Book Review: The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan

At First Sight: Sebastian Malheur is a private man who has a way with the ladies and loves making people smile. He also happens to be one of the leading experts on evolution, inheritance and reproduction, something none of his friends would have ever pegged him for growing up, but which has made him both revered and vilified through out England for the past five years.

But there is a small problem though, all those theories and papers he reads aren't really his, they belong to his best friend Violet Waterfield, dowager Countess of Cambury. Violet and Sebastian grew up together and as adults they have kept each other pretty close, even through Violet's marriage to another man.

For her, Sebastian would do anything, even play the part of a progressive scientist.

Violet's theories and experiments gave her strength at points of her life where nothing else would, same as Sebastian, who was always around and never asked questions, just tried to make her smile. Having seen what the public has done to Sebastian - how he's called a rake and a degenerate - she's terrified of what'll happen if it's ever found that she's the one behind all the scandalous discoveries.

More over, since she was a child, Violet was taught to fear scandal and to keep all her emotions reigned in, so nothing and no one could even come close to the secrets and scandals her family keeps locked tight.

Second Glance: Okay, so The Countess Conspiracy is the third full - length book in the Brother Sinister's series and so far my favorite. During The Duchess Wars and The Heiress Effect, Sebastian and Violet have been in the background, and we have known little of them other than they are very loyal to the other Brothers Sinister and that they are usually in each other's company.

This time they are front and center, and from the very start their story grabbed me. Violet is prickly and so introverted that she even made Me feel outgoing. She doesn't like to be touched and works very hard at concealing everything that makes her who she is deep inside. Yet, I never felt like Sebastian was too good for her, of that he deserved better. I just rooted for Sebastian to crack her shell because she needed him so much.

Violet's story is really sad and I felt sorry for her, and I cried, but I never felt like she was a weak, she was awesome and though I not always liked her, I always found her lovable, even when she couldn't see it herself.

Sebastian was amazing. It had been a while since I had read a hero so decent and so nice, yet he's not a push over (except with Violet sometimes, but he's determined not to let her cheat herself out of the good things she deserves).

There were some scenes with him that just made me swoon. And I loved how much he cared for Violet as a friend, and how much he wanted his brother to be proud of him. There was so much about him I hadn't guessed at from the previous books, but that I was happy to discover.

Also, Violet's mom? yeah, just keep her in mind. 

Bottom Line: I think the Countess Conspiracy was my favorite historical romance I read this year. It was so good, and it made me cry but also made me very happy. Totally recommend.