3 ways Wicked and the Wallflower goes beyond standard historical romance

If you’re growing tired of historical romance’s standard tropes, then Sarah MacLean’s Wicked and the Wallflower might just be the palate cleanser you need.

If you’ve spent a lot of time with historical romance in particular, then you usually have a pretty good sense of how things will go. No matter the different periods that an author may choose, there’s usually something a bit expected about it all. Make no mistake: Wicked and the Wallflower, sent my way by Avon, still follows some of the general beats of a romance novel.

But Sarah MacLean has also turned out one of her best romance novels to date and one of the better ones that this reader has seen all year … and it all has to do with the unexpected bits.

Let’s run down three of the top reasons, shall we?

Devil

Yes, the main hero of this book goes by Devil. He has an actual name, we promise, but for the most part, this is what he uses throughout the book. Devil is, at first glance, a pretty standard Romance Novel Bad Boy: he’s a smuggler who spends a lot of his time in Covent Garden, has multiple nasty nicknames, and a tie to the aristocracy.

He doesn’t even have long hair, either!

But the thing is, Devil doesn’t actually change his ways that much. Yes, that’s actually a big different. Granted, he learns how to love someone outside his family and get over himself a little, but it’s not like he suddenly grabs a title or is revealed as the true heir to the dukedom or anything like that. (We can’t spoil what he doesn’t give up, but we think you might be able to guess.)

This is all quite refreshing, just because it lets this book be a little less fairy-tale and a little more engaging. It also means that we can safely guess that The Bareknuckle Bastards as a series will be a bit more mature than other romance series.

Felicity

But although Devil might have his own differences, Felicity Faircloth, silly name and all (and yes, the novel calls out her silly name repeatedly, almost to the point of distraction), doesn’t lag behind in defying expectations. She gets emotional growth outside of falling in love with Devil, and she has a particularly intriguing habit: picking locks. Yes, even as a daughter of a marquess, she’s more than willing to break out those hairpins and get to work. Props to MacLean for noting some research that went into the skill and a particular lock.

Granted, the metaphors do get a little cliché thanks to the lockpicking, but Felicity herself does pretty well outside that, and she’s willing to actually stand up to her family.

Crimes! All the crimes

This is the first book in a series, and it’s clear that there are a few story threads that will probably take the whole series to resolve, including the whole thing about the dukedom of Marwick. (This is still a historical romance, and dukes are practically expected.)

But because of the nature of the book, those crimes just keep on coming, and this book doesn’t always feel like a romance as a result. It’s honestly not a bad thing, either. It makes this romance reader ready for the sequel next year.

Next: More than Words has plenty of melodrama

What’s your take on Wicked and the Wallflower? Let us know!