As a fan of the books I was delighted that they would get treatment on film. While there are differences the spirit of the first book shines through.
The casting is brilliant as are the costumes and sets.
The mixture of races is not historically accurate but that is more a shame than anything. It is as things SHOULD have been. I have no problem with the casting choices in the series.
I look forward to the other books in the series to be filmed. The books are a delight with a mixture of romance, humor, and heart. So far the filmed version is the same.