Secrets of a Summer Night: The Wallflowers, Book 1

Written by Lisa Kleypas

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

The Wallflowers

Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands . . . no matter what it takes

Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.

Annabelle is determined to resist Simon's wicked propositions, but she can't deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle's courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear.

This edition of Secrets of a Summer Night contains an altered version of the content that appeared in the original 2004 edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9780062992529

Lisa Kleypas

New York Times Lisa Kleypas graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. Her historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction novels are published in forty different languages, and are bestsellers all over the world. Currently she lives in Southern California with her husband Gregory.

Reviews for Secrets of a Summer Night

[Melissa Burroughs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not overly explicate, and full of interesting characters. I especially like Evie and am really looking forward to her book. But after listening to this book I think the other wallflowers will be a lot of fun as well:)

[Corinne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first Lisa Kleypas book and certainly not my last. Great narration and story. I enjoyed it so much. It was cute and romantic and a bit suspenseful at the end. Simon is an amazing character. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

[NunnuSolih · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some scenes are missing from the audiobook, came acca this as i was following text while listening.
Anyway.
My first Lisa Kleypas book and definitely not my last.

[Courtney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love this whole series and the others in this universe. I would recommend reading them, though, because there's quite a bit missing from the audio
Read the wallflower, the Hathaway, then the Ravenel.

[Sapir Atias · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is an abridged version even if it says it isn’t. Almost an hour and a half missing.
Other than that the book is amazing.

[claire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the story but not the narration. This is my first Lisa Kleypas book and it will not be my last, although after all the good things I heard about her books I expected more.
I didn't like the narrator's voice for the males, i think it was awful, they all sounded really pompous and Simon Hunt, the hero, was not pompous at all .
Unfortunately the next 2 are narrated by the same narrator but I will still listen to them, although I find her voice a little distracting.

[Beatriz Lopez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book!
My only complaint is that the audiobook is not complete. I was following text as I listened to the audio, and some scenes were missing.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Digital audiobook performed by Rosalyn LandorThis is the first in the “wallflower” series featuring four young women of marriageable age but who are at risk of becoming spinsters if they don’t find a suitable mate. The first book introduces us to the four: Annabelle Payton (at 24, this is her last season of debutante balls), Evangeline Jenner (known as Evie), and the two American heiresses and sisters, Lillian and Daisy Bowman. The four form a pact to help one another snag a husband, and they decide to focus first on Annabelle as she is the oldest and most in need of help. This is a typical regency romance with plenty of heaving bosoms, devastatingly handsome men, one or two scoundrels, and a clash between the classes. The plot may be predictable, but it’s still great fun to read. A lovely escape from a wintry blizzard!I’ve read two other books in this series previously, and one really doesn’t need to read them in order to enjoy them. Rosalyn Landor does a fine job of performing the audio. I really liked how she voiced the four young women, and the object of Annabelle’s attention, Simon Hunt.

[narshkite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Delightful! This felt honest and natural. Kleypas did not create orchestrated conflict, she wrote a story that included events that naturally created conflict. I love this series, but somehow had missed this first book. So glad I made up for that. I liked Annabel and Simon both. She was in a terrible place, had no choices but to find a rich husband (as was the lot of gently born women of the day) but she worked to be the best and most useful person she could be. Simon was clearly drawn to Annabel's beauty and gentility, but also liked the rest of her as well. I liked that Kleypas did not write a story where people behaved in ways none would have at the time, but still gave us a woman of consequence and a respectful relationship. Also, its sweet and sexy.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas is the first in her historical romance series entitled “Wallflowers” with each book featuring a woman who, for one reason or another, is destined to spend her coming out years sitting on the sidelines. Four of these wallflowers become friends and make a pact to help each other find the husband of their dreams.Annabelle is a particularly lovely young lady whose family’s financial troubles puts her on the overlooked shelf. At twenty-five, she is finishing her last year as a dowry-less debutante and the sharks are circling in the hopes that she will give up on marriage and agree, instead, to become someone’s mistress. She and her friends make elaborate plans to entice and trap a desirable candidate, but a certain Simon Hunt keeps getting in her way.I was looking for a light, frothy romance so this book certainly hit the spot and while Annabelle’s story was resolved fairly quickly, the author used this book to introduce the rest of the Wallflowers and has set the stage for more of their adventures.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thus begins a series of four young women who are never asked to dance and are getting desperate to find a husband, each for different reasons. Annabelle's need was financial, as her family was living in genteel poverty and was getting desperate. Simon was a butcher's son but was ruthless and had a gift for making money. In addition, they were like flint and steel with their prejudices coming to the fore! I loved this the first two times I read it and it does stand the test. Rosalyn Landor is exceptional as a narrator and never oversells!

