This book wasn't quite what I expected. Somehow I'm always expecting vibrant, fun, YA. This isn't that. It's a bit serious. It's very historic. It's not YA at all. But it's still good.
I particularly like that even though it's supposedly a sweet romance, the romance actually seems to take a side seat to a more full plot for the main characters and for the secondary characters. The relationship spurs a lot of the action but doesn't feel like the main story.
Part of why I usually expect (or hope for) YA is that it's more emotionally connected and vibrant. Anytime I read outside the genre the story feels a bit detached. It means that I'm not as invested in the characters or as enthralled in the story so I like it fine, but don't love it. That isn't always a bad thing and in this case it works.
I also expected it to be regency era and it's not. It's the gilded age, turn of the century America. I find that part of history less engaging but I thought the author handled it well in this story.