Claire Mayhew has jumped to the top of my favorite historical romance heroines.  She is an independent woman that refuses to accept that she needs a man to life her life.  But she does need a man to approve the lease of her store, and that man doesn't believe that women can be in business on their own.

Cyrus isn't a bad guy - he just holds view that most men of his time held.  Women need to be married or living with a male relative to keep the out of trouble and protected.  It may sound sweet, but I couldn't imagine actually living that way.  When he falls for Claire and finds out who she really is, he makes it his mission to find a way to show her he's right.

Well, saying that doesn't go as planned would be quite the understatement.  This may sound like a fluff plot, but dig just a bit deeper and we have a mystery, sabotage, and threats on people's life going on at the same time.  All this is woven so beautifully together.  One of the best and most original historical romances I've read in a long time

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*