Book Review: The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan

Summary (courtneymilan.com)

An idealistic suffragette...

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has put her heart and soul into her newspaper, known for its outspoken support of women's rights. Naturally, her enemies are intent on destroying her business and silencing her for good. Free refuses to be at the end of her rope...but she needs more rope, and she needs it now.

...a jaded scoundrel...

Edward Clark's aristocratic family abandoned him to die in a war-torn land, so he survived the only way he could: by becoming a rogue and a first-class forger. When the same family that left him for dead vows to ruin Miss Marshall, he offers his help. So what if he has to lie to her? She's only a pawn to use in his revenge.

...and a scandal seven years in the making.

But the irrepressible Miss Marshall soon enchants Edward. By the time he realizes that his cynical heart is hers, it's too late. The only way to thwart her enemies is to reveal his scandalous past...and once the woman he loves realizes how much he's lied to her, he'll lose her forever.

My Thoughts:

I have been up and down with the Brothers Sinister series, I have to admit. I loved the prequel novella, but didn't enjoy the Duchess Wars, Heiress grew on me, and I really did love The Countess Conspiracy. 

So I knew I had to read The Suffragette Scandal, if only to finish the series, sadly this one falls into the "I didn't like it/meh!" category for me. It's nothing specific really, other that I just didn't connect with Free, I wanted to, she sounded great but I just didn't have a bond with her (the way I did have a bond with Violet, and perhaps that's why I'm judging this book a little harsh). 

I did like the hero, Edward Clark, and I could empathize  with him a lot, but he was only one half of the story and not enough to carry it all way way through in the end. But really, I think it just comes to personality types this time around, I really don't enjoy people and characters with Free's personality so this book wasn't for me, still it was well written and well researched and it has its moments of being as good as any other Courtney Milan book (which is very good!). 

And it was nice to catch up with older characters from previous books. 

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.  

 

Speed Date: A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

The Deal: Despite her secret heartbreak - or perhaps because of it - Lydia Charingford is always cheerful and positive. Only the people closest to her - like her parents and best friend Minnie - know what happened to her when she was 15 and she intends to keep it that way. And so far she has succeeded... except for where Dr. Jonas Grantham is concerned. He knows. 

What happened to Lydia is something Jonas hasn't been able to forget even though, at first, he hadn't connected her (as an adult) to that event that haunted him through most of his Medical training. When he returned to town to take over the local doctor's practice he only tried to get acquainted with Lydia because he thought her pretty, but in the months since he has fallen in love with her, even if she rarely ever has a civil word to him and avoids him as much as she can.

But with Christmas coming - and in between the worries about his father's failing health - Jonas has decided it's time to finally tell Lydia know how he feels and move on, one way or another.

My Thoughts: A Kiss for Midwinter is a novella that packs a punch. If you read The Duchess War already you might already know what happened to Lydia but for those who don't wanna know, I'm going into spoiler zone!

So, when Lydia was 15 she was seduced by a guy 10 years older and left pregnant, she didn't know he was already married and she believed him when he said they were engaged and that she wouldn't get pregnant by what they were doing (yes, he specifically tells her this). 

When she finds out about his duplicity, and the doctor is called to confirm the pregnancy, Jonas goes too (he was shadowing the old doctor in preparation for his leaving for school). The old doctor isn't very sympathetic and goes on about how corrupted Lydia is, and basically tells her parents they best hope she and the baby die, and then he leaves a prescription for Lydia for the symptoms. Jonas hears what the prescription is and he doesn't agree but since he hasn't even started medical school yet, he  doubts and doesn't say anything, something he deeply regrets because his suspicion was right and the old doctor basically poisoned Lydia and the baby. 

So, Lydia and Jonas don't meet again in the most auspicious circumstances later on. She tried to tell herself she's over the whole situation and pushes her pain down, but whenever she sees Jonas she takes it out on him, and the scene when he acknowledges this and tells her why it doesn't make him angry was so touching.

Jonas was such a wonderful character, he's straight forward, he doesn't judge the people he helps (weather they can pay or not) and tries to do his best. And he loves his father even if he's very hard to deal with lately due to illness that has left his body frail and his mind confused.

Lydia, harsh as she was on Jonas, my heart went out to her. And to her family, really her parents get the Best Parents award, particularly her dad. They totally have her backs and they never make her feel less-than because of what happened to her.

I wish I had gotten the chance to spend more time with Jonas and Lydia but I loved reading their story in A Kiss for Midwinter. It was a touching, tearful yet hopeful story. And yes, it did make me cry. 

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Ps - This story is part of the Brothers Sinister series. 

