This is a pretty standard historical romance for its pub date. For that reason, I think most readers, especially romance readers who would be picking this up, will likely forgive it that dated feeling. There are several on-page attempted rapes (of the heroine, but not by the hero), there's some lot fatphobia, and there's some of the typical jealous, can't-control-his-urges hero here. There is overt and continued deception, and I know some readers won't be able to forgive that or find it believable. I've really been enjoying taking a break from 18-year-old virgin heroines, but again, that was de rigeur. Still, we see more agency from our heroine than I think was typical of historical romances written in the late 90s, so that was exciting to see. Overall, I think it would be a good read still, with the understanding and awareness about how quickly sensibilities change, especially in romance - that dated feeling is expected and in fact a really good sign about how far we've come. That was, until the end. While I think it's a sign of its time - both when it was written and the time period its set in - I don't appreciate the equation of mental illness with evil and murderousness.