This seemed a rather academic romance, as most of the book is spent with the two characters discussing the philosophy of love in detail, obviously influenced by Plato's [b:The Symposium|81779|The Symposium|Plato|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520522475l/81779._SY75_.jpg|1488719] which the two main characters are reading. I enjoyed how the plot allowed a kind of exploration of several aspects of Regency England's ideas on sex - the characters visit a brothel, an orphanage/workhouse, a molly house, a play, church, a party, the countryside, etc. in efforts to prove to one another whether or not love actually exists and how to define it. There's also a lot of actual poetry which I enjoyed.
Of course, over all this, they end up falling in love with each other. It's a very slow burn romance between two engaging characters with a HEA. ( )