I enjoyed these stories quite a bit - a little less than Brotherhood of the Blade, but definitely more than A Private Matter (which is my least favorite Gabaldon book of all). I think Gabaldon's greatest strength lies in continued development of her characters, which I think she also knows on some level since she keeps writing long series. The more I read of her cast of characters, the more I enjoy and appreciate them. And the characters in this series are no exception, and I'm finding them increasingly interesting as I read more about them.

Lord John himself is, of course, the most intriguing of the characters. It struck me just as I was finishing this book that his speech patterns and certain mannerisms remind me a little of Dumbledore (who really needs no explanation, but just in case you are one of the six people left on Earth who aren't aware, he is the headmaster in the Harry Potter series). He has the same slightly irreverent wit as Dumbledore -- lightly humorous, while avoiding any hint of scorn or derision and, in fact, maintaining a deep respect for the listener. I just love his dialogue, as I did when I read him in the Outlander books.

Upon reflection, I wish his mother were in these stories a bit more, but only because I really like her. She wouldn't really have fit in them at all. She just makes me chuckle.

Anyway, I don't have a lot else to say about whether other people should read this book. If you liked the other Lord John books, you will like these stories, and if you didn't, you won't. But I wouldn't recommend reading this out of sequence -- a lot of the information you get from the first two novels (Brotherhood and A Private Matter) was hinted at but not recounted in these stories, so you really should read those two first.