The Suffragette Scandal (The Brothers Sinister Book 4)

Courtney Milan has done it again. Wonderful characters, important historical slant on women's issues, mixing philosophy with romance. Her books are so much more than they appear on the surface. Highly recommended.

I do have some quibbles with this book. Courtney Milan is a very gifted writer and she captivated me with the first two stories of this series – Governess Affair and Duchess Wars. After those fantastic stories, it’s been a downhill slide – with each book slightly less likeable. I actually didn’t much like the characters, although I was predisposed to – and I started to nitpick the plots. Nevertheless, the writing was good and the stories still better than most books out there. Sadly, this book had a lot of potential, but in my opinion, it wasn’t fully realized.

Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly eager to hear Free’s story, having not been impressed when I met her in an earlier book. Secondly, the title implied a political bent and that doesn’t capture my interest much, either. However, it turned out that Free was a bit more engaging than what I expected and the political rhetoric wasn’t as prevalent as I feared. So far, so good.

Edward made a pretty good hero and the background set up was sound enough – and interesting. I did like the attraction between the H and h and the way they fell in love, but all that wasn’t enough to make me love this book. I guess I just tallied up too many little annoying details, and no one is more disappointed than me about that.

Like some others, I found the secondary romance, for lack of a better term, sadly uncomfortable and stilted – not to mention totally unnecessary to the plot. It was puzzling, came from nowhere – and went nowhere. Even the characters seemed ill at ease whenever they appeared. Those chapters were awkward and almost embarrassing to read.

I got excited when I realized a visit to the Marshalls was included – but that was a disappointment as well. They came off as cardboard caricatures, not the warm and wonderful people I felt I knew from past books. Likewise for the appearance of Robert and Minnie – just totally flat. Missed opportunity.

Actually, the entire ending was unsatisfactory to me, and puzzling as well. I didn’t quite understand Free’s angst over Edward’s identity. She should have known at the ball when she mistook James for Edward that they were somehow related. The fact that she didn’t put those pieces together made her seem not quite so bright. Then, to be upset over the fact he was titled, propertied and wealthy??? Sorry, but it just didn’t make sense to me.

I’m not saying this wasn’t a good read, because the writing was good – just don’t expect the beauty of the first two books. And – I totally agree with another reviewer who stated the excerpt from the final book in the series sounded like it would be more political than romantic. I’ll skip that and hope for a better series in future.

My favorite book by Courtney Milan! Absolutely Brilliant. The clever banter, sparkling prose, the underlying angst of Edward falling helplessly in love despite his best efforts, ahhh the romance. I loved the way Edward and Free loved each other. Truly amazing. I loved the character of Free. She and Jessica Trent from The Lord of Scoundrels are my favorite heroines of all time; bold, fiercely intelligent, witty, and utterly maddeningly irresistible to their mates.

Edward was delicious. He was soo good at being bad.

Can not wait for "Stephen The Clod's " book.

Bravo Ms Milan!

I have enjoyed the series. It branches out from the usual formula. The characters are a little to modern but I like the weaving of the everyday past into the story. The story has a sweetness I enjoy and the characters from the past are a delight.

If I have one complaint about Courtney Milan's books it's that their publication forces me to instantly drop everything I'm doing and begin reading. The disruption to my day has been worth it for all her other books, and The Suffragette Scandal was no exception. Free and Edward are unique, interesting characters that come together in a story that is moving and funny and doesn't shy away from the low parts of life but equally celebrates the high parts.
Characters from previous Brothers Sinister stories appear in this book but as appropriate characters with impact, rather than hovering in the background as advertisements for their own stories. Although this is the 4th in the series, it can easily be read alone - but then you'd be missing out on the hundreds of pages of awesomeness that preceeded this wonderful story.

