Lucy and her brother, Nick, are fighting a decades-long battle against their uncle to bring down the price of a valve that could bring water to thousands of New Yorkers. Colin, a British nobleman, is found in financial straights and must find a way to save his estate and the people living on it. Their worlds collide when Colin takes a job at a rival telegram agency. Will they be able to save the day or will they be dragged down by despair and financial ruin?

I honestly wasn't sure how much I would like this book, since historical fiction/romance isn't usually my scene. But, I ended up really liking the story. The characters and their relationships with each other were well written, and the setting (early 1900s New York) felt genuine too. Now, I don't know a ton about New York in the 1900s, but the story made me feel like I was there.

Lucy was strong and determined, but not in an annoying way, and she didn't need to wield a sword to win the day. She had to outthink and outmaneuver her uncle, and I found that a refreshing change of pace from the typical female protagonists I see so often in fiction.

As to the romance in the book, I thought Colin and Lucy were adorable together. I loved their exchanges throughout the book, especially the snarky comments sent back and forth to each other. And, the romance was clean, believable, and fun to read! It didn't feel forced and I thought it progressed pretty naturally over the course of the story.

I liked how the story framed the idea of justice and vengeance towards the end of the story. It was nice to see Lucy reframe her outlook and to see how it was more important to get water to people than it was to beat down her uncle completely. I also loved the role that telegraphing and morse code played in the story, which I know is kind of a weird thing to love. But it was so cool to see how much Lucy and Colin used it.

As always, here are some Content Warnings. I didn't really think there was anything 'huge' that needed to be mentioned, but just a couple of heads up.

CWs:
-A few kisses (no descriptions/details, just things like 'they kissed')
-mental hospital where people are mistreated