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The Secret Swan is one of Shana Abe's medieval romances from the period before her Drakon series, with the kind of careful Welsh-English border setting Abe handles well and a hero-heroine dynamic that is mostly built on the inheritance dispute the book uses as its structural frame.
The romance follows the genre rules. The period research is genuine. The household scenes carry the kind of small textured detail that distinguishes Abe's historical work. The plot machinery in the back half is slightly thin.
Three stars. A pleasant historical romance for fans of the form. Abe's Drakon books are stronger if you have not read them.
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