When the weather outside is frightful
“A Wallflower Christmas” by Lisa Kleypas
With $17, you could buy yourself 2 bottles of OPI “Bastille my heart” red. Or 3 Guacamole Bacon burgers from Carl’s Jr. Or, you could pick up a hardcover copy of “A Wallflower Christmas” by Lisa Kleypas. Is it worth $17? Well, it really depends on how much you want to pay to get into the Christmas spirit.
Is this the best Christmas-themed romance I’ve read? No, that would be “A Holiday of Love,” an anthology featuring Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Jill Barnett and Arnette Lamb. But “A Wallflower Christmas” is a good effort. It’s the tale of Rafe Bowman, whom Kleypasites would know is the eldest brother of Lillian and Daisy Bowman. He’s a roguish American playboy who’s come to England to look for a wife, and his father is insisting he starts making baby Bowmans with Lady Natalie.
Fate decides to throw a spanner in the works, in the form of Miss Hannah Appleton, companion to Lady Natalie. Hannah takes an instant dislike to Rafe, whom she considers rude, obnoxious and hopelessly obsessed with the pursuit of wealth. In other words, American. Rafe is attracted to Hannah from the moment he meets her, and has no compunctions in dragging her under the stairs and practically sucking her face off. Rafe and Hannah bicker as a sign of sexual tension, said tension being lit up like a brandied Christmas pudding. Them fighting their attraction to one another because they (think they) can never be together. Then the eventual realization they can never be apart. If you can’t tell where this is going, Santa’s going to dump a mine full of coal in your stocking.
Rafe is pretty uncomplicated, especially for a Kleypas hero. But like all other Kleypas heroes, he’s full of manly possession and passionate feelings, as he tries to convince Hannah that she belongs to him. Instead of racking up mileage points with Lady Natalie under the mistletoe, Rafe would rather stalk Hannah and listen to her read “A Christmas Carol” to a bunch of rugrats. Plus the little tin soldier that is his treasured memento, that he gives to her to protect her. (I’m guessing that this is a purely symbolic protection thing, because I’d feel a lot safer with a Nalini Singh changeling or a Brother at my back instead of a metal toy, I can tell you that.) And then there’s a love letter that he writes to Hannah, which is pretty toe-curling. So much so that Lola is half-tempted to go out there and find Rudolph so that I can stab myself through the heart with his antlers. Oops. Sorry about that kids.
There isn’t as much sex in this one as there are in other Lisa Kleypas books though. But never fear, Rafe does manage to introduce Hannah to his sugarplums. And the rest of the wallflowers (i.e. Lillian, Annabelle, Evie and Daisy, who must surely be the most meddlesome girls in the universe) do appear with their mates, and contribute to the holiday nookie factor of this book. For those of you who loved the Wallflower series (some were better than others), you’re going to enjoy this book. Although I do wish there wasn’t quite as much focus on Lillian and Marcus. A little more attention to Annabelle and Simon Hunt, or even Evie and Sebastian would have made the egg nog more, well, noggy I think.
I must confess, that the book feels a little skimpy. There isn’t any major angst (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but it feels a lot shorter than other Kleypas books (which cost a whole lot cheaper too). I guess you’re paying for the cardboard cover and book flap. Although I’d be a lot happier paying for the cardboard cover if it had you know, 3 naked guys on the front, as opposed to 3 girls in ballgowns, which totally doesn’t float my boat. But don’t get me wrong, this is a really sweet book. Rafe is rakish and charming, and has a nice sentimental side to him. Hannah is sweet and has quite a nice sense of humour, and not annoying. (I suppose she doesn’t have a chance to be, since the book’s so short) So reading “A Wallflower Christmas” is a nice way to spend a night when the weather outside is frightful. And the epilogue which tells you what happens to all the Wallflowers is nicely done. Plus, it’s a great way to start the holiday reading session. You just have to decide whether you want to plonk down $17 to do it.
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Attack of the killer spambots! Guys, your comments are reproduced below:
Dulce: I’ve had this book in my TBR pile for two months now. There is something that keeps on nagging me not to read it yet. I am currently reading Julie Anne Long’s “Like No Other Lover” and I guess I’ll read AWC next since we are celebrating the holidays now. BTW, I cracked up with the following: “Rafe does manage to introduce Hannah to his sugarplums.” Ha ha brilliant! LOL
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
Renee: “Wallflowers Christmas” is exactly the reason why I love my local library. It was a perfectly enjoyable book, especially because I didn’t have to spend $17 for it. I love me some Lisa Kleypas, and enjoyed Rafe’s and Hannah’s romance. I would much rather have had more of them (or Evie and StVincent) than the somewhat annoying subplot with Marcus and Lillian. Great review!
