I have to say that this re-read was really enjoyable. I really did like reading about Free and Edward again.
I honestly don't have much to add from my original review except to say that the book starring Violet pales in comparison to this one.
Original review below:
The character of Free was introduced to readers in her brother's book (The Heiress Effect #2) and I was instantly enamored with her. When she tells her brother Oliver that the world had better look out for her I was won over. To have a woman in the time and place fight for the right to be taught, to be allowed to vote, was wonderful. Free is a champion of women's rights and England in this time and place was still very much a male society. Running her own newspaper that reports on things that many in society would rather have ignored has Free on the top of many people's hit list.
The character of Edward has his own demons to deal with. Left to die in a war torn country by his father and brother. Edward only returns to England to help out a life long friend's brother. Coming across Free we can see why Edward is attracted to her. When Edward is enlisted to ruin Free, he decides to see what he can do in order to stop the conspiracy to ruin her.
I thought the romance in this book was very well done. I believed in the attraction between Free and Edward. And I 100 percent got some residual heat from them both when reading about their times together. What I liked the most is that we get a slow burn romance story here. Edward finds out more about what Free does, the suffrage movement, and you can see him becoming a believer in Free.
What really swung this up to four stars with me though is that a secondary character that is introduced to us in The Heiress Effect (Brothers Sinister #2) makes a reappearance
in this one, and we get to read about their romance as well. I don't want to spoil for other readers, but I was surprised by it and happy with the way that Milan told that story as well. I would have killed for a novella of these two characters.
We do get brief appearances from other characters from the series, but not enough for me. I really would have loved to see a bigger scene than the one that we got.
As usual, the writing was great and the flow was so improved in this book. I really loved the interactions between Free and Edward. Edward's interactions with others was wonderful too. I definitely got alpha vibes from Edward, but he for the most part pulled it in until it came time to do something in order to protect Free. What I did like was that the central problem between Free and Edward was well done and I liked that they discussed it like rational adults. I wish that the reveal had come sooner though.
I really did like the ending and as I already said, I wish that we had got a larger bigger scene with all of the characters who have appeared in this series to wrap it up.