Book 5), A Wallflower Christmas (Wallflowers

I stumbled upon the wallflower series based on a review. I decided to try the first book in the series and was hooked ever since. My favorite was Anabelle's story, the first book. Though each of the stories were equally well written, I just found that particular one to have a little more action. I highly recommend this series, I know I loved it.

I started this Wallflower series at the end and was so delighted that I have to go back to the beginning and finish the rest of the books—I could just tell that the entire series would be The Best Ever! Rafe is the brash American hero in search of a rich titled wife and Hannah is not titled but a companion accompanying the woman supposedly meant for Rafe. Ha! Everything goes topsy-turvy as Rafe and Hannah fall for each other in this cute holiday courtship!

I love Lisa Kleypas, but her Christmas Wallflowers book was TOO short. I still loved it though. Her writing is incomparable. Her characters are full of life and hilarious, and her storyline always includes a steamy romance.

I loved the wallflower series and was super excited when the Wallflower Christmas came out as I couldn't wait to join Annabelle, Lillian, Evie and Daisy on their adventures once again. Love the characters and this book.

I loved the wallflower series and was super excited when the Wallflower Christmas came out as I couldn't wait to join Annabelle, Lillian, Evie and Daisy on their adventures once again. Love the characters and this book.

While it was lovely to catch up with the Wallflowers, the main characters in this story were left without a lot of pages for their story and it ended up a little spare and rushed. Still, an OK Loss Kleypas is still better than most books out there.

Rafe is the American brother of two of the original Wallflowers. He has arrived in England to work out a business arrangement with his father. Their relationship has never been a good one, and his father has decided that Rafe must marry an English girl who is of the gentry. Rafe is advised that the young lady has already been selected. Natalie is the proper choice and she is amenable because her father wants to have her married to a very wealthy man. Everything seems to be in order.

Until Rafe meets his future intended's companion. Hannah Appleton is a bright and talented young woman. She is not a fan of brash American men, nor does she think that Natalie and Rafe are a good match. Natalie deserves someone more refined.

But, Rafe's intelligence, charm, strong personality and sense of humor seem to be very attractive to Hannah. In spite of herself she is falling under his spell.

This is a fun book with the attraction between Hannah and Rafe and small reminders of the love stories if the original 4 Wallflowers.

Ms Kleypas writes books which are well plotted and this is no exception. Her characters are presented as complete people with personalities and histories to explain who they are. The former Wallflowers are strong secondary characters in this book. It is a short read as well as a standalone.

If you enjoy seasonal stories of romance and love this is a book for you.

Rafe Bowman has spent his entire life in the shadow of his father, Thomas Bowman. As Bowman’s oldest son, much was expected from Rafe. Rafe’s childhood was spent with tutors. He was not allowed many toys and he rarely was allowed to spend time with his four younger siblings. Rafe’s best was never good enough and his mistakes brought about severe reprimands.

Realizing he’d never have a place in his father’s lucrative soap manufacturing business, Rafe sets out to make his own fortune. He makes his fortune by investing in the stock market and misleading guilible men into the wrong ones. In America, he leads the life of a rogue and gains the reputation of one to boot. After Rafe has made his own fortune, Thomas makes him an offer: marry Lady Natalie Blandford and Rafe will have a partnership in the family business and it’s the onl way Rafe will get it.

Hannah Appleton is the poor country cousin of Lady Natalie Blandford and Natalie’s companion. Lillian Bowman invites Hannah over for tea so that she, Annabelle, and Evie can learn more about Natlie. The morethey know, the more they can help Rafe with his courtship. When Hannah arrives, she and Rafe take an instant disliking of each other. Sparks fly and the quarrel between them is heated and crackling with tension. After the tea, Hannah decides she must do what she can to prevent a union between Natalie and Rafe.

Hannah is a sweet, caring and selfless girl and that is what Rafe is so attracted to. He can’t help but get her riled up from time to time. Hannah is also opinionatedas well and unlike most youn English misses, she isn’t afraid to tell a man how she feels. Rafe is fascinated by her, but he is all but bethrothed to her cousin. Rafe must choose: his father’s business or love?

I adored Hannah and Rafe’s story! A Wallflower Christmas is the perfect blend of everything I love as a reader. It’s a reunion of favorite characters, a Christmas celebration and a great romance story all rolled into one. The four original Wallflowers become Hannah’s supporters when she feels like she has no one to turn to. There are several tender moments that had my eyes welling up and even though I write this in May, there were also moments that reminded me of all the wonderful meaningful traditions of the Christmas season. For it’s 213 pages A Wallflower Christmas is well worth the investment!

