My least favorite of Thomas' books so far. This story relied more on a plot device - the Cinderella type story... in a romance book, I don't enjoy so much when the leads are subject to such "whims of fate"... where external forces dictate so much of their story. It feels a little immature to me. I prefer Thomas' other 2 books because the evolution of the story is only about the interactions and feelings of the characters, as opposed to some external force sweeping in and either destroying and/or restoring security. The buildup around the reveal of Verity's identity was enjoyable but the denouement was weak. After all the twists and all the agony of her years of hiding, we only get maybe 10 pages of resolution. It felt pat and pretty weak to me. But there were enjoyable bits. I won't give up on Thomas' work but I definitely likes this the least of her books so far.