The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan

Miss Jane Fairfield has four hundred eighty days until her sister reaches her majority and she can free her from her guardian.  However, during those days she must find a way to ward off any suitors after her one hundred thousand pound dowry because if she marries before her sister is old enough, her sister could be lost forever.  Her solution is simple, be dreadful at all times.  Dress flamboyantly.  Say the wrong things to important people and make them uncomfortable so they stay away yet do not completely shun her due to her wealth.  One man sees through her ruse though.  Mr. Oliver Marshall finds the bold Jane intriguing and finds himself drawn to her even though she is far from what he needs in his life as he tries to achieve success in Parliament.  Yet when he is asked to teach her a sharp lesson, he finds himself wavering but maybe not quite enough.  Will Oliver find the courage to keep Jane, just as she is, or will he push her away?

Everytime I start a new Courtney Milan story, I know I am in for a emotional, layered tale.  Each piece fits and builds to the next and you slowly savor it as you go.  The romance of Jane and Oliver is slow, built upon friendship first and put to the test due to Oliver's ambitions.  I really adored Jane and how she is ignorant on purpose.  Her clothing choices were a delight and created a vivid blur in my mind.  Jane is bold, stubborn and her uncle, her sisters guardian, feels she is a bad influence due to her birth and having to be dreadful and find a way to protect her sister from her uncles attempts to cure her seizures, weary.  Jane forces Oliver to not stand back and be walked over due to his upbringing.  He has felt out of place due to having a duke for a father (on the wrong side of the blanket) and being accepted by his half brother and being raised by his working class father.  He rarely tells the whole truth to people as a result and Jane lets him do this.  Together they fit yet they shouldn't.  Jane is wrong for where he wants to go in the world but he needs her to be himself.  There is a secondary romance between Jane's sister and a wonderful suitor that I almost wished would have been a whole story in and of itself but it just added another layer to shaping Jane and Oliver.  This is another winner from an author I think is tops for the historical genre.  True love finding a place between an unlikely, yet perfectly fit, couple who need to accept themselves with subtle humor, a dash of heat and a promise to make you smile.  4 1/2 stars

Review copy provided by the author via netgalley.com

The Brothers Sinister series
Best enjoyed in order but this one could be read as a standalone

                                                                                             Late 2013             2014

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

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Miss Minerva Lane lives her life quietly and recedes to the shadows, keeping the attention away from her.  When she was a child being the center of attention ended very badly for her and it has scarred her for life, physically and emotionally.  Now the Duke of Clermont catches her hiding from a would be suitor and Robert is instantly intrigued by this woman who is quiet yet leaves a mark with her clever remarks.  As Minnie starts to piece together Robert's involvement in a possible workers movement she finds new layers of him and in turn, he starts to peel back the shell that Minnie has so carefully constructed around herself.  But when Robert's brother suddenly becomes accountable for all of Robert's actions, how can Robert help him while protecting Minnie and not revealing all her secrets?

Now, I will start off by saying I am a total Courtney Milan fangirl and I (im)patiently await each new release of hers and the wait for The Duchess War was worth it!  It is so well crafted and written in a way that you just savor each word and you are sad when it is over.  Minnie is determined to keep her scandalous past in the past and she portrays herself as a quiet, mousy type woman but Robert makes her start to hope again, to want to be her true clever, interesting self.  Robert is a refreshing duke.  He refuses to be like his father, cold and expecting everything handed to him just because he is a duke but in the process, his father pushed his mother away (since she controlled the purse strings) so Robert currently has a very strained relationship with her and all he wants is a family to love him.  In the process to prove he is nothing like his father, he tries to right all his wrongs and if that means treating the workers in the factories more fairly and letting them know through handbills, than so be it.  He expects so little for himself that he can not believe that Minnie could ever forgive him for his actions after her previous betrayal.  Together they make a complex yet beautifully simple couple that fit together perfectly.  The ending is sure to tug on your heart strings and I just loved it.  And even though I don't like a lot of history in my romance books, the workers movement information was threaded in in a way that did not overwhelm the story for me and it provided a nice backdrop.  Overall a beautiful, heart breaking romance with humor, love and forgiveness written by one of the finest historical romance authors.  Just lovely.  5 stars

eARC provided by the author, thank you!

The Brothers Sinister series

 
                                     Dec 2012                                2013

New Covers

New covers shared recently. . .

Amelia Grey shared the cover for the final title in her Rogues' Dynasty series, The Rogue Steals a Bride.  I have yet to read anything by her buy have picked up quite a few of her titles.  Lovely cover.  Look for this one July 2013.

I love the title and cover for Elizabeth Boyle's next release, And the Miss Ran Away With the Rake!  The cover is very eye catching and I am very excited for its March 26th release!  This will be book two in the Rhymes with Love series.

