I could not put this book down!! I was sneak reading it on my phone during Christmas Eve dinner with my family, something I never do. This has the exact type of suspense and tension I am looking for in historical romances. I love the way Mimi Matthews writes; the historical setting is ever-present and the characters are expressive and eloquent. I gobbled up all the stereotypical elements of a clever damsel in need and a brooding hero. Give me all that juicy hurt/comfort and mutual pining. Go ahead and write as many Beauty and the Beast adjacent stories as you want, Mimi, I will continue to swallow them happily. I had been trying to restrain myself this year and not just keep reading all of the Mimi Matthews backlog, but I guess my Christmas treat is just letting myself go wild because I've already started the next book in this series.