Reviews

A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan

Only show reviews with written explanations

ltennant09's review

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Bullet Review:

Bouncing between a 3 and a 4, but since it's better IMO than "The Governess Affair", which I rated 3, 4 stars.

Sexy, with realistic, flawed characters who *gasp* have decent chemistry. The biggest drawback was that Jonas at first came across as an ultimate, sex-obsessed d-bag. Oh, and the book is painfully slow in places.

I'm not typically a romance reader, and certainly not a historical romance reader, but this was more than decent.

knitnetic's review

Go to review page

4.0

This novella was a truly exception follow-up to [b:The Duchess War|13489919|The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329586739s/13489919.jpg|19028791], and is well worth a read. The story focuses on Lydia, the best friend of our former heroine, as she struggles with finding and accepting the love of a good man.

After

Spoiler

becoming pregnant at the age of fifteen and later miscarrying due to intentional medical malpractice

, Lydia's attitude is almost the opposite of what one might expect. Rather than bitter, lonely, and unloved, she is determined to see the happiness in all things. Jonas Grantham, the town doctor, is likewise determined to make Lydia see the darker parts of life. As they work together through the Christmas season, they both have an impressive impact on one anothers' lives.

One of my favorite parts of this book was Jonas' attitude toward sex and sexuality. For interesting reasons

Spoiler

related to Lydia's past pregnancy

, Jonas is determined that women know about and understand how their bodies work. As a result, he frankly mentions gonorrhea, condoms, and childbirth in front of the young Lydia. This leads not only to moments of blatant humor, but also to sexual tension and Lydia's eventual sexual awakening.

Without a doubt, I would recommend this book to any fan of Courtney Milan or historical romance. While it is improved by reading [b:The Duchess War|13489919|The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister, #1)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329586739s/13489919.jpg|19028791], it works okay as a standalone, too.