This was bad. The author seems to have a poor understanding of period facts and details: for example the mansion of an Earl, originating from the 15th century with 50 bedrooms and 10 drawing rooms, located in Cornwall - seriously? Or an Earl having not the least interest or sense of duty to marry and produce an heir, claiming his younger half-brother should produce one - who isn't even wed nor seems to be on the lookout for a wife himself.
Generally, the integration of several plot points feels rather forced, whereas very obvious solutions to the problems or issues of the protas are just ignored for the sake of getting to the plot points the author wants. Both FMC and MMC have tendencies towards TSTL and cavemannish behaviour respectively. The plot makes several larger jumps which I personally felt jarring in the way they were done.
But the worst was the clichéd treatment of the MMC's injury or rather disability and the ableistic treatment of the issue, including the clichéd miraculous recovery. But lo and behold, even then the FMC and MMC don't get together because the MMC continues to be totally dense about things, and it needs another forced plot point to make him see reason, realise his feelings, and finally get the girl - or let the girl have him.
There's a lot more wrong with this book, the characterisations and treatment of the protas and their actions, but I'll keep it to what bothered me most:
Half through the story the MMC is injured aboard his ship and ends up paralysed - although with his bodily functions intact. He instantly turns into a picture book caveman who also completely lost any of his previous character traits, like for exampel he seems to have lost any sense of responsibility and caring he had in abundance before - and of course the injury/disability is shown as the end of his life.
The injury brings the FMC back to his side and she sacrifices herself and her happiness for his sake and to make him better, and even though both rekindle their love and desire for each other, no attempt is made to do more than kiss, and of course nothing more is possible, too. Then a young doctor with different ideas appears who is convinced the MMC would be able to walk again, and of course this happens. Once MMC is back on his legs his life resumes, he can have sex again, and everything is nearly as before, including his blatant disregard of the FMC.
It really bothers me when a character with a disability or similar is depicted in this way, as having no worth, no options, no means of leading a good and successful life, no chance of finding a loving partner or having sex, but instead showing so clearly that the only way to happiness, fulfilment and a relationship is through an able body. Even considering the time the book was written this was already an outdated notion and shows poor research, and it's rather surprising that the author has got the description of the MMC's recovery down in such plausible-sounding detail (I'm no pro so I can't say for sure), but gets the other part so wrong, which makes it feel like a deliberate choice. ( )