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
Bridget Locke: I enjoyed this book, but I can’t believe I paid as much for it as I did. I do remember looking at the front cover and thinking that I’d love to wear a dress like that white one if I ever get married. Stunning!
Lillian bugs the crap out of me. I couldn’t stand her in her book and I couldn’t stand her in this one. She’s a meddlesome annoyance that I wanted to kick. *sigh* My favorite will always be Simon. Mrowr! 
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
Alice: I had coupons. Made it slightly more worthwhile although I agree. I wanted a lot more Sebastian and Evie than Marcus and Lillian (even if I do like that couple lots). Another thing, I would have enjoyed Rafe and Hannah more if the book had been longer with more focus on them. I ended having to read just their story and skipping the others to get a better love of it. Fav scene though: Family jewels. *giggles*
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
Jenny: As the president of the association of haters of wallflowers series (anyone wants to join me?) I will NOT spend 17 euros because… I’m a poor student and there is a global crisis and the gas price still high and I hate the wallflowers series and so and so…
La Lola said,
December 23, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Ooh Dulce, I’ve just finished JAL’s “Like No Other Lover” and really liked it. Review coming soon! And regarding sugarplums, well, I guess it beats the nutcracker suite *wink!*
Renee, your local library is da bomb! Mine only stocks incredibly old copies of Johanna Lindsey and Catherine Coulter, because all the newer romances get cleared out overnight by the mysterious romance elves so I never get my hands on them!
And I’m totally with you Bridget regarding Lillian. She is incredibly annoying, pushy and basically a know-it-all. Pfft. I did do the Wallflowers quiz and it should come as a surprise to none that I would be Annabelle, lover of all things sparkly (including but not limited to Edward Cullen).
I thought Rafe and Hannah were quite a cute couple, Alice, and I wish that Lisa Kleypas had written a full length novel about them.
Well, I don’t think the Wallflower Series is THAT bad jenny. I do prefer Lisa K’s stand-alones like “Dreaming of You”, but I think the Wallflower Series is still tons better than other stuff that’s out there!
Lady L said,
December 24, 2008 @ 9:57 am
I just finished and I wanna cry Hannah and Rafe are not my fav couple (Evie and Sebastian are) but I liked the book, it has christmas spirit and wallflower spirit, I really liked how each one of them gave something to wear to Hannah, Rafe isn’t my fav wallflower hero cause he comes forth a little too mean towards the heroine for a wallflower hero. Or maybe it was that it was too short and his character wasn’t developed properly. I loooooooooooved that we got to see what happens to the wallflowers. Do you guys know if this was the last wallflower book?
La Lola said,
December 24, 2008 @ 11:07 pm
I think Lisa Kleypas could have easily done a full-length novel about Rafe and Hannah, because they had loads of issues that could be expanded into a whole novel (read: loads more grovel). I thought the sweetest part of the epilogue was the one-liner regarding St Vincent. Too cute for words! I don’t know if it’s the last wallflower book, but they occupy the same world as the Hathaways anyway, so we might see occasional glimpses of them.
LadyCurvyA.K.APHR said,
December 27, 2009 @ 4:59 am
Ah … That love letter … I read and re-read it how many times I forgot *sigh* (and tried hard to believe not LK but Rafe wrote it for Hannah!!) :p
I would’ve LOVED to know more about Evie and Sebastian’s life and how it is between them now that she is pregnant. Agree about the one-liner Lola.
I had ENOUGH of Lillian from Daisy’s book, now in this one, too!!! She is just … *speechless here* … I did feel like braining her with something for doubting our Huggy Manly Bear (otherwise known as Marcus Marsden, Lord Westcliff of The Stony Cross Park :p) … And then, there is of course the fact that Mr. HMB ‘punished’ her for being looney (oh dear!) *blushes*
Back to Hannah and Rafe, loved them both and again, I was kinda caught off guard by that ‘love letter’ *sighhhh* … Rafe the rascal, you are sweet! :p
I DO love the intensity in a hero and LK is just amazing in this regard.