The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

 

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The first book I read for the Lunar New Year Readathon (hosted by LaceyBookLovers and remarkablylisa) as well for Seasonally Booked Up Book Club - Winter of the Wallflower (hosted by Kelly and Dana) was Courtney Milan's The Duchess War. Courtney has been on my tbr forever, and I was excited to finally get to the first book in her Bothers Sinister series.

I was torn on this book. I liked it. I liked Minnie for the most part and I liked Robert for the most part. Their relationship was cute, but there were times were I felt the chemistry was missing between them. But just as I was thinking that, there would be a new scene that proved me wrong. It felt a little up and down. Also, I didn't enjoy the "big" secrets between them. It felt weird that pretty early on that Robert trusted Minnie enough to share his, but she was still holding back and didn't share everything. It also seemed a little extreme, but I know that mob mentality and people were weird back then. It just seemed harsher than it needed to be. I have to give it to Courtney though, Minnie's backstory was unique and unexpected. I also really enjoyed her writing style. It swept me up pretty quickly.

I think it's a 4-star because while I like our main couple, it felt lacking sometimes. Or there was a weird understanding between them that wasn't addressed as quickly as I wanted (although the third act conflict was wrapped up pretty decently). The other part of this, is probably an unpopular opinion. Minnie and Robert fight the patriarchy pretty heavily throughout the book. I understand that most romances, especially the more modern historicals do provide commentary on the patriarchy. However, I don't like it to be as prominent in the story. I think this is why I'm not as fond with the regency era historicals that deal with couples in different classes and/or focused on the lower class. I just prefer it to not be so heavy handed. Reading for me is an escape from all the stuff we deal with on a day to day basis. Side note: that's also why I don't watch documentaries very often unless it's someone or something I'm very interested in.

Back to happier musings! Overall I did enjoy this book and will continue with the series at some point. Plus I think the covers are gorgeous. I'm super excited to get to Sebastian and Violet's book (#3). They had such great banter throughout this book and such an interesting dynamic. 

Have you read The Duchess War?

Bookishly Yours, 

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Duchess War, Courtney Milan, 4-stars, 1 day, eBook, 268 pages, published 2012