The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

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Title: The Duchess War
Author: Courtney Milan
Series: Brothers Sinister #1
Published by: Indie
Release Date: December 6, 2012
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 271
Genres: Historical Romance
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Summer, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 Historical Romance Book Bingo
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention.

But that is precisely what she gets.

Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...

My Review:

4.5 stars — Well shit…I think maybe I do like historical romance.  At least when it’s in the right hands.  And look at that, I’ve added another author to my list.

Seriously though, I really really really enjoyed this!  Minnie was a delightful heroine — so complex.  She was bright, could be feisty, down to earth (possibly by necessity)…and she had a big beautiful heart that was still there despite what she had been through.  I have to admit, I was confused by her past ruination for much of the book…partially because I don’t read a lot of historical, and so I don’t really know what it was like at that time.  But once we heard her full story, wow…then I got it.  I appreciated watching her internal struggle between who she really was, and who she had become (both as a reaction to what happened, and as coached by her well meaning great aunts).  I’m not sure I can completely explain why I connected with her so deeply, but I just did.

Robert took me COMPLETELY by surprise.  I think I thought I knew who he was, and there was SOOOOO much more to him.  Sometimes I find that one MC will get more book time than another, I’ll know them more or feel for them more.  But these 2 had completely different childhood circumstances, but were equally damaged.  I think he almost broke my heart a little more, because he had been convinced that this was all he deserved.  Seriously, my heart aches just thinking of the many different ways that people had failed him.  And yet he still had wonderful people in his corner…people that didn’t quite understand everything, but still wonderful.

Their courtship had me on tenterhooks.  The banter, the push and pull, the genuine connection, the fascination, the longing.  Yeah, I was there for all of it.  And once they got together?  Well shit, more surprises were in store that just delighted me more!  It gave their relationship the same depth that they each had as individuals.

LOTS of great secondary characters in this one.  Like, I seriously cannot wait to read all of the rest of the stories in this box set because I want them all.  Oliver, Sebastian and Violet all had me cackling with the way they would tease Robert.  It was so lovely to see their friendships.  And while Minnie and Lydia had some things to overcome, I appreciated their friendship as well.

And besides all of that, I learned a lot!!  Not only within the course of the story, but with the author’s note at the end that explained the liberties she had taken with history.  I’d never seen that before, and I really appreciated that.

So yeah.  Now I’m going to have to start a binge.  Oh well, what are you going to do.