I am sorry to be one of many here, but Courtney Milan’s The Suffragette Scandal is my favorite of her Brothers Sinister series. Thus far. I haven’t read the novellas yet and I’m told by people who know such things that The Governess Affair is delightful. I will get to that one at some point I’m sure. Suffragette Scandal features Oliver Marshall’s (the lamest ‘hero’ in Milan’s oeuvre I’ve read so far) younger sister Frederica, or Free as her friends call her. We met her in Oliver’s novel I believe, fighting for women’s rights to vote and were immediately charmed. So, Milan smartly featured her alone in this novel. Free has used her aunt’s inheritance to start and run a women’s newspaper and is doing quite well for herself, except she’s ruffled a few feathers. In comes Edward Clark. His elder brother is determined to bring Free down, mainly because she rejected his offer to have her as his mistress. He wants Edward to get to know her and help him put her in her place. Little does his brother know, Edward has plans of his own. His family abandoned him for dead in some previous war and he hasn’t forgiven them, and will do whatever it takes to get revenge.
Edward and Free meet and are immediately attracted to each other, making Edward’s plans a little difficult. I don’t recall too much of the plot since I read this weeks ago, but I do remember that both Edward and Free are delightful characters. Edward has just enough of the cad about him to make him appealing, and despite his ulterior motives, is a generally honorable kind of guy. Free is just as her name indicates. She believes in women’s rights so heartily that she endures plenty of ridicule and criticism with a shrug. She’s vivacious and intelligent, and quite strong and in charge of her own destiny.
I can’t really think of anything more to say about this book without spoiling the fun of reading it. I plan to finish up the Brothers Sinister series by finding the novellas either in the library or getting them on my Kindle. The fact that I paid for them should tell you that Milan’s series is definitely worth it (especially if it’s the $1.99 Deal of the Day like this was).
The Governess Affair and A Kiss for Midwinter are worth buying. Borrow Talk Sweetly To Me.
Seconded on the buying of The Governess Affair and A Kiss for Midwinter! So wonderful!
What Emmalita said. A Kiss for Midwinter is one of the finest romance novellas ever written, with one of Milan’s best heroes. The Governess Affair is also excellent. Talk Sweetly to Me was not so great, it fell flat and didn’t really seem all that necessary, although I appreciate Ms. Milan featuring a heroine of colour in it.