Book Review: The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

At First Sight: Minerva Lane has spent the last 12 years hiding everything she once was and living under the name Wilhelmina Pursling, a shy wallflower, almost-spinster who lives with her Great Aunts. She doesn't want her past to come out to the light, so she carefully blends into the background and deflects all and any attention that comes her way.

That is until she happens to met Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont while they were both hiding behind some curtains at a gathering; and for the first time in years, someone sees Minnie for all the things she is, and not just what she appears to be. 

Robert didn't expect to be mesmerized by Miss Pursling, but he is, she makes him smile, she makes him think and she challenges him, without caring that he's a duke - most men wouldn't like this, but Robert isn't most men.

He was born to great privilege, but had a rather lonely childhood, constantly being used as a bargaining chip in the war between his parents. His relationship with his mother is cold on good days and non-existent on the bad ones, and he has made it his life's work Not To Be Like His Father, who hurt so many people, including the mother of his (half)brother Oliver.

Robert is on a quest to right the evil deeds his father committed, but his path might put the people close to him in danger, including Minnie.

Second Glance: The Duchess War is the first full book of the Brothers Sinister series - there was an introductory novel called The Governess Affair which was awesome - and I was very excited to read it, and I'm happy to say that, over all, the book didn't disappoint.

Robert is such a darling character, he has such a strong moral center and takes his responsibilities to other people very seriously, and tries to be fair in all things. He's no a rake, he's a little embarrassed of his own power as a Duke, but he's not afraid to use his rank and station to protect the people he cares about like his cousin Sebastian, his brother Oliver and their friend Violet. And Minnie too.

Minnie, now she was a little harder to like, she has a lot of fears and has been hiding her true self for a long time, and sometimes that manifests itself in ways that aren't all that attractive, but once you learn what happened to her it makes sense. She still freaks out too much for my taste, and the big reveal of her past was a little underplayed, but it makes sense for her situation.

I loved her relationship with her best friend Lydia, I think that's where it's shown how a like she  and Robert are: they are both fierce about the people they care about, but they actually expect very little from them in a way that they are a lot harder on themselves than what they are on everyone else.

Still for me, Robert was the star of the book, he was the one I liked best and whom I felt for the most. 

Bottom Line: The Duchess Wars was a very good read. It wasn't perfect - there were some things I didn't like - but I LOVED the hero so much and I'm so excited to see where this series goes - the next book is about Oliver and it's called The Heiress Effect.

Favorite Quote: "Wars are won by careful attendance to boring detail. If you wait to see the cavalry charge, Your Grace, you'll have already lost." - Minnie

PS - Gotta say that each time Minnie's name was mentioned I kept adding the "Mouse" in my head. 

Speed Date: The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

The Cover and Tag-line are spot on!

The Deal: Hugo Marshall is used to dealing with the Duke of Claremont's many indiscretions, so much so that the duke simply expects him to make all his problems go away. The duke's - and Hugo's  - latest problem is Serena Barton. 

She's the woman standing outside the Duke's London home, demanding recognition and justice - for what? Hugo isn't sure, the Duke claims it's a laboral dispute, but Hugo knows better than to take the man's words at face value. 

So, he's charged with dealing with Serena, with making her go away and, though Hugo balks at the idea of hurting a woman, his fate is too entangled with the Duke's to let this escalate. 

The only problem is that he likes Serena, and the more time he spends trying to drive her away, the least he wants her to go. 

My Thoughts: I had never read Courtney Milan's books before, I don't know why, but when I heard The Governess Affair was a 100 page novella that introduced her next series I thought it was the perfect opportunity to sample her writing. 

And now I finally understand why so many people think she's awesome! In this short story, Courtney Milan packs a punch. I was so drawn into Hugo and Serena, in a few scenes I knew who they were and what mattered to them and I knew they belonged together. 

The writing is fun and witty - though I wouldn't cal it fluffy, it made me laugh a few times, particularly when Hugo and Serena write notes/letters to each other. 

I really loved the Governess Affair, and I'm really looking forward to the next few books in the series, starting with The Duchess War.

Favorite Quote: 

"No, Mr. Marshall. I will not be browbeaten, however nicely you do it. I am done with things happening to me. From her on out, I'm going to happen to things"

...

"Brave words," He said softly, "That's what it means to be ruthless. After all, I happen to other people on a regular basis."

"There was no convincing one another, no understanding one another. But when Serena had most needed it, her sister had given her a place to stay. For all that Freddy made her stomach hurt, they still shared an affection made bittersweet for all that divided them. Perhaps God gave one sisters to teach one to love the inexplicable."

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm