I've read one of Kleypas' historical romances, and I was really excited to read her contemporary romances. I knew that I would have to read them in order (I'm a stickler for the rules), meaning I would have to read this one first before moving on the the more-loved ones in the series. 
 I'm glad that I read the reviews for this book before I read it. Had I gone in expecting it to be a standard romance, I would have stopped reading this book after a few pages. Chick-lit is just not for me (Bridget Jones' Diary made me want to scream). But since I was prepared, I knew that it would take a while to get to the romance, and I figured that it was good for me to try something different on occasion. 
 I'm still not sure how I feel about the chick-lit nature of the book. I think Kleypas did an incredible job with the story of Liberty Jones, and I tried to stay interested, but the book just felt SO LONG. In reality, it wasn't. But the whole book was told through Liberty's POV, we heard detailed childhood stories, and the book spanned like, what, a decade? Decade and a half? I have no clue. But I just really didn't care much about any of that. I would have preferred a romance that started with a chapter or two of flashback to the two or three important parts of her childhood. HOWEVER, I feel bad saying that because, while it wasn't for me, objectively speaking, it was a good and well-written book. Also, I'm very glad I listened to this on audio book; the fantastic characterizations and inflections really brought this story to life. 
 While Liberty is one of the strongest and most likable heroines I've ever read, I personally had some big issues with how she handled the love-triangle situation. I appreciated Gage's patience with her, but I just didn't find it realistic. I feel that, in real life, he would have walked away immediately, and rightly so. 
 Gage was incredible. On multiple occasions we got to see him treat her with love and respect, and he puts her needs and feelings above his own.