I am SO glad I returned to this. I originally eyeballed this one and DNF'd just over halfway through. I returned to it on audio, having heard fantastic reviews of the narration, and it really brought this story to life for me. I loved the deep dive into the sapphic artist community in France during this era, the examination of the kinds of agency a woman might take for herself - and the limits even then. Cora is seemingly on top of the world as a wealthy widowed Duchess, and yet, she can't claim happiness or partnership for herself without risking a trade empire and reputation she built through personal sacrifice. Manuela has some advantage - namely, valuable land - and yet can't trade it for what she really wants, independence from her family's expectations. The push-and-pull between these two felt so visceral, and I loved how Herrera forced both to do some internal reckoning to achieve a happily-ever-after. Highly recommend on audio - can't wait for Aurora's story in book three!