Scandal in Spring
By Lisa Kleypas
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: July 25, 2006
Series or Standalone: The Wallflowers #4
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

After Devil in Winter not being my cup of tea, I was desperately hoping that Scandal in Spring would finish the Wallflowers series on a high note. And boy, did it do that! 

In our final installment of the Wallflowers series, we get Daisy Bowman’s story. Daisy’s the last of the four Wallflowers left unmarried after two plus years on the marriage mart. Her father offers her an ultimatum – find a suitor to marry this season or be forced to marry Matthew Swift, his business partner who she despises. It’s been years since she’s seen Matthew, and when she runs into him again, she finds he’s changed and that she might not hate him as much as she thought. Meanwhile, he’s harboring a secret that could threaten everything he’s worked for and make him unworthy of Daisy’s attractions.

Y’all, I loved this. I feel like I went into this one a little skeptical after Devil in Winter, but this is up there with It Happened One Autumn as my favorite in the series. I feel like there were some definite Pride & Prejudice vibes at the start of this one with how Daisy felt towards Matthew, and it was so fun to watch her realize she might have been wrong about him. Matthew was also such a great hero! I loved that he’s been in love with Daisy for years and her quirkiness was something he valued about her and not something to hold against her. After not liking St. Vincent much in Devil in Winter, I found Matthew so refreshing. I loved his wry sense of humor so much – it made for some great banter between him and Daisy as well as him with Westcliff and others. 

In classic Kleypas style, this book had the perfect blend of romance, humor and drama. I have to say, the goose scene has got to be up there as one of the best scenes in a romance novel – what a way to realize you might have feelings for someone! Also, that lawn bowl scene – I relate to that hard as I too have a competitive edge and I loved watching Daisy and Matthew go head to head. I also loved the drama around Matthew’s backstory and identity. The first time there was a hint that he had a secret, I went “ooOOoooOOhhhh” out loud. I had an inkling of what it might be, but the reveal was WILD. Again, Kleypas managed to bring the drama at the end – and I freaking loved it. Literally, all these books have such an over the top, dramatic ending and I know it’s incredibly unrealistic, but it’s so dang fun to read. 

This book also had so many cameos from the previous Wallflowers. Lillian, as Daisy’s older sister, obviously played a large role in this book, and she’s definitely my favorite character so I loved seeing more of her and Westcliff! We also got to see some baby Wallflowers and I loved that as it was a nice way to check in with our favorite couples in the last book of the series. 

Matthew and Daisy were perfect for each other and it was such a treat to see Daisy realize her feelings for Matthew. Scandal in Spring is definitely another enemies-to-lovers story like It Happened One Autumn, and I’m a sucker for those. I feel like Kleypas really excels at writing that specific trope – she does great banter and is really able to ramp up the chemistry and heat between characters who hate each other yet also want to jump each other’s bones. 

I couldn’t have been happier with the conclusion to this series! Despite not liking Devil in Winter, overall,  I really really enjoyed this series and had such a fun time reading it! I cannot wait to continue to explore more of Lisa Kleypas’ back catalogue as I found this series such a treat!