Honestly I dont know how anyone could like Rafe. Hannah is kissed against her wishes in the very first meeting with him and he admits to her that protesting will only make him kiss her again. He draws attention to her later when she would obviously prefer to slip out of the room quietly. He insults and disrespects her. I'm 80 pages in and I honestly dont know if I'll finish the book out of boredom or just set it aside as a bad job from a good author.

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

I bought A Wallflower Christmas a long time ago because I was so attracted to the beautiful cover. I love those dresses! I want one of those dresses! At the time, I hadn't even read any Lisa Kleypas books before. Well of course that changed and now I've read a pile of Lisa Kleypas books and I am so happy that I finally got to read this one. Even though it's August and this is a Christmas themed book it was still fabulous. It was a wonderful reunion book that ended this amazing Wallflower series perfectly. I will miss those ladies!

I am so sad it's over. I read this small book (which is about half the size of the previous books) so quickly. I wanted more. I didn't want it to end. I am currently sulking.

Goodbye to Annabelle, Evie, Lillian and Daisy. What a great group of friends. All so different and yet in the face of being so different, each had such an amazing story where strong friendship was heavily themed. I am so pleased that Lisa Kleypas put out one last little novel to share a bit more of their life after their books. I enjoyed every page that the friends were featured on.

Rafe was Lillian and Daisy's oldest brother. I have to say at first I really didn't care for him. He grew on me though. I did however like Hannah right away. I liked how she also enjoyed a close relationship with her cousin even though she was her paid companion. I loved that Lisa Kleypas didn't make her cousin, Natalie to be a villain. It just wasn't necessary to make the women mean to each other in order to make the story good. I cannot stress how much I appreciated that!

Even though the story was short, it was sweet and had enough content to satisfy me with a wonderful ending to the Wallflowers series.

Teasers: burnt love letter, toupee in tree, Dicken's Christmas Story, library affair (almost)

This is a follow up story to the Wallflower series (which I loved) but isn't quite the caliber of the previous books. This is really more of a Novella, and the brevity of the story prevented it from being as deep in character or plot as Lisa Kleypas's books usually are. With that said, its still a nice "fix" for Wallflower fans like me who want to keep our favorite characters alive.

I was hoping this story would be an extended epilogue for the four Wallflowers and their husbands, but it turned out to be a story about Lillian and Daisy's brother Rafe. Rafe comes to London to secure both a fortune and a wife, and his father has made sure that he won't have one without the other. He doesn't really care very much about who he marries. He doesn't want to get married at all, so he figures it doesn't really matter that much who the woman is as long as he gets his payday. He is intended to marry Natalie, but her cousin Hannah consistently gets in the way because she thinks Natalie can do better.

Through all her scheming and plotting, Hannah falls for Rafe herself. Will Rafe return the feelings? And if he does, would he be willing to give up a fortune to marry a nobody?

There are a few scenes involving the original Wallflowers, but they are few an far between. There is one short scene with St Vincent and Evie that probably only lasts a page or two, but was actually more memorable to me than Rafe's story. The sexual tension between these two lovebirds is enough to make my heart race. Unfortunately, the main characters in this story don't make the same impact and I think it is just because there isn't enough depth in such a short book. There is also a short encounter between Lillian and Markus, but Simon/Annabelle and Matthew/Daisy unfortunately get almost nothing.

If you are a Wallflowers fan, this book is worth reading. If you haven't already read the rest of the series, then I'd suggest holding off on this one until you read the series. It's not really worth the read as a stand alone book.

I would love to read more of the Wallflowers someday, but if LK decides to do this someday, I really hope she does a full length book.

My first reaction to reading this book is "What a wonderful Christmas Book."

Author Lisa Kleypas has put together an amazing set of characters. These ladies are far more adapt to the harsh cruel world but takes advantage of the situations and turned them into a life that they other wise may have never had.

The only thing that I have with A Wallflower Christmas is the long historical parts. Yes I do realize that it is past on a historical past. But there were some times with in the pages of this book, it just seemed to drawn out.

On the other hand the colorful descriptions of the cities and homes, places that I would love to see one day, were just wonderful. Then add in all the Holiday scenes made it just that more enjoyable.

I loved how the women in this story took control of their situations and schemed and planned and then made things happen to secure their future.

I am not going to reveal any thing more than what the synopsis and what I have already said. Why? Well I believe you know why! Yea, that's right, You Need To Read This One All By Your Self! I will say I really did enjoy reading the book, with the exception of the one thing I said. I am going to make sure that I keep the author on my list to check more from.

