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acesarrows's review against another edition
4.0
This isn't a typical historical romance novel. But then, Courtney Milan's rarely are.
This is a romance with two atypical main characters, neither of whom I truly connected with, but both of whom I adored and wanted to root for. This book takes place in an interesting historical time-period. Post-regency, but pre-gaslight -- when British society was in the midst of upheaval (industry, science, the peerage...etc). Both of our main characters are fighting against type. Although we don't really get into either Minnie or Robert's heads in regards to their romance (not as much as a typical romance novel anyway), we find out so much about British society through their eyes that it doesn't matter that the romance is almost secondary to the story.
Which is not to say that this isn't still a romance novel - it very much is. Just, not a "regular" one, but a wonderful and fascinating one.
I didn't even realize until over halfway through the book that the characters of [b:The Governess Affair|13190596|The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5)|Courtney Milan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363009352s/13190596.jpg|18371803], the first book in this series, make an appearance.
A wonderful novel.
This is a romance with two atypical main characters, neither of whom I truly connected with, but both of whom I adored and wanted to root for. This book takes place in an interesting historical time-period. Post-regency, but pre-gaslight -- when British society was in the midst of upheaval (industry, science, the peerage...etc). Both of our main characters are fighting against type. Although we don't really get into either Minnie or Robert's heads in regards to their romance (not as much as a typical romance novel anyway), we find out so much about British society through their eyes that it doesn't matter that the romance is almost secondary to the story.
Which is not to say that this isn't still a romance novel - it very much is. Just, not a "regular" one, but a wonderful and fascinating one.
I didn't even realize until over halfway through the book that the characters of [b:The Governess Affair|13190596|The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5)|Courtney Milan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363009352s/13190596.jpg|18371803], the first book in this series, make an appearance.
A wonderful novel.
danielles_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
During the first half of this, I was so sure it was going to get a 5 from me. I was so invested in Robert and Minnie that I kept sneaking in listening time during the work day, and I kept thinking about them while working (more like trying to).
I love Minnie’s entire personal journey so much, learning how to go from a meek character purposely trying not to stand out in any way, to someone who asserts herself and stands up for what she believes in no matter the consequences. I was also so curious to learn more about her background, especially since it was pretty different from the other historical romances I’ve read so far (tbf, I am new to the subgenre). And the parallels between her and Robert’s mother were really interesting and well done too. I liked Robert’s journey too, though slightly less since he felt a little too good to be true in how far he tried to distance himself from his father. But I’ll always support a privileged person trying to take advantage of their privilege to destroy the system enabling it. And damn, his childhood was so sad.
I also loved so many of the side characters (I’m especially looking forward to Violet and Sebastian’s book 👀 cause their dynamic is chef’s kiss). That scene on the train was so hilarious and they all felt like true friends just ribbing on each other. Milan always has great friendly banter (that I usually enjoy more than romantic banter tbh!).
But for some reason, once Minnie and Robert finally got together, I lost a lot of my interest in the book. I think it’s because they essentially had a marriage of convenience, but it was pretty late in the book for that trope to really work, so it felt like all the tension between them just instantly deflated. I saw another reviewer mention that Minnie seemed to become a completely different person after they got married, and I think that was also a factor in my decreasing interest. And I understand the wholetrial thing, but I just did not care about it considering it interrupted their honeymoon!!
And I got so irritated at Robert continually holding things back from Minnie. Like I get it, he was traumatized by his childhood, but it annoyed me that Minnie was the one explaining how to maintain a relationship (and how to have good sex… that was a bit much) and forgave him so easily (especially considering he hurt HER by sharing her secret in the courtroom and she ended up comforting him afterwards to ensure he wouldn’t leave her!! ). It’s a little too reminiscent of so many women in real life having to explain everything to their incompetent husbands. Robert is a duke who is a few years older than Minnie—he should have way more life experience than she does! And if not, he should at least be able to figure out that you have to talk through disagreements, even if he fumbled his way through it. But he didn’t even try. A 28-year-old man with zero emotional intelligence is very tiring in how common it is.
So overall I did enjoy this one, but not as much as I had thought I was going to in the beginning. Still looking forward to reading more in the series though!
