Alex Archer had a lot to make up for when I started this book. He previously

beat up my favorite character in this series

and at the start of this book his motivations are far from pure. His most heroic act in this story was heavily foreshadowed, practically a foregone conclusion,

rescuing Laura from the sea

and by then he had grown on me somewhat. He improves pretty steadily from there. He's still my least favorite bachelor of the bunch, but I thought Laura was wonderful. All of the ladies in this series are. This would make for a good summer read, the setting for much of the book is sunny and warm and describes how Victorians spent their leisure time during that season.