And so due to the above I am giving this book a Breath of Life Rating of:

Four Clock Rating!!!

Disclosure: I did not receive this book in exchange for my review. But the opinions are mine. And your opinion may differ.

With all the Kleypas earmarks of passionate unwanted attraction, clever heroines and strong heroes- plus revisiting some widely popular former protags- what's there not to like about this short tale of a love that cannot be denied?

Not too much. I loved Hannah the improvised hand-maid of Lady Natalie,the very Lady looking to be engaged to former wallflowers, Lilian and Daisy Bowman's older brother Rafe. And Rafe was another great irreverent, rakish and typically slightly tortured Kleypas hero.

In this Christmas story, Lilian decides Hannah must meet with she and Rafe before Lady Natalie, so that Lilian can determine what Lady Natalie might like- thereby giving Rafe and edge. Of course this immediately poses a problem because Rafe falls immediately for the bold opinionated girl.

It takes a little bit for his heart to convince his mind- as well as his father and Hannah- but with a stunningly romantic, fire-singed letter he does so.

Meanwhile we get a peek at what the other wallflowers are up too- along with their spouses- which pretty much makes this book worth a read.

I dont usually like novellas- the shortness of them doesnt lend to the character depth I tend to need-, but Kleypas managed to to totally engage me in this one. (When Hannah thinks she hears his engagement announced to Lady Natalie, my heart broke along with her!)

Short, sweet and of course- uber romantic- a nice little ender to this series if you ask me.

The first thing one notices about this conclusion to Lisa Kleypas' awesome Wallflowers series is how short it is. It also centers around a brand-new heroine who has had no parts in any of the other novels. For these two reasons, I really thought I wasn't going to like this book as much as I did. Not to be cliche, but it was short and sweet.

The book centers on Rafe Bowman, brother to Daisy and Lillian, who gets an ultimatum from his father to either marry Natalie, a well-bred English lady, or to lose his share of the Bowman's huge amounts of money. Instead of Natalie, he becomes completely captured with Hannah, who is of plainer stock. Natalie, of course, sees him as an ill-behaved, American rake. While this center storyline is occurring, readers get a kind of "what are they doing now?" look into the lives of the previous Wallflowers. Although this book takes place almost right after the last, it was really nice to get a glimpse into those characters who we have grown really attached to.

Lisa Kleypas did a really nice job of joining a new story with glimpses into the current lives of the previous Wallflowers. The new characters were well thought-out and the old kept the same traits that made us love them in the first place. Overall, it was a really satisfying companion to the series and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has read the prior books.

Rafe Bowman, the eldest son of an American entrepreneur, is an unprincipled rake and the last man any well-bred young lady would consider as husband material. However, in order to gain a stake in his father's business, Rafe agrees to marry just such a young lady, signing over his romantic future to benefit his financial one. Rafe travels to London to meet his future wife and is subjected to the matchmaking efforts of his sister, Lillian, Lady Westcliff, and her group of companions, the Wallflowers. On Rafe's first day in town, Lillian organizes a meeting between her brother and Lady Natalie's companion, Hannah Appleton.

Hannah is Natalie's cousin as well as her companion. She knows Natalie as well as anyone, and has her best interests at heart. When she meets Rafe Bowman, she immediately knows that he and Natalie won't suit. The man is lacking manners, has an overbearing personality, and his rakish tendencies are too much to be borne--oh, and there's also the fact that he kisses her. No, Hannah is determined that Natalie meet a nice, charming, sedate Englishman who will treat her the way she deserves to be treated, and have the bearing and temperance to be a good husband. Only, in order to drive them apart, something has to be done to take Rafe's mind off of Natalie--and to take Hannah's mind off of Rafe.

A Wallflower Christmas is the charming follow-up to Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series, which began with Secrets of a Summer Night (The Wallflowers, Book 1). The Wallflower series is about heroines who have been relegated to the outskirts of the ballroom because of their shyness, lack of wealth, or unconventional personalities. Hannah Appleton is a great addition to their esteemed company. Hannah is sweet and naive initially, and unused to the attention of men. Accordingly, she has no idea how to react once a womanizer like Rafe Bowman sets his sights on her. Rafe brings out passions Hannah didn't know she had, and shows her that she deserves more than to be just a lady's companion--she deserves happiness of her own. And Hannah shows Rafe that there is more to life than business, and that he shouldn't sacrifice his hope at happiness for his father's approval. She teaches Rafe what love is, and shows him that he not only deserves it, he's found it in her.

