ISBN 0060091290 - Not following too many of the generic rules of romance novels has worked for Kleypas, making her one of the few romance authors I would read from again of my own choice.

Since her father died, Annabelle and her family have fallen on hard times, financially, when she discovers that her mother has taken a different fall of her own - assuming the role of mistress to a pig of a man to help pay the bills. Annabelle feels the pressure of the need to marry well, which will save her mother from Lord Hodgeham and keep her brother in school. Landing a man with a title and money isn't just an issue of snobbery, it's a must. Her upbringing has taught her that she should marry a peer and her families dire straits requires that he be wealthy enough to help them. Unfortunately, Annabelle doesn't have a dowry and without a dowry, she's just a pretty face, more likely to end up someone's mistress than the wife of a peer. After almost 4 seasons without an offer of marriage, Annabelle's on the verge of becoming a spinster.

Decidedly not the right man, Simon Hunt is the son of a butcher. He's wealthy, but in the low-class way of having worked for it. Worse, he likes to talk about work and making money. Some of the peerage invites him to places he really doesn't belong, throwing he and Annabelle in each other's way. She admits she finds him attractive, but she's got her mind set on marrying a certain sort of man. And she has a plan.

As the season began to draw to a close, Annabelle found herself sitting with 3 other girls. They'd sat together often, watching others dance, but never spoken. One night, however, that changes and the four girls make a pact to help each other find husbands. They've all got their own reasons for ending up wallflowers: Evie's family is wealthy but common and the Bowman sisters, Lillian and Daisy, are American and a bit too rough around the edges. They're only accepted at all into society because their father is very rich. The four become fast friends and the husband hunting begins with Annabelle's plight, since she is oldest.

The story of the girls' friendship is given more ink than the usual romance novel drivel, which is a huge plus. The girls are funny and real and I hope Kleypas realizes, through the next three books, that the romance isn't nearly as interesting as they are and keeps them centerstage. Simon and Annabelle don't follow the standard romance novel pattern too closely, either, with no other man/woman thrown between them and no major misunderstandings to muddy up the romance. That alone makes this one worthy of a quick read.

- AnnaLovesBooks

1st in the Wallflower Series - probably the 3rd best in the series of 4.

This is the first book of a 4-book series about the "wall flowers". I ended up reading it last, however, it is not a problem to read them out of order. I think this and the second book of the series are the best.

Lisa Kleypas is excellent! This is the first of a series--look for the other three with seasons in the titles...they're all great!

i really enjoyed this book. it was funny and witty. I laughed a lot at certain points of the book. A very good read.

First from Wallflower series, Annabelle's story(gotta love Simon Hunt)

This book has you hooked from the very first page! I never used to like historical romances and this was the first one I had ever read and now I can't put them down!

Love Lisa Kleypas! Another good one by her, the 1st of 4 in a series. My 2nd fav of the 4 (devil in winter is fabulous).

Great start to a great series. I actually read the first book last, as I wasn't able to get it until I found it at PBS. These are 'keepers' (Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series).

Loved it. First book I read by this author and will now have to read them all.

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This book surprised me, as I found the writing to be far richer in detail by comparison to the other three books, and denser as well. I can only guess that Ms. Kleypas wanted to make sure that her Wallflower world was thoroughly established at the beginning (although I didn't have any trouble reading the books out of order). She doesn't disappoint, the writing is excellent and you get the impression that she did a lot of research into the time period. Although this book is considered a romance, I'd venture to say that's only a portion of the whole story. It's equally about friendship and the difficulties upper class women had to overcome at that time, particularly those that were impoverished. Definitely a lot of Jane Austen themes here. Annabelle's story revolves around her desperate hunt for a husband during the tail-end of an era where the peerage held the reins, socially, politically and economically. She meets and develops a deep friendship with the Wallflowers--ladies, who like herself, are not considered marriage material by the upper class. She meets Simon Hunt who is not a member of the peer, but a self-made millionaire, and he pursues Annabelle to be his mistress for the greater part of the story. Perhaps my only only complaint about this book is that we are not given any good reason why Simon is not "the marrying kind." He comes from a very solid family background, lots of siblings, good parents. I am not sure, other than maybe greed at getting any woman, any time with no strings attached is his reason for not snapping Annabelle up sooner. That, however, is just my guess, because we really don't get to know the hero all that well. Other than that, Annabelle's story is worth a read, not a quick read compared to the other 3 books, but still worth the time.

The first in the series of the "Wallflowers". This book is very enjoyable and you are introduced to 4 very different young ladies and how they came to be called the "Wallflowers" and how they enjoy life. But they get their man in the end.

a keeper!

I liked Simon very much, but Annabelle got on my nerves pretty quickly. Simon's a decent, handsome, sexy, wealthy man, ready to marry her but initially she can't make up her mind to marry him because of his lower class orgins. Her family is almost destitute but she can't make up her mind because of his orgins! Annabelle's stupidity in the first part of this story, and her willy-nilly behavior toward Simon because of his lower class birth made me despise her -- he deserved better (even though she wises up before the end).

In general I like this author. I think my favorites among her titles are the first Vallerand novel, Only In Your Arms, and Dreaming of You, featuring Derek Craven (a background character from an earlier Kleypas' novel, Then Came You). Dreaming of You is actually one of my favorite romance novels and has earned a permanent place on my shelf, as well as an occasional re-reading. Its one of the rare stories where you can understand perfectly what the hero and heroine see in each other, and where neither of them is so irritating during the story that you want to take a stick to them.

This book, Secrets of a Summer Night, was a cute read, but not as endearing as others by this author - you don't get to know the hero and heroine quite so well. Though I note a few similarities. There is a common outsider theme - rather disrespectful and roguish heroes with vulgar amounts of money made in a "common" way, and a catastrophic event as the impetus for admission of affections...however, its just handled more deftly in Dreaming of You.

Still, worth a look. But if you've never read this author before, start with Dreaming of You - just MHO, of course.

The Wallflowers are four young ladies who scheme together in an effort to find husbands. This book is about Annabelle Peyton's search for a nobleman to make an offer of marriage and save her family from disaster. Her only persistent admirer is Simon Hunt, the butcher's son. Simon is a self-made millionaire, but doesn't have a title...something the Wallflowers insist on.

I loved this book. Annabelle and Simon were a great couple. The Wallflowers are a very interesting group. Their "Rounders with Knickers" game was very funny. This is the first book in the Wallflower series and I'll definitely be reading the rest.

Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband.So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

Annabelle Peyton

My absolute favorite series. This is my favorite book of the series, too. Perfect story.

For romance lovers Lisa Kleypas is a must. This is a quartet series "the walflowers". Each book is great on their own as 4 walflowers take matters into their own hands and scheme to find husbands for each in the group. This is the first in the series and for anyone who loves Madeline Hunter & Liz Carlyle... you'll find Lisa Kleypas to be a "must read".

Four young ladies enter London Society with one common goal; they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.
A fun read.

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