Secrets of a Summer Night is the first of Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflower
series. The ‘wallflowers’ are a group of four young women banded together by
their mutual failure to catch a husband. All are beautiful and brilliant in
their own individual way, but are sadly lacking in the eyes of society. Mid-eighteenth
century London requires a daughter to marry well for the prosperity and
standing of the family; an unnoticed wallflower does not satisfy. Their common
purpose leads to strong friendships and a powerful force as four very different
personalities unite.
As the eldest, Annabelle Peyton is the first Wallflower to benefit from
their combined efforts to find her a husband. Annabelle is an aristocrat of a
good family, with stunning looks to recommend her, but the family money’s all
gone rendering her an untouchable wallflower to the aristocrats looking for a
lucrative marriage and a girl with a large dowry. Not that this matters to Mr.
Simon Hunt, he’s a rich, self-made man who has no need for extra coin. He’s looked
down on by the blue-bloods, but allowed into their company because many are in his
debt in one way or another. Annabelle caught his eye years ago and she’s held
his notice ever since:
“My sister, Miss Annabelle
Peyton,” Jeremy said. “This is Mr. Simon Hunt.”
“A pleasure,” Hunt murmured,
with a bow.
Even though his manner was
perfectly polite, there was a glint in his eyes that imparted a strange flutter
just beneath Annabelle’s ribs. Without knowing why, she shrank back into the
shelter of her young brother’s arm even as she nodded to him. To her
discomfort, she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from his. It seemed as if some
subtle current of recognition had passed between them…not as if they had met
before…but as if they had come
close several times until finally an impatient Fate had forced their paths to
intersect.
Chapter 1, Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa
Kleypas
As undeterred as Hunt is, Annabelle herself, won’t concede to his
efforts and does all she can to turn him away. He’s blunt and unsophisticated
with a rugged, unfashionable handsomeness that she tries to resist. She sees the
doors that will close in her face if she takes this step down in society, while
being courted by the doors that could open with Hunt. He has his merits, he’s
generous and passionate, direct but fair. He’s worked hard for all that he has
and he’s determined to work as hard and as long as it takes to get Annabelle in
his arms and he makes no secret of it.
Go ahead and read it, I’m sure you’ll love the Wallflowers as much as I
do.
Rhian
xx
