Title: Wallflowers - Three of a Kind Author: C.P. Smith
Series: Wallflowers #1
Release date: November 21, 2016
(Sub)genres: Alpha, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 265
Buy: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Rating:
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
“Romance and poetry, ivy, lichens, and wallflowers, need ruin to make them grow.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
They say money is the root of all evil, but sometimes, evil lurks in the most unlikely places.
Calla Lily Armstrong spent her whole life shielding her heart. Now she's ready to break down her walls and see what's hiding on the other side. With the help of her new friends, Poppy Gentry and Sienna Miller, the three band together to find their happily ever after. One Wallflower at a time.
Former Atlanta Homicide Detective, Devin Hawthorne, moved to Savannah for a change of pace and a fresh start as a Private Investigator. He finds it right under his nose in the form of a Southern beauty who drives him to distraction, and deadly secrets that threaten her very life.
C.P. Smith is my go-to author for insta-love stories; rugged Alpha men falling for feisty, sweet women and some interesting side-characters and situations. Wallflowers: Three of a Kind is no exception. Although the love feels a little less insta then I’m used to from this author, the story of Cali and Devin lived up to my expectations.
“I knew if I wanted a life outside my books, a life that also included a man like the one currently shirtless in my aunts’ back garden, I, too, would have to break down the walls I’d hidden behind so I could grow from the rubble of my past… To bloom. Just like those wallflowers.”
After the parents of Calla Lily (Cali) have died in an accident, she went to live with her grandparents. Instead of consoling the grieving little girl, her grandparents didn’t treat her with the love and kindness she so much needs. When Cali is shipped off to her aunts she finally finds the environment she needs; supportive and loving adults. But her childhood has left a huge mark on Cali; although she has tried relationships, she keeps everybody at a safe distance. New neighbor Devin is something else, somebody Cali wants to get to know.
“Calla, the heart wants what it wants. Don’t limit yourself because you’re scared,” Eunice said. “Take a chance on the man; you might just find he’s what you’ve been waitin’ for. He might be perfect for you. And, butterbean, if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you.”
Devin is a former homicide detective who moved to Savannah, to set up his own private investigator business. He loved his job, but he was done with bad guys getting away because procedures had to be followed. As his own boss Devin isn’t tied to those rules and regulations. He isn’t in the market for a serious relationship, but Devin feels himself drawn to Cali, even though she doesn’t seem interested.
“She was perfect for him, and he was exactly what she needed. No, he wouldn’t let her stop him, because where he came from, when you saw something you wanted, you went after it. And he’d wanted Calla Armstrong from the moment he laid eyes on her in the shop window.”
Assumptions keep Devin and Cali away from each other for a short while; each thinks the other is already has a love interest. Nevertheless, they meet the other one everywhere, and as soon as they know both are free, the hunt is on. Well, that’s Devin. Cali feels the spark between them, but her past has taught her to be careful, to keep her emotions behind her walls. Besides that, she’s too busy with her newfound friends Sienna and Poppy, the other Wallflowers. But since this is a CP Smith book, love and feelings aren’t far away. Devin and Cali fall hard and deep, I love them together.
Wallflowers: Three of a Kind is not just the story of Cali and Devin. Yes, they meet and fall in love in record time, but there’s so much more going on. Missing persons, murderous types, and plain nasty family members are coming along. Since this is the start of a new series (yes, the remaining two wallflowers get their own book!), hints are given for the future stories. Normally, all of this would make a book feel too crowded in my opinion, but C.P. Smith has written this story is such a way it doesn’t. It’s a story about love, mixed with new friendships, suspense, family and sunny Savannah.
“Then what’s my job?” “To love me.” Her lips began to tremble, and it took sheer strength of will not to reach out and crush her to him. But he continued instead. “To crave my touch, to trust me with your whole heart. To fix me when I need fixin’, to lay your troubles on my shoulders so you don’t have to carry them. To need me more than air. To just fuckin’ love me.” “That’s it?”
I’ve enjoyed reading the story of Devin and Cali, I give Wallflowers: Three of a Kind 4 stars. I can’t wait for the next book, Wallflowers: Double Trouble.
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