1. What obstacles do you think Annabelle and Sebastian will face now that they have finally chosen to be together, considering the opposition their union will encounter in their social circles? How do you envision their first year of marriage?

2. Why do you think Annabelle rejected the position of Sebastian's mistress even thought it would have given her the safety net she badly needed? Do you agree or disagree with her choices?

3. Annabelle and Sebastian navigate complicated gender and power dynamics as they build their relationship. How would you describe these? How do you think their relationship compares to modern standards?

4. Annabelle and her friends organize protests and lobby politicians to fight for their rights. What parallels can you draw to today's politician activism? How has political activism changed since then?

I thought the book surprised me by how it managed the power and gender dynamics between a common woman and a duke. If anything were slightly different it may have turned out differently. Annabelle was stubborn and prideful and completely unafraid of upsetting him unless it was with his personal or official business, and Sebastian respected her as a woman—and more importantly, as a person. He could have hurt her or tried to use his influence to blackmail or use her, but he used it to protect her from people who were willing to wield their power irresponsibly (see: the police).

There were moments of dubious consent in the book, especially where kisses were concerned, but seeing the interactions from Annabelle's POV made it clear that her reservations were tied to propriety rather than being with him, and almost immediately after she's willing to risk it all for him.

I like how the possibility of being his mistress was explored. It would have been beneficial for both of them, but it was not what either of them really needed in the end. Annabelle, a woman who suffered reputation damage early in her life, was unwilling to become a man's mistress, and Sebastian would have ended with a second unhappy marriage if he'd made her his mistress instead of his wife.

I HAVE MORE THOUGHTS BUT I WANT TO HEAR YOURS.