Sarah MacLean truly does not miss when it comes to steamy scenes. And the cover is absolutely stunning. That said, this one was solid but wasn't my favourite. I'm glad that I happened to have read "The Day of the Duchess" earlier this year, because it had been nearly 5 years before that since I'd read one of the books with this group of characters. So I at least had some familiarity that I think - like with many romance "series" - is helpful but not essential. I just never really clicked with Sesily and Caleb as a couple. I found myself more curious about Imogen and Peck (truly can't wait) and the escapades of the other Belles than any of the drama with the two of them, which is not a great sign in a romance. I do think this is probably down to personal preference though, because I'm not a person who really enjoys a ton of angst and Caleb especially is nothing but. And I know it's an historical romance and expectations around chivalry and safety and whatnot were different, but I just couldn't get over Caleb never, not once, actually listening to Sesily and truly hearing her. (Okay, maybe in the last 5% of the book...) There were a few things that felt a little artless that I was surprised by because it's not really a problem I typically have with MacLean's books, specifically the CONSTANT calling Caleb an "American." It made the "reveal" not very reveal-y to me because I kept thinking, "This is really annoying, obviously there's a reason people call him the American more than his name, or that wouldn't be happening."

Overall, I think this is going to be a good option for folks who either are super familiar with the previous and related series OR people who are more into the angstier tropes. Still an enjoyable time!