Review: Pleasant, but didn't live up to the other Haberdashers' tales
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
*There will be spoilers in this review!*I was very excited for this book to come out.  I enjoyed the first two books in the series and wanted to know what ended up happening with George.  I have to say I was disappointed.  It wasn't a bad story, but I definitely did not feel fulfilled after finishing the book.  It really felt that this story did not go nearly as deep as it could have.  I can only hope that maybe there will be a follow-up book that explains all the unanswered questions I still have.I liked George's character.  She is beautiful, smart, and extremely capable.  I will always have a soft spot for a heroine who is not a simpering idiot who can't take care of herself, but I suppose that is probably something I share with many readers.  I did not like nor did I buy the explanations for George's estrangement from her family.  Not only that, but I find myself curious as to who her real father is and where he disappeared to.  I understand it could be hard to find out that the man you thought was your father isn't, but that doesn't explain why George started to feel like she was interloper in the family.  Her father never did anything or said anything that made it seem like he didn't love her as his own, so why did she estrange herself?  Why did she not speak with her mother about the situation to find out the circumstances?  She didn't even see her own mother before she died to try and understand her mother's actions.  So they just had a rough relationship from the time George found out?  Given how intelligent George is portrayed to be and the fact that she is a spy, I feel like she would have done more digging before just turning away from her family.Casimir was a interesting hero.  I grappled with liking and disliking him equally throughout the book.  Yes, he is handsome, and everyone loves him, but he just seems so duplicitous to me.  I only really found him likeable in his interactions with George.  He is sweet and uncertain of himself with her which I found charming.  I understand that his talent lies in his ability to get people to like him, but I didn't like the way he was portrayed as manipulating George's friends and family to win their approval.  It makes me wonder if I really got to see much of the real Cas at all.  Of course, there will have to be a lot of explaining about his past/bloodline in a continuation story.  I feel like the only thing I know about him is his political goals, love for his wife, and people-winning talent.The ending just kind of came up out of nowhere.  I can remember reading along in my kindle, and it showing that I was 97% done, and I was thinking no way!  I knew that there was way too much left uncovered and unanswered to be managed with hardly any portion of the book left.  I am all for a book with cliffhangers and loose ends that will be tied up in another story, but there just feels like absolutely no resolution is reached in this book at all.  I was left with far more questions than I could have even imagined having before reading this book.  I enjoyed the book enough that I will read the next ones in the series, and I can only hope that everything gets tied up neatly so I'm not wondering.