Normally an infidelity plot is a no go for me. I have DNF'd enough books in the past when that plot gets introduced to avoid the mere suggestion, but here somehow it just didn't put me off and I found myself cheering for Cleo and Rafe. I think it worked because there was no real relationship between Piers and Cleo to make it feel like infidelity at all, and for that I have to give it some points because somehow this book made me enjoy my least favorite trope.

That said, there were some misses in this one that normally I don't find in Dare's books.

First off, the dog. I am usually so here for a dog, especially an old crusty one, but there was just a little too much of this guy mentioned. Particularly I think it was just a little too many mentions of the dog taking care of business, so to speak. Normally I'm not wholly opposed to a little bathroom humor in books, I read too many children's books for it to bother me, but it's just not something I want to see in a romance novel.

Secondly I did not care for the sort of slipshod way Cleo's sisters were included. I don't think the book would have suffered any for her being an only child, and their involvement didn't particularly strike me as important to the plot in any way. The bits where she's worried about how her sisters will react about her breaking her engagement with Piers simply weren't weighty enough to make them seem like a serious complication. I did like Phoebe though, I would like to see Dare write a book exploring her because there's really not enough period romance with neurodiverse characters in the leading lady role.

All in all, not my favorite of Dare's books, but also an overall enjoyable read.