Secrets Of A Summer Night (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Written April 5, 20154 Stars - Charming, steamy and much chuckling fun. These determined 'Wallflowers' are women to admireYet another amusing 'Wallflowers' HR as audiobook (11 hrs) narrated by always excellent Rosalyn Landor. (You get this one for just $7 incl. the e-book / kindle at Amazon right now.) Well done, well narrated, very entertaining HRI liked the of many readers so much beloved Devil in Winter (#3 - 3.9 stars) some weeks ago and this series instalment was just as well written, funny and filled with interesting characters. Looking forward to read about the American sisters and their way to love soon too. ***********************************************************London, 1843Secrets of a Summer Night is the first 'Wallflowers' part and it is about the beautiful Annabelle Peyton. A 25 years old woman in a urgent need of a (rich) suitable husband. She has tried in several seasons to find a match to 'save' her mother and younger brother. But without wealth, assets, other than a pretty face, in her bride coffin it is quite hopeless.Mr. Simon Hunt is a new player in the ballrooms that has an "good eye" (an lust..) for Annabelle. Once was Simon just the local butcher’s son but is by now both very wealthy and powerful. Nevertheless maybe not the "right" kind of admirer for a well born young lady like Annabelle. In her opinion anyway. ‘What was she doing? Continuing this game, maintaining even this fragile communication with him, was pointless. No …it was dangerous. There was no choice to be made between safety and disaster.’***********************************************************What I maybe like most about this book is that our heroine here isn't always a good & nice girl. Annabelle is both pretty self-absorbed and indeed selfish. Well not always, sure she cares about her mother, brother and girlfriends (these interesting three other Wallflowers) but she also has some narrow-minded preconceptions, she often look down on others and are incredibly snobby when it comes to social class and the nobility. Though it's fun, I actually like the privilege to avoid having to face another admirable good-hearted young historical heroine occasionally. Thus said, so fits course this little rougher, harder and cynical "working class" hero, Simon Hunt, her perfectly. They are like two confused magnets that lost each other and yet still not understood it. .. ‘Annabelle could hardly fail to note the differences between them. Hunt looked positively swarthy in the gathering dusk, big and potently masculine, with the eyes of a pirate and the casually ruthless air of a pagan king. He was no less arrogant than he had ever been…no tamer, no more refined…and yet somehow he had become the object of such all- consuming desire that Annabelle was certain she had lost her mind.’Was it really that bad back in 1840s?Another common beliefs in this particular historical, that really surprises me, is that the men here seem to think it is completely cool to wait out attractive women as 'poor' Annabelle until they were irremediable spinsters. Then they could be bought cheaply as dependent mistresses (sex-slaves) at a more convenient way than as spouses. The strong women's rights part in me wanted to scream and yell. ~ Ugh, for cold-hearted self-righteous men. Thanksgod Mr Hunt was a true gentleman, surprisingly but he did the 'right' thing, in the end. ***********************************************************Ms Kleypas is maybe not my absolute number #1 favorite in this HR genre but her books are nevertheless amusing and very steamy stories. There will be many more. “Having regrets is the only sign that you’ve done anything interesting with your life.”I LIKE - good historical romances in my headphones
Buddy read with (links to their reviews):Aly - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Ange - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Maru - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Aure - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...Since the death of her father Annabelle's family finances have been getting steadily worse and it has now reached the point where her only option is to find a husband who can support them. Unfortunately after four seasons in London she has yet to find a member of the aristocracy who is willing to marry her. Simon is a self made millionaire who has reluctantly been accepted into society because of his money, he is attracted to Annabelle but the last thing he is offering her is marriage. Annabelle may be drawn to Simon but she doesn't want to become his mistress, unless she finds a husband soon though she may have no other choice.Although Again the Magic is set in the same time frame and there is a cross over of some of the characters I do think you could read Secrets of a Summer Night first. I loved both books though so would happily recommend them to fans of historical romance. One of the things I loved most about this book was the friendship that develops between the four wallflowers Annabelle, Evie, Lillian and Daisy who we hadn't been introduced to previously. The girls couldn't be more different from each other and are having problems finding suitable husbands for very different reasons but they form a close bond as they set out to find each of them a husband. The interactions between them and the antics they get up to were hilarious and had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I love stories with strong female friendships and this series definitely fits the bill.I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of Annabelle's in the beginning. She came across as really shallow and snobbish and I hated the way she looked down on Simon because he had earned his money with hard work and wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. There were times that I felt she didn't deserve him but I'm glad to say that she had really grown on me by the end. She does a lot of growing up realising what is important in life and finding that having a title isn't the be all and end all. Simon was easy to fall for, he was protective, caring and incredibly sexy and I would be happy to take him out of Annabelle's hands! I loved the fact that he didn't make any apologies for who he was, he was rightfully proud of his achievements and didn't give a damn what anyone in society thought of him. Although he had no intention of ever marrying Annabelle at the beginning it doesn't take him long to fall head over heels for her and from that point he will do anything to make her his.I'm really looking forward to getting to know the other wallflowers better. Evie is painfully shy but with the girls her confidence is slowly starting to grow and I can't wait to see her come out of her shell even more. Lillian and Daisy are the wealthy daughters of an American businessman and their mother is determined to see them marry an English gentleman and gain a title. Although they have plenty of money neither girl is used to London society, they come across as brash and their behaviour scandalises the society ladies. They are both very outspoken and it's going to take a pair of special guys to tame them.I still can't believe that this is only the second Lisa Kleypas book I've read, she has such a witty writing style and creates such superb heroes that I can't wait to read more of her work. If you love historical romance and haven't started this series yet then you're really missing out and I can't recommend it highly enough.
What do You think about Secrets Of A Summer Night (2006)?
Gosh, what a standout start to the Wallflowers series. Simon is a definite hero in pursuit, one of my favorite types. He saw Annabelle and he had to have her. He wasn't always upstanding in the things he said or did, or his motivations. But it didn't help that Annabelle's inbred snobbery caused her to look down at him. Simon is a self-made man. He is very wealthy and his wealth has opened doors for him socially (just barely). The fact that he is a business associate (and friend of Lord Westcliff
— Danielle The Book Huntress (Self-Proclaimed Book Ninja)
The Wallflowers are an odd bunch. Consisting of four women who have been unlucky in their hunt for a husband, they find themselves bonding together over their shared problem. The eldest of the bunch is Annabella Peyton, a strong-willed woman whom I adored! I loved her determination to find a husband and although she was pursuing the wrong guy for most of the book, I liked that she wasn’t overly desperate. She had her limits and couldn’t be persuaded otherwise unless she agreed to. Of course, I’m
—Annie (Under the Covers Book Blog)
The first time Simon Hunt and Annabelle Peyton met, they shared an erotic kiss in a darkened theater. It's two years later and Simon is as determined as ever to have her...After that kiss, Annabelle did everything she could to avoid Simon Hunt, going so far as to spurn him when he asks her to dance. Despite the fact that no one else every asked her. Firmly stuck in her wallflower status, Annabelle forms a friendship with three unlikely girls: shy Evangeline Jenner and two American girls, Lillian
—Leah
