50% in.....
Grrrl, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SKETCHBOOK OF ANIMAL CARICATURES OF THE TON ANYWHERE THAT BITCH LAURA WILL FIND IT. Seriously if that ends up being a major conflict I will be SO annoyed as it is so obvious and that girl is so over the top toxic!

65% in...
“Enough, Frannie. It is not your place to judge your betters. Nor does a proper maid repeat her mistress’s tirades. Not if she wishes to retain her position.” She ignored Frannie’s sudden frown. Never again would a servant intimidate her. It was time to find her own maid.”

Yeah this does not endear me to the heroine. I don’t care if she’s being bitchy, telling a person that they are less than you is reprehensible. Ugh, class society is the worst.

100% read
Ok, I ended up liking this despite reservations. The villains were a little over the top, but I actually enjoyed the minutiae of unraveling the mystery. There was a decent dose of insecurity but it was obscured by the plot. I liked the beta hero. Overall a good read IMO, even if I am questioning my own enjoyment of Laura getting her comeuppance, though I do think allowing her to be assaulted went way too far - she learned her lesson before it got to that point!. It’s that German word about enjoying another’s suffering... I guess I am more spiteful than I thought! ( )

It was okay. Nothing memorable. ( )