Tropes: a bit of social (not necessarily class) difference between the MC's; forced proximity
Steam level: 2-3

Possible spoilers ahead...............................This seems like it's a first, or maybe just an early, book by this writer, and as such it's a decent read. However, the blurb made it sound as if MMC Hugh's injury and rescue by MFC Adele are a bit more dramatic than they actually are. And I'm a sucker for the "MC heals the other MC" trope, but it's not that much of a focus here. Also, the mystery element is emphasized in the blurb, and I love a good mystery--except there's not much of an investigation and the culprit is glaringly obvious. Instead, the emphasis of the storyline is really on the MC's being able to buck the Ton's expectations and marry. There's a lot of rumination about this, and it ultimately ends up not being that big of a deal.

The highlight of this book for me was honestly the M/M subplot between two of Hugh's friends. The dialog between all of the men is actually a bit more fun and less stilted than the dialog between the MC's. The only thing that didn't ring true was that a bit past the halfway point the two men acknowledge to each other that they're in love and they talk about flaunting their relationship--but of course in 1816 being homosexual was still illegal in the UK and could lead to hanging or at least imprisonment. This reality is mentioned a few times later in the book, but it's still an odd scene, as is all the "it's the modern era" talk. Honestly, at times I felt the setting should have been 1916, not 1816.

Hugh and Adele are OK as a couple, though the emotional connection wasn't quite there for me; their relationship was a bit too insta-lusty for my taste. I think if there had been more scenes of them together trying to piece together Hugh's mysterious past and solve the mystery of who had injured him, the relationship would have felt more real to me, and the tension would have drawn me in more consistently.

Overall, this is a decent early effort and I feel that the characterization and plotting will improve in future books.

Truly enjoyed! I found the plot exciting and the romance was super romantic.

I liked the set up of the story a lot. It starts with action which immediately grabs your attention, and then you can't put the book down. I found the characters, romance and mystery to be equally entertaining. I liked that Adele is the savior here and Hugh is the damsel in distress. It's a nice spin on the trope and it worked well here. Plus there's the caretaking trope which I always like because it allows the characters to slow down and build intimacy.

Hugh and Adele have a wonderful romance. It's a slow burn but the journey getting there is worth it. They fall in love slowly and it's super lovely. Their romance is a bit forbidden too since there is a class difference between them. It adds a little drama to the romance to keep it interesting.

The mystery was well done too. Hugh has amnesia after being attacked. As a result, he is trying to regain his memory while also figuring out who wants him dead. The build up to the reveal was clever and satisfying.

I enjoyed this a lot! Would recommend. Cannot wait for more books in the series.