What a Wallflower Wants

Rodale’s third Bad Boys and Wallflowers Regency (after Wallflower Gone Wild) includes a sensitive portrayal of the emotional effects of sexual assault. Prudence Payton, London’s Least Likely to be Caught in a Compromising Position, has embraced her wallflower status after being assaulted during her first season. During a rainy journey to her finishing school reunion, she finds herself alone in an inn with John Roark, Lord Castleton. John, who gambles so he can earn enough money to find security for himself and his family, is on a winning streak. He’s fascinated by the skittish Prudence and decides to help her regain her confidence. When the man who attacked Prudence shows up at the same inn, both Prudence and John find their secrets in danger of exposure. The frequent jumps both forward and back in time accurately portray Prudence’s mental state but may be jarring to those used to a more linear style, and there is a significant amount of wish-fulfillment in the final third of the novel. (Nov.)