Thomas Ellis, Viscount Griffin has never recovered from two things: the murder of his parents and the injuries he sustained to his arm as a soldier. So he's intrigued when he sees Hanna Zaydan adjust the joint of a handsy lordling in a coffee house -- and even more so when he realizes that she's wearing a piece of his late mother's jewelry. He visits her bonesetting practice to begin unraveling the mystery of how she acquired the necklace, and to his surprise, she's able to heal the pain he's been living with for years. The attraction grows between them, but suddenly everything comes to a boil when Hanna's practice is under attack and it looks like Griff's parents' deaths may be even more suspicious than they initially seemed.

This series really finds its footing in the second book. The first was enjoyable but didn't quite work for me -- I found some plot points pretty tenuous. This installment seems like Quincy has hit her stride, and it's well-plotted and well-paced. Griff is a sweet sunshine child who can't see what's right in front of his nose, and Hanna is a strong, intriguing character who's not afraid to defend herself and her career.

Quincy's writing can lean fairly Old School at some points ("fleshy mounds" and "womanly bounty," anyone?), which is not to my taste. Additionally, Hanna gets fairly exoticized by some side characters which, like, checks out for the people and the time, but is still fairly jarring at points. Finally, I do think that the subplot with

Dorcas wrapped up oddly. I didn't find her shift from calling her an unsuitable bride to "warmly welcoming her" to the family convincing. People certainly grow and accept their siblings' spouses, but that wasn't demonstrated on the page

.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!

Content warnings:

racism, western dismissal of traditional medicine, sexism, death of parents (off-page), death of an animal (minor, not a pet, off-page), references to drug use, chronic pain, PTSD, near-death experience