This review is also available on my blog: Wine Cellar Library

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Publishing for providing me with a free digital audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Looking at all the rave reviews on this book, I appear to be in the minority. This book just was middle-of-the-road for me. I read the synopsis immediately upon finishing the book (I like to go into a book with as little information as possible) and was shocked to see that it was billed as a regency romance. While there is a hint of second-chance romance in this book, it is certainly not the focal point. This is much more of a historical mystery than anything else. I believe I would have enjoyed this book much more if the romance had been even marginally more involved in the story.

The narration was also middle-of-the-road. I was not able to distinguish one character from another based on her narration. All older characters sounded old, and all the younger characters sounded alike in their respective genders. The only person truly given a distinct voice was Mrs. Cavanagh.

As for the mystery aspect, I felt no spark of intrigue as clues were revealed. When the final twist emerged, what should have been a shocking realization just fell flat.

I read most books on audio, so I do not believe that the format had anything to do with my average rating. This book unfortunately just did not work for me.