Jane Ashford is a new to me author but it looks like she wrote books in the 80s-90s and then took a break and is back with Once Again a Bride.  It has a lovely cover as well and I downloaded it for review so I am anxious to read it!  Look for its release February 5th. 

Jennifer Ashley is releasing a novella in her popular MacKenzie series!  She is self publishing The Perfect Gift sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Can't wait!!  Nice cover as well :)

And one more holiday treat that I found when I stopped by Courtney Milans website!!  A novella she had no intention of writing but the character didn't let go.  Look for A Kiss for Midwinter in December.  Very excited for this one as well and the cover is perfect for a holiday novella!

Another batch of books I want now, lol!  Hope everyone is doing well and my thoughts and prayers with anyone affected by Hurricane Sandy and hopefully I can be on a bit more soon once real life work slows down :)  Any of these books being added to your list to read?

Midnight Scandals by Carolyn Jewel, Courtney Milan & Sherry Thomas

One Starlight Night by Carolyn Jewel

A wonderful romance about a love thought gone!  Portia and Viscount Northwood shared a brief, passionate affair ten years ago and the ramifications are still being felt today.  It caused deep heartache for Portia and Northwood and also her brother.  But with Portia set to wed a dull man just to escape her maddening sister in law, Northwood can not let his feelings be disregarded any longer.  A wonderfully rounded romance dealing with the difficulties of a second chance romance and great supporting characters (seriously, Portia's sister in law is going to be someone who want to smack!) with a good dose of steam!  I could have used a mini epilogue though but thats just me...love my epilogues :)  4 1/2 stars

What Happened at Midnight by Courtney Milan

This was another wonderful romance about a love thought gone as well but in a totally different vein!  Mary Chartley is forced to take a position as a lady's companion after her fathers death and subsequent revelations about his embezzlement.  To make matters worse, her fiance, John, is one of the men he stole from.  Devastated, she returns his ring and flees saying she has no idea where the money went.  When John should suddenly show up at a neighboring estate of her new position, she is sure he is there to turn her in.  But John sees how subdued Mary has become, he is determined to find out what happened once and for all.  As they find scant time together, as Mary is being 'protected' by her employer and has no time for herself, they slowly find there way back to each other and a very satisfying conclusion to the embezzlement dilemma.  Courtney Milan is one of my favorite authors and she has yet again crafted a romance that is beautiful and deep with an eye for detail that I enjoy.  I may have learned a bit more about drainage systems than I would have liked but it sets the tone for the period very well.  The home at which Mary works is the common theme amongst these novellas are connected and it is obvious the authors communicated well with each other because there are just enough details to tie them together.  4 1/2 stars

A Dance in Moonlight by Sherry Thomas

My review for this will come at a later date as I have not yet read Ravishing the Heiress and I know this novella features a secondary character from that book and I prefer to read books in order :)

For the two stories I did read, I would highly recommend this book!  (And I have no doubt the third will be just as good.)  Each author has managed to craft a complete, well written, highly enjoyable story with equal bits of romance, emotion, steam and with an attention to detail for the time period they are writing in.   I hope to see these authors collaborate together again in the future!

Unraveled (Audio edition) by Courtney Milan

Something you may not know about me is that I listen to audiobooks while I work.  It allows me to enjoy some books that I previously might not have been able to find the time to read.  When the narrator for one of my favorite books, Unraveled, asked me to give my thoughts on the narration, I was more than happy to assist!  So if you are looking for my book review, you can find it here and I'm happy to say, I enjoyed the story just as much the second time around!

The narration for this story is done by Nicole Quinn and I found her narration to be done well.  Her voice is a bit unique with a nice raspy tone that worked very well with the setting of this story.  Since the story is set in the working class area of London, I really appreciated hearing a narration that fit.  She did a wonderful job with all the different characters--I could always tell when Miranda or Smite was speaking and that is always important to me as I get distracted by my work sometimes and miss parts of the audio.  At times, some characters were harder to understand, especially the ones in the courtroom, but that dialect can be hard for me to read sometimes as well.  I will admit at first I was not sure if I was going to enjoy the narration, but after I settled in, I grew to enjoy the performance.  I thought her accents, both male and female, worked well with the setting of this story.  Overall, I thought this was a good fit for a favorite book of mine.  The dialects, romance and action all were captured in a way that I found enjoyable.  4 stars for narration.

Three Weddings and a Murder by Tessa Dare, Leigh LaValle, Courtney Milan and Carey Baldwin

First, this is an anthology that the proceeds go to raise funds for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  Please read more here and here.  Such a great cause and such a generous donation!  Thanks ladies!!

