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This historical novel exceeded my expectations! It is not that I had low expectations, but I borrowed it from the library based on mild thematic interest; I did not expect to be gripped and impressed by this book as much as I was.

The aftermath of the British civil war in England and the early years of the British colonies in New England make for a fascinating historical backdrop that I loved learning more about (especially since I have recently moved to Massachusetts from Europe).
Of course this is a novel, not a history textbook, but my impression is that Robert Harris does an excellent job enriching historical fact with fiction where the historical record is sparse.

My enjoyment of reading novels is usually predicated on being able to sympathise with at least one character and their cause, which on the surface was not the case in this book: I have no sympathy for the religious zealotry and (first domestic, then colonial) violence of the Puritans, nor for the corruption, suppression of political rivals and extreme brutality of the British royal regime.
It is to Harris' credit that I nonetheless found both Edward Whalley (one of the regicides) and Richard Nayler (the royal investigator going after them) sympathetic characters for much of the narrative.
(I could, however, not warm to the second regicide, William Goffe, who seems to have been a most unpleasant religious fanatic.)

I also found the ending of the narrative very well done.

All in all, a strong recommendation for enjoyers of historical fiction who want to learn more about this period in history.

2 stars probably seems like a harsh rating, considering that there's nothing particularly wrong with this book at all. It's just that it had a really hard time holding my attention and I basically spent its second half just waiting for it to finish (I'm not good at dropping books halfway through, unless they're really terrible, which this isn't).

So what's up?
First of all, I did not really care much about the couple at the center of this space romance: It's a classic pairing of ditzy sunshine (a nerdy version) and quiet, unreadable, overly muscular man hunk way too concerned with his honour. The PoV character Kee (the sunshine) is not uncompelling, but I generally found it hard to connect with and get invested in any of the main characters in the book - they're all just a little too perfect somehow. The way they are a chosen family is cute and great to see overall, but I found a lot of those scenes cheesy, and those where they constantly tease each other about their sex life in the middle of a space drama were really cringe.
The central conflict keeping the couple apart in the later 2/3s of the book is a stupid personal honour thing on the part of the male MC - it's made very clear that it's an alien cultural norm, but since the aliens in question are invented by a human author, I still don't care for them.
I love a fluffy, sweet romance, but that vibe did not fit for this particular pairing, nor with the dramatic sci-fi story making up the rest of the book.
I also found the sex scene at the end pretty cringe.

So overall, not for me. I thought I'd really like it, but I didn't - but your mileage may vary!
This definitely feels like it's just not for me. I've just recently read a different space romance (Ocean's Echo) with telepathic communication which just grabbed me so much more - higher stakes, compelling characters with depth, the mental connection being far more emotionally interesting... This one really didn't measure up in comparison.

This is quite different from Winter's Orbit (which I also loved), but once again a compelling science fiction story able to stand on its own paired with an emotionally hard-hitting romantic connection between the two main characters.

I love the world building behind Maxwell's sci-fi universe and cannot wait to read more books in this world. The two instalments so far are set in different sectors of space - so they take place cosmic distances away from each other - and consequently the planets, cultures and structures of government are different, but Maxwell has done a really good job in making her universe recognisable and distinct nonetheless. I think showing the readers a different (inter-)planetary society in a common universe is a great move!

Overall, Ocean's Echo is emotionally harder hitting, grittier and more complex than the first book in the series, so it does feel like a real evolution.
Romance readers should be aware that while the personal relationship between the main characters is absolutely at the centre of the plot, and imo very well done, the characters are constantly surrounded by and dragged into dramatic outside events, so while I find their growing trust in each other and eventual deep attachment intensely romantic (and definitely sexy in parts), it is not sexual on the page.