Wicked and the Wallflower (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #1) by Sarah MacLean
Series: The Bareknuckle Bastards #1
Published by Avon on June 19, 2018
Genres: Romance
Pages: 396
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
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When Wicked Comes Calling...

When a mysterious stranger finds his way into her bedchamber and offers his help in landing a duke, Lady Felicity Faircloth agrees—on one condition. She's seen enough of the world to believe in passion, and won't accept a marriage without it.

The Wallflower Makes a Dangerous Bargain...

Bastard son of a duke and king of London's dark streets, Devil has spent a lifetime wielding power and seizing opportunity, and the spinster wallflower is everything he needs to exact a revenge years in the making. All he must do is turn the plain little mouse into an irresistible temptress, set his trap, and destroy his enemy.

For the Promise of Passion...

But there's nothing plain about Felicity Faircloth, who quickly decides she'd rather have Devil than another. Soon, Devil's carefully laid plans are in chaos, and he must choose between everything he's ever wanted...and the only thing he's ever desired.

My Thoughts:

Sarah MacLean has done it again.  Wicked and the Wallflower is a thoroughly enjoyable read that you will not be able to put down.  These characters and their story are ones that will stick with you long after you’ve finished it.

One of the things I love best about Sarah MacLean’s books are how she hooks readers right from the first page.  Wicked and the Wallflower was no exception.  From the moment we were introduced to Devil and Felicity, I knew I was going to love them.  Felicity may label herself a wallflower but that’s far from all she is and Devil was very quick to realize that.  She had a quick wit, a wonderful sense of adventure, and a sense of humor that I could definitely get behind.  She and Devil had some serious banter going between them and I laughed my way through this story.

The plot was on the same level as the characters.  I found every aspect of it to be fascinating.  The pacing was on point and the historical aspects were intriguing.  Devil and Whit’s business venture is not something I’ve ever read about and I found it a fun change of pace.  The author’s note gave some more information and I truly love when historical romances have little factual parts to their stories such as this one.

Let’s not forget the chemistry between Devil and Felicity.  It was off-the-charts from page one.  Every single one of their interactions left me swooning (and also laughing).  I didn’t feel like their romance was overdone or overpowering to the rest of the story.  Sarah MacLean managed to perfectly balance every aspect of Wicked and the Wallflower while still giving readers just what they look for in a romance novel.

Overall, historical romance fans cannot pass this one up.  I’m already eagerly anticipating Whit and Grace’s stories.  I have faith that Sarah MacLean will make their stories just as addicting as Devil and Felicity’s.

What others are saying about Wicked and the Wallflower:

Natasha is a Book Junkie’s review: “Sarah MacLean’s beautiful prose only serves to enrich an already mesmerising story that kept me engrossed cover to cover, and immediately aching for the next book in the series.”

Under the Covers Book Blog’s review: “What MacLean has been consistently good at is creating fantastic heroines, something that continues in this book.”

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