REVIEW: Snowed by the Wallflower by Caroline Warfield
Belinda Westcott doesn’t want to injure the Earl of Ridgemont. She merely wants to humiliate him. After all, one good prank deserves a payback. How could she anticipate that it would go so terribly wrong, or that he would turn out to be nothing like she expected?
Skilled in both chemistry and cooking, Belinda happily hides in her aunt’s kitchen rather than risk embarrassment at the ongoing house party. The unexpected appearance of the earl and a skating party present the perfect opportunity to embarrass him in front of some snooty society miss. Unfortunately, his partner is Belinda’s cousin, and even worse, the cousin drinks the hot chocolate—laced with emetics—meant for the earl.
As plain Major John Conlyn, John had sunk into a morass of dissipation wen first released from the army. Neither his actions nor his companions make him proud. The death of a beloved cousin shocked him back to sense. It also made him an earl and the heir to his grandfather, a duke. He’s been ordered to find a wife and settle down. He wouldn’t mind, but now he’s surrounded by flighty debutantes and their grasping mothers. The one woman who interests him avoids him. She acts as if she despises him. Is it possible he did something when out of control that he ought to apologize for, something he can’t recall?
Dear Ms. Warfield,
The promise of emetical revenge had me a little worried about this country party Regency novella. Plus there’s a “not like other girls” heroine and the hero could have been a hot mess as well. But I really like Bel and John who finally actually talk about everything between them.
Bel has revenge on her mind when she discovers that not only is her foul cousin Cecil going to be at a country house party – along with his usual cronies – but also a man against whom she has a grudge. Cecil did most of the dirty work that caused Bel’s reputation to be ruined but a drunken John coined the nickname that has dogged her ever since.
John is horrified about his past association with Cecil. That John was recovering from the illness that caused him to be invalided out of the Army is no excuse for falling in with a bunch of drunkards. Unexpectedly becoming his grandfather’s heir has turned him around after a year of learning estate management. Then he discovers what his past behavior has caused an innocent woman.
Bel does decide to take revenge on John though she learns a lesson about how things can go astray. She thinks that her reputation will be besmirched again so why not get back at the man who slandered her. This … does bother me a bit especially given how things play out. Bel gets off a bit lightly though she is deeply repentant.
Her fascination with chemistry is interesting though not actually shown much. How she takes that interest and uses it to enhance food sounds scrumptious. Her aunt ought to be taken to task for counting on Bel to cover the deficiencies of her cook, though.
John and Bel end up talking and working things out even before Foul Cecil tries to mess things up again. Honestly I wish he and the real Witch had been caught and forced into an engagement. Bravo for John to resist a quick march to the altar and give him and Bel a chance to get to know each other better before the wedding bells. B
~Jayne
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