Jennifer McQuiston: Diary of An Accidental Wallflower

The first irresistible installment in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McQuiston’s Seduction Diaries series proves that some secrets are too delicious to hide.

Pretty and popular, Miss Clare Westmore knows exactly what (or rather, who) she wants: the next Duke of Harrington. But when she twists her ankle on the eve of the Season’s most touted event, Clare is left standing in the wallflower line watching her best friend dance away with her duke.

Dr. Daniel Merial is tempted to deliver more than a diagnosis to London’s most unlikely wallflower, but he doesn’t have time for distractions, even one so delectable. Besides, she’s clearly got her sights on more promising prey. So why can’t he stop thinking about her?

All Clare wants to do is return to the dance floor. But as her former friends try to knock her permanently out of place, she realizes with horror she is falling for her doctor instead of her duke. When her ankle finally heals and she faces her old life again, will she throw herself back into the game?

Or will her time in the wallflower line have given her a glimpse of who she was really meant to be?

Always game to try a new author, I selected this series first because there is nothing quite like a sexy doctor.

And Dr. Merial is pretty sexy. Half Roma, compassionate, smart and inventive with dark good looks he is sure to be a reader fave.

The problem? The heroine. I get, and can even appreciate, her more mercenary tendencies. I also think the author gives her a bit of a comeuppance in that regard as part of her character arc. But….honestly, I found Clare—meh. Boring. She didn’t do anything that surprised or delighted or made me laugh or ache. She just seemed like a two-dimensional stock heroine. For instance, she seems towards the end of the book to suddenly be rapturously interested in the good Doctor’s invention…whereas before it was more of a–gaw, he’s hot but he’s annoying. It was too convenient by half, and I found myself rolling my eyes and saying out loud “well, that’s believable” a little sarcastically. She also seems to jump in the fray of giving everyone some home truths at the end of the book, when honestly she is pretty out of touch with her own truth. I thought her diary entries were super uninsightful and boring, and didn’t really see the point except that Diary was in the title.

There is also the fact that her interest in the hero is a little weird. Her main turn on with him seems to be that he is good with her younger sister and brother. The guy is so hot that all the maids throw themselves at him, but Clare seems to be more focused on how nurturing he is (He is a doctor afterall). To go from all about money and title to “ah, but he’s good with kids” was just…off.

On top of it, some of the anachronisms were a little too much for me. That a thirteen year old boy called the Doctor “Mr. Handsome” was off. That they were calling each other by their first names almost immediately–wrong. Introducing upper class children to a prostitute-nope, would never have happened. A lecture to a virtual stranger on spanking the monkey–no way, Jose. I also never like when fictional characters get to take credit for real innovations…although her invention was unique in many ways, I like even my historical fiction to give some real history.

I did like that unlike the standard class difference Reg Roms, this one featured the higher class lady. However, it didn’t make up for my boredom with the heroine that translated into boredom with the book.

Mass market Reg Rom readers will find the familiar with McQuiston; McQuiston’s sensibilities are reminiscent of later Julia Quinn. Generally, I think she is a strong writer with something interesting to add to the genre…I just don’t think it is well showcased in this book. However, other more forgiving readers will enjoy the little twist on the old and a generally breezy writing style.

5 Stars 3 out of 6 Mass market Reg with a less than loveable heroine