
Though the first in a series, it is the third I've read. Frankly, I'm glad I did. This trend of series with heavily overlapped plots is often dissatisfying as at least one point of conflict is never resolved. So, having read a few made the ending and epilogue less cumbersome. Enough of that, the story itself is entertaining and both the hero and heroine are well-developed and interesting.Lord Stoneville's family is endearing and annoying. They feel real and not contrived, not stereotypes/archetypes. The heroine's situation is equally complicated, and though I find her a bit soft-hearted for my tastes she's believable and loveable.There is a good deal of history regarding various industries in this series and I find it one of its strong points. The second, in the series or Jarret's seems to have the most information which is logical when you understand the storyline. Overall, entertaining reading.