The characters are well-drawn, and Jane's secret isn't revealed right away. In the meantime, the reader is given a descriptive & involving portrait of medieval scholarly life, with the conditions that Jane has to contend with. Her cross-dressing isn't a ploy, but part of who she is, and Duncan's confusion & anger over the deception is paired with grudging admiration that women aren't the one-dimensional creatures he's been instructed to believe by Very Serious Men. Surrounding the romance are issues of royal birth & the benefits and trials that it can entail, as well as the struggles that all people have to endure to survive, whether one is male or female.

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This book was a very quick read for me. It was okay. Nothing like the cover suggests. I would recommend reading the book "The Harlot's Daughter" first, since it apparently gives a LOT of the background story. I did think that the author did her research and is a true lover of history. She points out who the characters are based on and what facts she took artistic license with at the end of the book. I would pass it along but it isn't "hot" like the title page or title suggest.

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