I forgot how much I liked this book. (I'm writing this review after rereading it two years after the first time.) 
 The beginning starts pretty slow. If you're someone that doesn't enjoy long-winded descriptions then you probably will have trouble getting into this at first. 
 HOWEVER.... 
 ...once things start going, they really start going. Things get absolutely nuts. We travel to two other countries in this book with these characters, and meet more characters that are vivid and really bring a new level to the story. 
 Things start happening very fast later on and I definitely had a bit of a bump to get over about that. At times Matthew seems so controlling and it really bugs me, but seeing it bug Diana helped. Things do get better. Both have to come to terms with each other's personalities and needs and there's a lot of understanding that it takes even for the reader to deal with it as well. Eventually things level out as far as the two of them meeting in the middle a bit. 
 Fair warning: This is quite the whirlwind romance story. Things get very serious very quickly, but it does make sense with the story and with the personalities of the characters. The mystery is almost frustratingly vague at times, but seeing the characters be equally frustrated helps you push through. 
 The book really is quite magical when you get to the good stuff. Fans of historical-fantasy-romance will love this book.