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Secrets of a Summer Night
4 Stars

Synopsis
Annabelle Peyton is in want of a husband. She doesn't require much only that he be a peer and have sufficient funds to raise her family out of poverty. Simon Hunt is a self made man who has everything he could ever want except the one woman who will never have him - Annabelle. Can these two very different people find a way to overcome their differences for love?

Reviews
Charming and funny read with a very hunky hero but the heroine rubbed me the wrong way.

While Annabelle is in desperate straits and it is difficult not to sympathize with her circumstances, she is nevertheless not a likeable character due to her haughty, mercenary, elitist and selfish personality. She does ultimately redeem herself but it was too late for me. Simon, on the other hand, is simply perfect - honest, intelligent, sexy and sensual, understanding and accepting, loving and determined - I could go on and on but I won't. His only flaw is his attraction to Annabelle as I have no idea what he sees in her.

The plot is an enjoyable yet predictable love/hate romance with some Pride & Prejudice thrown in for good measure. The historical background on Victorian social norms are well researched and interesting, especially the descriptions of the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of the industrialist middle class. The portrayal of the difficult choices faced by women who fall outside the accepted conventions is also very apt.

The writing is good although it does lack a certain flow. I sometimes found myself re-reading lines and even entire paragraphs just to make sure I was following the action.

The real highlight of the book is the hysterically funny banter, machinations and antics of the Wallflowers. The Rounders-in-Knickers scenes still have me smiling.

Overall, an entertaining beginning to a promising series. Lillian and Marcus are up next and I look forward to seeing just how crazy they can drive each other.

[myab-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas (Audio Edition)
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
Series: Wallflowers, Book 1

4 stars - I think I enjoyed this more this time than I did the first time I read it. I love when the girls play rounders. I enjoyed how Simon already knew what he wanted and set out about getting it. I think Annabelle was a strong woman and a good match for Simon.

Rosalyn Landor did a fantastic job on narration. Looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

~Paragraphs and Petticoats~

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First book in the wallflower series. Annabelle needs a wealthy husband and her mother is tutoring her in how to attract a title gentleman for her coming-out party into society. Because she has no dowry, most of the titled bachelors aren't interested in her. She meets some wealthy American young women who are sitting by the wall not getting asked to dance because they don't have "blue-blood." They form a pact to help each other find husbands. Since Annabelle is the oldest, they concentrate on her first.

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annabelle Peyton is on her fourth season and she must catch a husband this year or she'll be left with the shameful choice of becoming someone's mistress in order to save her family's finances. While at a ball she finally chats with the three other women who have all been condemned to being wallflowers for various reasons. The quartet form a pact to help each other find husbands beginning with Annabelle as the eldest. But while the women work to get Annabelle engaged to eligible Lord Kendall, Annabelle must fight her own growing attraction to the newly rich but entirely unsuitable Simon Hunt.I enjoyed this historical romance thoroughly. Kleypas sets up a lovely premise with the four wallflowers working together to snag a husband in the difficult market of the early Victorian era. Watching Annabelle and Simon's relationship is a thorough delight and the denouement was actually a surprise for me as the final conflict was not what I had anticipated. I'll be picking up the other books in this series and Kleypas has made my list of authors to pick up when I'm in the mood for a historical romance.

[jammies_4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This review is for all 5 books in the series, because while I think they're harmless one by one, taken as a whole, they support rape culture.Let me say that there is no outright rape in these books, but they are all steeped in the trope of a beautiful virgin (in this case one in each book) who only needs a forceful man to awaken her sexual urges.While I love the idea of the four wallflowers working together to secure husbands, and the descriptions of the gorgeous clothing, the characters themselves are fairly stereotypical--the shy girl, the brash American girl, the dreamer and the down-on-her-luck girl from the gentry. The men are equally two-dimensional--the rake, the industrialist, the stuffy lord and the irritating American.All of the female characters, the four wallflowers and a secretary in the last book, are preyed on by the men, who reduce them to quivering masses of sexual desire by forcing kisses and gropes (and in one case, oral sex) on them. It's always because the women are so, so desirable that the men cannot withstand their urges. It's been almost 200 years since The Lustful Turk was written, but apparently we're still believing this trope, glorifying it and in all too many cases, acting on it. We need to stop.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Wallflowers quartet was among the first books I read for Lisa Kleypas and historical romance in general. I fell madly in love with her style of writing and her characters. Now, I'm rereading the books and viewing them differently.

How I feel sorry for Annabelle. It's very hard to be poor but to be poor and beautiful is the hardest of all. People start assuming horrible things and attacking you, as if your financial statues determines your worth.

[theyodamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful audiobook. Sweet romantic and heartbreaking. This author writes some of the best female and male characters. They are always strong smart people who have been tested ruthlessly by life and survive. They do not save each other as many romantic characters do, they compliment each other and grow stronger. It is wonderful.
This book follows a woman who has been drifting in the social cesspool of husband hunting and labeled a Wallflower. Her chance of marrying a peer are slim to none, unless.... She is not without suitors, she has the butchers son who has been asking to dance with her for years. Well, he is too common, and uncouth. There is a lot of hurt feelings, sour words and desperate moments before the happiness begins. I am going to continue with this series.
* I loved Simon, what a hunky man

[infjsarah · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was mentioned on BookRiot as a top example of historical romance. I quite enjoyed it but I didn't find it particularly outstanding. I liked the characters but it was just OK.

[grapeapril75-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book of the Wallflowers series!! A wonderful start!! I love this authors writing and humor. I adore this series and everything about it!!

[cynical_ames · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a Kleypas virgin, I had to know what all the fuss was about. I've not read much historical romance so I didn't know what I was getting myself into but I'm very glad I picked this up. I understand now why this author has so many devoted fans.

Four young single ladies come together to help each other find husbands. They decide as a group that Annabelle as the oldest should be the first to be married off.

Simon Hunt as a predator determined to snag his prey (Annabelle) was excellent. I loved the way he looked at his competition, the supposedly superior upper classes who disgusted both me and him when they purposely snubbed the gorgeous and unattached Annabelle so she'd be so desperate when she couldn't find someone decent to marry her she'd be forced to become some dishonourable (and possibly married) man's mistress. When Simon learned she'd most likely go to the highest bidder, I could actually imagine his feral grin as he realised he was the richest man in England and therefore most likely to get her.

Despite being looked down upon for growing up working class and being of "new" money, Simon was a better man for knowing the value of hard work and money earned, as well as a woman with a brain. I was very pleased when he taught Annabelle how to play chess and encouraging her to be interested in his work.

This was a heart-warming and funny story. I will most definitely be reading more from this author.

[sammii507 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My roommate is always trying to get me to read Lisa Kleypas books, and I think I see why. This book was sheer fun. Easy to read, enjoyable, mostly realistic and free of obvious anachronisms. I'll read more!

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annabelle Peyton's family needs her to marry well. They are relying on the attentions of a man who is using her mother. Her brother is still in school and she needs a good marriage, this she translates as a noble marriage, but Simon Hunt, who is attracted to her and she finds attractive, is a commoner, this will affect her future.Full of lavacious nobles, romance, thoughtful gifts (never have a pair of walking boots been so romantic!) and societal changes. It's an interesting read and I love the wallflowers and want to see what happens to the next one, but I worry about Annabelle and her friendships.

[kanic-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was NOT NOT NOT expecting to like this. But I did! I do not usually read historical fiction. Kleypas has lured me in. I am immediately reading the next book in the series and will more than likely read all of Kleypas's books. She is a very good writer. I actually paused over several passages to take note of how eloquent or poignant they were. I am moderately versed in the historical culture of 19th century British life and I found Kleypas mixture of historical fact with modern fancy to be fairly balanced. I will admit that the plot got a bit thin towards the end, but action took over at that point and I was very satisfied with the ending. Though I am not yet sure if I will be adding this book to my Favorites shelf, I would definitely recommend it to friends.

[cynditefft · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first half of this book was 4 stars. The second half was only 2 stars, hence the overall 3 star rating. Halfway through this book, I ordered the rest of the series, I was enjoying it so much. Now I wish I hadn't. :(

Kleypas has a nice, fluid writing style, but once the hero and heroine got together, this book really ran out of steam. The wallflowers scenarios with the four friends sets up the series, but there wasn't much of a real plot to carry the book all the way through.

Also, I enjoy a good sex scenes (and hers were pretty good), but the middle of the book is pretty much one after the other. I think a sex scene should move the story forward, not just be a recounting of all the ways they did it.

Since the others are on the way, I will be giving them a try. Fingers crossed! :)

[azacia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've enjoyed the wallflowers series immensely (although I did read them a bit out of order). The story of Annabelle, Lillian, Evi & Daisy and their friendship is wonderful. Each girl brings a unique addition to the unusual group. Their antics and plans are hilarious and I especially loved their meadow games in knickers! Several points in this book had me laughing out loud.

Where the story lost a few points for me is in Annabelle's persistent desire to only marry a man of rank (even though she needed wealth) and then her continued obsession over wealth and class. Although a character of the times, I still think Annabelle was a bit too harsh on Simon and his family. Simon's pursuit in Annabelle despite her repeated disinterest amazed me as well. Other than her being pretty and a quickly shared kiss, I do not understand what he saw in her that attracted him so.

