Troubling tale of a Wallflower!

Taming the Rake (Lords in Love #2) by Erica Ridley    

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Well I’ve got to say that Gladys Bell’s parents were harsh. In fact it seems they’d been contributing to her lack of confidence all her life. A young woman who has spent four years resigned to being on the wallflower part of the ballroom, who then has the life kissed out of her in the gardens at a marriage fair, naively assumes that the cad will approach her father for her hand. She’s wrong and is left dangling. Not only dangling but ruined.

(I actually never knew that a wallflower is called that because of where they stand in relation to the dancing and why. That was illuminating. Oh, I surmised I knew, but Ridley gives a more coherent explanation than I’ve seen before.)

Of course Gladys assumes that Reuben Medford, heir presumptive to a viscount (apparently the ton’s most notorious rake) will approach her father. It is after all an annual May Day Fair Ball at MARRYWELL! A place where people who are looking for a spouse go! 

When Gladys returns to the ballroom looking somewhat disheveled her fate is sealed. To compound her errors she refuses the suitor her parents have drummed up (who wants some land in Wales that’s part of her dowry). Gladys innocently supposed the man who kissed her loves her. She supposed wrong.

Her parents cast her off there and then, right at the hotel, leaving her with nothing. What must she do but turn to the streets. I can’t even begin to comprehend her distress and pain during this time. She’s a young woman without guile. I am appalled at her parents actions. I feel a great sympathy for the girlish  young innocent, and Oh So Needy, Gladys!

As it is, she becomes a courtesan and some years later ends up wealthy enough to retire. (Call me a sceptic but that right there is a fairytale in itself. Highly unlikely, but I’ll accept it for the sake of the story.)

Then on to the rake (whom we’re told is really is a frightened little boy inside, frightened that all he touches will leave him, or die. Hence his inability to commit.)

Well here were are, back where Gladys life changed forever. It’s now five years later and Gladys has her chance for revenge for her young, foolish and innocent self. She returns to the scene of her shaming, the Marrywell Fair, take two. Gladys runs rings around Reuben. Although as the story progresses we see they really are alike. Both rather curl up with a book than dance the night away.

Their HEA takes a few more upsets but in the end, alls well that ends well. 

There’s some amusing moments. If it wasn’t for my distress over Gladys and her parents actions I’d have had more reason to invest in the plot and I’d have given the book a higher rating. But, I don’t.

I was confused by Reuben who is likeable, but I didn’t buy him. I had sympathy for Gladys but the fairytale is just a bit too much for me. I’m having trouble accepting Gladys’ missing years.

Personally, I didn’t enjoy this story, although others obviously have. It just wasn’t for me.

A Webmotion ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.