Now, for a quick recap of a great anthology!

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

For a novella, I usually prefer the couple to have know each other previously for the story to work better in the shorter space but in this one they don't...and it still works!  Miss Eliza Cade made a foolish mistake when she was younger and pays for it no by not being able to have a Season until her three older sisters are married.  She unintentionally meets the notorious rake, Harry Wright and they both capture each others attention.  A bit of time passes and a chance encounter reacquaints them, and the desire and attraction still burns.  With clever chapter titles and superb writing skills, you will fall for this couple and hope they overcome the obstacles that continue to arise.  Tessa Dare is an auto buy author for me and she proves why, even in the shorter story length.  4 stars 

The Misbehaving Marquess by Leigh LaValle

If you read Leigh LaValle's debut, The Runaway Countess, you know that Cat is in an unhappy marriage with her husband leaving her alone for five years.  When Jamie suddenly returns home and demands he wants an heir, all the hurt and unresolved feelings from the past five years come back full force.  It takes a small 'aha' moment for Jamie to finally talk to Cat about what happened in the past and try to forgive and move forward.  But when Cat reveals her own heartache, will they be able to overcome the last hurdle to find a way to renew their vows and start anew?  This was a very engaging story to a secondary character from a previous book and I am very happy with the results.  We get a small peek into Mazie's life as well and I am anxious for more books from the very talented Leigh LaValle!  4 stars


The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan

Simon Davenant was crushed when his childhood sweetheart married another, just to have money since his father was going to cut him off if he dared marry Ginny.  Now, seven years later, Ginny is a widow and he has three days to make her fall back in love with him before his new found wealth disappears.  But Ginny had her reasons for marrying for money and when they come up, it about undoes Simon's plans.  I enjoyed the banter between this couple, how they were always trying to one up each other and the ultimate one up comes at the end and was a nice little twist, which you don't always get in a novella.  Another enjoyable story for one of my favorite authors.  Seriously, Courtney Milan could write the phone book in a way that would be enjoyable :)  4 stars

Solomon's Wisdom by Carey Baldwin

It was kind of weird going from historical to romantic suspense, but once I got my brain adjusted I enjoyed this debut novella from Carey Baldwin.  It is about two couples, one long estranged and one happily married with a son and what happens when some mysterious bruises appear on the child.  The chain reactions from this event make for a quick story and twists and turns that worked all right with the novella length, but I felt would have been better situated as a full length or slightly longer novella story.  It was an enjoyable, quick read and a nice taste for what is to come in the future.  3 1/2 stars


Overall, I enjoyed all the novellas and they seem to be a good taste of each authors work.  For historical romance fans, I would recommend them all.  They will make you smile and laugh and sigh and leave you with a happy heart...and your heart is sure to pound a bit with the last one.  Overall, 4 stars

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

I'm not quite sure how to write up a review for this novella without giving away some spoilers so I am just going to say--as I started reading this and seeing how the plot was to unfold, I thought...how can this end happily without damaging Serena further than she has already been hurt?  Have no fear, there is no reason to doubt Courtney Milan (not that I really did).  This story is going to make you sigh, smile, laugh and make you fall hard for the Wolf of Clermont, Hugo.  How Hugo handles the delicate situation that Serena finds herself in following an encounter with his boss, a duke, is one of the sweetest, sexiest scenes I have read in some time.  I loved it.
Overall, not much to say except this is yet another winner from the ever-talented Ms Milan.  Novellas always leave me wanting more, and yes, I wanted more from this one too, but it also tied everything up and made me happy.  It gives you just enough of a glimpse into the start of the new series and has made me even more anxious for the full-lengths!  This is a wonderful story of two stubborn people who fall in love under unfortunate circumstances but finally prevail to find the happiness they have both been missing!  4 1/2 stars


Upcoming Brothers Sinister's series

   Summer 2012        Late 2012             2012/2013

New Covers

Here are some of the lovely new covers revealed recently. . .

The first lovely, lovely cover is for an upcoming debut from Anne Barton.  But sigh...this one doesn't come out until Jan 29, 2013!!  Ah well, it is on my radar and I can't wait to read it!

Sweet Deception is book two Heather Snow's Veiled Deception series and also has a lovely cover that blends beautifully with her debut title.  This one will be out August 7th.

I can't wait to read this anthology!!  Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas and Carolyn Jewel all in one?!?  Yes, please!  Ms Milan shared this on Facebook and said to look for it in August.

And yet another anthology with another great batch of authors!  Ok, fine.  I have not heard of Carey Baldwin and I'm wondering if she will be the murder story?  The other three authors write historicals so I'm interested to see a synopsis of this one.  Look for it in May.

