I've had this book for a while and have probably picked it up 4-5 times to read it. I've recently decided to read through the Cynster novels, and I hate reading books out of order, so I decided to give it another shot.

Once again, I got about halfway through before counting the pages until I'd be through it. However much I want to like the book, the fact of the matter is that I LIKE it but I just can't quite come to LOVE it.

The book is good, don't get me wrong. All the elements are there to make it a book I should absolutely adore. The autocratic hero who is used to getting his way in absolutely everything...until he meets the stubborn heroine, who is the only one who can go toe-to-toe with him. A mystery that - okay - is predictable, but I don't think the author makes a pretense of this being a mystery with romantic overtones. It is quite clearly a romance with a mystery as the setting, to give the characters a reason to interact and work together.

So, given that all the elements are there to make this a story that should be on my list of most beloved romance novels, why isn't it? I am not entirely sure. In part, I walked away from the book feeling like there was a fundamental inequality between the main characters. Part of the enjoyment for me in "immovable object / unstoppable force" relationships (as theirs is even described in the book) is the play back and forth between the two characters. I didn't really enjoy it in this book. While it was quite clear that the hero and heroine were supposed to be equals, I spent the entire first half (more than that, even) feeling like the hero was able to manipulate the heroine like he was moving a chess piece across the board. And, other than consistently stating that she wasn't going to marry him, she never reciprocated. The tables were never turned in her favor, so to speak.

This fundamental inequality bothered me through a good deal of the story, turning a tale should have been fantastic into one that was merely good. I admit I had to skim through parts of it; it couldn't hold my attention and I never quite fell in love with the characters the way I wanted to. However, I do think it did a good job of introducing the reader to the Cynster family and starting off the series.