I absolutely loved Wallflower by Samantha Leigh as it’s the perfect mix of plot, world building and characters you get emotionally attached to.
Chord is a confident elite athlete who has signed with the Fury, the hockey team close to his hometown. He’s previously been hyper focused on his career and never made time for personal friendships, or to strengthen the relationship he has with his siblings.
Violet is a shy, awkward marketing executive for the San Francisco Fury hockey team. The job is miles away from what she wanted to be doing with her life, designing bridal couture, but the salary pays for her father’s medical treatment so she stays.
After being hired by Chord to be his summer assistant Violet temporarily moves to the family vineyard where Chord has his house and in an effort to avoid one another they exchange messages via notes stuck to the fridge.
I really liked Chord’s extended family and their characters and interactions with both Chord and Violet added an extra layer of depth to the story. I hate when conflict between characters is resolved too easily, and unrealistically, but the issues between Chord and his family, especially his sister Charlie were written in a way that made them seem like real people and not just characters in a story.
Most of all I adored the relationship between Chord and Violet and their characters growth throughout the story. They supported and encouraged each other as they got to know each other and their relationship developed; Violet becoming more confident and Chord more vulnerable.
I loved the pace of Wallflower and that slow burn was perfection!
– Small town
– Hockey romance
– Forced proximity
– Slow burn
– Grumpy x sunshine
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Publisher: Samantha Leigh Books
Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780645998825
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Here’s the synopsis
He’s the grumpy hotshot hockey player. She’s too shy to look him in the eyes. He needs a live-in summer assistant and she’s perfect.
Chord Davenport is the hottest, surliest man to ever slap shot a puck. He’s given up everything to be the best—family, friendship, love—but he’s about to retire as a legend of the game and that makes his sacrifices worth it.
Violet James wanted to be the next big name in bridal couture not a junior marketing executive for the San Francisco Fury hockey team, but her salary pays her dad’s therapy bills and leaving him behind to chase a selfish dream would cost her too much.
When Chord hires Violet as his summer assistant, he’s certain this pretty wallflower won’t give him any trouble. But when she moves into the house he built on his family’s California ranch, Chord can’t take his eyes—or his hands—off her.
All he wants is to love her, protect her, satisfy her, and give her the courage to follow her heart. He didn’t expect to feel a desperate need to become a better man.
In just one summer, Chord and Violet change each other forever, but will living their dreams be the very thing that tears them apart?
What Caz Read 