A Wallflower's Folly

Fortunes of Fate Series, Book 6

By: Amanda Mariel, Fortunes of Fate

Narrated by: Kelley Ann Hill

A headstrong wallflower...

Lady Olivia Montague's betrothed has ignored her and their contract for years. In the meantime, she has decided to remain unwed, embracing the life of a spinster. The last thing she expects is for her betrothed to come storming back into her life.

A determined duke...

Following the death of his parents, William Breckenridge finds himself as the Duke of Thorne and in charge of his three younger sisters. He needs help in the form of a mother and guide for his siblings. Lucky for William, he's already betrothed. All he need do is collect his future duchess.

An unstoppable love...

William and Olivia engage in a battle of wills, but the more she resists and he pursues, the more their passions flare. Once the heart is engaged, resistance becomes difficult, but will they give into happily ever after?

©2019 Amanda Mariel (P)2019 Amanda Mariel

Enjoyable Regency Romp, Except For…

I've read, and now listened to, this author for a long time. While I always enjoy some aspect of each tale, some have other aspects that kept me from complete enjoyment. Except for one thing that had nothing to do with the story, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt yet playful Regency romp. Our poor heroine has been betrothed to a future duke since her childhood, but he has steadfastly ignored her for a decade. Now that he is assuming the dukedom, he wants to acquire that wife so she can help bring his sisters into society as well as provide the necessary heir. Though her friends know her to be quite retiring, something within her rebels against his treatment. She doesn't appreciate that she's been set aside for so long … and now he's interested. Let's just say she's going to make him earn it! She even decides to act against her normal character, acting the hoyden—riding astride and dressing casually in his presence. She actually hopes this will dissuade him so she can live her life as she chooses. But, of course, her actions and attitude actually endear her to him even more. He actually comes to appreciate that he has done her a grave disservice in the way he's treated her these past years. I loved listening to the interaction between them, and the book is quite humorous at times. Even though he's “done her wrong” until this point, it's wonderful to watch how he reacts to her now.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the narrator. She had some sort of British Isles accent I couldn't quite place (Irish? lower-class London?) that made her mispronounce many words, so much as to be distracting. The heroine's name is Olivia, but this narrator pronounces it like the deceased actor Olivier’s name (o-liv-ee-AY). As the heroine's name is used so often, it's weird to have it so poorly mispronounced every time! As this is an audiobook, I actually checked the book blurb to double-check the heroine’s name, as I thought that “Olivier” was a very odd name for a heroine! The narrator also mispronounces words with “th,” pronouncing them like an F, so “thought” sounds like “fought” and “strength” sounds like “strenf.” My inner ear did not like this at all, and I felt a little jarred each time these weird F sounds showed up. It did decrease my enjoyment of the book even though I liked the story and characters.

5 stars for the enjoyable Regency story, and 1 star for the narration.

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the stories keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes
What did I like? story has a good pace, characters are engaging and it's well written.
Olivia is strong and smart and wants nothing to do with William who she was betrothed to when they were children, her attempts to avoid marriage to William are entertaining as he tries to win her heart.

Narrator comment: I enjoyed Kelly Hill's narration, she's done a great job bringing these characters to life.

It’s a fortunate great story

Book 6 in the series. A historical romance story. The author writes how life was in the 18 hundred . The story tells how women were treated at that time period. If the women , Ladies of the ton were not married by a certain age they were considered wall flowers .
Heroine is Lady Olivia Montague . Hero is Duke of Thorne, William Breckenridge. Lady Olivia and the Duke have been promised to be married for 15 yrs . The duke had no need to be married, but now he does. He just became a Duke when his parents passed . He is suppose to take care of his 3 sisters . That is when he knows that Lady Olivia as the Duchess will help him .

Kelly Ann performance was good . Her accent and tone was perfect for that time period.

Sometimes the chase is the best

Olivia was set to be a spinster for all of her life. She actually liked beiing a wallflower and did not want to marry. Olivia falls in love but fights it till the very end. It is a fun book to read of the chase that goes on with her betrothed as they had been since children. Enjoyable short book.



This book
was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

It was ok...

I love historic romances and I had high hopes for this book. It was alright but I doubt I will listen to it a second time, which I frequently do with many of my other books. The book was short and I feel it lacked depth in the characters. I appreciate a short book now and again but the story line and plot could have been more developed, I would have preferred a longer book with more substance. Again, not a bad book by any measure, I did like it just wasn’t my favorite book of all time kind of book.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

The only good part of my day

I loved this audiobook. It was the only good part of my day. I listened to it while I was working. I loved the story.

A contest of wills

William and Olivia were betrothed years ago. Since then William has ignored Olivia, and she is happy with the freedom of a spinster. When William’s circumstances change, he needs a wife, and comes to claim Olivia. She begs him to release her from their betrothal, but he reuses. What results is a (very humorous) contest of wills, as William pursues his claim, and Olivia tries everything she can (without ruining herself) to convince William she is unsuitable. Will they ever see eye-to-eye and reach an understanding? Could love possibly bloom? I love this story and these two characters. It was fun to watch them test and challenge each other.

The narration was very good and really showcased the stubborn nature of both characters. The narrator’s voice was very pleasant to listen too.

I received a free copy of the audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Narrator can make or break

The narrator's cockney accent ruined this book for me. Dropped L 's in the middle of words and th pronounced as f or v sound. Struggled to finish this one.

Wallflower, I Think Not

A Wallflower's Folly
Fortunes of Fate Series, Book 6
By: Amanda Mariel



This is a short, clean historical fiction.

Lady Olivia Montague and William Breckenridge were contracted to wed, when they were children. He however never showed up in 15 years, until after his parents died. He has three younger sisters that need a mother figure. However, by this time Olivia has made up her mind to become a spinster and live life her way. The more they try to get their own way, the more things change. I liked it but would have liked some deeper character building. I'll keep an eye out for more in this series.




The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed. Kelley Ann Hill brought the story to life.



I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

The lady is not a wallflower

Book 6 in the series. A historical romance story. The author writes how life was in the 18 hundred . The story tells how women were treated at that time period. If the women , Ladies of the ton were not married by a certain age they were considered wall flowers .
Heroine is Lady Olivia Montague . Hero is Duke of Thorne, William Breckenridge. Lady Olivia and the Duke have been promised to be married for 15 yrs . The duke had no need to be married, but now he does. He just became a Duke when his parents passed . He is suppose to take care of his 3 sisters . That is when he knows that Lady Olivia as the Duchess will help him .

Kelly Ann performance was good . Her accent and tone was perfect for that time period.