I am such a big fat sap. I sat down to read this on Thursday afternoon and was hooked, I eventually had to set it down, unhappily, as I was going out for dinner. The minute I got home though I stayed up to the wee hours until I had finished it. 
 This is a sweet, romantic, brainless novel about a 17 year old girl insecure girl in Victorian Britain finding love and her place within her family. It had me laughing, sniveling and Aw-ing. 
 Witty dialogue, strong heroine, charming male lead, pleasant supporting cast and a cliche albeit sweet love story. What more does a girl need? I liked this book as it concentrated on the characters emotions rather than their sexual desires, in contrast to harlequin crap. 
 The missing one star is for the ridiculous crime plot. I know it was just a side plot to spice up the book and make it a bit less cliche, but it was too absurd. The last couple of chapters, touching as they were, felt a bit too silly and unrealistic for me to take them seriously enough to warrant a 5 star review. 
 Absurdity aside, this is a lovely book and I recommend it to anyone who's sick of stupid modern chick lit. and is looking for an enjoyable sappy romance with strong leads. 
 Also, I've seen this compared to Jane Austen and recommended for Jane Austen fans. I beg to differ. While the two have the same settings, the comparison ends there. This is child's play compared to Austen and hard core fans will be missing Austen's Character depths. This instead will be delightful for those who are interested in Austen's ideas, yet find trouble following her writing (me,me,me,me!).