I really enjoyed these two characters. Love a half-Chinese, self-made histrom hero and a smart, scheme-y aristocratic heroine. There were a bunch of swoony lines of dialogue, some forehead touches, and I enjoyed the flow of this novella.

That said, it just happened to have a few of my pet peeves:
▪️ some ‘I love you too much to be with you’ meets stubborn feelings-denial (my least favourite combo holding a couple apart)
▪️ a second chance romance with no on-page first chance (this one was particularly sparse with the first chance descriptions and I felt more cheated than usual)
▪️ what we lacked in romance plot, we made up for in mystery subplot (not a trade I enjoy)

But still, I really enjoyed the writing. And I’m intrigued to try more by this author.