kinds of topics come up. I especially liked hearing Daisy's ideas about how to know when your man is cheating. And I especially loved the aftermath when Lillian dared to suggest to Westcliff that he may be losing interest in her...

If I have one minor complaint, it was the length of the book! Too short! I thought LK coud've easily added at least another 50 pages. I wanted more! The updates she related in the epilogue? I would have loved to read some actual scenes, rather than been told what happened. The wedding, the birth of a baby, the reconciliation in the Bowman family...oh, that would've made for some good reading. Too bad she had to end things so abruptly.

Now I'm sad that I have to say goodbye to a bunch of characters who I regard as dear friends. I know some of them pop up in LK's next series (The Hathaways), but somehow it won't be the same. My wish is that one day LK visits these characters again--aren't there more Bowman brothers to write about? Oh well, for now I'll have to move on and try to fall in love with the Hathaways. So long, Wallflowers, I'm going to miss you. 4 1/2 stars

Rafe...

...more

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Oct 29, 2008 Eastofoz rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-regency, seasonal

I think this is one of the fastest books I've ever read! You’re turning the pages so quickly that suddenly it’s the end and you wish it would have continued after the epilogue –which was very sweet.

It was a good story overall, nice to see the Wallflowers again, but I'd have liked to have seen more of them. Each Wallflower has about two pages or so just for her and her hubby and you get that warm nostalgic feel for the previous books in the series. Personally I loved St Vincent and Evie and Lill ...more

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Aug 13, 2008 Julie (jjmachshev) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2008-reads

Fans of Lisa Kleypas' 'Wallflower' series will surely jump for joy when they pick up "A Wallflower Christmas". Even though the Wallflowers are secondary characters, they're still enough of a presence to provide quick vignettes on their current lives and loves. This is a fairly short book at only 213 pages, but still has plenty of steam.

Lillian's brother Rafe is recently arrived from America and, of course, his father has selected his bride. Rafe doesn't really care, he'll marry the woman his fat ...more

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Oct 15, 2008 jenjn79 rated it really liked it

Shelves: info-full, reviewed, 2008, z2008-july-dec, stars-4, genre-romance-historical-england, author-lisa-kleypas, format-hardcover

It's kinda funny, as much as I enjoyed the original Wallflowers series, I probably would have waited a while to buy this book. But with everyone talking about it, anxiously waiting for its release, I got caught up. So I had to go buy it the day it got out ;) I enjoyed the book quite a bit, though, so it was worth the hardcover price.

This book introduces a relative of two of the original Wallflowers, Rafe Bowman - who is one of Lillian and Daisy's brothers. He's been at odds with his father all h It's kinda funny, as much as I enjoyed the original Wallflowers series, I probably would have waited a while to buy this book. But with everyone talking about it, anxiously waiting for its release, I got caught up. So I had to go buy it the day it got out ;) I enjoyed the book quite a bit, though, so it was worth the hardcover price.

This book introduces a relative of two of the original Wallflowers, Rafe Bowman - who is one of Lillian and Daisy's brothers. He's been at odds with his father all his life, and has a reputation as a quite the wild rake. But now he wants to get in on his father's business. In order to do so, the elder Bowman demands that Rafe marry a woman of his choosing. That woman is Lady Natalie. Rafe is resigned to obeying his father this once, but then he meets Natalie's companion, Hannah. Sparks instantly sizzle between them. At first, all Hannah can see is that Rafe is the wrong person for Natalie, but then she realizes there is so much more to him than meets the eye. And with every meeting their feelings grow. Unfortunately, Rafe has his obligations, and Hannah knows what will happen if he disobeys his father. But neither are willing to give up on what they feel between them.

This was a fun, light-hearted book to read. I loved the fact that Kleypas gave the Wallflowers an active role in the story. It was great to read up on them, see how things were. They weren't just bystanders in the story, but active participants. I love when authors don't neglect their past characters. It adds so much more to a story. So on that point, this book was fabulous.

