When her father died, Eleanora Svobodova and her brother becomes her stepmother’s servants instead of being members of a wealthy family. This changes when her Grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Wellington comes to stay. Having been unaware of the existence of the two, she sets about making sure they are returned to the life they knew. But the visit comes with it’s own secrets, as they find themselves working for a secret organisation called The Order of the Crystal Daggers, whose purpose is to protect people and countries to prevent war and strife from breaking out. But with several mysterious deaths occurring and the Kingdom of Bohemia looking to change it’s government, it seems that they have their own problems to solve as a plot to bring upheaval to the country.

Part spy mystery and part romance, it makes for an intriguing mix set in exciting times. For the most part, the plot concentrates on the mystery and the politics, mixing in a certain amount of historical detail. It manages to capture the feel of the era from the people and places to the events going on. The romance is very much of the love at first sight variety and given the way Eleanora spends much of it away from her new admirer, it is very much from the heart despite how little they interact. In some ways, it’s a little forced, but manages to work itself out by the end of the story. Being honest, I actually started getting more into the mystery than the romance and when the pair were together I started waiting for the plot to re-commence as I was trying to find out who the antagonists are. However, I certainly enjoyed the plot, and how it was fitting into history.

The editing and grammar are fine, although there are a couple of mistakes in the book, but nothing too egregious. The cover did look like it belonged more on a steampunk novel and the first impression I had was that I would be reading a fantasy romance as the title did not seem to really fit the story.

This is the first in a series of three and this story does end on an excellent cliffhanger, so if you enjoy reading it, then there are more to follow. Overall, it was a great story that kept me engaged throughout and I would be curious to see what happens next.