A Wallfower Christmas is the perfect book to curl up by the fire with on a cool fall or winter night. It's a quick read, but with the trademark sensuality, charm, and classic romance that have become a standard of Kleypas's writing.

The Wallflowers are a delightful band of four young ladies who united to make sure they found true love in their marriages. Now they've come together again to help the brother, Rafe Bowman of two Wallflowers' find the perfect bride.

Rafe has come from America to meet with Lady Natalie Blandford, a beautiful young woman with very blue blood - and one whom his demanding and overbearing father wants to align their family with. However, Lady Natalie's cousin and companion Hannah knows deep in her heart that Rafe is definitely not the right woman for her cousin - the Wallflowers recognize this also; though it could be that Rafe is just perfect for Hannah!

*** As a Kleypas fan from the beginning of her career, I buy anything with her name on it and I am happy to report, Lisa has never failed to entertain me with likeable characters and lovely sensual romances. While this book was short as well as lively and witty the author did do a very thorough job of fleshing out the character of Rafe and a reasonable job with Hannah. If you are new to the series, you can gauge enough of the other Wallflowers characters to have some idea of what their stories would be like and these glimpses will be enough to whet your appetite for the previous books in this series. I confess to having all of the Kleypas Wallflower books in by TBR stack and after reading this novella, I am definitely going to make it a point to read them - SOONER rather than later. Not only did I fall in love with Hannah and Rafe's characters, and the trials they needed to overcome in order to achieve happiness, I found myself totally intrigued with the rest of the Wallflowers and know their stories must be equally fabulous as well.

This romance was sweetly sensual with wonderfully laugh out loud moments and was condensed enough to make this a delightful read, cover to cover, all in one sitting. While some may consider this a bit pricy because of the length, die hard fans like myself will only consider it another treasure for their keeper shelf.

Marilyn Rondeau FOR the store VINE

The original four Wallflowers are all now happily married but that doesn't stop them from playing matchmaker for other honorary Wallflowers.

Raphael "Rafe" Bowman, brother to Lillian and Daisy has come to London from New York in hopes of winning himself a wealthy socialite bride his father can be proud of, the Lady Natalie Blandford. However, his rough American ways may make it hard for a young English beauty to accept him. Enter the Wallflowers who will do whatever is necessary to prepare roguish Rafe for his future bride.

Hannah Appleton, companion to cousin Lady Natalie cannot understand why Ladies Lillian, Annabelle, and Evie would invite her to tea except to drill her for information, but her uncle insists so how can she refuse? Upon meeting the wicked and handsome Rafe, Hannah knows he is all wrong for her genteel cousin, even if his charm is enough to make even Hannah blush.

Rafe is intrigued by the spirited Hannah, all the more so since she is resistant to his charm yet he must marry Natalie if he hopes to gain his father's favor and part ownership in the family business. However, the more time he and Hannah spend together, the more attracted they become. How will Rafe ever choose between love and the pride his father has long denied him?

A Wallflower Christmas is a delightful regency romp that even readers who may not have met the Wallflowers before will be able to enjoy. While obviously connected to the Wallflower series, A Wallflower Christmas completely stands alone so new readers aren't lost. We find the trademark sensuality of Lisa Kleypas's work between the covers. There is also an abundance of humor and witty repartee between the characters, most especially Rafe and Hannah.

Rafe and Hannah may have an uphill battle to find the happiness they long for, but what an exciting journey it is. Mistletoe anyone? Sexual tension between Rafe and Hannah is H-O-T, yet tender. Rafe longs for the acceptance he never received from his parents and he wants so badly to have the woman he desires. Yet he is torn between duty and passion. When he finally has his moment in the sun, readers will cheer for him. Hannah has her own doubts as well, not the least of which is the unwelcome fact that Rafe is intended for Natalie. Hannah has always taken second place to her gorgeous cousin and this fact colors her every action, even if she is sometimes not aware of that. So her growing feelings for Rafe are bittersweet, since she will have to give him up. Or will she?

I loved the chance to spend some more time with the Wallflowers. We all get a glimpse at their lies after they have found their happily-ever-afters and though not long involved scenes with any of them men, we do get a glimpse of those swoon-worthy gentlemen. How can anyone not love the Wallflower's antics? When they start playing matchmaker for Rafe, we just know things will go a little crazy. Then there is a huge Christmas tree, restless children, and a wayward toupee. Let's just say, we can expect some laughs as a result of that equation.

