I found this a disappointing read. Ms. Walsh has done better. The heroine was strongly reminiscent of Heyer's Grand Sophy, but less charming. The darkly brooding hero seemed more sullen than anything. Perhaps the most jarring note was a father inviting his unmarried daughter to co-occupy a residence with him and his mistress during the Congress of Vienna. The likelhood of such an open affair being countenanced by the leaders of the "ton" was slight. Not only would he have been censured, his daughter's reputation would have been tarred with the same brush. It was one thing to have a discreet affair, but quite another to openly set up household together and involve "innocent females of marriageable age" in such a menage. Miss Devine's role is confusing also. The hero is depicted as pursuing her prior to the advent of our heroine. The characters appeared to accept that she moved from one protector to another, yet she was invited to all the ton parties--not very likely for a beautiful, unwed female of dubious family background and no fortune. I should think a good Regency editor would have caught this. I do applaud Ms. Walsh's tackling the woman-beating issue and the lack of legal protection for females in lieu of family protection. However, situations were resolved and the happy ever after reached in rather a hurry. I finished it wondering, where did that come from?

To say that this book was disappointing would be an understatement. The only story that was the slightest bit interesting was 'The Treasure Hunt' by Mary Balogh. It is about a young woman, Lady Constance Manning, who realizes too late that she has engaged herself to the younger brother when she is actually in love with the older one. Even that story was somewhat unsatisfying as, in the end, we are left wondering if the younger brother sacrifices his own love so that Connie may be happy or if he is also happy to break the engagement. However, the story itself is very sensitive and touching in the usual Balogh style. I hope she writes a sequel for the younger brother, Sidney. But the other stories are so boring that it is a chore to turn the pages. My recommendation: wait until all short stories by Mary Balogh get published in one volume.