Ilze

Really, really nice story. I liked how the h/h started at the extreme opposite ends of the sexual enjoyment spectrum - sex to be simply endured vs sex only for the physical enjoyment, and they both gradually ended up at the same place. Similarly with their approaches to life and what is expected of people in their position (of authority and wealth) - the hero started as strictly a party boy, while the heroine was dour, severe and almost obsessed with her duty to the people who depended on her. Very well done!

The last couple of chapters didn't work quite as well, after the James Russell problem was satisfactorily resolved, with some misunderstandings thrown in to ratchet up the angst level. They could have been left out or resolved a little differently, IMHO. But all in all this book is pretty amazing for a debut novel.

I probably would have enjoyed the book even more if I had read it as a real book - my new e-reader is not very satisfactory - "page-turning" isn't working very well.