I love Minnie’s entire personal journey so much, learning how to go from a meek character purposely trying not to stand out in any way, to someone who asserts herself and stands up for what she believes in no matter the consequences. I was also so curious to learn more about her background, especially since it was pretty different from the other historical romances I’ve read so far (tbf, I am new to the subgenre). And the parallels between her and Robert’s mother were really interesting and well done too. I liked Robert’s journey too, though slightly less since he felt a little too good to be true in how far he tried to distance himself from his father. But I’ll always support a privileged person trying to take advantage of their privilege to destroy the system enabling it. And damn, his childhood was so sad.
I also loved so many of the side characters (I’m especially looking forward to Violet and Sebastian’s book 👀 cause their dynamic is chef’s kiss). That scene on the train was so hilarious and they all felt like true friends just ribbing on each other. Milan always has great friendly banter (that I usually enjoy more than romantic banter tbh!).
But for some reason, once Minnie and Robert finally got together, I lost a lot of my interest in the book. I think it’s because they essentially had a marriage of convenience, but it was pretty late in the book for that trope to really work, so it felt like all the tension between them just instantly deflated. I saw another reviewer mention that Minnie seemed to become a completely different person after they got married, and I think that was also a factor in my decreasing interest. And I understand the whole
And I got so irritated at Robert continually holding things back from Minnie. Like I get it, he was traumatized by his childhood, but it annoyed me that Minnie was the one explaining how to maintain a relationship (and how to have good sex… that was a bit much) and forgave him so easily (
So overall I did enjoy this one, but not as much as I had thought I was going to in the beginning. Still looking forward to reading more in the series though!
ltennant09's review against another edition
emotional
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
knitnetic's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed this book more than the prequel novella, [b:The Governess Affair|13190596|The Governess Affair (Brothers Sinister, #0.5)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335108279s/13190596.jpg|18371803], I still would not consider it among Ms. Milan's best work. However, it is still more than worth a read.
I really liked the hero, the Duke of Clermont, from the first moments of the book. He's not your average duke, and in particular wants others to know that he is not his father. This father, featured as the villain in The Governess Affair was also father to Robert's bastard half-brother, Oliver, who features extensively in this novel. As part of his pursuit to right his father's wrongs, Robert is going around to former workers in his father's factories, attempting to give them pensions to make up for their poor working conditions. At the same time, he finds himself inciting discontent amongst the laborers, which would be a crime if any commoner did it.
And unfortunately for our heroine Minnie, she is the commoner upon whom blame is laid for his acts. Her best friend's fiance, the right-hand man to the town magistrate, is determined to prove that she is the one leading to foment among the masses. While Minnie may not be guilty of sedition, she does have a guilty conscience due to a past story that is so built up that it revelation left me incredibly disappointed.
This book also suffers from a malady common among romance series -- something I like to call "Sequel Seduction". I found the teasers for (and characters from) the upcoming sequels -- specifically, [b:A Kiss For Midwinter|16116470|A Kiss For Midwinter (Brothers Sinister, #1.5)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351505432s/16116470.jpg|21934060] and [b:The Countess Conspiracy|13489925|The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister, #3)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329586850s/13489925.jpg|19028800] -- far more interesting than the characters in this, the first novel of the series.
Fans of Milan's work may well be disappointed, but this was still a better read than so much of what is out there today. Taking into account the price (currently $3.82 for Kindle), it's hard to find a better deal.
I really liked the hero, the Duke of Clermont, from the first moments of the book. He's not your average duke, and in particular wants others to know that he is not his father. This father, featured as the villain in The Governess Affair was also father to Robert's bastard half-brother, Oliver, who features extensively in this novel. As part of his pursuit to right his father's wrongs, Robert is going around to former workers in his father's factories, attempting to give them pensions to make up for their poor working conditions. At the same time, he finds himself inciting discontent amongst the laborers, which would be a crime if any commoner did it.
And unfortunately for our heroine Minnie, she is the commoner upon whom blame is laid for his acts. Her best friend's fiance, the right-hand man to the town magistrate, is determined to prove that she is the one leading to foment among the masses. While Minnie may not be guilty of sedition, she does have a guilty conscience due to a past story that is so built up that it revelation left me incredibly disappointed.
