REVIEW: The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
Publication Year: 2012
Genre: Historical Romance, roughly Victorian Era
Series: Brothers Sinister #1
Awards: RONE Award, Historical Post-Medieval (2013)
Format: eBook bought
Narrator: NA

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
Publication Year: 2012
Genre: Historical Romance, roughly Victorian Era
Series: Brothers Sinister #0.5
Awards: RONE Award, Best Historical Novella (2013)
Format: eBook bought
Narrator: NA

WHY: I am very picky about my romance reads so I am always on eagle-eyed look out for new authors.  Milan has come up several times in several places as a talented writer of historical romance with feminist sensibilities.  Sign me up!

First of all, I am reviewing two stories here.  The Governess Affair is a novella that precedes the first Brothers Sinister book and it explains how two of the characters are connected and why they have the issues that they do.  It's a good place to start.  In it, Serena Barton is a governess who has recently lost her position because a noble guest at her employer's house, the Duke of Clermont raped her and got her with child.  She is now determined to shame him and get what she needs to care for her child.  She must first figure out how to outsmart the Duke's ruthless man of business, who, of course turns out to be a much better man than his employer.

Fast forward almost 30 years and the illegitimate and legitimate son of the evil Duke are fast friends and are brothers and more than name.  The Duchess War's time frame is more Victorian than Regency era England and struck me as a little past Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South but before Edith Wharton's Buccanneers.  What?  You don't define historical periods by fictional settings?  Anyway, this book focuses on Robert Blaisdell, the current Duke of Clermont as he struggles to right his father's wrongs and be a better person.  His mind is engaged by a sharp-tongued and rather plain looking wallflower who obviously harbors many secrets.  They have many obstacles to their inevitable union because of her scandalous past and very low social status.  They make it work but not without a lot of strife. 

I really admire and respect Courtney Milan but at least based on these two books, I'm not sure she is  destined to be on my list of favorites.  This book was really good and I appreciated so many unique elements about it.  The heroine is not terribly attractive, there’s a great female friendship portrayed (among others), the hero is a virgin (gasp!) and the sex is not immediately mind blowing.  The plot is a little far-fetched but complex and interesting.  At one point she does that thing I hate where it appears a big conflict will ensue because one of the partners stupidly and incomprehensibly withholds some information but then she subverts that annoying trope by diffusing the conflict and using it as an “important learning moment” for the character. 

As much as I admired he book however, I didn't love it.  Mostly this is 100% a personal preference thing.  Basically, my preferences in romance are incredibly and ridiculously shallow.  Sure, I want a unique, independent sassy female lead and for the characters to be developed enough that I care about them.  But that’s about as much depth as I want.  Reality?  Has no business being in my romance novel and if it isn’t making me laugh or smile affectionately at the witty banter in between swoons I want none of it.  Milan definitely includes some humor in the book, there are a couple of scenes, interactions between Robert and his friends, that made me laugh out loud. However the overall feel of the book is too weighty for my preferences.  I repeat, it’s ALL ON ME and I didn’t dislike the book, not by a long shot but I was not delighted or swept away by it.  That said, I am totally interested in reading the next two books in the Brothers Sinister series because I was VERY intrigued by the other three characters that will be focused on: Oliver, and particularly Sebastien and Violet.  Sebastien is an evolutionary biologist!! Eep!

FINAL VERDICT:  A little too weighty for my romance-reading taste but a well-written and unique book so if you’re not as shallow as I am (so…most people) you’ll likely love it! I will be continuing the series. 3 out of 5 Stars.