And I also enjoyed the romance between Rafe and Hannah. The brash American and the quiet, somewhat subdued Hannah. Their first meeting was great and their verbal sparring was fun to read. I liked how Kleypas played out their budding relationship. And the ending was wonderful. Very sweet.

One of my favorite scenes in the book was when Lillian and Hannah go off to talk about Hannah's "big secret" and one by one, the other Wallflowers join in, until the "big secret" has been told to each one. It just came across kinda funny to me - how it got told to one and all despite how Hannah wanted to keep it private. Oh, and the toupee scene...that was hilarious!

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be that the story deserved to be longer. Because even though I could buy into the love the bloomed between Rafe and Hannah, I still thought there needed to be more to their story. More build-up, a little more conflict. Plus there's the fact that Kleypas gave a fair amount of space to the other Wallflowers, which took away time for Rafe and Hannah. When I finished the book, I had a slight disappointment that there hadn't been more to the story. But don't get me wrong, the book worked as it was, I just thought it could have been even better if it had been another 50-100 pages longer.

For you Wallflowers fans, though, I think you'll really enjoy this book. It fits in perfectly with the other Wallflowers stories. I suppose we can only hope Kleypas will revisit these characters again. ...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Julianna rated it really liked it

Shelves: holiday-stories, desert-island-keepers, historical-romance, read-2010

Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Much like a couple of the other books in the Wallflower series, I thought that A Wallflower Christmas started a little weak, but by the end, I was completely hooked. What primarily made me skeptical at the beginning was the love/hate relationship and love at first sight themes, neither of which I'm really a fan. I guess I just don't get the love/hate scenario, how a person can one minute strongly dislike someone, often for no particularly good reason, and the Reviewed for THC Reviews
"4.5 stars" Much like a couple of the other books in the Wallflower series, I thought that A Wallflower Christmas started a little weak, but by the end, I was completely hooked. What primarily made me skeptical at the beginning was the love/hate relationship and love at first sight themes, neither of which I'm really a fan. I guess I just don't get the love/hate scenario, how a person can one minute strongly dislike someone, often for no particularly good reason, and the next be melting into a passionate embrace with them. I also admit that the short length of the book itself made for a very quick romance that all takes place over a matter of just days, but once again, Lisa Kleypas pulled out all the stops toward the end and made me totally believe that Rafe and Hannah were completely in love with one another and truly would have an HEA.

I wasn't entirely sure about Rafe at first either. The first two kisses he stole from Hannah left me a little cold. At the time, he just seemed arrogant and spoiled, used to getting whatever he wanted, and he wanted Hannah. Once they got to Stony Cross Park (the place where so many magical moments have been born in Lisa Kleypas's stories), he started to show more vulnerability. The conversation with his father was very revealing, because it showed just how much Rafe (like his sisters, Lillian and Daisy) had been trying to gain his father's approval all his life and never got it. He seemed to have realized this years ago when he broke ties with his sire, but in hopes of still inheriting the family fortune, he's back and considering marrying his father's choice of a bride for him. I was so glad to see Rafe stand up to Thomas Bowman once and for all, no matter the consequences. It showed he had a great strength of character. Because of this, I think he might have been subconsciously testing Hannah, who was quite disapproving of him when they first met, to see if she would still care for him in spite of his bad boy persona. Also, the part about the toy soldier was sweet and heartbreaking. Ms. Kleypas has always been very good at making some small memento important to the character development. I just wish that she had found a way for Rafe to tell the story to Hannah himself rather than it coming from Lillian. I've always thought that secondary characters relating information about the past generally takes away good opportunities to build intimacy between the hero and heroine, but I'll admit that this element wasn't as annoying in this book as it has been in others I've read. Best of all, his love letter to Hannah was utterly swoon-worthy. Besides setting the pages on fire, I thought it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how deeply he had come to love her.

