A Wallflower's Folly

Fortunes of Fate Series, Book 6

By: Amanda Mariel, Fortunes of Fate

Narrated by: Kelley Ann Hill

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

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

not a win for me

This book and I had problems, the most grievous of which was the fact that I was indignant on Olivia's behalf for the entire book. Their marriage was arranged when they were children. Then, he disappeared for 15 years without so much as a word. But when he needed a woman to do womanly things in his life, he showed up—a perfect stranger—to take the tool off the shelf and demands she honor the agreement (because she's convenient). Until that point he hadn't honored it, but despite her protests that she did not wish to marry him, he demanded she would.

Given these circumstances I was even more indignant that he liked and was attracted to her. He got to ignore her for as long as he liked (injuring her in the process) and then gets a pretty and amusing wife out of the deal. While she got ignored and then forced into a marriage she didn't want. Oh, how men always get their cake and to eat it too, while women eat crow, apparently. The fact that she gave in as soon as he said the magic three words enraged me further still, if you'd believe that possible. As if all it takes to make a woman who doesn't desire marriage desirous of it is to be chosen by a man. Seriously, f*ck off.

Also, the whole premise of the book is how long the Duke 'left her on the shelf' before coming to claim her (and she's meant to mother a 19 and 20-year-old.) So, she must be above average age for a marriageable woman. Yet, neither of her BFFS appear to be married either and she acts like a complete child.

Lastly a comment on the editing/narration. Since I had an audio copy I don't know where the errors originated (from the author or the narrator) but there were several misused words. And while as an American I'm no expert on English accents, I rather suspect this author's accent (with her Vs for Th, for example) did not even approximate an aristocratic English accent. Rather like hearing a book set in the Bronx read in a Southern accent for us Americans. Not bad, but a little jarringly out of place. Presumably more so for someone from that part of the world.

I'd likely give this author another chance. But this book was a bust.

Note: I received a free copy of this book. I chose to listen and review it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Horrible recording, crackly buzzing.

With terrible narrator.
Reticule is Wreck-tickle
Olivia is Oh-live-Ee-ay
Etc etc…

I think the story was going to be cute. I don’t know, as I couldn’t tolerate the quality and narrator.

Can’t finish.

While it’s very kind that someone with a speech impediment can get a job narrating audiobooks, it does not make for an enjoyable listening experience.
I made it through the 3rd chapter and had to quit. So glad this book was on sale.
The letters ‘th’ do not make a ‘v’ sound.
The letters ‘ll’ do not make a ‘w’ sound.
The name ‘Olivia’ is not pronounced like ‘Olivier’.
The name ‘Montague’ is not pronounced ‘Montage’.
And more. See ya.

Cute Story ruined by TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE Narration!

Her name is OLIVIA!!!! But the narrator calls her Olivy-ay...WTF?? One would have thought her sound editor would have caught that! Then, there are a few words she pronounces that showcase her natural accent (words with V's, some R's, etc.), and oh yes....she refers to him as a mar-QUESS....not "mar-quiss" as it is usually pronounced. I tried getting through the whole story, but btwn mar-QUESS, Olivy-ay and incorrectly rolled V's...I just couldn't take it, and gave up after 2 chapters!!!

What a shame!!!

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.

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.

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.

A Wallflower's Folly

I enjoyed listening to Kelly Ann Hill. She made this book even more enjoyable.

This is a lovely fast listen. This is a great romance to listen to, Fast and sweet. William and Olivia's story is a great listen.
I found this book fun and enjoyed listening.

Amusing!

This is a short love story where Lady Olivia, because she has been totally ignored by her betrothed, William, Duke of Thorne, decides that she wants to get him to break the betrothal and tries to concoct ways of disgusting him so that he does so.
I must admit that there is a bit of underlying sense of humor showing through and of course William only realizes that he in fact loves her and can't do without her in his life when it is almost too late.
I listened to the audiobook version and my review above is voluntary and unbiased.

A lovely Romance

I enjoyed the story and it was well read by the voice of the narrator