Penelope “Poppy” Arrington has sworn off men and marriage and has committed to living life to the fullest with her group of friends known as the Wallflowers of West Lane. But, her dearest friend, Aurora, recently widowed, has moved back into her home and Poppy intends to keep her company. Except, where Aurora is, so is her older brother, the Earl of Marsden, Rhys Draper.

Irritated with a past encounter with Rhys, Poppy keeps him at a distance, brushing off any attempts to make nice with him and spending every minute hating him, except for their mutual love for Rhys’ sister, Aurora.

Book: The Earl Not Taken by A.S. Fenichel
Series: The Wallflowers of West Lane #1 ( Book Two Review, Book Three Review)
Publication Date: March 17, 2020
Tags: Adult, romance, historical fiction, best friends brother, hate to love, friends to lovers
Links: Goodreads | Ebook | Paperback | Hardback | Audiobook
Read: January 8, 2021 to January 10, 2021

Left standing on the side while their contemporaries marry into society, four young ladies forge a bond to guard each other from a similar fate… 

Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake. 

Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of their embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position…

Penelope “Poppy” Arrington has sworn off men and marriage and has committed to living life to the fullest with her group of friends known as the Wallflowers of West Lane. But, her dearest friend, Aurora, recently widowed, has moved back into her home and Poppy intends to keep her company. Except, where Aurora is, so is her older brother, the Earl of Marsden, Rhys Draper.

Irritated with a past encounter with Rhys, Poppy keeps him at a distance, brushing off any attempts to make nice with him and spending every minute hating him, except for their mutual love for Rhys’ sister, Aurora.

I gave The Earl Not Taken five stars, loving every second of the chemistry that flowed between Poppy and Rhys. I loved their slight banter and most of all, I loved the way that Rhys knew from the start of their romance that he would prove all of Poppy’s fears wrong and that Rhys is not like other men.

Truly what a romance! The Earl Not Taken captured my attention from the start with the way Poppy was headstrong and went with her beliefs. Yes, there were some parts where it took her too long to discover the truth about herself, but, self-discovery takes a long time and I think what made it amazing was the way Rhys didn’t force anything upon her. He stood by her side and was even willing to risk his own love for Poppy so that Poppy could herself discover that her beliefs are wrong — or at least not what she has witnessed.

The Earl Not Taken shows the strengths and forces of love that Rhys took with Poppy and that was what I truly loved about this book. There was not pushing or demanding when it came to their romance. They took it slow and took time to discover their love for one another even if that meant taking years and years. Why truly was an excellent hero and I think Poppy’s quirkiness and headstrong personality was perfectly matched for Rhys.

I absolutely fell in love with Rhys and Poppy in The Earl Not Taken and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.