I keep enjoying Stuart’s works, one after the other. I really need to get to the one I have on hold as from the trend she’s been following, I think I’ll enjoy it. She excels in this addition as well. Her emotional resonance and ability to take her readers on an amazing, romantic journey always pleases.

I haven’t had a historical romance take me on as powerful an emotional journey as this one did in a while. All the trials that Kit and Thamsine go through, from kidnapping to jail time in the Tower of London to near-death experiences, all build up to a truly jaw-dropping amount of crying and soaring on the wings of happiness. To me, high-emotional content is key to a historical romance succeeding, and Stuart pleases on that front.

She also, again, takes care with her historical details for setting her scene and background for her story. She details the lives of the regular Joe Blows in London, bringing that human-filled, stinky, and vibrant world to life. She also draws on little known plots against Cromwell and the Parliamentary government to give action and suspense to her romantic tale.

As I mentioned before, I love Kit’s and Thamsine’s romantic relationship. They play off each other well, sparking with tension and depth not present in every relationship. However, they’re also strong as individuals.

I loved Thamsin’s strength of character and courage, willing to brave living on the streets and degradation rather than marry the abusive man her father betrothed her to. Kit is a man caught in truly trying circumstances, forced into actions he’d rather not take due to the side of the conflict he was on and forced to do truly horrible things to those he loves as a result. They even lead to some deaths which are truly heavy burdens to bear for Kit. Yet, he meets this with strength of character and firm sense of honor that I enjoyed.

This is another work I’d highly recommend to historical romance lovers from Stuart’s talented pen/computer keyboard. Her characters are strong in their own right and play off each other to create at moving romance. She also backs that all up with great historical details. Don’t hesitate to pick this title up! It’s a great find. ( )