Customer Reviews

Scandal in Spring (The Wallflowers, Book 4)

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As I finished the wonderful conclusion in Kleypas's wallflowers series, I found myself wondering, where will she go from here? I can honestly say that she has penned one of the dearest series of books ever to come across these well-read romantic eyes. The detail of Daisy's story was a masterfully done wrap-up to a heartwarming group of reads.

Daisy Bowman is a fresh breeze amongst the rougher backdrop that is her family. Her innocent ways have done her no favors though, as she's looked on with much affection by her sister Lillian and friends, just not with much sense. When her father demands she choose a husband, or else marry a man she detests, not even her fellow wallflowers can save her. Not one to back down from a challenge, Daisy is rather dismayed when the very man her father wishes her to marry, Matthew Swift, appears on the scene. He's much changed from the man she remembers and she's not sure how to deal with the attractive businessman. Chance finds them often together in the following days and Matthew turns out to be far more than the money hungry employee of her father than she first thought. As all-consuming passion buds between them, a tragic secret from Matthew's past threatens their hopes.

What has carried throughout this entire series to date, the strong characters, still reins supreme as the most enticing factor in the last installment. Daisy has appeared before as the witty youngest amongst the wallflowers, a fierce supporter of them and their heart's desires. To see their fervent support of her this time solidified my admiriation for their friendship. Daisy is brought forth in her own story as a sweet innocent, a woman bursting with the hope of love and someone to share it with. She found her true love in the form of Matthew, a heart throbbing man who seemed very real and compellingly sexy. The other wallflowers, Annabelle, Lillian and Evie, all have recurring roles, along with their spouses, and that element of friendship is as strong in this installment as it is in previous ones, though not overpowering Daisy and Matthew's romance.

Romance that comes from a direction Daisy least expects, wonderful characters, poignant writing--it all meshed together perfectly. A very satisfying ending to a wonderful series, one I look forward to rereading for many years to come. Thank you, Ms. Kleypas, for a wonderful three years of romance.

K. Montgomery
Official Reviewer for The Mystic Castle

...of Wallflower novels. My favorite of the series is Secrets of a Summer Night; I don't think any of the others quite measures up to it, but they're all extremely enjoyable in their own ways. I am sorry to see this series end. Kleypas is probably my favorite romance author at this point; I always look forward to a new book from her. Hey, are any of you other fans thinking what I've been thinking...how about a book about the Gypsy Cam Rohan, who was enticingly introduced in Devil in Winter and never heard from again?? I thought he was a lot more interesting than the hero of this new book, and I was kind of hoping Kleypas would find a way to bring him and Daisy together. One can only hope....but back to the subject at hand; this is a book that is well worth your while, and I hope those who have not yet read Kleypas' wonderful books will check out the whole series.

Scandal in Spring, the final installment of Kleypas's wallflower series, (Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, and Devil in Winter) tells the story of Daisy Bowman's search for love. The youngest of the four friends who once dubbed themselves the "wallflowers", Daisy is a wealthy American heiress who desperately needs to find an English husband before her father marries her off to his protegee Mathew Swift. Daisy remembers Mr. Swift as a cold, ambitious "bag of bones" with the same temperament as her domineering father, but when Mr. Swift arrives in England, Daisy is shocked to discover that he has grown into a handsome and thoughtful man. Through a series of touching encounters, Daisy realizes that the last man she ever wanted to marry is the one man she can't live without.

Unfortunately Mr. Swift is keeping a secret that he knows will destroy whatever tenderness Daisy might come to have for him. Though he has adored Ms. Bowman from afar for years, he cannot let himself act on his feelings for fear of dragging his love into the darkness that threatens to track him down. But the more time he spends with the whimsical and charming Daisy the more he comes to realize that love is worth the risk of discovery.

Kleypas does a wonderful job of giving the last "wallflower" her own special love story. Daisy's romantic nature and Matthew's practicality compliment each other nicely. Daisy manages to keep an open mind about Matthew and he never disappoints her, even when his "secret" is revealed.

As in all romance novels their needs to be SOME reason that the hero and heroine can't fall madly in love with each other in the first 10 pages. Daisy's prejudice against Mr. Swift based on her father's approval of him was a very legitimate reason. As for Matthew's part, his "deep dark secret" (which most readers will have figured out after the first time it is mentioned in the book) seemed somewhat contrived, though, as a literary device it served it's purpose.

Readers who enjoyed the first three wallflower books will enjoy seeing all of the friends back together again with their dotting husbands. As always, Kleypas has a true gift for writing likable and believable characters that deserve to fall in love and live happily ever after.

Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite romance authors, and after thoroughly enjoying the other Wallflower books, I eagerly anticipated Daisy's story. I too was quite surprised that the hero wasn't Evie's gypsy friend, as was hinted in the previous book. Perhaps this was just Ms. Kleypas just trying to throw the readers a curve ball, but it seemed strange that she would take an entire chapter for Daisy and Cam in Evie's book, when Cam barely merits a mention in Daisy's story. Oh well.

In the end it didn't really matter, because Matthew Swift was a wonderful hero. Perfect for Daisy, and very likeable for the reader. Kleypas' strenght is really creating relationships in which you put the book down KNOWING they'd live happily ever after.

That being said, I would definetly recommend this, and all of Kleypas' books, although this probably was not my favorite. The characters were great, but I wish their surrounding plot would have had a little more spark. The book read very much like the description on the back of the book. It really lacked creativity, and it seemed just a little too formulaic. Overall, it just seemed that very little happened. Although the length was comparable to the other Wallflower stories, those all seemed to have more complex plots.

