I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book - I'm choosing 2 stars because my complaints outweigh any positives.

What I liked: the premise, a couple, in a marriage of convenience (like a TRUE MOC) between Cassandra and Joshua, have been living apart since their wedding night. Joshua has been living in the city and Cassandra has been stationed in her family's country estate. They are forced to share their home for the first time when Cassandra needs help from her duchess grandmother to plan for her sister's coming out. While living apart, Joshua has been having affairs with widows. Both MCs have been dealing with traumas that inform their behavior. I like books that explore a couple coming back together or a couple that is one in appearances only but must now navigate a way into a different status.

What didn't work as well: for me, the writing was kind of bad and relied on distracting, often unserious dialogue between the MCs that did not advance my understanding of the characters. So, flimsy back-and-forth one-liners were used in place of developing a relationship between the MCs. This is a problem I often run into when I read recent romances. I just do not connect with this kind of writing at all. There were also a few times Joshua called Cassandra a colonizer or claimed she was colonizing his space when she moved into his city house. . .

By the end of the story, I did not feel I knew these characters enough to say if I understood why they should be together - there were heavy moments but I felt so disconnected from these people. The jump from not liking one another to in love was so sudden I couldn't believe it. I'm going to try another by this author with hopes it works out better! ( )

Historical Romance

Cassandra DeWitt has a marriage of convenience and hasn't seen her husband for two years. Joshua wedded her as a favor to her father and immediately left her to go back to his business. Now she needs to launch her younger sister into society so she heads to London where she runs into her husband.
I love this trope where a married couple has been separated and now needs to actually deal with each other, and Ms. Vincy has done a wonderful job here in showing the growth between the couple. Cassandra is a typical lady, discreet and demure, but the author shows her coming out of her shell to become a laughing, alive woman. Joshua is not a hero like any other I've read, and I adore him. He's brash, funny, kind, and his teasing of his wife is just a joy. I liked how Cassandra learned to laugh with him and tease him back.
Communication and honesty are big issues, and Ms. Vincy gradually allows her characters to grow and learn from each other. They both have issues in their background to overcome, some very serious events that occurred, and it made me cry a bit at the end when they have their tender moments.
The secondary characters are fine. Some we met in earlier books in the series, and some are new. The villains are bad without being over the top. The one character I really disliked was Cassandra's sister Lucy. She is so disagreeable and such a spoiled brat that I cringed every time she appears on the page.
I'm really enjoying Ms. Vincy's books, and I can't wait for her to produce more. Each one has gotten better and I will definitely recommend her books and I can't wait to read more. ( )

4.5 stars, no epilogue. Beautifully written, love the dialogues. A bit on the dark side but absolutely worth reading. ( )

standard, sweet. Nothing blew me away ( )