Oh, I love this one!! I really enjoyed Tiffany Clare's previous serious for its blend of heat, romance and uniqueness so I am so excited to read this one. Wicked Nights With a Proper Lady will be out October 30th.

One more to add!  Gaelen Foley shared the cover for her upcoming release, My Scandalous Viscount, which will be out Sept 25th.  This will finally be the story of Beau and Carissa and is book five in the Inferno Club series.  I like this cover :)

Overall, another great batch of covers all for books I am looking forward to reading!  Did any stand out for you?

New Covers

A few new covers to admire!

Sigh, I love Courtney Milan and she released all her upcoming covers in her Brothers Sinisters series which is to start with the novella, The Governess Affair, out sometime in spring.  There is more infor here about the entire series and I know I am eagerly looking forward to each one!!  Crossing my fingers she is able to get them all out this year :)  Ok, I will admit I am a little on the fence about the orange cover though...I mean did they really have that bright of orange then?  This is an updated cover than the first one that was out and I kind of liked the other one better.  But I really like the three full length novel covers!  Lovely dresses worn by strong women!

This next cover is from a new to me author and is the start of a new series called Wylder Sisters.  Isabella Bradford is a pseudonym for Susan Holloway Scott whose name I am not familiar with either.  But, When You Wish Upon a Duke sounds like it is going to be good!  (Three Wylder sisters--unruly county girls whose passion for life leaves their  London suitors breathless).  I really like this cover as well--lovely dress and I love the addition of the fan.  Look for this title July 31st. 

Oh, Sherry Thomas. You have some gorgeous covers for your upcoming trilogy this year.  Love them all. Tempting the Bride is the third book in the Fitzhugh Trilogy and I am anxious to read them all.  This one releases in October.  

I know, I know--you are wondering why there is a contemporary cover on here?  I read mainly historical romance but there are still a few contemporary authors on my auto buy list and one is Toni Blake.  She revealed her new cover this week and it is lovely.  I am a cat person so I love the cat on the cover and I know cats are always a part of her Destiny series.  Look for Willow Springs June 26th...just in time for a nice summer day!

Well, another passel of lovely covers!  Don't you wonder how the art departments come up with all these gorgeous covers?  What a fun job!  Too bad I am very un-creative, lol!

Most Antcipated for 2012

Ok, looking into the new year here are my 5 most anticipated traditionally published books:

Thief of Shadows (out July 1st) is finally Winter's story and as he has been so mysterious and quite for the most part until now, I can't wait to see how it plays out with the seemingly opposite Isabel. Ok, fine I can't wait for the next in the series either but since that says it has a publication of Dec 31st it will have to tag on to this one (Lord of Darkness).

I have adored all of Sarah MacLeans books so far and I am sure that A Rogue By Any Other Name will be another one added to my keeper cover (I mean, look at that cover!). This one releases on February 28th and I am beyond excited that I have it from Netgalley and get to read it a bit early. But I already have my paperback copy preordered :)

I don't read too many contemporaries lately but one author that is still on my auto-buy list is the talented Julie James and we can finally get Sawyer-look-alike Kyle's story on April 3rd in About That Night.

I know this is two books but since Mad about the Earl comes out in a few days on January 3rd, I also wanted to add A Duchess to Remember which will release on June 26th. I really enjoyed Christina Brooke's first historical and can't wait to see what happens next in the Ministry of Marriage series.

And finally I have The Rogue Pirate's Bride (out Feb 7th and I will be reading soon thanks to Netgalley and Ms Galen!).  Shana Galen instantly became an auto buy author for me with Lord and Lady Spy and I know this book has been greatly anticipated since it is the third in a trilogy so I can't wait to start it.  I believe she is working on something for later in the year as well and that will be on my anticipated list as well :)

As you may have noticed I said those were my traditionally published....that is because I have a few self-published authors that I am also eagerly awaiting and here are my top choices for them:

First up is two books from Lila Dipasqua. Undone will be out April 4th and is her first book through self publishing and I love the cover. I have loved everything I have read from her so I can't wait for this one!

But perhaps the one I am most anticipating is this one. Three Reckless Wishes (Sept 5th) follows A Midnight Dance (which I LOVED and left us with a bit of a cliffhanger) so I am just itching to read this one!!

My next author that I can't wait for their self published books is Ashley March who will be writing as Elise Rome starting in the new year.  She already has six books listed in the goodreads.com system and I think she will be doing some set in the 1920s so that should be fun!  Ashley is a great author who communicates so well with her readers and I adore her for that and I can't wait to see what the new year brings us from her! :)

The Governess Affair is the start of a new series from Courtney Milan and is a novella so I hope this means we can expect at least one full length novel as well :)  Release date to be determined.


So, these are all my choices for the new year.  What are you most looking forward too?