This book is the 2nd part of a trilogy and is set in the late 1800's. I didn't read the first book, but maybe if I did, I would have enjoyed the story more. The plot is saturated with unrequited love, infidelity, sibling loyalty, and betrayal. Two characters were exceptionally horrible. If they were standing in my living room right now, I would do both of them bodily harm. The syntax was difficult to understand at times because the author is a Scot writing about people living in Scotland. Unless you are from that part of the world or are familiar with all things Scottish, you would need to read some of the sentences twice to understand. Some of the storyline centered around topics that were forbidden to talk about in the nineteenth century. I enjoyed the way they were talked about and boldy dealt with. ( )