All in all, A Wallflower Christmas was a delightfully fun yet surprisingly tender love story sure to keep you warm on a cold winter's night.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2008. All rights reserved.

I read this book after reading the four Wallflower Series books and it was delightful to visit again with the characters that I loved from the other books. The book is short and that is my only major complaint. The plot is on a par with Kleypas' other books; totally engaging. Rafe Bowman is a rake. Hannah is demure and innocent until she meets the hero. The combination is what romance novels are made of. Add in some stumbling blocks to happiness and you can sit down to an evening of fun reading.

Update-June 2015 (after a reread)
Many other reviewers have alluded to the fact that this addition to The Wallflowers Series is a bit of an afterthought. That it is not long enough or filled with enough of the characters from the preceding books in the series. I tend to agree with the former assertion but found that the characters from the preceding books were everywhere in this story and gave the book the exquisite flavor of the series that I have loved. That we get to meet Rafe Bowman and Lillian Bowman Westcliffe’s father in more depth was a welcome addition. Hannah was a heroine to cheer for since she was thoughtful, kind and perhaps worried more about her cousin, Rafe’s intended, then her own happiness. There were moments of humor and such a warm family feeling at the Christmas festivities. This book can be thoroughly enjoyed by anyone who has read the preceding books in the series but I hesitate to recommend it to those who have not.

This is the sweetest little novel, little being the operative word. In fact it is the only complaint I have in this wonderful book--it's just too short! Rafe Bowman may become my favorite Wallflower husband. (Sorry, St. Vincent.) And Hannah certainly has every bit as much charm as her Wallflower companions. I truly enjoyed every word of this little book. Rafe is just a delight, right down to his devilish toes. When he tells Hannah he would "debauch her from her head down to her innocent little toes" I knew he was going to be a man after my own heart. What a man. You'll never find a hero who comes on more strongly than he does from the moment he meets Hannah and every moment of it is charming and sweet, even if he is breaking every English rule of courtship.

As always this little jewel is written by a master and hums along with choice tidbits into the lives of our beloved Wallflowers. Of course they are all living happily ever after, except maybe Lillian? Hmmm Masterful Marcus sets her straight quickly enough and that scene is just delicious. Incorrigible St. Vincent's cameo reunion with his wife is delicious as well.

As with the choicest morsels this little confection will leave you dying for more, but don't miss out on the Ms. Kleypas' latest treat. I finished the book in just a few hours and turned back to the beginning and read it all over again. It's that good. I promise.

The cons:
The trade size means an equally large price tag. For the size of the book, which is rather small, it's a steep price.
The story reads more as a novella, which means the plot and characters are less involved than I typically enjoy. The secondary couple, particularly the man, receives very little attention. The reader has little if any emotional investment with them.
Some of the visiting characters from the series barely get a mention. St, Vincent, for example, is a wonderful character, whose presence here is sadly small.

The Pros:
The Wallflowers are back, and it's fun to see them interact again.
Rafe is a very interesting character ans is well-fleshed out for a shorter story. I liked him a lot.
Hannah is a more than adequate heroine if not a thrilling one.
It contains Kleypas' trademark sensuality.
This story contains one of the most beautiful love letters in fiction. Especially considering its author. Brilliant, really.
Most holiday books are mere excuses for publication. This one at least gives the reader wither a renewal of acquaintance with the couples for the series or an introduction to them. Either way, more of Kleypas is never a bad thing. Here, we also get primed for Christmas and a really great leading man to boot.

If the book were the regular size and price, I'd rate it 4 stars. As it is, I'd place it somewhere between 3.5-3.9 stars. Far better than most books/authors, but not at the top at of Kleypas' talent.

A fast, fun journey through ninteenth-century London with a group of family, friends and would-be lovers. In this sequel to Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers series, sisters Lillian and Daisy are happily settled into married life in England and have turned their sights to helping their older brother Rafe find a wife. Thomas Bowman, head of the family, has decided upon a "suitable" wife for his son -- blond, blue-blooded Natalie -- but hasn't bargained on what will happen when Rafe's intrigue is piqued not by Natalie but by her plainer, outspoken lady chaperone Hannah.

I've never read anything by Kleypas and had no idea this book was part of a series when I borrowed it from my sister. So reading it as a stand-alone, I could tell there were plenty of references to earlier works I wasn't quite getting, but had absolutely no trouble following the plotline. The prologue at the beginning was really helpful in getting all the characters straight in my mind! I loved Rafe as a character -- I always have a soft spot for the "rakish" yet surprisingly vulnerable guys.

