Written on the Wind (#02 in The Blackstone Legacy Series)

I liked the different slant on this historical romance. Getting to know someone over years of communication before meeting is not a normal plot line in the historical era. An intelligent woman and a vain but good hearted man make for some interesting conversations. I love the culture clash and the way they work through things. The time period and circumstances make things a bit frustrating and slow going at moments, but I guess that is part of the charm.

When Dimitri reports witnessing an illegal massacre, he is stripped of his title and estates and sentenced to seven years in a Siberian prison. He realises he has to escape and find his way to the USA, where Natalia can help him make the truth about the massacre known. That's obviously a tragedy, but I didn't understand enough of the politics to see why this was so important to the Americans. \\n\\nAs a result, I didn't find Written on the Wind as compelling as some of Elizabeth Camden's other novels. That's a shame, because I'd been looking forward to Natalia and Dimitri's story. \\n\\nI think part of the problem was the friends-to-more plot. Natalia and Dimitri had been corresponding for three years before they met, and their relationship had progressed from business to personal. It therefore seemed natural that they'd like each other when they finally met in person, but the whole thing seemed too easy. \\n\\nThat's not typical for novels by Elizabeth Camden, who usually manages to write stories with unique with original settings and issues. That uniqueness is one of the strengths of her stories. Written on the Wind is the second book in The Blackstone Legacy series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. \\n\\nThanks to Baker Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook review.