general

• quick summary - after months of being MIA, kim turns up again and drags will back into his world of secrets, criminal conspiracies, and underhand dealings. amidst escalating danger too close to home, their growing romance faces challenges, forcing them to confront their pasts and fight for their future together.
• key themes - trust and betrayal, post-war, class, resilience, intrigue, romance.
• fav character - kim—his character became even more interesting. I just want to understand him (and give him a hug).

interests

• what i found interesting - this was such an improvement from the first book, and I was completely obsessed with it. I love how their romance developed realistically with the constant going back and forth (might be a lil bit toxic but that's ok). the stakes felt so much higher in this book too, and I loved seeing how kim and will worked as a team; its so cool when I see a couple being badass together. the action was great, the jokes even funnier and the descriptions of the 1920s london setting were present at last.
• fav quote - "but I really can't bring myself to regret the man you might have been, given the one you are" and "I feel at peace with you, and I don't often feel at peace" </3 + "when people are obliged to keep an eye out for threats, their eyes tend to be sharp. that's what women's intuition means, if you ask me: being unconsciously alert for dangerous men" on point.

rating

• 4.25/5 - what a freaking vibe. I loved this so much. sometimes I feel like romance books drama might feel a little bit too ya-ish even if the book is not categorized as such, but in this case the issues between the characters seemed very real and 'grown up'. I also squealed when waring mentioned the name of the book, it's always so cool when you get that. it might be a little weird to remark, but historical romances sometimes forget they're supposed to be historical; in this case, despite the writing not being necessarily there, I liked how some of will's opinions of women could be considered a little bit sexist (like saving maisie's from certain information). the idea of will being a safe presence for kim makes me want to cry. the little tender moments between the two (like hair stroking, hand on the knee) felt so beautiful amidst all the drama going on around them. definitely excited to read the last installment, but also sad that there will not be any more :(