The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont & Wilhelmina (Minnie) Pursling's book




The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister book 1)

By Courtney Milan

Book Blurb:There isn't a book blurb available as of yet. However, here is a excerpt of The Duchess War if interested.

Sometimes love is an accident.
This time, it’s a strategy.
The Duchess War is the first full-length book in The Brothers Sinister series. It’s about Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont. Robert is the half-brother of Oliver (book 2: The Heiress Effect) and the cousin of Sebastian Malheur, the Earl of Rane (book 3: The Countess Conspiracy)

I was granted an ARC for an honest review. 

The Duchess War is a very clever story and it is brilliantly written. Oh how I love a really smart heroine. Perhaps there is nothing I love more other than a hero who respects just how intelligent and noble the heroine really is. 

There is a prequel to The Duchess War called The Governess Affair. My review of this prequel is here. The Kindle version is only .99 and I would recommend reading it first. It is not necessary but it does nicely line up the foundation for the this Brothers Sinister series. 

The concealed secrets within The Duchess War are slowly revealed. The reader learns about the depth of these mysteries in parallel with the other book's characters. I found myself dying to know the extent of the shrouded mystery surrounding Minnie and the extent of Robert's upbringing. Together with these secrets and the series of events that emerge chapter after chapter; The Duchess War made for a rather suspenseful read. There was a perpetual chain of events that kept me clicking the pages forward quickly. It was very fitting that the game of chess was an embedded plot of The Duchess War.

I found Minnie a rather complex character. Her mind was always plotting forward steps ahead. She was a very guarded lady prepared for her next ploy. The Duchess War made me ache for the women of the time as Minnie was striving hard to carefully carve out a safety net for her foreboding future. She took great effort not to bring attention to herself. Although her soft voice gave the perception of shyness, she was in fact a force to be reckoned with. 

The Duke, Robert wasn't a brooding alpha hero that normally appear within the pages of historical romances. He is a romantic at heart. A dreamer. A do-gooder if you will. And finally a Duke that isn't a rake with an abundance of sexual conquests. In the shadows of his dark Ducal father, he aspired to be the complete opposite of him. My heart ached for him. He was determined to make right so many wrongs. 

The "war" Minnie battles with the Duke is based upon proving he is the author and mastermind behind distributing seditious pamphlets that she is being suspected of organizing. After her attempt of blackmailing the Duke was not successful, Minnie sets forth to bring about the indisputable proof she needs to secure her innocence. What she doesn't count on is the Duke becoming enamored with her while trying to war against him. 

Amazing quotes from Minnie:
"You probably think battles are won with cannons and brave speeches and fearless charges. They're not. Wars are won by dint of having adequate shoe leather. They're won by boys who make shells in munitions factories, by supply trains shielded from enemy eyes. Wars are won by careful attendance to boring detail. If you wait to see the cavalry charge, Your Grace, you'll have already lost."

"I'm sure your prick is as massive as your head is thick."

Teasers: Sedition, humorous train ride with friends, wedding night lessons, alphabet book primer