04 January 2022

NetGalley Review: How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James


Rating:   ✩✩✩✩


Eloisa James is a powerhouse of historical romance and this book is a shining example of why.  


While this novel contains your classic romance trope of “rivals to lovers” the love story itself is a calm, cozy and imminently believable tale of two independent people finding one another.  While Cleo and Jake start out in a mild rivalry over a costume shop, the romance blossoms very organically in a very real way.  While as readers we may love a good “lust at first sight,”  this slow burn romance feels like a warm blanket on a cold day.  James makes the reader understand, and care for, the main characters while building a world full of humorous supporting characters, exciting historical finery and a delightful HEA.  

My only critique being that I know James can write scenes that make you sweat, and this book was lacking that, shall we say, chemistry.  While not all romance novels have to be “smut-worthy,”  readers of the author may be disappointed in this aspect.  

All that said, I look forward to more books in this series.  


Published by: Avon & Harper Voyage  Release Date: 29 March 2022  Purchase at: Amazon







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