I should have DNF'ed this because it never succeeded in grabbing me. My reading experience here was largely indifferent, I suspect because the plot was a bit too loosey-goosey for too long. There's the long-lost son (hero) with an evil mother, the adopted/pampered step-daughter (heroine) who came from nothing, two dead parents, a dead best friend, and intrigue surrounding the family lumber mill and a lucrative railroad contract. The whole thing was adrift at sea for entirely too long. Also, the ending annoyed me no end. You know that criticism that the romance genre "reinforces traditional female societal roles?" Yeah, that. And I'm well aware this is a historical romance but it still yanked my chain.