I admit it took awhile for me to really get into this book. I liked it fine from the start, and it read fast, but for awhile I really kind of wondered why this is such a popular book.
I had a hard time with the fact that Martha was constantly down on herself, always talking about how she was after all, just the governess. I think I would have liked it a lot better if she had been more willing to step into the role she was brought up in when it was called for, instead of acting more meekly and reluctant.
Her interactions with Alvean and Gilly were interesting to me, and I liked seeing how they warmed to her and she in turn warmed to her role. And I liked that she got Alvean over her fear of horses, although admittedly I was never a horse girl myself so this aspect of the story didn’t add much for me.
But I also didn’t really like the portrayal of all the male characters in the book either. Does every man have to be a womanizer? It just seems so…unromantic. I mean, I like that it doesn’t fit into a typical romance cliche, but I don’t think every guy has to be that way.
The resolution of the story fell a tiny bit flat for me. I always feel like the stories end just as they’re getting really good, and would have liked either a sequel or more in the follow up section of the book. I just love to hear about what happens next, so I wanted more!
Read this book if: You like suspense or romance. It wasn’t so romantic much of the time, but there was a little and the suspense wasn’t bad.
