Mary Balogh's books are all must reads. This one takes a bit longer than her others to get into but the final 85% of the book is a real page turner.The difference here from her other books is that she goes more deeply into the effects of battlefield conflict on the lives of her characters. This isn't done in a gory way, but rather on how the physical and emotional injuries affect the lives of her characters. This is done with tenderness and isn't depressive... it just adds more depth to the lives we're reading about.If this is a harbinger of her future work, she is striving to give a greater depth and interest to her protagonists. Good on her!