This is really beautifully written. I find it a bit too lingering near the end, with dialogue just a little too earnestly sentimental for me, but I enjoyed the lyrical writing so much that I can't help but give it 4 stars. ( )

This novella is very much a sparkling trip to Vienna, a vivid and lavish slice of culture.

Yet, a story with a heroine who's so down on herself and her life, while pining or falling for one man or another, doesn't make for the most compelling kind of romance reading to me. I wind up wishing such a heroine would postpone getting involved with a hero and save romance for another time in the future, after she's learned to love herself better first.

I got almost halfway through this book before deciding not to continue, but I enjoy this author's style, and it's not the only Three Quarter Time novella I'm going to try.