Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me at 25%. I was really hoping I would love this, because holidays! I didn't realize it was part of a larger series, and while I'm sure that there would be greater context if I'd read the entire series, I think if the subject matter is doable, readers don't necessarily need to read all the others. At least it didn't feel necessary for me, coming in with no previous experience of Moorcroft's writing. I am always an advocate for romances tackling serious topics, as real-life relationships have to tackle serious topics. However, for me, the sexual assault storyline was a bit triggering. The dialogue felt clunky and unnatural to me, which didn't help the content being discussed, and overall there was a lot of info dumping. I understand why, since it is part of a series, but it felt less artful than I've experienced in other "previously on" recaps from other series. Content warnings for sexual assault, infertility/miscarriage, bullying, agoraphobia.