Thank you to the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book truly is a love letter to some of historical romance's most beloved tropes (road trip, only one bed at the inn, forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers, primarily). I found the plot ultimately overburdened the love story, and it felt like it cost the characters time to develop their relationship on page. I didn't really see where and how the insta-lust matured into something deeper and more sustainable, and there were a lot of moments of push-and-pull between characters that felt a bit like whiplash and ultimately made the character development for each of them feel disjointed. Each main character's moments of emotional insight were narrator-driven or revealed in extended inner monologue, and I would have loved to see more evidence of their growth in their dialogue and events on page. This is a debut, and I look forward to reading more from this author, because I know that finding the balance between these elements evolves with each book and will feel different for every reader.