Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by bookishrealm
The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan
3.0
For some reasons December was the month of historical romances so thank you once again to Bethany for introducing me to Courtney Milan. 3.5 Stars
While the The Heiress Effect is the 2nd book in the Brothers Sinister series it can be read as a standalone. It focuses on a woman by the name of Jane who participates in the most insane behavior as a means to deter men from wanting to marry her. This is all in relation to her wanting to protect her sister from their uncle. She meets her match in Oliver Marshall who also knows what it means to be made fun of and ostracized from the community. The two become close friends and of course a romance ensues as they get to know each other better.
What I loved most about this book was probably the humor. Within the first couple of pages I found myself laughing out loud at Jane's "obscene" attire and behavior at social events. Even by today's standards I think that people who attended the same events as her would be left speechless. Her motivation to protect her sister at all costs was admirable, genuine, and heartwarming. Speaking of her sister, the two (Emily and Jane) had such a great relationship. Their closeness, admiration for each other, love for each other is something that reaches off the page and into the emotions of the reader. There was never a question in my mind that Jane would be willing to do whatever it took to make sure that her sister was safe. While I won't explicity describe the details of why Jane is forced to protect Emily, I think that it speaks to the treatment of physical ailments and how they impact women during this specific time in history. Their uncle who thinks that he's doing right by each of the women is abusive and coldhearted. I didn't care for him as a character, but Milan did a great job in providing some social commentary of the plight of woman who were in Jane and Emily's position. I also enjoyed Milan's writing style. I've only read a few historicals prior to this; however, I think out of the four I found this one to be the most accessible in terms of language, writing style, and structure.
Even with the elements of the book that I enjoyed, there were aspects that I didn't find enjoyable and prevented the book from being higher than 3.5. Milan did a little too much with this book. There were so many elements related to side characters that it forced our main characters into the background at some points. Particularly the relationship related to Emily. I was more invested in her romance than Jane's and that causes problems when the book centers around Jane. There were other plot lines that occured that made some parts of the books feel like chaos almost as if Milan was trying to force too much into the book at one time. Then there was Oliver. I've seen worse heroes but he definitely wasn't a favorite of mine. There were certain ideals that he held about Jane and her worth that didn't sit well with me. I do understand his stance on certain things due to his involement in politics; however, I just couldn't get past "Jane not being worthy" and the ending just couldn't justify his previous actions for me.
Overall, I thought that this was a good historical. I'll be interested in checkin out the rest of the series.
While the The Heiress Effect is the 2nd book in the Brothers Sinister series it can be read as a standalone. It focuses on a woman by the name of Jane who participates in the most insane behavior as a means to deter men from wanting to marry her. This is all in relation to her wanting to protect her sister from their uncle. She meets her match in Oliver Marshall who also knows what it means to be made fun of and ostracized from the community. The two become close friends and of course a romance ensues as they get to know each other better.
What I loved most about this book was probably the humor. Within the first couple of pages I found myself laughing out loud at Jane's "obscene" attire and behavior at social events. Even by today's standards I think that people who attended the same events as her would be left speechless. Her motivation to protect her sister at all costs was admirable, genuine, and heartwarming. Speaking of her sister, the two (Emily and Jane) had such a great relationship. Their closeness, admiration for each other, love for each other is something that reaches off the page and into the emotions of the reader. There was never a question in my mind that Jane would be willing to do whatever it took to make sure that her sister was safe. While I won't explicity describe the details of why Jane is forced to protect Emily, I think that it speaks to the treatment of physical ailments and how they impact women during this specific time in history. Their uncle who thinks that he's doing right by each of the women is abusive and coldhearted. I didn't care for him as a character, but Milan did a great job in providing some social commentary of the plight of woman who were in Jane and Emily's position. I also enjoyed Milan's writing style. I've only read a few historicals prior to this; however, I think out of the four I found this one to be the most accessible in terms of language, writing style, and structure.
Even with the elements of the book that I enjoyed, there were aspects that I didn't find enjoyable and prevented the book from being higher than 3.5. Milan did a little too much with this book. There were so many elements related to side characters that it forced our main characters into the background at some points. Particularly the relationship related to Emily. I was more invested in her romance than Jane's and that causes problems when the book centers around Jane. There were other plot lines that occured that made some parts of the books feel like chaos almost as if Milan was trying to force too much into the book at one time. Then there was Oliver. I've seen worse heroes but he definitely wasn't a favorite of mine. There were certain ideals that he held about Jane and her worth that didn't sit well with me. I do understand his stance on certain things due to his involement in politics; however, I just couldn't get past "Jane not being worthy" and the ending just couldn't justify his previous actions for me.
Overall, I thought that this was a good historical. I'll be interested in checkin out the rest of the series.