Edit:  I've been wearing these boots for a few days and they are so comfortable! My feet are hard to please, too.  I absolutely love a hidden wedge and wish there were more out there.

These boots are just what I wanted them to be except for the color. The 'deep camel' is sort of mocha - no yellow tones except in the darker areas. Not wht I see on any screen nd not the color of any camel I've ever seen but I haven't seen many camels. I don't have really large calves but they have never been skinny and this boot still has room at the top which I wanted. The laces  do affect tightness around the heel a bit so if your heel is  bit narrower you might like this feature as I do. I usually wear  9, ordered  9, length is perfect. A little loose in the foot but because the suede is so soft on my foot, no rubbing even without socks. I ordered unlined for a summer boot. If you are on the smaller end of a size like only rarely a 9, you might want to size down to an 8.5.  These look really good with the big Mordenmiss dresses.