It’s not a surprise I have a lot of mixed feelings about this story. If I hadn’t read the last book, It Happened One Autumn, I would have been able to immerse myself in the changed man Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent becomes in this book. On the other hand, I somehow missed the fact that Evie is the daughter of Ivo Jenner from The Gamblers of Craven’s books, and that piqued my interest in Evie’s backstory.

(Quick warning: There will be spoilers for previous books to follow. No spoilers for this book.)

Let’s get my issues out of the way. Evie goes to the man who kidnapped one of her best friends to force her into marriage and offers to marry him. It’s mind-boggling that she should be so disloyal to her friend. But she is definitely in a tight spot and it makes an odd sort of sense that Sebastian is the logical choice for her plan. Sebastian’s betrayal of Westcliff never sat well with me in the last book although I know people can act out of character when they are desperate. Westcliff and Lillian forgiving Sebastian was greatly needed in this story, although it didn’t erase how terrible he was to them from my mind.

That being said, the person Westcliff befriended as a child and stood behind through all their years is the person Sebastian becomes in this story. It’s finally clear why Westcliff never turned his back on his friend. Sebastian tries to keep up his façade of unfeeling rogue, but it always crumbles with Evie. Over and over he proves to be a romantic at heart, not just a lothario.

Now that Evie is free of her extended family who ruled over her with their fists and disparaging remarks, she blooms like a flower. She finds a confidence she never knew she had. Evie does not back down when Sebastian gets high-handed and tries to order her about. She married him for her freedom, not to be put into another prison. This spirit does her well and helps her see the power she has within her.

This story is by no means perfect. I had to keep putting the blinders on as to who Sebastian was before so I could revel in the wonderful person he was becoming. Since I was able to do that, I ended up greatly enjoying this book.