Kloester's biography of Heyer was very long and plodding, yet it didn't have the details I wanted about Heyer's writing process and family life. Most of that isn't Kloester's fault, since Heyer burned many of her papers with relevant information. Still, this focused a lot on her precarious financial situation and various relationships with editors and publishers, which didn't seem as key to me as understanding Heyer through her actual life, not just her letters to her editor. 

The gorgeous prose and multigenerational complications of this narrative made me read it in one sitting but I was ultimately a little unsatisfied - the ending felt too soon and abrupt, for each section and the book as a whole. There was continually information that felt missing or at the very least underdeveloped plot lines and relationships. I think this was just trying to do too much. Everything was said well, but it didn't quite come together. 

Overall an entertaining read, though the dueling and highwaymen got melodramatic. It's hard to root for a heroine named Horry, especially a spendthrift whose notions of familial duty are overshadowed by her silliness. This is certainly not the Colonel Brandon-Marianne pairing I expected from the age difference. I didn't like how Charlotte's character was so neglected.

There were moments where the pacing felt slightly off or stereotypes were used instead of character depth, but overall, this was an insightful look at an area of WWII history I hadn't heard of before, and I enjoyed the reading experience.

I was disappointed in this because I've had fun with Adams' books before as light romances, but this one didn't work for me. The dual POV didn't add much - both felt like the other's fantasy rather than a real character, especially Nathan because he always said the perfect thing, etc. The sister relationship also felt underdeveloped. I found many dialogue and internal monologue sections cringey and too far from believable. 

I think I would've benefited from this more as a printed book - often it felt awkward for the writer to read out the headings and subheadings. There was good information, mostly just good reminders, but nothing earth-shattering.

This was my favorite of the series so far - the plot felt more consistent and relevant, if a little fanciful at times. It was cool that she accurately portrayed the year without a summer. I thought the element of the story with the older sister worried about the younger sister making a proper match could have been emphasized more - I was interested in seeing more balls and calls than what we got.

Overall, this was a fun read with a predictable outcome (if a little too nicely tied up). One of my favorite aspects of the story was the protagonist's close friendship with her elderly neighbor, which I found to be both refreshingly unexpected and nicely realistic. I thought the children characters were mainly stereotypes, which was disappointing (they barely even talked), and the ex-husband was very flat, which seemed like a missed opportunity as well. For such a talked-up relationship, I didn't really buy the close nature of the "best friends," especially with the reveal that

Scooter is Ethan

seemed stupid - she really wouldn't recognize her BEST friend's little brother? But the discussions of grief didn't feel staged, and the romantic relationship did develop mostly gradually.

I liked the prose style but the content was not for me. I did not want to read explicit details about a wife being unfaithful randomly.

This is a cool concept for a YA fantasy romance that works well overall. It was obvious which characters were going to get together, but that was the point. I wish we got more clarity on the possibilities for magic - I get that there's curses and confusion, but it still felt odd that we never got to see the options of what they DID know mapped out. The twin characters' dynamic felt mostly realistic. I didn't like that Arizona was reduced to desert heat and mountain scenery; we've got a lot more than just cliches going on. But these are really all minor concerns. My favorite aspect of this novel was how unique it felt - likely because Adair's voice and prose matched the genre and mood perfectly.