Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors.

Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He's furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby's Costume Emporium from under his nose.

Jake strikes a devil's bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can't resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend.

It isn't until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she's stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn't belong in her refined and cultured world.

Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she'll have him!

Historical romance might just be my favorite genre, which is so surprising to me! I loved it as a teen, and it was actually my first adult romance genre so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised! I’ve been discovering a lot of new-to-me authors in this genre over the last year, and this year I’m rediscovering Eloisa James. I read a fairytale retelling of hers a couple years ago and enjoyed it, but I never picked up anything else by her until I received How to Be A Wallflower for review. I was looking for more books for lovers of Lisa Kleypas and fell down a bit of a rabbit hole that led to me finding out that Eloisa and Lisa are friends, and that they love each other’s writing! That got me even more excited to jump back in to Eloisa’s titles and I’m so glad I did! Right after I finished this one I read another one of hers, and both were so much fun! I’m hopeful I’ve found another author to love! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Right off the bat I knew I’d like Cleo. She’s a spicy spitfire, and I loved watching her put people in their place. I loved her personality. Not every lady would take pride in being the owner of a company that makes commodes (toilets), but she does! Her mother pushed the boundaries of society and lived her best life, and Cleo is following in her footsteps now. She doesn’t care that she doesn’t fit in, she just owns who she is and loves herself. She has no interest in settling down with a man and handing everything she’s worked for over to him, so she sets out to become a wallflower–someone no man would pay any attention to. She designs the most unattractive wardrobe for herself and is ready to blend in while she joins her grandfather in London. But no, she will pay for her own lodging because she’s an independent woman. She’s reluctant to start a relationship with Jake because her mom couldn’t commit to just one man and Cleo doesn’t want to hurt him. I loved this unconventional role reversal, and I just loved her!

2. Jacob Astor Addison, rugged American businessman, wants to buy a clothing shop and take it to America to change the world of theater. I loved Jake, too. He’s so burly and strong and he won a fight with a bear, for crying out loud. An actual bear in the wild. He falls very quickly, and boy does he have it bad for Cleo. Like so, so bad. He loves her so much that he’s willing to parade about London in the brightest colors and the boldest prints because she helped design his wardrobe for him. He insists on moving to her floor at the hotel she’s staying at so he can make sure she’s safe (since she lives there alone). And yes, he rents out the entire floor so it’s just the two of them. In their own suites. He befriends her grandpa. He worms his way right into her heart and patiently allows her to fall a little, back away, fall a little more, get scared, and ultimately fall head over heels, all on her own time.

3. I loved the friendship these two form on their way to love. They sit around and have stimulating conversations over meals. The banter is amazing. They are such wonderful communicators, and we know how that makes me soar. They’re both so open with their fears and emotions and wants, and they get to know one another on a very deep level. It just felt like this romance was built on a stronger foundation than many others in this genre.

4. The romance is just amazing. The pining on his part, and the trepidation on her part. The things he thinks about her and says to her face had me swooning. I loved that Jake let Cleo drive the romance at her own speed. They kissed when she wanted it. They did… *ahem* other things on her terms. He respects her feelings and her wishes, and is such a flirty cinnamon roll gentleman that he left me weak in the knees. The story is just so romantic.

5. The entire story is very sweet and low stakes, which was so refreshing. There was little to no angst, no big miscommunications or misunderstandings, no villains. Just two people working their way to each other.

6. I loved the supporting characters. All of them. 

7. The humor! Perhaps parts of this story are a little outlandish and unbelievable, but I didn’t care! I loved the humor, and had so much fun reading this.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and am excited to continue with the series! I took a little detour and went to an older release, My American Duchess, because I heard it’s the love story of Jake’s best friend, Merry. I loved her so much in this book that I absolutely had to go read her story. It was amazing, and my review should be up in the next few weeks! I can’t wait to read more from Eloisa James!