2.5 Stars

The problem with the story strangely enough isn't the quality of the writing. The descriptive qualities are actually very good, but unfortunately I HATED both the main characters. And really there were only a few of the secondary characters that I liked even a little This was a slog for me because I just couldn't get behind the actions of these characters. Cassidy had a little more appeal than Braden but it's really not be much. Her nature is often at odds and doesn't seem to fit within itself. Either she's the brazen independent who can cross the desert of barely settled America on her own and have no fear running through London on her own, or she's the naive innocent who has no awareness of what reality should be and is willing to do anything to be liked. And Braden, well Braden made me want to punch him throughout the entire story. Really there was nothing redeemable about him and gave no one any reason to forgive him his high handed, narrow minded, bigoted antics. If it had eased at all during the story, if Cassidy had seem to affect him at all as things went along I would have tolerated the story better. But really it's only the last 5-10% of the book where the reversal happens and so it doesn't even feel natural or that it will hold.

Braden's obsession with "the Cause" was really just annoying not in any way something you could understand. His way or all else was just obnoxious. I felt for his siblings. Rowena especially as she is given no choice and no freedom really to be who she wants. I sort of want to see her story, but I don' know how quickly if ever I'll get around to reading the next in the series to find out about her adventures.