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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
god i forgot that this book is phenomenal. i fully cried about a minor side character and its all credit to courtneys stunning writing and how well she weaves character motivations together. this book has so much going on but it all pays off perfectly
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As usual, Courtney Milan writes a superb romance (two, actually), with such interesting plot elements.
Three stars for prompting me to go and read more about the Reform League. I really like it when Historical fiction has actual history in it.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love historical romance for some fun brain candy. this definitely delivers.
Courtney Milan has managed to create historical romance novels that involve themes that resonate outside the pages of her books. I really appreciate reading a genre that can sometimes be filled with fluffy romantic story lines and little substance and finding a story that is a little deeper, a little richer. That is what I found when reading The Heiress Effect. It took a little bit of time for me to get into this story. Jane is an heiress with 100,000 pounds. That is a crazy amount of money, especially at the time of the setting of this novel. Normally that would put her as a high prospect on the marriage market of the day. But Jane has no desire to be married. She needs to stay single until her half-sister comes of age, because Jane needs to be in the house to protect her from their uncle's probably well-intentioned, but horribly practiced protective measures that he sets up for Emily who suffers from periodic seizures. I'm still not exactly sure why Jane doesn't decide to just say no when men want to court her, but she instead decides to become socially unacceptable by wearing outlandish outfits and making pointed and inappropriately candid comments in conversations. She is so objectionable that no one wants much to do with her, and yet she still manages to get invited to social events thanks to a fortuitous friendship with some girls who push for her to be included wherever they attend. Long story short ... Jane's antics do not fool Oliver, illegitimate son of a duke who has been given many opportunities in life and has risen to a position of prominence in society, only to still have to deal with people treating him as less because of the circumstances of his birth. Jane and Oliver have a great report with one another. Oliver loves Jane. Jane loves Oliver. Oliver, who wants to be prime minister someday, cannot be married to someone so socially inept as Jane. There's the problem. Finding the solution was delightful.
This novel covers all sorts of issues from voting rights in 19th century England (both the rights of poorer workers and those of women), interracial relationships, medical experimentation, and even the plight of native Indians during the colonial occupation. All of it was fascinating, so much so that I was really wanting to examine some of those issues even more in depth. I loved the love story of Jane's sister, Emily, and Anjan Bhattacharya, a law student living in London and attending Cambridge. I think that that story could have been a book all by itself. There were so many fascinating things to think about. As it was I think that their path to marriage might have been a lot more smooth in this book than it would have been in real life, but I didn't mind it at all.
I had a hard time reading Jane as the brash woman that she faked for everyone else to see. It is never fun for me to read about characters who other people mock and ridicule at every turn. But as the book moved forward and the "real" Jane stepped out, I really enjoyed her as a character. Oliver was wonderful as well. I particular enjoyed his struggle to figure out how to meet all of his ambitions after falling in love with Jane. He loves her, but he can see no way to marry her. His recognition of his own cowardice, and how he chooses to overcome that was a great part of this story.
This is another excellent addition to the Brothers Sinister series. Like often happens in books in this genre, a lot of things turn out easily into a Happily Ever After ending a bit too conveniently at times. But, nevertheless, this story made it all worthwhile because of the underlying themes that weaved throughout this story. Fans of this genre should definitely add this series to their reading lists. Four stars!
This novel covers all sorts of issues from voting rights in 19th century England (both the rights of poorer workers and those of women), interracial relationships, medical experimentation, and even the plight of native Indians during the colonial occupation. All of it was fascinating, so much so that I was really wanting to examine some of those issues even more in depth. I loved the love story of Jane's sister, Emily, and Anjan Bhattacharya, a law student living in London and attending Cambridge. I think that that story could have been a book all by itself. There were so many fascinating things to think about. As it was I think that their path to marriage might have been a lot more smooth in this book than it would have been in real life, but I didn't mind it at all.
I had a hard time reading Jane as the brash woman that she faked for everyone else to see. It is never fun for me to read about characters who other people mock and ridicule at every turn. But as the book moved forward and the "real" Jane stepped out, I really enjoyed her as a character. Oliver was wonderful as well. I particular enjoyed his struggle to figure out how to meet all of his ambitions after falling in love with Jane. He loves her, but he can see no way to marry her. His recognition of his own cowardice, and how he chooses to overcome that was a great part of this story.
This is another excellent addition to the Brothers Sinister series. Like often happens in books in this genre, a lot of things turn out easily into a Happily Ever After ending a bit too conveniently at times. But, nevertheless, this story made it all worthwhile because of the underlying themes that weaved throughout this story. Fans of this genre should definitely add this series to their reading lists. Four stars!