Beatrice is a total wallflower. And she adores books. I know many of us like our heroines that are bookworms, but Beatrice is by far the best book-obsessed heroine I've read. She is staying her brother's mansion, basically living in the library and working on her dictionary. She loves words, their origins, use, pronunciation. She would be totally, utterly content if only she wasn't constantly bothered by the annoying Stamford Wright.

Ford has been working on the renovations of Beatrice's brother's country house. His goal is to complete them before he must go back out on the sea to serve in the navy. He knows someone is always peeking at him through the windows, and it's made even more obvious when a pair of spectacles drops on his head while he's standing under a certain window.

I loved Beatrice. She has been diagnosed with palsy, and one side of her face doesn't quite have the muscle control society desires in their drive for perfection. She's mastered hiding behind potted plants at balls. She has made the best group of friends that meet under the guise of knitting and I'm very excited for the other wallflowers stories. She's an independent heroine, but still still cares about those around her. She struggles with finding her own path and keeping her mother happy. Ford is perfect for her. He shows her how beautiful she is and gives her the boost in confidence hiding in side and she shines.

Ford is more of a beta hero. He can come off as rather arrogant and conceited in the beginning, but he's not at all. He's just a lady's man, and doesn't have a problem with striking up a conversation and knowing his own assets. Haha. But overall I felt like he was more beta. He's very gentle and tends to let Beatrice lead the way.

Give this story a try if you are in the mood for
-class differences – Beatrice is the brother to a duke and Ford is a carpenter/navy man
-slight disability – the heroine has palsy of the face that 'disrupts the symmetry of her face'
-wallflowers – we have a heroine wallflower (and the whole series will include wallflowers!)
-soldiers – though not a huge part, the hero belongs to the navy and is on leave during his time in the book. He doesn't have ptsd, or flashbacks, it's just a minor part of his character.
-medium to heavy steam - although there's only 2 sex scenes - one full and one implied - there's a lot of kisses and thinking about kisses and other fun that is explicitly described. I've included how often these happen and at what percentages these happen under a spoiler warning.

Overall really enjoyed this book. It's got Bell's classic mix of sexy and humor and is just a fun read. Sometimes being the first in a series can be tiring setting up other characters and plots, but I don't find that here at all. It makes connections with other characters just enough to move the story and make you excited to see the next installment.

This didn't quite get to 5 stars for me, just personal preference on the hero. I wasn't super in love with him, but can't exactly pinpoint what was missing for me. Could just be the covid pandemic speaking as it has made me into an emotionless robot.

Kisses and scene locations in book

Spoiler

Imagined kiss by her 9%
Imagined kiss by him 15%
First kiss 43%
Second kiss 50%
Third kiss 57%
Oral for her 63%
Kiss (short) 70%
Full scene 87%
(Implied) 97%