A lovely book. Ms. Ryan is skilled at injecting emotion with an effortless appearance. This novel makes me want to go back and read the rest of the Charity House series.

What I liked:
- The hero is one of those cool, controlled, generous, kind, intelligent, but "too stubborn for his own good" types. A bit stiff at first, but understandably so given his past, this character was very loveable.
- The heroine also has her secrets, such as why she hides behind drab clothing and fears drawing attention to herself. Her transformation was particularly beautiful to watch.
- The romance was tender and genuine, hinting at the characters' passionate souls, but with friendship and self-sacrifice as the ruling factors.
- The plot is unique with the heroine helping the hero in a bride search. The plot twists are well explained and entertaining.
- The setting of high-society Denver, CO was new to me and very entertaining. Having read only one other Charity House book, I had expected this one to be rugged to match. Not so, the places and situations in this novel are thoroughly sophisticated and posh. At times I wondered if this was originally a regency story rewritten to fit this series as the story carries a decidedly "British" flair. A pleasant diversion from the usual prairie fare.

A few glitches I noticed:
- The heroine's believing the hero is still in love with her sister, though he has honestly and emphatically told her otherwise. Unless she believes him dense or dishonest, there is no reason not to believe him.
- The 1st Kiss. Not much changes after the h/h first kiss in terms of awkwardness, considering neither the hero nor the heroine think it was a good idea. They ponder it a little during quiet moments on their own, but when they meet again, it's not addressed or even thought about until much later.
- I thought the heroine was an orphan or estranged from her parents until the final scene where both mother an father are mentioned with affection. A passing thought of them or a mention of the state of the relationship earlier in the book would have been nice.

Summary: This novel has one of those unnameable qualities present in books like Tamera Alexander's A Lasting Impression where the author paints emotion with subtle strokes. In fact, if you enjoyed A Lasting Impression, it's likely you'll enjoy this book and vice versa.
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