This book also suffers from a malady common among romance series -- something I like to call "Sequel Seduction". I found the teasers for (and characters from) the upcoming sequels -- specifically, [b:A Kiss For Midwinter|16116470|A Kiss For Midwinter (Brothers Sinister, #1.5)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351505432s/16116470.jpg|21934060] and [b:The Countess Conspiracy|13489925|The Countess Conspiracy (Brothers Sinister, #3)|Courtney Milan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329586850s/13489925.jpg|19028800] -- far more interesting than the characters in this, the first novel of the series.
Fans of Milan's work may well be disappointed, but this was still a better read than so much of what is out there today. Taking into account the price (currently $3.82 for Kindle), it's hard to find a better deal.
sneeps's review against another edition
4.0
Cw: mentions of past sexual assault, miscarriage, mob violence
Wow what a treat!!! Funny, endearing, romantic, great plot, wow!
Wow what a treat!!! Funny, endearing, romantic, great plot, wow!
isabel_tong's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
rknitss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is my second Courtney Milan book and I think making it look like a Happily Ever After is impossible might be her thing. This put me through the wringer. The DRAMA, the BETRAYAL, the ANXIETY this gave me. Beautifully done, que applause.
Minnie and Robert are fantastic characters who suit each other so well and for once I really enjoyed a romance Epilogue. The "side characters" (who I suspect make up the rest of The Brothers Sinister series) were fantastic. I adored Sebastian and Oliver. I liked the overarching themes regarding family and trust. Lydia was a fantastic character in her own right and the aunts and the complicated situation with them, ah. Chef's kiss.
I didn't give this a higher rating just because I'm not chomping at the bit to go out and buy it. I'll read more Courtney Milan (I already have the Marquis who Mustn't queued up) and might reflect fondly on my reading experience but I'm not going to be up all night thinking about it.
Would recommend if you like historical romances. This is a case of if you know you like certain things in a historical you already know you'll like this particular book. It's just a question of how much.
Minnie and Robert are fantastic characters who suit each other so well and for once I really enjoyed a romance Epilogue. The "side characters" (who I suspect make up the rest of The Brothers Sinister series) were fantastic. I adored Sebastian and Oliver. I liked the overarching themes regarding family and trust. Lydia was a fantastic character in her own right and the aunts and the complicated situation with them, ah. Chef's kiss.
I didn't give this a higher rating just because I'm not chomping at the bit to go out and buy it. I'll read more Courtney Milan (I already have the Marquis who Mustn't queued up) and might reflect fondly on my reading experience but I'm not going to be up all night thinking about it.
Would recommend if you like historical romances. This is a case of if you know you like certain things in a historical you already know you'll like this particular book. It's just a question of how much.
jdgr's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
unsweetener's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
Minnie is a super quiet, mousy young lady with one friend, a couple of elderly great aunts, and a mysterious past that will not be revealed until way to late in the book. Robert is a rich Duke who's committed to being a good as his dad was evil. There is some plot about incendiary handbills, but mostly Robert and Minnie just like each other and get together and it doesn't seem like it's a big deal.
I did not like how the characters' emotional baggage backstory was withheld from the reader; it was frustrating not to know why the characters cared about anything they cared about until the book was mostly over, and even then the motivations felt a little thin. The characters felt a little thin too, honestly. Robert's mom actually got pretty interesting, but she dropped off.
This is the first book I've finished by this author, and I listened to the audiobook. I don't mind this narrator in certain books, but it didn't work super well for me here. It was just okay! Very standard unproblematic historical romance.
I did not like how the characters' emotional baggage backstory was withheld from the reader; it was frustrating not to know why the characters cared about anything they cared about until the book was mostly over, and even then the motivations felt a little thin. The characters felt a little thin too, honestly. Robert's mom actually got pretty interesting, but she dropped off.
This is the first book I've finished by this author, and I listened to the audiobook. I don't mind this narrator in certain books, but it didn't work super well for me here. It was just okay! Very standard unproblematic historical romance.