I admit I requested this book before knowing it was the fifth in a series, and though the missing knowledge of characters does make the epilogue's reveal fall flat, this was enjoyable enough on its own, with a fairly contained story. I bet if I read the other books, I would find the looming threat of organizations like "the Faction" less distant. This almost felt like a lighter spy version of Jane Eyre without the fires or age gap. I liked that they both had secrets rather than there being a power imbalance. A clean Regency romance with intrigue to keep the pages turning quickly!