Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel! And it definitely did not disappoint. This series is just so easy to love - even for non-seasoned historical readers.

Felicia Grossman's stories feel unique and fresh while still hitting plenty of fan favorite beats in the genre.

This is a lose, gender-bent Snow White retelling. (From what I understand each book while be a different gender bent twist on a fairytale).

Our hero was raised by his brother after losing both parents very young. Now as adults, he feels indebted for all his brother has done, and wants nothing more than to help him reach his goals.

But he also can't help but fall for the feisty, ostracized woman he meets while escaping a robbery. Putting him in the difficult place of fighting for what he wants, or helping the brother that raised him.

This story (and series) features so much Jewish culture and history. It's a side of Victorian London we don't often get to see in this genre and I can't get enough. Felicia Grossman seamlessly integrates the history into her stories, making it not just a setting or side note, but a focal point.

There were so many themes of community, obligation, inequality, classism, antisemitism, and more. And all of this was handled expertly in my opinion.

But none of it overpowered their romance. The heroine is the definition of reluctant while the hero is gone for her early on. And while he may have fallen early, this did an amazing job making you wonder and question how they could make their romance work.

The stakes were real and seemingly insurmountable.

I know absolutely nothing about the next book, but it's already on my most anticipated list.