I really enjoyed the FMC in this book (Felicity) and I also liked the MMC (Devil). I liked the premise - a bad boy and a woman scorned by society. I loved the moments when Felicity got to tell people off and/or dress them down. My main beef is two fold: I didn’t enjoy the complex revenge plot between Devil and his brother, and I thought Devil and Felicity broke up too much. Basically every time they moved their relationship forward, one of them tried to break it off. A third act breakup? Fine. But like… three of them starting at the 50% mark? Stress! Annoyance! Especially when they had a big bad they could have taken on together. The ending was great and I will definitely read more of this series.

The Rumpelstiltskin inspired love story of a spinster wallflower betrayed by friends and family and a criminal mastermind with a big secret. 

After a chance meeting on the balcony of a duke’s Mayfair home, felicity and devil become tangled in each other’s secrets and make an arrangement that turns into love almost immediately. 

He’s not good enough for her. She’s done with doing what’s expected. He’s experienced. She is not. He thrives in the darkness. Her favorite color is pink and she is his sunlight. 

There are lessons, gifts, trellis climbs, a lot of meaningful lock picking, and a rooftop scene both emotional and smoking. 

This book is way over the top. I love it. 

all in all, one of my favorite Sarah MacLean books I've read, but there's a pretty profound betrayal between Devil and Felicity that I found it hard to forgive as easily. I do adore their dynamic (banter 8/10 best I've read since Book Lovers), and Felicity is a force to be reckoned with, but I wish more time was spent on the reconciliation. 

Once again I love Sarah MacLean. This book has such a perfect balance of internal and external conflict - its clear from the beginning why these two can't be together right now and what obstacles need to be overcome to get them there. I love that we had a role reversal at the end where the heroine saves the hero, and I enjoyed the way MacLean built on the couples' instant fascination with each other by letting them to get to know each other before they just decide they're in love. 

I will say that I feel like I know a lot about Devil but not that much about Felicity. While her character is clear, we don't get a lot of info about the events in her life that shaped her character- like, how does she know how to pick locks??? When was the first time she did that, how did she develop this skill? I would like to know!

MacLean is a master at slowing the pace way down to accommodate a love scene and there a few truly hot and tender moments in here! Additionally, there's significant and believable tension between Devil and Felicity that is very gratifying to see. 

There's still a fair amount of mystery surrounding the past of the Bareknuckle Bastards but I forgive the holes because I know they will be filed in in later books in the series. This book is overall exciting- there's a tenor running throughout of that feeling you get when you're doing something you're not supposed be doing and enjoying it the entire time, a wonder at being shown a side of life you didn't know existed. 

3.75 stars for "Wicked and the Wallflower", the first book in "The Bareknuckle Bastards" series by Sarah MacLean!

We follow one Felicity Faircloth as she ends up tangled with Devil, one of the Bareknuckle Bastards of the Covent Garden, when she tries to escape for a moment the pressure of landing a duke. She luckly gets an one-in-a-lifetime offer by Devil, but things aren't as they seem to be!

It has been some time since I listened to the audiobook narrated by Justine Eyre, but I clearly remember the great time I had! Both Felicity and Devil where alive and feisty under her care..so no complaint there!..in fact, I highly recommend this book as audio!

In the beginning I truly believed this novel would end up as a 5 star read...alas, after the initial part, where both Felicity and Devil are witty and feisty and other such adjectives....they fall into a typical romance...nothing wrong with that, but I felt cheated given the fact that I was promised something else...
While I didn't get my cake with this story, I want to stress the fact that most characters are really likable and fleshed out. Felicity is naive where it's normal to be (for a lady of her class and upbringing) but headstrong and clever when the time comes - thank God!; Devil is often misterious, strict with himself and others when it comes to his interest and ambitions while fair and calm under pressure; Beast is the silent type, the Duke of Marwick-Ewan- is very much distant, cold and with a bussiness-like attitude (I grew to like him even more than Devil, despite even the end of the book) and Grace seems to be the actual boss of this whole operation..>..>.

Our heroine has an interesting hobby (I will let you discover it by yourself :) ) and our hero & co lets us see a little what the underworld of London looked like back then! I very much appreciate MacLean's work in this department!

As tropes we have: enemies to lovers, help me make someone else fall in love with me but we both know the outcome to that, and miscomunication when things get reveiled.

Triggers: attempted rape on page, attempted murder.

We have:
+great dialogue between MCs;
+chemistry;
+nice worldbuilding with quite a chilly atmosphere;
+some family drama on both sides:))));
+a little possessiveness;
+past full of betrayals;
+a thrilling ending with you holding your breath the entire time!
+PTSD from childhood trauma..not sure if the coping mechanism here is healthy or even accurate to real life, but it's there...

Some not so great things:
-never understood how Ewan acted so late in the book and why he didn't do more;
-of course Felicity will be there at the end....we need that appy ending filled with drama!!!
- I don't feel Devil apologized enough to deserve forgiveness;
and on that note.....FELICITY'S FAMILY SUCKS!!! >..>

I'm not sure I want to read the rest of the series in order, but I want to know what happens with Ewan....>..>
In the end, this book is about "brave" people finding in each other strength to face themselves and their demons, mixed up with some smuggling bussiness and some family drama!

I recommend this one to people liking morally grey heroes- although Devil is not that grey...>.> - and to those of you already fans of Sarah's works!

Enjoy

12/23 reread- upping to 3.75 stars! 

This was a fun read! I will definitely be looking out for the Bareknuckle Bastards books in the future. Maybe Ewan will get a redemption arc. This story was good, I enjoyed the interaction between Devil and Felicity. Though the plot did seem to be a bit rushed to me, making the relationship between Felicty and Ewan seem a bit rushed and not the least bit manipulative- as it was supposed to be. I would have liked to have seen more of the supposed manipulation of brother to brother than what was described in the book- which mainly focused on Felicity and Devil talking, kissing, and having sex with one another (not to say that I minded). I loved to read about how Devil was a pure simp for Felicity and wow I wish a man would be that way about me.