Kleypas's dialogue was funny and believable, and I really loved reading about the Christmas preparations and the overall silliness of the "upper class." At a little more than 200 pages, you can easily get through this one in a day -- and you'll probably enjoy it all the way through. The ending felt a bit "tidy," but it didn't bother me too much -- I'm also a sucker for happy endings!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Wallflower books by Lisa Kleypas and was excited when I saw this newest edition that continues the series. I don't normally buy hardcover editions of books due to the higher costs, and the cost of this latest in the series was a tad more expensive than warrants the length of the book, but I was so excited to have another Wallflower story that I went ahead and shelled out the extra dollars for the hardcover. This is not best of the Wallflower series, but A Wallflower Christmas is indeed a fun story, albeit I felt as though it is was trifle short. I loved getting to catch up with the lives of the Wallflowers, although this story was Rafe's story. It was fun to get to know one of Lillian's brothers that we have heard mentioned, but we never really got to meet in previous books. It would be fun to meet her twin brothers and learn their stories also. Getting to see more of Annabelle and Simon, Evie and Lord St. Vincent and Lillian and Marcus was so much fun, although I would loved to have a bit more to Annabelle and Simon's time together in the book. Simon's quick appearance of coming up behind Annabelle to surprise her and then whisking her off, was much too brief and had me wanting just a bit more interaction with these two characters together.

All in all, a fun little story, but I did come away with a feeling of wanting just a bit more.

This is a very nice non-violent, non-dangerous Christmas story. It has some nice romantic dialog and some lightly erotic scenes. It is a short noveland because it is so short there wasn't much time for character or plot development. I wasn't sold on why the charcters fell in love, only the lust part was justified. About a third of the book was dedicated to updating the readers on the status's of The Wallflowers, four women from four previous full length romances. If I had read those books I would be pleased with the info but as it is it just detracted from an already shortened plot. Still, if you are looking for a quick holiday romance without too involved a plot this is a great read.

A Wallflower Christmas was the PERFECT way to begin this holiday season. It put me in the Christmas spirit and really was "the icing on top of the cake" of the wallflower series! I have loved this series. Annabelle, Lillian, Evie, and Daisy all are special in their own ways, and now we add Hannah to the mix.....oh how I love Lisa Kleypas.

Rafe is Lillian and Daisy's older brother. He is somewhat estranged from their father and has become in someways a "self-made man". He is supposed to get married to the daughter of a wealthy nobleman in England, but instead falls for her companion, Hannah.

This is a perfect "forbidden love" story. Their classes are different. She is in a lot of ways, a servant, and he is a very wealthy man destined to marry someone greater than a servant. What I love about romance is that challenges like this are able to be overcome!

Yes, we do get to visit the other wallflowers and their husbands, but this is Rafe and Hannah's story. Lisa Kleypas has a great writing style, and she flawlessly knows how to balance several storylines.

For the length, there is PLENTY of meat and LOTS of spice (if you know what I mean!). I recommend this book and the entire wallflower series wholeheartedly.

A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
Hardcover - October 14, 2008
4 ½ Stars

Lisa Kleypas's A Wallflower Christmas is a special holiday installment in the popular Wallflower series that is both heartwarming and delightful.

This book tells the story of Rafe Bowman, eldest brother to Lillian and Daisy (two of the Wallflowers). At the request of his father, Rafe travels to London to meet and marry Lady Natalie in order to secure the interest in his family's company and fortune.

Upon arriving in London, he meets Hannah Appleton, cousin and companion to Lady Natalie. He is immediately attracted and fascinated by this intriguing woman. The relationship between Rafe and Hannah is unforgettable and intriguing.

A Wallflower Christmas is and extra addition to the Wallflower series, the story is shorter and the characters are a little under developed. However, Lisa Kleypas does an outstanding job of giving life to her characters and making them appealing to the reader. She combines a new romantic storyline with little insights into the lives of other beloved Wallflower couples.

This book is an absolute must for any fan of the Wallflower series. It's a charming and fun treat for the holiday season.

Reviewed by Mary at Bookaholics Romance Book Club

This was a nice, sweet Christmas story and, at only just over 200 pages, a very quick read. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't recommend it for someone who hasn't already read the Wallflowers books.

