It might be unfair of me to rate this so low, but it lost at least half a star over several things I was not keen on:

1. It’s borderline erotica. Nothing wrong with that genre in and of itself, but it was not at all what I was looking for in this. I do appreciate some steam, but not only is sex a shortcut to intimacy and a cover for instalove, it’s waaay too much of the length for my tastes. Multiple sex scenes, each of which are several pages. Not what I set out to read.

2. There were a couple of pieces of ridiculousness. One, that Charlotte and her family would be out at balls and social engagements and getting married when their mourning period for the only son and heir had barely begun! And while the subplot with Devlin did a decent job explaining things, and was actually a twist I hadn’t anticipated, Robert’s antipathy towards Charlotte was flimsy at best, and so quickly washed away by lust I felt it unlikely that he would follow through on his revenge.

And most damningly, 3. The angst does not pay off! I wanted a lot more turmoil and some protracted groveling, and the setup made it totally possible. However, the ending felt a bit rushed and the heroine just, like, TOTALLY caves. It is ok that he LIED AND MANIPULATED AND SET OUT TO RUIN YOUR LIFE because he was grieving??? I like a downtrodden heroine, but because that usually comes with a deeply remorseful hero on his knees. Not so, here; at least, not enough IMO. It’s not as though she is privy to his internal monologue!!!

Still, lots of elements I loved, and I’d read more from this author. (2.5 stars) ( )