Four Times the Temptation by Dayna Quince

Wallflower Comes out of her Shell

Luc and Jeanie meet at her first ball. When she looks around the room when she and her sisters are first being introduced to people, she notices Luc from afar and becomes embarrassed when he notices that she is looking at him. Later, she overhears him talking with a friend about her and her sisters being unlikely to make suitable matches due to the fact they are so poor; they’re only mistress material. Luc is affronted by this and doesn’t think it appropriate for this family of young gentlewomen. Soon he realizes that Jeannie has overheard them. They talked a little, and they share her first dance and her first kiss. Some months after, neither has forgotten that evening, and they meet again at a house party. They get to know each other, and their attraction builds. Unfortunately, Luc is a penniless viscount who needs an heiress to marry.

At the very start of the book, Jeannie is very mousy. It’s almost painful to read of that first ball. She gets embarrassed so quickly and allows her hopes for the evening to be shattered over the simple act of looking at one gentleman for too long. I’ll admit that she first came across to me as a bit silly in her actions and reactions. I thought it was interesting to watch her change over the course of the second house party when she meets Luke again, and they really get to know each other. Still, though, given how shy and embarrassable she was at the first ball, it’s hard to imagine her acting as she would later in the book.

I like the concurrent nature of this series of the Northumberland Nine. In this book in particular, I enjoyed the interaction between some of the men who are interested in the sisters.

I noticed a few peculiar editing issues in this book. I thought the book ended a bit abruptly. For so long, it looks like things won’t work out literally until pages before the end. I would like to have seen the ending drawn out a little bit more so the resolution could have been enjoyed.