I really enjoyed the wit and humor of the book and the concepts in it, but I think it just wasn’t a genre I cared for. I just got a bit bored after about a third of the way thru it. I loved the lessons about love and grief and belonging, and fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. Or maybe won’t fight for themselves as in Ove’s case. The investment that the people around him made in Ove despite being rough around the edges and socially difficult was refreshing, and the care he had for them showed that we are often deeper than we seem at face value.

I liked the familiarity to the Charleston area, since we visit. A bit sad but heartwarming in the end. It did seem a little odd that a military family was that ignorant of PTSD in 2010 though.

The premise of this was interesting - sort of like a Hunger Games remake. But the beginning of it felt a little less than believable. The FBI/NYPD seemed totally naive and gullible in their operation and gauging the criminals, like they didn’t know what they were doing in and undercover scenario. The assassins seemed more like basic thugs, not trained and competent hit men, and Dani was a little too perfect - she seemed to have every answer, every ability, etc, even more than her superiors. It just seemed too convenient often.

Captivating and endearing. I enjoyed Sophie’s forthrightness and candor. It was a really refreshing change from most Victorian-era romance books.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. I enjoyed a look at the mid 1700s before the Revolutionary war in the Colonies. I liked the forthrightness that Esmee had with Henri, that she was willing to speak up and take initiative in their relationship and address the past.

I was not a fan of the random old English words scattered into the narrative that don’t mean anything nowadays and didn’t lend to the story. I get it when it’s in the dialogue as the author is trying to make it more authentic but it doesn’t need to be in the entire book. Plenty of authors for this time period are able to have regular current language in the narrative and bounce the dialogue to the period. It was fairly annoying. (And sooooo many “Mayhap”s….)

I knew by the end of the first chapter I was going to love the book. Deborah was such an endearing and amazing character and person, both in the book and in history. Her candor and passion were my favorite. I love that this was based on the real woman who made an incredible impact and did the unthinkable, enlisting in the Revolutionary War by pretending to be a man, simply because it was the only way to accomplish it. And quite honestly, I love the ending Amy gave her over the real thing so I’m not disappointed in the least by those alterations.

There were so many thought provoking and inspiring things in the story. Deborah didn’t despise who she was, only that other people limited what that could be solely because of her gender. But instead of living within those limits, she decided to break her ceiling in the only way she knew how.

There is still sometimes debate over women’s roles, although we’ve obviously made so much progress, so I understand some of her sentiment and desire for a purpose beyond what others expect us to be. I think the statement of “maybe it is because we are treasured, as John once said, but it is one thing to be treasured and it is another to be a treasure. One is valued, one is possessed, and people aren’t possessions.” Man. So much truth in that statement. Deborah’s story made me think of so many women before me who fought for themselves, were put in impossible situations just trying to follow their purpose and calling, or judged wrongly that they were trying to *be* men, simply because they believed they were capable of more.

Also, I adored John. His sacrifice, loyalty and priority for his men in an enormously brutal war, and his devotion and love for Deborah will make him hard to forget.

Thank you, Amy Harmon, for the advanced copy of the book. Absolutely loved it.