Susannah was raised to be a wealthy heiress on the marriage mart, but when her father dies, his debts leave her destitute. She must move in with a poor spinster relative and figure out what she wants out of life and why someone would want to murder her father. She meets Kit, a viscount and spy for England after the Napoleonic Wars, who wishes to unravel the secret of her father's death for his own reasons.

I wanted to like this book more since I love the author, but it was only average (but better than average for most other romance authors). This is one of Long's earlier books and it seems that the author's writing improves with each book, because her current novels are much better. I didn't care too much about Susannah, she was sort of bland, personality-wise. There was a few inaccuracies that I didn't like, and it jarred the realism while reading the book. Lastly, the characters read Pride & Prejudice, which I always feel is "too cutesy" in a Regency-period romance. ( )

This story had a great premise, plot, supporting characters and setting. However, it fails as the heroine, Susannah's, great losses are not well portrayed in her character. Her actions and emotions were inconsistent with her upbringing by a distant sole parent with no 'loving' female caregiver-- nanny or governess. When she loses her father, home, fiance' and is destitute, her reaction is surprisingly flat. I had a hard time getting to 'know' Susannah, and her actions were difficult to understand in light of her situation.
Our hero-- Kit, on the other hand, is well portrayed, his character well developed and consistent with his upbringing and life in the army and as a spy. It's disappointing to see such a great potential lost due to the failure to fully develop the heroine. ( )