Would not recommend this as a starting point for new historical romance readers OR for someone new to Loretta Chase. Check content warnings. This was written in 1992 and it feels like it was written in 1992, unlike later installments in this series, which hold up much better for today's readers. The things I loved (the love story itself once it reached the second half, the character development for Varian, Esme) ultimately couldn't outweigh the Islamophobia, fatphobia, and absolutely textually unnecessary miscommunication plotline centered around the FMC's age that takes up a solid 50% of the book's conflict.