Review of The Wicked Wallflower by Maya Rodale

Title/Author: The Wicked Wallflower (Bad Boys & Wallflowers #1) by Maya Rodale
Publisher/Date published: Avon, October 29th 2013
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley
Buy this book at: The Book Depository

Goodreads summary: Lady Emma Avery has accidentally announced her engagement — to the most eligible man in England. As soon as it's discovered that Emma has never actually met the infamously attractive Duke of Ashbrooke, she'll no longer be a wallflower; she'll be a laughingstock. And then Ashbrooke does something Emma never expected. He plays along with her charade.

A temporary betrothal to the irreproachable Lady Avery could be just the thing to repair Ashbrooke's tattered reputation. Seducing her is simply a bonus. And then Emma does what he never expected: she refuses his advances. It's unprecedented. Inconceivable. Quite damnably alluring.

London's Least Likely to Misbehave has aroused the curiosity — among other things — of London's most notorious rogue. Now nothing will suffice but to uncover Emma's wanton side and prove there's nothing so satisfying as two perfect strangers… being perfectly scandalous together.

You guys, I love a good wallflower story. I can't help it. I feel like a wallflower myself sometimes and I can just identify with the feeling of being looked over for more shiny people. And a rake discovering a wallflower might just be the woman for him is one of my favourite storylines!

Ok, so after I got over my incredulity at Blake just going along with the fake betrothal (because seriously, I found it kinda hard to believe), things really picked up! I like Emma's friends, though we didn't get to see a lot of them, they felt like true friends to me and every girl should have at least one.

And I really liked Emma! I like that while she recognizes that Blake is very handsome, she doesn't immediately fall at his feet and that she can match him in wits. Their banter was so entertaining! And I loved Emma's interaction with Blake's aunt, who was just amazing all around! Her relationship with Benedict (the guy who's been courting her for 3 seasons) confused me, she constantly says they're in love and she wants to marry him, but I just couldn't see it. Also, I didn't like Benedict, who in my opinion was a spineless idiot. That could have something to do with it.

I LOVED Blake! He knows he's a handsome bugger and isn't used to being refused anything, and it was so much fun to see him try to deal with Emma's resistance! I love that he falls for Emma first and isn't afraid to admit it, putting his heart on the line. Near the end there was some unnecessary conflict from his side, but it all worked out nicely in the end. I love that he wasn't afraid to make himself look ridiculous by playing the flute even though he'd never done it before, because his aunt asked. And the grand gestures! I'm a sucker for grand gestures, so he definitely gets bonus points for that!

Mostly, these two just worked together and their were sparks and heartbreak and just ALL THE FEELINGS!! I loved that they got to know each other through their scheming and then they discovered there was something real there and it was just *SIGH* SO GOOD! I'll definitely be picking up the next book in the series!

My rating: 5 stars