This was a solid 3* read for me. There were many things I liked about this book but there were also some problems that would keep me from rating it any higher. First the positives, for the most part I like all the characters. Yes, the brothers are obvious sequel bait but I did like them and their interactions. I enjoy romances where the hero/heroine are not so isolated and family/friend relationships are explored as well. Also the romance between Gayle and Anna develops nicely. You get the feeling that they actually like each other as well as feeling sexual attraction. Gayle is a wonderful hero, he may come across a little beta for some but I loved that he was a decent, honorable man and still quite sexy in his intimate interactions with Anna. For the most part, I also liked Anna. In fact for the first 2/3s of the book she is a type of heroine that I enjoy, she's competent and capable. However, I felt that her secret was drawn out for way too long. As she got to know Gayle's character (see above) it made no sense that she wouldn't confide in him. With that, the last 1/3 dragged a bit for me. I felt like it could have been wrapped up in a quicker manner without losing anything. Also, I'm no stickler for historical accuracy, I'm willing to go along for the ride with characters that I like and a story that grabs me. But even I had to roll my eyes when everyone in the earl's family was encouraging him to marry Anna. Yes, they were set up as a loving family and wanted his happiness. But really, he's heir to a dukedom and not one person thinks maybe he shouldn't marry his housekeeper? That strained believability even for me.
So overall I enjoyed it and really enjoyed the first 2/3. I'm intrigued enough to want to read the next one as Devlin was an interesting character in this one.
