I actually enjoyed this read from a historical romance perspective and give it 3.5 stars. As Goodreads doesn’t allow halves I round up. The main characters are believable, and their connection is believable. The story captured my attention and I definitely am now invested in this world of characters, so I’ll be purchasing the novella and the subsequent follow up. I always love when you have a heroine who is out to save herself and a hero who allows her the freedom to try. There’s a lot of political themes and discussions on consent which work well with the premise.

One issue I had... I was distracted by some of the crude language though purely because it just doesn’t fit with the era. I didn’t find it necessary and it stands out like a sore thumb. My guess is that the writer feels like it adds to the steaminess of the sex scenes etc. I also imagine that many people would agree with her, and I could be the odd man out so to speak. I thought the scenes held up well on their own without it and were integrated into the story well. I don’t like books where the story is drowned out by the sex; I prefer story over steaminess.

Anyone thinking about reading this be warned that there are triggering themes. Familial mental and physical abuse are there as well as what I can only presume to be hints at pedophilia and then you have the outright murder of children. The author doesn’t go into too much detail but it’s there.

*Disclaimer: I was gifted this ARC by Hidden Gems for my honest review.