Enjoyable romance. The characters faced serious issues, but they talked to each other and worked together to solve those issues. There's none of that conflict-because-of-a-simple-misunderstanding that can plague other novels, which is refreshing to read. ( )

This is the first time I’ve read this author, and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series! One of the things I love about romance series is I can start anywhere and then trace my way back. This series follows a group of brothers and sisters who have come from poverty and an abusive family history to wealth and status. Happily ever after for them is a little harder won, as they wrestle with their personal demons and deal with past trauma. Constance is the focus of this one, along with Robert, a duke she met when they were both younger, in distress, and didn’t know who the other was. They are reunited when their siblings get engaged, and their budding love from years before is rekindled.
This one checked a lot of boxes for me: loving families, strong friendships, and straightforward romance. There’s monkey business in it, but not relationship monkey business or dumb misunderstandings. The characters regularly just say, “Explain yourself,” or “Explain,” when another character makes a cryptic comment, and I liked this a lot. Maybe it will become my new thing.
A lot of the tension comes from the fact that Robert has epilepsy, or “the falling sickness,” and it affects not only the acceptance of Constance’s family, but whether or not he’s deemed fit to manage his own property and wealth. I stayed up way past my bedtime to see the couple’s legal battle to the end.
I thought the author depicted Robert’s illness realistically. His seizures come on regularly throughout the book and aren’t conveniently forgotten when the stakes are high.
There’s another important plot line regarding Constance’s past, but that feels more like a spoiler, so I won’t go into it. The characters felt very enlightened and understanding about both major plot points, but I think the author developed this well enough with their exceptional pasts.
A couple things fell short for me: the resolution with Philpot was surprisingly simplistic, compared with the rest of the careful development of the book. The same goes for Shaw, to a lesser degree. His change of heart was somewhat understandable, but would have been more so if he hadn’t been so one-dimensionally portrayed earlier. His behavior could be chalked up to defensiveness, but it just seemed so extreme.
I also didn’t like getting the POV of Philpot and Phoebe, but I suppose there wasn’t another good way for the reader to be privy to their machinations.
Overall, I found this to be meatier than other Regencies I’ve read, and much less explicit with the love stuff. I loved Constance, Robert, and their wonderful siblings, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series. ( )

This is my second favorite of the series so far. There's a lot going on in it, and the book is quite long. But I remained interested in seeing how things would play out. The main characters are likable and have a sweet relationship. I feel like it deals with real problems rather than the characters just getting in their own way over and over. And the couple already has a bond to start, so there's not a lot of relationship drama in general. It's nice to see a couple just work together. ( )

Excellent. I liked how the characters developed over the course of the book and how their relationship changed. And as it typical of Burrowes' books, the romantic couple were complementary, the strength of one compensated for weakness in the other.

For Wentworth family fans, this is Constance's story. She's the quiet sister, self-effacing. ( )

Loved it.
Robert is a man who has been locked up in a psych asylum for most of his life. He is discovered, freed and then spends years in hiding.
In the end of the previous book, his brother begs him to take the title.
I loved how he doesnt suddenly become a 'hero'. He is still very much flawed. Still has many many fears to overcome.
Constance is a girl who had the worst childhood and has had to become strong to overcome it.
With constance at his side, Robert overcomes his challenges.
And its not all a one way street. Constance too has some challenges, some secrets and Robert helps her through them.
Constance family is ofcourse a delight.
Wonderful development of characters and all in all a fun read. ( )