First things first; love the cover! That's a plus. I think most booklover's will agree and, on looks alone, this book would fly off bookstore shelves. My first impression? The excerpt fell short with its attempt to impress me. I'm generally fair when allowing a book to grow on me. I'm not a quitter, but after thirty five pages, I need something to excite me. That's the difficulty in judging a book by an excerpt. Maybe it's the wrong one. Perhaps another excerpt of same book would portray the characters and storyline in a better light. I like the premise. I love Austen's PERSUASION. I adore retellings of cherished classics. This excerpt failed to hit its mark. Maybe if I read more I could be persuaded BY THE BOOK. (See what I did there?! 😉😁)