Millie, an untitled and wealthy heiress, marries the impoverished Earl she fell for the minute she laid eyes on him despite knowing he'd never love her, his heart already promised to another. Fitz and Millie strike another deal, that they'll wait to consummate the marriage for eight years, to allow sixteen year old Millie time to grow comfortable with becoming a mother. Fitz can do as he wishes outside of the marriage bed and they'll be friends and work towards fixing up his ancestral estate and making sure Millie's father's business remains profitable for years to come.

Cutting back and forth between Millie and Fitz's first years of marriage to the present, eight years later, when Fitz's first love has returned a widow and available for him to finally have, if not in name but in his bed and heart, this is a angsty as all get out story that really tested my belief in HEAs. There was no way I thought Fitz could change his heart, see his obvious love and affection for his wife, to finally give her everything she's held a small iota of hope out for all these years. Whew. But Thomas pulled it off, even if I thought Fitz needed to crawl way way more. What a story.

Kudos to making me hate Lady Isabella but not making her a villain. Still hate her. Still real mad at Fitz. Give my heart and all to Millie.

The sentences in the book are PERFECTION. Great writing, I'm definitely coming back for more Sherry Thomas.

CW: alcoholism, Millie believes Fitz is suicidal and catches him holding a gun to his mouth (turns out to be a "dummy" gun but still, cheating (Fitz has love affairs with many women while married to Millie and is considering to throw Millie over for Isabella for most of the story).