A wallflower
And an elegant gentleman…
Gauche Hazel Springfeld is reconciled to being left on
the shelf. At a society ball, she is improbably asked to dance by charismatic
Mr. Lucas Darkwood. When she discovers it was all for a wager -- he'll win a
prize if he can turn her into marriage material -- Hazel plans to get her own
back! She'll frighten Lucas into thinking she really does expect that proposal
-- from him!
I liked this book, and the My Fair Lady feel to it. Hazel
is a young woman in her fifth Season, and her marital prospects are pretty dim
despite her considerable dowry. It doesn't help that she doesn't dance well,
and her conversation tends toward the intellectual rather than social. She
accepts that she will likely still be alone at the end of the Season. So she is
stunned when the notorious Lucas Darkwood asks her to dance.
Lucas is a businessman with the reputation of never
failing at what he sets out to do. He focuses purely on his business and has no
interest in ever getting married. His current project involves horse breeding,
and he has his eye on a particular mare to add to his stable. Unfortunately,
the owner of the mare refuses to sell, instead challenging Lucas to a bet.
Lucas must make Hazel appealing to men before the end of the Season if he wants
to win the horse. If he fails, Lucas must marry Hazel himself. Supremely
confident in himself, Lucas accepts.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Lucas and Hazel. The connection between them was immediate though neither
wanted to admit it. Lucas believes his focus is entirely on winning his bet,
while Hazel thinks Lucas wants something from her father. I liked that first
dance together. Lucas realized there was more to Hazel than he expected and is
unwillingly intrigued. Hazel's dancing woes disappear under Lucas's confidence-inspiring
touch. Hazel enjoys his attentions but reminds herself to expect nothing to come
from them, though that gets more difficult with each encounter. Just as she lets
her guard down a little, Hazel learns the truth.
Hurt and angry, Hazel concocts a plan to get even. She
goes all out to convince Lucas that she has fallen for him and expects a
proposal any day. But the more time they spend together, the more their
feelings for each other grow. Lucas struggles with jealousy over the men he
selected as perfect for Hazel and freaks out at the realization he cares for
her, especially since he has a deep-seated belief that he is incapable of love.
At the same time, Hazel has a hard time maintaining her anger as she gets to
know Lucas better. When the sparks between them get out of control, Hazel confronts
Lucas about the bet. I liked how she explained how it made her feel and called
him out on his selfishness before walking out on him.
Both Lucas and Hazel suffer from the separation. Hazel
thought she had finally found someone who accepted her for who she was and was
devastated to discover otherwise. Besides losing his bet, Lucas faces Hazel's
opinion and realizes that she is right. With some advice from his sister-in-law,
Lucas begins a campaign to earn Hazel's forgiveness. I enjoyed his attempts and
loved when he finally figured out the best way to reach her. I liked his big
moment when he opened up and laid his heart on the line in an emotional plea. The
ending was sweet, and I liked the epilogue.
My only complaint is that the beginning seemed to drag a
little. I had a hard time staying involved until about halfway through the
book. Once the house party kicked off I felt more invested in the outcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment