A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

Dr. Jonas Grantham decided that he is ready to marry and makes a mental list of all the beautiful ladies in town and Miss Lydia Charingford wavers between number ten and eleven.  He remembers Lydia from his training days as a young man and knows her secret that she guards closely and has no real interest in pursuing her...until she speaks to him and then everything changes for him.  Jonas finds himself trying to talk to her and falling in love with her for over a year but each time they speak together, it comes out blunt and seems sarcastic.  Naturally, Lydia is on guard to men, especially to a man that knows her past, and thinks his advances are more carnal in nature.  Jonas sets a bet with Lydia, who is always cheerful and finds the good in everything, to accompany him on some rounds and see some of the less than pleasant aspects of his life.  Her goal, to never have Jonas speak to her again.  His goal, to get a proper kiss from Lydia.  What happens in the process is magical.

I'm always amazed how Courtney Milan can pack so much punch in a novella.  This is a story of two flawed, hurting individuals finding the love that seems just out of their reach.  And while we are watching the relationship develop, we get to see family relationships and how they shaped them to who they are today.  Jonas is dealing with his proud, hoarder father and how to communicate to him to leave his house and live in a more clean environment.  Lydia has a unique relationship with her father following her youthful indiscretion and I really enjoyed seeing a father love his daughter, no matter what.  Jonas is deliciously sarcastic, straight-forward, has an ill-timed sense of humor, blunt opinions and follows the new fad of washing your hands to prevent diseases spreading.  His devotion to Lydia and helping her see the hurt she has had buried, and needing to let it go, is lovely.  Lydia is a bit harder to warm up too as she just can't see past the wall she has built but once she finally truly listens to what Jonas is saying, she comes up with the most unique way to show Jonas her love.  I just adored this.  It is a heart warming story of love about two normal, non-titled flawed people, that will make you smile, hope and sigh with happiness.  4 1/2 stars

Love this line:

"Once you speak," he said, "you have no equal."

Review copy provided by author

The Brothers Sinister
(This could be read out of order, but the couple are mentioned in The Duchess War)

                                                                          Coming 2013