This book was a solid introduction to gay romance for me. The story itself (arranged marriage and political intrigue with attempted assassination along for the ride) was solid and made for an easy read. Even without the romance, I would have enjoyed the plot.

The early sexual assault is important for how the romance plays out, with the focus being on the healing and relationship that grows just after it. I can understand why some may want to give this book a pass based on the depiction of SA. Another thing in the book that struck close to home for me is the fact that one of the main characters comes from a society that is startlingly similar to my own upbringing in it's view of homosexuality. This was a GREAT introduction to this type of romance, since the overcoming of the attitudes and behaviors of a restrictive and homophobic past was a present and soothing literary balm to a person who has wrestled with those same things in real life.