Tess Aubreyson has visions at night of what might happen in the future. While the dreams are often helpful for her and her fellow students at the Stranje House, they usually lead to death and despair, and she fears she will go mad like her mother before her. When her dreams reveal important information about the traitor, Lady Daneska, and Ghost, the leader of a group that supports Napoleon, she will do everything she can to save her friends and her love, Lord Ravencross.

While I highly enjoyed Georgie's adventures in the first book, A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS, Tess's sharp tongue and inner conflict make EXILE FOR DREAMERS my current favorite in this enchanting series. The atmosphere of the Stranje House is consuming, and each character shows distinct personality in this school where they are taught how to placate society into believing they are docile young women while secretly learning how to be spies. Tess's runs on the grounds reveal how well she knows every inch of the estate, and her comfort in the House shows how much she loves her role. As she runs and fights to escape the madness for which she believes she is doomed, readers will sympathize with her distress but recognize her strength long before she will herself.

Lord Ravencross brings a surprising amount of sweetness and humor, somehow offering relief to the high stress moments concerning Napoleon, though Ravencross is often tied into them. One refreshing aspect of the relationship between him and Tess is that miscommunication is not their problem. The honesty between them (with one exception) charges their scenes with high emotion and drama, and readers are sure to fall hard for this sweet and spicy pairing.

Expertly balancing characters, EXILE FOR DREAMERS gives a very satisfying conclusion to Tess's part of the story and paves the way for another Stranje House young lady to tell hers. Kathleen Baldwin's Stranje House series is an unforgettable alternate history with swoon-inducing romance, feisty young women, and breathtaking action.