The Duchess War: Volume 1 (The Brothers Sinister) Paperback – 10 Sept. 2013

I'd never read any Courtney Milan before and I totally loved this book. Minnie is a strong, clever character. I loved the dynamic between the characters too.Robert is handsome and rich etc, but he's also not an alpha-hole. He realises that Minnie is cleverer than he is and he's totally fine with that.The dialogue is excellent. The secondary characters were extremely likeable without being anodyne. To be honest, it's worth reading just for the conversation about how dragons can't milk princesses because they don't have opposable thumbs.Smart heroines, beta heroes (albeit broad shouldered, rich and handsome ones), good dialogue... I'll read more of Courtney Milan's books

Loved this book! I have given it 5 stars which I very rarely do.It is nice to read a story that has an exceptionally strong and intelligent female character in the lead so to speak, ( I usually find in historical romances that the female of the story is quite weak and only interested in buttons and bows and getting a husband), so Minnie is quite refreshing and unusual for a woman of her day.I could go on like some do in the their reviews and spoil the story, but I won't, Ms Milan does the story telling so much better and if you want to know what it's about read the synopsis as I did, but I will just say pass by at your peril you will miss reading,a really good book if you don't buy it.

My expectations were high after reading The Governess Affair, the prequel novella to this series, and I was not disappointed. I like Romance in all its incarnations, but while its various tropes are executed in many entertaining ways, I rarely come across a Romance novel that truly surprises me. This one did.Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not your average aristocrat. His father was a womanising b*****d (not in the literal sense) who relied on his status to get away with anything he wanted, which has made Robert determined to be everything his father was not. Yet he is still the Duke of Clermont, so many people are unable to see past his title.Until he meets Wilhelmina (Minnie) Pursling. On the outside she looks like the quiet, mousey type, but underneath is a razor-sharp intelligence, and Robert soon finds this out to his disadvantage.You see, when I say that Robert is not your average aristocrat, I mean this in the sense that he tries to use his position to better the lot of those less fortunate than he, to the point that he is determined to abolish the peerage. He tries to right the wrongs his father has wrought, and at the start of this book he is writing and publishing seditious pamphlets to try and draw out someone who has been abusing his position. This is the industrial age; workers are starting to do things like try to form unions, go on strike to try and get better working conditions, and the upper class don't like it one bit, because God forbid that the cattle should have opinions of their own. Surely they can't have brains, right?The plot is not what kept me engaged in this book, though it is by no means trite or predictable. What kept me enthralled were the constant surprises I came across. I have never, ever seen a Romance where even one of the main characters masturbates, never mind both of them, and I have always found it rather daft that in Romance, men in particular seem to resort to cold showers and whatnot rather than beating the old snake to get rid of their sexual frustration. Especially since that's exactly what most men do. And most women, for that matter.Anyway, I won't mention every single instance where this book delighted me, but the characters were endearing and very believable, the dialogue was wonderful and often very funny, and I sniggered out loud at the scene where Robert joins Minnie on the train and gets his cousin and their childhood friend to chaperone him.Truly wonderful, and refreshingly original.

I gave it 5 stars simply because I loved it.Who is Miss Wilhelmina Pursling? She does not really exist, she is a creation to make Miss Minerva Lane safe from her past and from a terrible treason. When she caught the eye of the ninth Duke of Clermont, Robert, she just wants to get rid of him and carry on her unexciting existence. Just to be safe. But Robert too has a secret. Fate will unite them like two survivors from a capsized boat clinging to the same piece of wood. They will have to ride the high waves together. But, Robert, as a Duke, is practically untouchable. Minerva, aka Wilhelmina, on the other hand, is the ideal candidate for being branded a criminal. And what about Oliver, Robert's half brother, his father's bastard?In The Duchess War, I have also learned why the series is called The Brother Sinister, which is not said in the first book  The Governess Affair (The Brothers Sinister) .Even though the book can be read as a stand alone, it helps to have read the Governess Affair. All the characters in this book are so likeable (except the Duchess, but at the end, we understand why she is so indifferent... but is she really? and Stevens). Robert is a tortured soul looking for love and approval and does not know that he is a lovely man in his own right, Minerva want to escape her past at all costs, even if it will cost her Robert's love. The peripheral characters are great, you really can feel the complicity between Robert, Oliver and Sebastien his cousin.This is a lovely book that I recommend to anyone fond of love, intrigue and a bit of nail biting. And if you keep a look out, you can pick up  The Governess Affair  for very little, as it is often promoted free.I have now downloaded  A Kiss for Midwinter (The Brothers Sinister)  which is the last one of the Brothers Sinister and I feel a bit sad as it is a short story and I would have loved more of them....But I will definitely read more from Courtney Milan. I am hooked on her books...

Loved the first book, enjoyed this one just as much, nice simple too follow read with plenty off suspense without being overbearing. Loved the characters and the descriptive writing was beautiful. Look forward to reading the next one.