How to Win a Wallflower

A British ex-pat seeks help navigating the machinations of London society when he’s abruptly called home in Parish’s bewitching third Rebels with a Cause Regency romance (after How to Deceive a Duke). After Americanized John Barnesworth’s brother dies, John inherits the title of Viscount Harrow, all his brother’s debts—and even his surly fiancée, Luella, whose marriage contract states that she is to wed the viscount. John has no desire to yolk himself to a woman who despises him, but Luella’s dowry is his best bet to save his estate—until his best friend’s sister, the spirited Lady Charlotte Stirling, steps in. Charlotte’s had feelings for John since they were children, and her brother, knowing this, forbids her from solving John’s financial crisis by entering a marriage of convenience with him. Instead, Charlotte must devise another scheme to keep Luella, her long-established nemesis, from marrying the hapless man she loves. It’s easy to crush on bookish John, whose speech impediment keeps him more comfortable on the sidelines, and root for his convivial leading lady. Their opposites-attract dynamic works so well because of the things they do share, most notably a mutual love of science. The thoughtful romance is buoyed by drama, with threats from the seedier sides of London, the appearance of lost relations, and passionate rendezvous in abundance. This is sure to win the heart of any hopeless romantic. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co. (Dec.)