The main story in this short novel is that of Rafe Bowman (older brother to wallflower, Lillian), and Hannah Appleton, companion to the beautiful, spoiled young heiress Rafe's father has selected for him to marry. Rafe travels to the country estate of Lillian and her husband for Christmas, where he is to become acquainted with his intended, but upon meeting Hannah is instantly smitten.
Rafe has to decide whether to follow his heart or be disinherited if he goes against his father's plans.
The wallflowers -- Lillian, Evie, Annabelle and Daisy -- make frequent appearances throughout the book. There is also a scene devoted to Sebastian and Evie, which for me was alone worth the cost of the book. A scene between Lillian and Marcus, in which she worries he has feelings for another woman, is also a bonus.
Personally, I was hoping to see more of the wallflowers, but with such a short page count, I doubt it would have been possible while keeping the main focus on Rafe and Hannah.

I had researched "newer" romance novelists after a long hiatus when I took care of my young child for several years. Kleypas came up and so I checked out this book and the first book in The Bow Street Runners series from a library.

I was like what was so special about this author when I finished this book. It was boring and dry and short. Luckily, before I quit on this author, I moved on to "Someone To Watch Over Me". Wow, what a dramatic change. I loved it, although I did see the plot twist early on from previously reading a Harlequin book titled "Devil's Arms" by Charlotte Lamb 30 years ago. It was still enjoyable, and then I went on to devour most of her historical books by kindling them. Most of them are fantastic.

I haven't yet read the 4-season Wallflower series because other library patrons have a gridlock on them. So, I think they will be better than this book. I have to read them first before kindling them because of this book that really turned me off.

Like everyone else who reads romance, I loved (for the most part) Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower books. The first three, at least. They were such strong entries, both individually and as a set, that they set the bar really high for the fourth and last. Alas, in my opinion, Daisy deserved better than she got. And as for Cam's story, a really huge disappointment.

But this entry, a sort of adjunct, gave me a chance to catch up with all my favorites and that was very enjoyable. And of course, I'd wondered whether we'd ever meet any of the Bowman brothers. I loved the character of Rafe, and Hannah was his perfect counterpart.

The story was a nice froth, an appetizer rather than a main course, or perhaps a dessert, with several stock characters (Natalie and her parents, Lord Travers). However, Ms. Kleypas did a great job of further ellucidating the facts of the Bowman children's childhood trials, and indeed the portraits she painted of Mr. and Mrs. Bowman pretty much completed the picture she'd begun in the earlier books. Two characters completely without any redeeming qualities whatsoever.

For that reason alone, I could have done without the Epilogue, since it more or less undermined the portrait painted of Thomas Bowman by hinting that eventually he, Rafe and Hannah made peace. Oh, well. A small nitpick.

Lovers of the series should definitely add this to their collections.

I was anticipating this book and was a little nervous because of the length of the book, etc. To say the least, I absolutely loved this book. It was delightful.
Funny thing is, I had wanted it so see what happened to the Wallflowers, kind of a "What's next?" What I didn't expect was to fall in love with the lead characters, Rafe and Hannah. Rafe Bowman is a brash American rake and Hannah the lovely English miss. It was such a fun read, with their story taking precendence, but adding delicious little updates on the Wallflowers and their spouses. I found myself really feeling for Rafe and for Hannah.
What also added to the charm was that the characters stayed true to themselves. Lillian's boldness tempered by her insecurity, Daisy's fresh charm, Annabelle's beauty and sincerity, and Evie's shy warmth. The only thing a bit sad was that the snippits for Annabelle and Daisy's relationships were smaller than Evie and Lillian's. (I really loved Lillian's sub-plot though!).
I'm not going to summarize the story (others have done that) but I wholeheartedly am giving my recommendation. This was a wonderful read. Pure goodness!

One of the Bowman brothers this time, Rafe, tries to marry well into the English aristocracy, as many American women tried to do at the time. They are all children of the soap magnate Thomas Bowman, and expected to do their duty. Uncivilized Rafe does the opposite, however and ends up with his intended Natalie's companion instead.

We also get some updates on Sebastian and Evie, from The Devil in Winter (The Wallflowers 3) and Marcus and Lillian in It Happened One Autumn (The Wallflowers 2), who we will again see in Mine Till Midnight (Book 1 of The Hathaways, but Marcus has never been that interesting as a hero and this is now about the 4-5 book he is featured in.

Simon Hunt and Annabelle are hardly mentioned, though this could be a good thing, and Daisy is hardly in it at all, though she is his sister. All of these characters water down what is roughly a 200 page romance, so there is little to no character development.

I have to say, having read this after Seduce me at Sunrise, book 2 of the Hathaways, she seems to be recycling her plots over and over, because in that series, the Hathaway brother, a viscount, starts to make moves on his sister's companion....

