Let me start off by saying that I typically dislike and stay away from all Republican dramas (blame it on the previous tragic ones I've seen). However, I decided to start this because of accidentally bumping into a short clip on IG - even from a 10 second clip of the leads kissing, I could feel the sizzling chemistry between them and it led me to this drama (and what perfect timing!).

I didn't have high hopes going in and I was expecting to drop it after a few episodes but boy, was I wrong.

The story and both leads captivated me immediately and I ended up binging 9 episodes the same day. Honestly, I'm a longtime fan of historical romance novels, so this genre has always been my cup of tea - a mixture of suspense, action, revenge, long intertwined family histories, and most of all slow-burn romance at the heart of it all.

I always love a strong female lead and while I am seeing many reviews saying they dislike her, I absolutely ADORE her - she won my heart from the first few scenes. And can we talk about how handsome the ML is? He looks so good in his large selection of suits that are perfectly tailored. This is the first drama I've seen with either Jing Tian or Timmy Xu and I ended up loving both of them - they were both perfect for their roles. I also really enjoyed their character development throughout the drama. She went from solely focusing on revenge to slowly dropping her guard and allowing herself to love. He went from the arrogant, rich son of the enemy to being mature and selfless.

The costumes were beautiful and the soundtrack was very fitting. CGI wasn't the best but let's be honest - C-dramas aren't known for their CGI, but I've seen worse so it didn't bother me at all (there were really only about 3 episodes with CGI that lasted like 2 mins each anyway). While there were some flaws, all the important characters were pretty fleshed out, and we received closure for them, which I always appreciate. While there were some scenes that seemed injected last minute to extend runtime towards the end (you'll know when you see it), I'm overall very satisfied with the ending and left with fuzzy feels.

I'd say parts of the plot can be heavy and is definitely for more mature audiences. There are some lighthearted scenes as well, to offset this, but just don't expect any teenybopper stuff here. The drama may be slow paced in some areas but I was never bored and was at the edge of my seat most times. Overall, this is one of the best executed stories from a drama I’ve seen.

Don't let the rating and negative comments deter you. I haven't been this enamored by a drama for a while and I'd highly recommend this. I almost never rewatch dramas but I'll be rewatching this one as it's definitely become one of favorites.