Temptations of a Wallflower

February 15, 2016
Leigh’s intelligent and emotional third Wicked Quills of London Regency (after Scandal Takes the Stage) proves that even the most demure ladies can hide a sexy side. Lady Sarah Frampton, the Duke of Wakefield’s daughter, has been nicknamed the Watching Wallflower. She must hide her identity as the Lady of Dubious Quality, the author of several shockingly erotic novels, to avoid scandal and shame to her family. When she meets Mr. Jeremy Cleland, a vicar and the son of an earl, she’s instantly drawn to him. Unbeknownst to Sarah, Jeremy’s father has demanded that he expose the identity of the Lady of Dubious Quality. Though Sarah and Jeremy’s brief acquaintance results in marriage, Sarah’s not sure that their newfound happiness can last if Jeremy learns her secret. Sarah is a refreshing heroine who insists on following her passion for writing. Jeremy is the perfect hero for her; despite his somewhat puritanical demeanor, he has a passionate heart and sees Sarah as a woman worth more than just her dowry. Leigh’s latest is a thoughtful and sensuous romance. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Starred review from February 15, 2016
A nobly-born vicar and a wallflower find unlikely love in the Regency period, but both of them have scandalous secrets. Leigh (Scandal Takes the Stage, 2015, etc.) excels in the third book of her Wicked Quills of London series about women writers. At 28, Jeremy Cleland is still very much under his father's thumb. Jeremy has a modest living as a vicar in the small town of Rosemead, but he relies on an allowance from his formidable father, the Earl of Hutton, who was granted an earldom in recognition of his unshakeable morality. The Earl has made it clear that he expects Jeremy to be "better, more virtuous than an ordinary man." That's why Jeremy's fondness for midnight swims and erotic novels must be kept quiet--and why it's especially ironic when the Earl orders Jeremy to discover the secret identity of an author of wildly popular erotic novels. If Jeremy refuses or fails to identify the author, who calls herself the Lady of Dubious Quality, the Earl will cut off his allowance. It never occurs to Jeremy to refuse. One does not gainsay the Earl. Along the way, Jeremy is distracted from his quest by the daughter of a duke, a wallflower in her fifth season on London's marriage market. But Lady Sarah Frampton has secret depths, too, and their competing quests and motivations cause the pair to hide their deepest selves from each other. The novel is well-paced, clever, and engaging, with nearly flawless prose and compelling characters. It could have been improved by more personal growth on Jeremy's part. His transformation from the Earl's lapdog to his wife's intellectual and professional equal is a little too abrupt. This page-turner can only help Leigh's career. Read it without delay.

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April 1, 2016
At 28, Jeremy Cleland is not exactly bored with being a vicar; it's just that he can't seem to find it within himself to be as moral and upstanding as a vicar should be. Now he is charged by his very proper father with determining the true identity of the Lady of Dubious Quality because his father feels that she is ruining high society's young men. Lady Sarah Frampton has been on the shelf a few years now and has been dubbed the Watching Wallflower. If only the ton knew that she was really the successful erotic writer, the very Lady of Dubious Quality. Fearing a scandal that would ruin her family, she enters into a marriage of convenience to the vicar. But Lady Sarah is no wallflower, and Jeremy is hardly a man of the cloth. Their relationship turns quickly from one of pragmatism to a union of passion and tenderness. In her latest Wicked Quills of London title (Scandal Takes the Stage, 2015), Leigh adds strong supportive friendships among the women of the wicked quills as a bonus to this funny and very sexy installment in a series not to be missed.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)