Mimi Matthews has become my new favorite authoress when it comes to realistic, respectable romances. I look for authors like Georgette Heyer, Clare Darcy who write me some romances that are based on character emotion and conversation.

This book... this book made me cry. I never read someone handle a character with a mental illness so well that I want to just say 'yes, you got this and you did it' to Mrs. Matthews.

Mental illness back then and into the 1900's was something seen of an issue for women more so then men. Women who were fine otherwise, but had clinical depression, were tortured and put through unbelievable cures by physicians that either worsened the issue or resulted in death.

Beryl is a beautiful, kind, loving person and that she has for a long time developed an unknown reason for a weight in her that comes at times. An incident caused her to go on a small vacation and return to her small village prior to the marriage she is to be having. A marriage in which she feels nothing more but chose out of propriety.

Mark... he is like, oh man, THE BEST. Like, he is probably of the books I've read my favorite of Mrs. Matthews' men. He is 30, good looking, a clergy man, but so warm, opening, kind, and was a best friend to Beryl. Most people shy away from friends to lovers stories, and I tend to enjoy them if written correctly. Let me tell you, this was written so well that I saw stars. Stars and then followed by rainbows of happiness.

( There is a dog involved, which also made me gush because that little dog is so cute that I can't. )

It took me two hours to read this all in one sitting, so it is short but oh god, it was so perfect. As someone with GAD this made me feel all sorts of things, but lovely praise because it was so well done and so flipping perfect. The subject nature ; the warmth, empathy, kindness and most of all love shone through and that's what is needed in these times.

I will most certainly be recommending this book to all my friends.