Review ~ Wallflowers: Three of a Kind by CP Smith

Book Description:

“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. 

Rated mature for language and sexual content.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2hJuG6V

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2hZH1D1

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars

“Wallflowers stick together through thick and thin and never leave a Wallflower behind,”

This is one of those books that caught my attention by its beautiful cover, although I am not a cover whore it does help to make me want to read the synopsis which is always the ultimate kicker. CP Smith is a new to me author so this was definitely a walk into the unknown, but I love finding new authors and CP Smith is definitely one I will be keeping on my radar from herein out.

Wallflowers is the story of three women or wallflowers as they affectionately call themselves. Neither of them are romantically involved, some have been hurt in the past and others have no inclination, but now they feel time is passing them by and it is time to get on that horse.

“I think it’s time that we three Wallflowers take life by the horns and made our own destiny.”

This book centres around the story of Calla Lily Armstrong, a woman that was raised by her aunts when her parents and brother tragically passed. Coming from one of the most affluent families in the area you would think that Calla had it made, but her grandparents are very set in their ways and their ideals and beliefs are not on the same page as anyone else in their family. Losing her family devastated Calla and since their passing she has built this impenetrable fortress around her heart. The only two people that have managed to make a dent are her two kooky aunts, but even so, Calla still keeps everything to herself.

“You can’t choose who your heart wants. It doesn’t work like that. All you can do is follow it and hope that when you find what you’re lookin’ for, it wants you too.”

Calla Lily works in a publishing house as an editor and is the ultimate book worm. This shy and retiring woman is in the perfect job as she constantly hides herself within the pages both inside and outside of work. The first step to reclaiming some normalcy was to make friends, so Calla starts with two co-workers, Poppy and Sienna and the wallflowers were born. Poppy and Sienna were definitely the perfect sidekicks and throughout the book you see Calla peeled like an onion as little layers are slowly peeled away.

“She had the face of an angel, the lips of a seductress, but an innocent quality that called to his baser needs. His needs to pursue, to claim—to fucking protect.”

Devin Hawthorne is a former homicide detective who has now moved to this small affluent town to start work as a private investigator. With friends and family in the area it was the perfect change of pace and to also escape the red tape that he had always felt held him back in the force. Devin is Calla’s new neighbour and it wouldn’t be long before their paths crossed.

“What I’ll admit is that a woman like that would be worth lyin’, stealin’, or killin’ for, but I didn’t.”

CP Smith delivers the perfect balance of swoon, wit and suspense as Calla and Devin start working on his first case, the disappearance of a young woman. With Calla on board as his personal tour guide it isn’t long before the sparks begin to fly between these two, but with the Kevlar heart that Calla has firmly in place has Devin got the ammunition to shatter it to smithereens?

“Really? No recovery time at all?” “Not so far,” I answered. “God, you suck. First time out of the gate, and you land Superman,”

All the characters in this book have their parts to play and Cali, Poppy and Sienna are definitely a handful with their hair brained schemes. Not only does Devin have to solve this case, but he also has to keep the wallflowers safe too. With his best friend, Nate and Detective Strawn I can see two more possible pairings on the horizon and I cannot wait to see what CP Smith has in mind for these two.

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of the things not meant for you,”

With laughs aplenty, sizzling chemistry and that undercurrent of mystery and suspense CP Smith delivers a real page turner that will have you laughing one minute and swooning the next. With books being the centre of these girls lives I loved the mentions throughout and the conversations around them, it reminded me of me and my friends as we talk about our favourite plot lines and characters, it also made these characters relatable. I cannot wait to read the next one.