In other words, as an end to the series, this book was wonderful. A great balance of the love story and the friendship of the Wallflowers. As a "stand alone" Kleypas book, I would probably not recommend it as heartily as most of her others.

I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if it had not been for the foreshadowing in "Devil in Winter." That book hinted at a relationship between Daisy and Cam Rohan - a much more colorful hero with a gyspy background. I was expecting an exciting tale with a dark hero - instead it ended up as another (relatively) boring houseparty. That being said, Kleypas' writing is excellent and her heroes are well written, so it wasn't a complete waste. Still, I would prefer Kleypas to revisit the society she introduced us to in "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Lady Sophia's Lover".

Like most reviewers of this latest and last installment of the Wallflowers Quartet, I liked delving into Daisy's mind and heart. I also liked the presence of the other characters, who liven up an otherwise dragging plot. The plot is one of the reasons this novel isn't topnotch. The so-called scandal is deferred too long, so long that by the time it gets revealed to complicate the main romance, Kleypas rushes through it and summarizes instead of dramatizes that titled complication--I was confused by that label and disappointed in the plotting. It doesn't feel like a scandal but a mere interruption in the outcome. The other main problem is Matthew. He is intriguing but not in a great way. I couldn't quite get a handle on him throughout, and felt he was eclipsed by the constant dynamic presence of Marcus, and even by our brief reminder of sexy, roguish Sebastian, who thankfully is not totally redeemed. More of Matthew's inner life would give us a glimpse of him.

I would rate the Wallflowers series in the following order of excellence: 1) It Happened one Autumn (best wit and sparks between two strong romantic leads, esp. Marcus); The Devil in Winter (refreshing pairing of the shy wallflower with a hardened unstereotypical rake--we really see Sebastian begrudgingly and imperfectly overcome his selfish, jaded attitude); 3) Scandal in Spring (great heroine and secondary characters, see flaws above); 4) Secrets of a Summer Night (heroine is too grasping and shallow, hero is too brutish--butcher's son, ugh... The best thing about this novel is our introduction to Lillian and Marcus. I loved the rounders scene!) Overall, a great series! Read it from beg. to end.

It is absolutely divine when the hero is in love. Matthew made my heart pitter patter a bit when I learned just how much he loves Daisy. Kleypas knows how to turn up the heat with anticipation, a soft sigh, a longing look...I've said it before and I will say it again...Kleypas knows how to fall in love.

This book can't be passed up and you will get to catch up on all your other favorite wallflowers. Why not five stars? Well the instant dislike for him wasn't played out well because he loved her so much that I sympathized with him and I couldn't help but think they were being a bit judgemental...he was very forgiving in spite of it all.

Scandal in Spring wraps up Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower series with the story of Daisy Bowman. After three seasons in London, Daisy's father has decided that since she has yet to bring a suitor up to scratch that he will choose one for her. His choice is his business partner and protege Matthew Swift, an American who will be arriving soon from New York.

Though she hasn't seen Swift in several years, Daisy's recollections of him are that he is an overgrown bag of bones whose singular focus is on succeeding in business. She wants to marry anyone but him and she and the other Wallflowers hatch a plan to get her engaged before she can be forced to carry out her father's wishes. However, all of this is before she sees Swift again and realizes that he has changed in the years since she's seen him. He's grown into his lanky frame, his looks have matured, and now his singular focus is in winning the affection of one Miss Bowman.

This was story was a wonderful end to one of my favorite romantic series. I love the fact that Kleypas gave each of these spectacular women a man who might not seem like the right one, but who was bound and determined to show these ladies that they were more than just the wallflowers on the edge of the ballroom. Daisy was one of my favorites with her bookworm exterior and dreamer's nature and I was sure that somehow Mr. Rohan from Evie's story (Devil In Winter) would somehow make an appearance in this book and sweep her off her feet. Even though that wasn't the case, I loved Matthew Swift and I loved how in love he was with Daisy. The two had a chemistry from the moment they saw each other again and I couldn't wait for them to get together.

This was a fitting end to an excellent series that displays that true love is possible for everyone, even the Wallflowers. I'd highly recommend the other books in the series which are (in order): Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, and Devil in Winter. If you like Kleypas' Wallflower series I can also recommend the Julia Quinn Bridgerton series beginning with the Duke and I.

Daisy Bowman is the younger sister of Lillian and good friends with Evie and Annabelle (all former Wallflowers). Daisy's father is tired of paying for season expenses when Daisy is clearly not actively looking for a husband. He gives her an ultimatum, find a husband or marry his handpicked assistant. Matthew. It has been years since Daisy has seen Matthew but she has no desire to marry him and no idea that he has secretly harbored a crush on her from afar. However, Matthew is also not thrilled at Daisy's father's idea because he harbors secrets about his past that he feels will prevent him from marrying. The chemistry between the two, however, is unstoppable when they meet at Lillian's house.

This is such a beautifully written novel, I could not put it down. Even if you haven't read the other Wallflower novels you will enjoy it. This is a must read.

Although this book was not my favorite of the set, it still was a great book. I love Daisy, the last of the wallflower girls. I think she is so cute and she has a good additude. So often when I read romance novels I find the female characters to be snobby, uptight, and just plain annoying. Daisy was different. By the middle of the book it was Daisy who was doing the perusing.

The best part of the book was when Daisy drops Matthews room key down her dress and makes him watch as she undresses and teases him. That was so hot! I also loved the interesting twist into Matthews past.

All four of these books have there own unique story, characters, and hot love scenes. So if your like me and read other peoples reviews to determine the next book you want to read...then trust me, you won't be disappointed by the Wallflower books!!