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A review by romancelibrary
The Spitfire by Christi Caldwell
5.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Spitfire is the fifth and final installment in Christi Caldwell’s Wicked Wallflowers series and it is an absolutely delicious treat! And guess what? It can totally be read as a standalone! I know this comes as a surprise because most of Caldwell’s books are so intricately connected with one another that they usually can’t be read as standalone. But this one can definitely be read as a standalone! And you’re lucky because, in my humble opinion, The Spitfire is by far the best book in this series. In fact, I will go so far as to declare that The Spitfire is probably my favourite historical romance released in 2019 and that’s saying a lot coming from me.
The Spitfire is one of the most emotionally intense books I’ve read, but it is not devoid of humour. In fact, Caldwell masters the perfect blend of emotional intensity, humour, and steam in The Spitfire. This book is steamier than the previous books in the series and it also carries the kind of emotional intensity that I usually only find in Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas books, maybe a few Lisa Kleypas and Kerrigan Byrne books. And by emotional intensity, I don’t necessarily mean angst. I mean, the kind of love story that punches you in the gut, sweeps you off your feet, and consumes your every thought and emotion. The kind of book that you don’t want to finish reading because you don’t want to let go of the characters. The kind of love story that you love with every fibre of your being. Well, at least, that's how it was for me.
Clara is a former courtesan and madam who has worked hard to start anew and build a theatre in the Dials, along with her business partner (the heroine from The Governess). Her life is temporarily thrown upside down when she saves an injured man from the streets and nurses him back to health. The two connect with each other in an authentic way and strike up an unlikely friendship, even though the man, Henry, is a nobleman. Months later, Clara receives a cease and desist that puts a halt to her theatre's opening. Imagine her fury and disappointment when she finds out that Henry, the Earl of Waterson, is the one who’s directly responsible for the cease and desist. And Henry is about to learn that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I know that my little summary here is making Henry seem like the enemy, but there’s a lot more to the story that I’m keeping out because I don’t want to ruin it for everyone.
My God. The anticipation level in this book was just off the charts. I was literally dying for Clara and Henry to meet again after she saved his life. The fucking chemistry was electrifying. Clara and Henry are such vivid characters – they leaped off the pages and grabbed hold of my heart and haven’t quite let go of me. Henry is by all means a stuffy, prim, and proper lord (she calls him Lord Proper lol). Meanwhile, Clara is a passionate, fierce, and unstoppable woman. When these two clash, Clara is determined to make the proper lord lose his cool and the tension between them is just sizzling. And the best thing about Henry and Clara is that they are both so darn likable. They are also pretty unconventional for a historical romance hero and heroine: Henry is almost 42 years old, while Clara herself is not only a former courtesan, but 33 years old at that. Henry is genuinely honourable and I empathized when he found himself in a difficult and impossible political situation, even if he did make some wrong choices. Clara is such an admirable heroine and I couldn’t help but appreciate her strength and determination to achieve her dreams. If you read a lot historical romance like I do, then you know that the businesswoman trope that has taken over this genre is not always well executed. But this trope works so damn well in The Spitfire. The author authentically depicts the struggles and challenges women like Clara face when they try to rise and lead a different path in life. These challenges are true to Clara’s station, to the women who are just like her, and to her time period. This is no 21st century woman wearing period clothes who’s stuck in a wallpaper historical romance.
I loved everything about this book. Caldwell did a fantastic job bringing these two characters together, no matter how unconventional it is to pair up a former courtesan with a proper Earl. The ending is a bit rushed and the mystery is rather conveniently solved, but the romance in itself is satisfying. An epilogue is not needed, but I would love one regardless because I just love Henry and Clara so much. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to move on to another book.
The Spitfire is the fifth and final installment in Christi Caldwell’s Wicked Wallflowers series and it is an absolutely delicious treat! And guess what? It can totally be read as a standalone! I know this comes as a surprise because most of Caldwell’s books are so intricately connected with one another that they usually can’t be read as standalone. But this one can definitely be read as a standalone! And you’re lucky because, in my humble opinion, The Spitfire is by far the best book in this series. In fact, I will go so far as to declare that The Spitfire is probably my favourite historical romance released in 2019 and that’s saying a lot coming from me.
The Spitfire is one of the most emotionally intense books I’ve read, but it is not devoid of humour. In fact, Caldwell masters the perfect blend of emotional intensity, humour, and steam in The Spitfire. This book is steamier than the previous books in the series and it also carries the kind of emotional intensity that I usually only find in Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas books, maybe a few Lisa Kleypas and Kerrigan Byrne books. And by emotional intensity, I don’t necessarily mean angst. I mean, the kind of love story that punches you in the gut, sweeps you off your feet, and consumes your every thought and emotion. The kind of book that you don’t want to finish reading because you don’t want to let go of the characters. The kind of love story that you love with every fibre of your being. Well, at least, that's how it was for me.
Clara is a former courtesan and madam who has worked hard to start anew and build a theatre in the Dials, along with her business partner (the heroine from The Governess). Her life is temporarily thrown upside down when she saves an injured man from the streets and nurses him back to health. The two connect with each other in an authentic way and strike up an unlikely friendship, even though the man, Henry, is a nobleman. Months later, Clara receives a cease and desist that puts a halt to her theatre's opening. Imagine her fury and disappointment when she finds out that Henry, the Earl of Waterson, is the one who’s directly responsible for the cease and desist. And Henry is about to learn that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I know that my little summary here is making Henry seem like the enemy, but there’s a lot more to the story that I’m keeping out because I don’t want to ruin it for everyone.
My God. The anticipation level in this book was just off the charts. I was literally dying for Clara and Henry to meet again after she saved his life. The fucking chemistry was electrifying. Clara and Henry are such vivid characters – they leaped off the pages and grabbed hold of my heart and haven’t quite let go of me. Henry is by all means a stuffy, prim, and proper lord (she calls him Lord Proper lol). Meanwhile, Clara is a passionate, fierce, and unstoppable woman. When these two clash, Clara is determined to make the proper lord lose his cool and the tension between them is just sizzling. And the best thing about Henry and Clara is that they are both so darn likable. They are also pretty unconventional for a historical romance hero and heroine: Henry is almost 42 years old, while Clara herself is not only a former courtesan, but 33 years old at that. Henry is genuinely honourable and I empathized when he found himself in a difficult and impossible political situation, even if he did make some wrong choices. Clara is such an admirable heroine and I couldn’t help but appreciate her strength and determination to achieve her dreams. If you read a lot historical romance like I do, then you know that the businesswoman trope that has taken over this genre is not always well executed. But this trope works so damn well in The Spitfire. The author authentically depicts the struggles and challenges women like Clara face when they try to rise and lead a different path in life. These challenges are true to Clara’s station, to the women who are just like her, and to her time period. This is no 21st century woman wearing period clothes who’s stuck in a wallpaper historical romance.
I loved everything about this book. Caldwell did a fantastic job bringing these two characters together, no matter how unconventional it is to pair up a former courtesan with a proper Earl. The ending is a bit rushed and the mystery is rather conveniently solved, but the romance in itself is satisfying. An epilogue is not needed, but I would love one regardless because I just love Henry and Clara so much. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to move on to another book.