Outside of that, the story overall was wonderful and enjoyable and fun. A great book, although not my favorite in the series.

[renrav · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm being lazy and reviewing the entire series as one. Also many of my thoughts apply to all the books. I've never been a big romance person but I've never been opposed to them either. I discovered this series on a list for top romance series when I needed something for the 2013 Challenge Group Februray Challenge. Spoilers for the series follow:


One thing I didn't like about each book was, with one exception, every single female was a virgin and every single male had had plenty of partners (and in the cases where the male was already attracted to her, he thought of her when with the person). The reason some of the proposals happened was because he had "compromised" her (loved that phrase). Yet the men never had that worry about all the other women they had been with?

Past that these books were fun and I enjoyed each one. I was happy I read Again the Magic first since then I had a prior knowledge of the Westcliffs and in particular Marcus. I was sad that Aline and McKenna never appeared in the rest of the series. McKenna's proposal was probably my favorite of all the couples.

Simon and Annabelle were probably my favorite couple overall. I was surprised that many other reviewers labelled her as snobbish. I understand at the beginning she was hellbent on marrying a peer but primarily for the money for her family. I don't see anything wrong with that. Simon only went after her as a mistress and that was why I felt she ignored him. Once he did actually propose she almost instantly accepted him. Loved that he kept trying to compromise her afterwards in order to make sure she would marry him. After the marriage she did have trouble accepting the change in her life but she never blamed him. I adored the ending with her going after him and Westcliff saving them both and the two of them finally getting along.

Westcliff is probably my favorite male character and I did really like Lillian. Their book was not my favorite because I felt it borrowed too much from Pride and Prejudice, which I adore. The two stubborn lovers with the male as an upper class aristocrat, a bad first proposal, a wedding obsessed mother, and a conniving countess. Loved the ending again with Westcliff beating the shit out of St. Vincent. Hilarious! This book did have my favorite passage:

"You may set your mind at ease with the knowledge that I do not find you desireable in any way whatsoever."
"I understand. Enough said, my lord."
"If the two of us were left alone on a deserted island, I would have absolutely no thought of approaching you."
"I realize that," she said shortly. "You don't have to go on and on about it."
"I just want to make it clear that what I did was a complete aberration. You are not the kind of woman wom I would ever be attracted to."
"All right."
"In fact-"
"You've made yourself quite clear, my lord."

St. Vincent and Evie's story was enjoyable and I thoguht they worked quite well together. I was sad that none of the other wallflowers showed up till over halfway through the book. I also didn't realize that Evie's father appears in an earlier series, so I may have to pick that up next.

Scandal in Spring was my least favorite of the four wallflower series. I liked the concept but I figured out basically what Matthew's secret was from the start and kept getting annoyed that he put off telling her till it was too late. The game between the two of them was interesting and I enjoyed seeing how protective Westcliff had become of Daisy.

Wallflower Christmas was fun but I did not enjoy it as much as the previous five books.

[jyl22075 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK? Seriously? I loved this book a crazy amount and I have so many thoughts so I'm just going to do this in a list format or I might forget things.1. I adored the relationship between the four wallflowers and I'm so excited to read about the other girls.2. Simon was absolute perfection.3. I so enjoyed Annabelle's journey. She grew so much throughout the book. In the beginning I feared I would not like her, but she really was a product of her circumstances and watching her change was truly lovely. Usually it's the hero that makes that journey (because the heroine is already a paragon of kindness and virtue) so this worked out extremely well for me.4. The dialog was stellar! There were some laugh-out-loud moments and some things that were so poignant I wanted to cry.5. I love that this story didn't end with the marriage. We got to see them figuring out their true feelings as a married couple.6. I'm used to reading about titled gentlemen so Simon was a nice change and I really appreciated that Annabelle dealt with marrying into a class beneath her original station in a realistic manner. She still wanted to be part of the aristocracy, which I thought was very believable.Overall, 5 extremely enthusiastic stars!

[katebond-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lisa Kleypas, where have you been all my life? Holy fucking shit, I love this series.

The series follows four girls (each book telling the story of one) who, for whatever reason, are considered unmarryable. In this novel, the girl is gorgeous and of noble blood, but she has no dowry, so no one has interest in her as a wife. But all the dudes are biding their time until she gives up and is willing to become one of their mistresses.

And the sexiest man ever in the world ever is in love with her.

[anniik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My roommate is always trying to get me to read Lisa Kleypas books, and I think I see why. This book was sheer fun. Easy to read, enjoyable, mostly realistic and free of obvious anachronisms. I'll read more!