Those coming to these books after the Bridgerton series may find this book to be tamer, building more on how their own realisation of feelings comes to play rather than the aftermath. I found it pretty endearing, honestly.

Honoria Smythe-Smith is an interesting enough character in her own right - she's a realist, openly admitting she's an awful violinist and that she needs to get married no matter what by the end of the Season because she's in her third Season now, and she just wants to start a family.

Marcus is less of an interesting character - he's tall, dark and handsome. Brooding as well, but it wouldn't be a love story if the there wasn't a cliché character as a love interest. Honoria describes him as shy, and he claims to not understand the ways of charming a woman, though considering she's pregnant after the epilogue, which takes place a year after the proposal, he might know more than he lets on.

All in all though, a decent read of two childhood friends turned lovers.