Plot: Jane and Thomas spent a few short weeks together one summer before he was shipped off by the military and she was run off by her family. By fluke, Thomas is recalled to England to discover that he’d inherited a title he had no knowledge of and a run down castle he hasn’t visited since he was young. Fortunately, the castle already has a prompt renter who is happy to stay, but his commanding officer insists he go investigate the situation there himself first before going back out on any missions. And when he arrives, who is living in the castle but The One That Got Away all those years ago and working for the reclusive author who pays the rent on the place and totally, definitely exists. Shenanigans ensue.
This is a very gentle book. I don’t mean that as a criticism, but I do mean that you should choose when to read this carefully because I think it will affect your reading pleasure. Don’t pick this book up when you’re looking for Interesting. Pick it up when you’re looking for comfort reading. Plot “twists” are telegraphed chapters in advance. The characters already have an established connection and their conflict is really one of misunderstanding that is easily clarified and resolved. The brief moment of danger is resolved very quickly with a plot contrivance. People who have wronged our heroes get a sharp talking to and sent on their way (rather than being allowed to perpetuate the abuse with the person they wronged by forcing them to reconcile, which so many books insist on doing). The story moves in an unhurried pace that tells the reader “sure, I know you’ve probably figured out what happens, but you can’t expect the characters to have yet, so you’re just going to have to hold your horses until they actually have the pieces to the puzzle you could make out the shape of by page 2.” I think there is a time and place for stories like that, so keep it in your back pocket for that time and place.
Note that for a book starting a series on spying, there is hardly any spying at all done in this book. Do not pick this up looking for a Joanna Bourne type novel.
TW: some pretty intense familial abuse (controlling, emotionally and verbally abusive, abandonment).