I have decided that due dates are a good thing. Some books, for what ever reason, don't draw you to them automatically, but once you open the first page you realize what a good thing you might have missed. That's what happened with this book. It was really a delightful and fun book. It also had a fair amount of history as well. So glad I didn't live in England during the "great stink" when they dumped everything into the river. I also loved the banter between Mary and James. Strong female heroines are common in many books that I read. It was interesting to see a society where women were considered a man's property and not given much notice. Of course, that is how Mary is able to be a good spy. That said, she isn't a perfect spy and makes plenty of mistakes as she goes, which at times adds to the humor and charm of the book.

I thought Mary's family heritage was also unique and I look forward to watching her learn to work through her past. I appreciate books that have multi-dimensional characters. I'm excited to read more and it looks like the entire series is out. How often do I start a series to find that I have to wait for the next installment? Constantly.