I can't say that I entirely understood Hannah's initial dislike of Rafe. She kind of seemed to have it in for him before she ever met him, and then his uncouth American ways, and worse yet him accosting her in the hallway with a passionate kiss, only added fuel to the fire. Again, once Hannah arrived at the house party, she started showing a softer side. She slowly became more willing to spend time with Rafe which in turn, helped her get to know the man underneath the facade. Hannah turned out to be a very gentle and sensitive young woman. I loved how she read A Christmas Carol to the children each night, and Rafe couldn't resist listening as well. I thought something might come of Rafe's assertion that Hannah was tired of being in Natalie's shadow, but it never really went any further. Hannah perhaps could have been a bit more developed than she was, but overall, I found her to be a likable heroine.

It was really nice seeing all the wallflowers and their husbands again. I thought it was really sweet how they banded together to help Hannah and made her an unofficial member of their group. Fans of Sebastian and Evie and Marcus and Lillian will be happy to know that both couples get their own brief love scenes. I was a little disappointed that there weren't more interactions between Simon and Annabelle and Matthew and Daisy. The latter couple and Simon didn't even appear until nearly halfway into the book. At least, Simon and Annabelle got a scene of affection with the implication that they were headed off for some intense lovin', but Matthew and Daisy (my favorite Wallflower couple) didn't even get that much.

Perhaps it's her strong personality, but Lillian always seems to be a scene-stealer. Since she's not my favorite Wallflower heroine, that's not always a good thing. Once again, she actually managed to aggravate me a little in this book by doubting Marcus's love for her. I realize that her past might give her some insecurity issues, but one would think that after two years of marriage to him, she would have grown and changed enough that she would have no trouble trusting him, especially when their passion hadn't seemed to wane one bit. Admittedly, it was a very Lillian-esque thing for her to do, but I still wish that Ms. Kleypas had found another way to handle this part of the story. It was obvious to me right from the start what Marcus was up to, and to have Lillian questioning him the way she did cast a bit of a pall over their HEA for me. Luckily, this little side plot was a very small part of the overall story, but I have to admit that I couldn't help cheering Marcus on when he was sorely tempted to take Lillian over his knee and thrash her for thinking such a thing.

I may have had a few minor issues here and there with A Wallflower Christmas, but overall, it was a very good read. I loved the Christmas theme with the decorating of the tree, and the little secondary bit about Thomas Bowman's toupee was a hoot. Not to mention, as always, Lisa Kleypas knows how to write a satisfying love story. In my opinion, A Wallflower Christmas was a fitting conclusion to the Wallflower series and another keeper for me. I hear tell that some of the characters pop up again in the spin-off Hathaway series. I really look forward to starting that series, and with any luck, perhaps I'll get to visit with a few of my favorites again. ...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Celeste rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas! Being able to hear about and see how all the characters that I have grown to love was really nice. The new storyline between Rafe (Lillian and Daisy's brother) and Hannah was great as well. I love that they made her an honorary wallflower.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen was a bit more character development for both Rafe and Hannah, as well as more interaction between the wallflowers and Hannah. But for light, enjoyable Chris ...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Saadia rated it liked it

LK reprises the lovely ladies known as the Wallflowers from past novels and brings together yet another unlikely couple at a Christmas house party.

The couple getting wed at the end of the story is not the one we are led to expect at the introduction! LK's talented story-telling keeps me involved in the hero and heroine's struggles as they come to grips with their mutual attraction, against all odds. I do like happy endings, the chief reason why I read romances! ...more

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Nov 15, 2008 Cam rated it it was amazing

Loved it, though it could have been longer.

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Aug 14, 2008 ChloeLeeNH rated it really liked it

This was a quick easy read that was mostly a feel good read. No really heavy deep things going on here... even the issue at hand with him there to be possibly betrothed not to harrowing. Glad I read it!

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