The Editor in Chief truly did like it,but as I said before the historical romance "expert" missed the point completely and her words were actually (in type) much harder to take. We thought at the time that she was inept, but in thinking back, if she didn't "get it" then perhaps that was a good reason for rejection. Maybe readers wouldn't "get it" either.
There are always going to be people -- editors, readers, critics -- who don't get it. That doesn't necessarily mean the book is good or bad, or that the person is right or wrong. This business is a lot more subjective than most people realize, and there's a large element of luck involved.
Again, for a bit of perspective remember that
Miss Spitfire got three completely different responses from three different publishers: No, Maybe, and Yes. If my agent told me the reason for the no, I've forgotten it. The folks who said maybe wanted some revisions that I didn't agree with. The guy who said yes was so taken with the manuscript that he went right to the library and checked out Helen Keller's autobiography to continue fueling his interest in the story -- just as I did after seeing
The Miracle Worker on stage. He wanted some revisions, too, but they were changes that I immediately knew how to implement, and made me excited for the chance to enhance the story. My agent didn't know beforehand that Justin would fall for Annie and Helen -- it was luck. And the other two editors weren't wrong -- they just didn't share my vision for the story the way Justin did.
Another thing to keep in mind is that an editor has to be so smitten with your manuscript that they're willing to invest tens of thousands of dollars and 2-3 years of work on it. Of all the books you've read and genuinely enjoyed, how many have resonated THAT deeply with you? Your writing can be top-notch, yet you may get rejected until you find an editor who feels a strong connection to your work.