eyes.2c Reviews

Her Every Wish (The Worth Saga)   by  Courtney Milan Daisy Whitlaw knows that to support herself and her mother she must do more than be a flower shop girl. She has a vision. A vision hampered by lack of funds and crowded out by the prejudices of her community. When she enters a competition to gain funds to start a trade she runs smack bang into those prejudices. Trade is for men!  With the help of her once friend and once beloved, Crash, a young man who has been brought up to stand tall and not let his circumstances of birth hamper his dreams, Daisy learns to see her worth and to fight for what she wants. Of course she and Crash do have some problems to confront and the path of true love is not at all guaranteed. But with a more focused attitude Daisy is learning to stand up for herself, and even more importantly to look at how her own attitudes might need to change. A very different and touching story. A NetGalley ARC ****

Once Upon a Marquess (Worth Saga book 1) by Courtney Milan Lists and cats, opium wars, treason and disruption. This novel has it all, tension permeates every situation along with lightning dashes of humour. In eight years Lady Judith Worth has gone from sunny lady assured of her place in the world to a woman who struggles to survive, ensuring her brother and sister have a roof over their heads, china that  if not matching,  is at least not cracked--and plans for her siblings future. Judith is a gem of a character, unusual in her mechanical interests and quirky substitute words for swearing. She is fierce in her protection of her family--younger sister, the intelligent Theresa and her cats is full of promise and I look forward to her story; youngest sibling Benedict, bullied at Eton and determined not to return, opens up for us as the story progresses; and then there's sister Camilla who chose to live away from the family and has had no contact for all this t...

Talk Sweetly to Me (The Brothers Sinister #5) by Courtney Milan     A lovely novel with a whimsically clever title that manages to discus women's rights, racism, inter-racial relations and the recognition of love. Rose is a charming, clever and strong woman. Stephen Shaunassey is a man with a reputation who finds himself pierced by Rose's intellect and comeliness. A pleasing novella! A NetGalley ARC

The Suffragette Scandal (The Brothers Sinister #4) by Courtney Milan 1877. Hooked by the opening, a rowing competition between major arch rivals Cambridge and Oxford where we meet the delicious yet dangerous Edward Clark and the vibrant Federica Marshall, I was pulled in even further by the opening interplay (of sorts) between Edward and this interesting woman dressed quite severely, in a mannish jacket with epaulets, wearing a bowler hat and exhibiting a jaunty freedom. Edward has left his beloved Toulouse to return to England. We have no clue as to why the story starts here, on the banks of the Thames at a rowing competition, and whither it is going, except that by the title, and now the description of this interesting young woman, that it somehow involves suffragettes.      The novel's brilliant! I loved it after the first page and was well and truly ensconced by the end of the first chapter. There's betrayal and friendship, intrigue and blackmail, and of course...