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The Suffragette Scandal (2014)

by Courtney Milan(Favorite Author)

4.1 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Courtney Milan

series

Brothers Sinister

review 1: Courtney Milan is a really top notch writing. As far as storytelling goes, she's fantastic and this a 4-star read. I had some hesitation with some of the historical stuff, which is partly because this is an era I know a lot about (my MA thesis was about a woman who pushed social constraints during this time) and at times I felt like it was almost too easy for Free to push her limits. But that's a me issue and not one that will likely impact most readers.
review 2: This was a good end to the Brothers Sinister series. It kind of has the feel of an "add-on" book, one that maybe wasn't originally planned as part of the series. The hero of this book, Edward, is not actually part of the Brothers Sinister "club", and the events actually take place ten years after the ... moreevents of the first three books of the series. The heroine of the story, Free (short for Frederica), is the half sister of Oliver, hero of the second book in the series. Free is the editor and an investigative reporter for a women's paper that advocates for women's issues in a time where the rights of women were practically non-existent. I'll admit that I was a bit worried to read this story. I love strong, empowered women leads in my stories, but I worry that sometimes in "suffragette" stories the women are portrayed almost too mechanically, without passion or personality. Too often the women exist in order to point out the weaknesses and ignorance of the men characters ... the "all men are cads or imbeciles" story line. That doesn't really appeal to me, so this one sat on my shelf for a long, long time before I picked it up. I was pleased to find a story that was easy to enjoy with strong characters who were not caricatures, but instead were able to show strength and weakness in a fairly realistic way. Free is a strong woman who is intelligent and witty and independent, but she is not an island. She has healthy relationships with all kinds of men and women, and she is able to desire a relationship with a man without it being written as some sort of character weakness. Advocating for women does not equate with hatred for men, thank goodness. Edward is an excellent leading man because he has the strength of character to be able to recognize Free's strengths and talents and allow her to be herself without feeling threatened. I found him fascinating. He is a man born into wealth and privilege who, through horrible actions by the family who should have loved him, finds himself in France alone, in danger, and humbled (to put it mildly). He returns to England hardened and thirsty for revenge. He doesn't see any redeeming qualities in himself or the world around him ... until he meets Free. Seeing how his friendship with Free changes him is the best part of this story. I wish more time had been spent on the intricacies of his transformation. There needed to be more time to explore his relationship with Patrick and Stephen. More time needed to be devoted to the conclusion of this story as he comes to terms with his change in status. it all wrapped up quite a bit too conveniently and quickly. Still, overall this was a nice conclusion to a nice series, proving that Courtney Milan truly is a master at creating strong female heroines in this genre. Four stars. less

Download links for: The Suffragette Scandal

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