I have already reread it. In historical romance’s greatest writer (and increasingly open iconoclast) Courtney Milan’s latest novel, Trade Me, her work steps sideways into the New Adult genre. In their early twenties, the main characters are young enough to be my children, but instead of putting me off, it created a similar kind of narrative distance to the historical elements in the romances I generally prefer. So much has changed since I was that age that this really is a different world for […]
Sweet though it may be, it didn’t sing.
Courtney Milan has admirably taken up the mantle not just for plucky, smart heroines, but for explicitly academic ones. Complex theory as foreplay and technical jargon as sweet nothings are part of her repertoire. It’s these details, as well as Milan’s own formidable educational achievements, that have me recommending her as gateway romance for women who think themselves above romance. (Former member of that camp here.) In addition to her superlative characterization, she also rarely stumbles on the actual romance, and when she does, often […]
Reading a CBR Favorite for the first time
As you all know by now, emmalita was my book Santa this year. Here’s how awesome she is: she loaned me this ebook, to see if I’d like it. Courtney Milan is a popular writer around the Cannonball Read. I’m not a reader of romance, so I don’t keep up with the genre. But I noticed that people around here LOVE Milan. With a fervent, vocal ardor. So, in my CBR Book Exchange Wish List, I mentioned that I would be willing to give her […]
A well-deserved re-visit.
This very short novella is a prequel to the 8-volume Brothers Sinister series, telling the story of Serena Barton and Hugo Marshall. Parents to Oliver and Free (the protagonists of full novels 2 and 4 in the series), they are initially adversaries, pitted against each other by the current Duke of Clermont. See, Serena is carrying his illegitimate child, and the Duke is already in the doghouse with his wife who, naturally, is the one who comes from money, and the Duke needs that money. […]