The love scenes are no more nor less than you would expect, so overall, an average read to pass the time. However, the shortness of the book and hardcover price tag make this one that you would want to borrow from the library.

I have read all the "Wallflower" series books, however that was quite awhile ago. When Borders went out of business I picked up this book a few months ago. It was only a dollar and I love Lisa's books! I waited for it to get closer to Christmas and ended up reading it on Christmas Eve. It was a fun, light read with a lot of our old Wallflower characters, but a few new characters too. The lead romance is pretty predicable, but I still enjoyed it. I was sad that the length was so short and many of the old characters seemed to be just thrust in for the sake of making sure they are in the book.. I'm not quite sure how good of a read it would have been not having read all the other books, however my friend read this book without reading any of the others and really liked it.

The heartfelt sincerity of the Holiday Season descends on the lives of the wallflowers and their families and extends this time to include Rafe Bowman, brother to Lillian and Daisy. Rude, crude and all things American men are expected to be, he seems like the most unlikely of suitors for Hannah's cousin, Lady Natalie. Determined to make the best of his life, Rafe sets out to woo the lady with the help of four resourceful wallflowers. When he meets Hannah though, it's an instant, fiery attraction that fuels their heated exchanges. Caught between his ambitious father and his heart, Rafe will have to decide which is more important.

The Wallflowers series is amongst my most treasured of Kleypas' work. Revisiting Lillian, Annabelle, Daisy and Evie again was a real treat. Kleypas inserted into each of their matrimonial relationships a sense of reality we don't often see in romances like this; most of the men are off working for a living and the wives are wistful for their company and patiently waiting for their men to arrive for the holiday celebrations. Meanwhile, Rafe Bowman arrives at the behest of his father to observe and woo a woman chosen for him, who will be his entrance back into the family business. Thinking to gain a head start, Rafe and the wallflowers engage Lady Natalie's companion, Hannah, in an unusual teatime Q&A session. From here, what begins is a whirlwind dance between Rafe and Hannah. Believing the brash gentleman not good enough for her cousin, Hannah sets out to stand in his way.

As usual, Kleypas presents a thoroughly romantic tale that didn't fail to draw me in. Not only was revisiting the wallflowers nostalgically wonderful, but I really came to like Hannah for her open honesty and sincere actions. Rafe was somewhat amusing, but also tad too sugary sweet during some of his encounters with Hannah. Yes, he was actually a bit too nice at times, especially when looking back and seeing how bull on the charge he was at first and sincerely unabashed about it. Maybe it was the holiday season and sentimentality that infused their relationship too, but I enjoyed their interactions more when they weren't laced so heavily with sticky sweetness. That aspect just became to much, especially as the book came close to The End and a resolution to their conflict.

Other small notes of annoyance were the conflict itself and at times, the interference of wallflower scenes. Perhaps if this story had revolved completely around a wallflower storyline, I wouldn't have felt so, but just when I hoped to see some good development of Rafe and Hannah's situation, there came another Wallflower scene instead. They do tie into Rafe and Hannah's plot, but I really enjoyed the two seperately as opposed to together.

The conflict between Rafe and Hannah was rather weak as was his instant attraction, and at first I attributed to it being such a short book, but in reality there are plenty of short stories that manage to have an amazing and believable conflict between the hero and heroine. It's pretty much an old fall back on Bowman senior, who I started to wonder could he truly be such a selfish, twisted and curmudgeonly old man, someone who has absolutely everything, yet his prime goal in life is to dictate his children's lives so that they are miserably at his beck and call. But we saw this in Lillian and Daisy's books to a point, so seeing such a similar plot again was just too weak to make Rafe and Hannah's relationship feel real and true. Too, I would have preferred to see a lot more interaction between them to enable their romance along as opposed to Hannah coming to several important realizations about Rafe through second-hand means. As it was, they don't really discover much of one another through contact with each other; it mostly happened in conversations between Hannah and the wallflowers, private reflections on Hannah's part or similar such situations.

This volume is definitely worth a read, and mostly for fans of the wallflower books. I enjoyed parts of it, it was a very quick read and it read like a long-awaited comfort book. I was very surprised at the abbreviated length though and it's hardback state. I thought maybe it would be a trade size at most, but expected a mass market. Fans will probably like having the hardback in their collection, but I'm glad I was able to get the ARC. The price is a little steep for such a short book.

All in all, an OK addition to the wallflower books, but definitely not my favorite of Kleypas' work. I find I prefer her full-length writing strengths much better.