It must be a fantastic book, because I read the whole thing in less than a day, and 70% of it in the swimming pool (which went well until I was floating on my back and let out my breath and nearly doused the book...lol). I loved it. I've heard it said that MaryLu's published said this was her best yet, and I agree with that because of the dynamics in it and the social justice aspect (but I still think The Raven Saint is her very best of the best for it's characters!!!). The book was intriguing, and through the whole thing I was driven by a desire to see how it would all come down in the end! I thought this may have been MaryLu's most creative book by far when considering plot. We have the slavery issue, a heroine who is part African-American, a hero who get's blown off by the heroine many times (at least in the beginning!) by the heroine, a kindly Christian doctor who is struggling with racism (Is it right? Is it wrong?)...and of course my favorite scene *SPOILERS* where our hero forcefully kidnaps the fair maiden out the window and locks her in a cabin aboard ship telling everyone she is suicidal to keep them from letting her out until he can convince her to marry him! (So funny!). It was a fantastic book. On a scale of 1-5 (5 being best) I would rate it an 8! :)