Firstly I would like to thank the publisher for a copy of this book.
What a wonderful debut novel. It was a treat of a story. I devoured this book. A well constructed story will full bodied characters and just enough intrigue to keep the reader interested. Isabella was a thoroughly contemptible character – I so wanted to see her get slapped down off her pedestal. I must admit that even though I liked Mark and felt bad for the situation he found himself in with her, I really was disappointed that he didn’t have more of a backbone. Why do the men always have to be so weak willed when it comes to a beautiful face… even if she is a total harpy? The fact he seemed to be so into Rose and then Isabella turns up and Rose gets iced out immediately was low. I get that the situation with Isabella was complicated but he really should have stood up for Rose instead of letting the horrible woman be so nasty to her. He should have defended her so that she didn’t have to deal with all that unpleasantness.
The side characters are interesting but not enough that they draw your attention away from the main leads in the story.
I like the ending and the deal with Henry – sneaky brother. I kept waiting for that spy secret to come out – it was like a sword hanging over their heads – but I am glad that it didn’t drop on them. It ended in a way that felt real and touching without being overly saccharine.
A completely lovely and light-hearted debut from Ms Nunn. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.