This story was not like the other books I've read from Kallysten in the past. I found it difficult to engage in the story at the beginning. However, once I stuck it out past the first 5 or 6 chapters, I was pleasantly surprised. I found that instead of the instant sex appeal and gripping tensions with characters that immediately immersed me in the past, it was a story that read like a slow burn, gradually building up layers of complexity, and personality in all the players involved. By the time I was half way through the book, Kate's issues were personal to me, and I was rooting for them to find a way to make it work. I actually cried towards the end of this book, and that's an incredibly rare thing for me as a reader. So although it took me longer to get into the characters and their story, it was well worth it to keep it up, and see it through to the end.