Finally! The Brothers Sinister book I've been waiting for. I almost gave up on Ms. Milan because her previous book The Countess Conspiracy had a heroine that was do difficult to like and a plot line that was boring. However, I am humbled and happy that I did not give up hope on her writing skills. I thoroughly enjoyed the breadth and depth of these two characters in the Suffragette Scandal. I had been following Free since the last book and knew that any man that would take her on would have to be someone not easily intimidated and more mature. There were a couple of things that had me scratching my head, such as her inability to put two and two together in respects to his real identity. She is supposed to be smart and quick and this is eluded to several times throughout this book. Overall, it was exceptional and the dialogue between the two characters was snappy and real. Love to see characters who are battling personal demons, but find each other along the way and this book had me definitely anticipating their outcome. The ending was fabulously well done!

Enjoyed all the series except this one (but not as bad as book 5).

I liked Free only because she came across as quick minded and fun but it really didn't have the interesting characters as the others in the series ... they didn't sparkle.
Although it was good that it touched on characters we have already met (and loved).

You would have to be dim-witted not to pick up on the lesbian couple.

THE SUFFRAGETTE SCANDAL is the fourth novel in the Brothers Sinister Series. It can be read independent of all the others, but the others are so good that a reader should start with the prequel novella THE GOVERNESS AFFAIR. THE SUFFRAGETTE SCANDAL is the story of Frederica "Free" Marshall, the younger sister of Oliver from THE HEIRESS EFFECT. Free is a modern, strong, independent woman. She is a supporter of women's rights and runs her own newspaper. Edward Clark is a self proclaimed scoundrel. Having been abandoned by his aristocratic family, Edward has spent years making himself. He returns to England to help an old friend and ends up involved with Free.

I loved this book. Free and Edward are characters that I haven't seen before. Free is strong and independent without being strident and yet has brought pain to herself. Edward is damaged and believes himself unworthy of a happy ending. These two are haunted by their pasts but Edward has a very poor self image. I liked how adult and reasonable these two are. This book is also funny. From the beginning Free and Edward have a repartee that had me lagging, smirking and giggling. For me the pages flew in this book.

The romance ended up being sweeter than I expected, but I was completely happy with how the book turned out. Milan has a wonderful way of subverting expectations and tropes. The language, characters and resolutions always end up being fresh and vibrant. The previous heroes and heroines appear but not in ways that works befuddle new readers.

There is one additional novella that follows that will finish off this series. Huzzah!

I read the negative reviews and for the most part they seem petty and like personal taste choices. I found the whole series, and especially the final book, absolutely marvelous. Milan's ability to write truly non-stereotypical and simultaneously truly dynamic characters is beyond impressive. I hope she continues creating unique and individual characters. Whether you enjoyed the type of story or not, it would be silly to say the characters are anything but compelling.

Here's someone with a personality! Kudos to Milan for serving up Frederica, a woman who takes great strides for herself and the women around her. And thanks again to Milan got creating a hero worthy of her.

Wonderful book! Witty dialogue, complex characters, interesting historical setting, captivating storyline. One of those rare treats in historical romance that are well above the rest. It truly deserves six stars!

Storyline drug for most of the book. Never could figure out why the hero would continue to pursue a witch like the main female character. I have read 2 of this authors books and will not waste my time or money on another one.

Frederica "Free" Marshall used the money she inherited from a reclusive aunt to put herself through college and establish a newspaper "by women, for women, about women". Her first story was an expose of the horrible conditions in a naval lock hospital, an asylum of sorts where they kept prostitutes suspected of venereal disease. She bravely and stubbornly continues to employ women and publish her paper, even though she receives offensive letters, abuse and death treats on a weekly basis. Recently, it's become clear that someone has access to the articles before they are published, and is making it look like the Women's Free Press is just copying from other male-run publications. Someone is determined to ruin Free's life's work.

Enter, Edward Clark, liar, forger, blackmailer and scoundrel extraordinaire. He offers to help Free, claiming he wants revenge on the man who's out to destroy her. What Free doesn't know is that the man who is behind the plot to discredit her and her newspaper is Edward's younger brother, and that Edward Clark was in fact born Edward Delacey, and now that his father is dead, he is actually Viscount Claridge. His brother is none to happy to see him return, as Edward's been gone for nearly seven years, just long enough to have him declared dead, so James can become the Viscount instead. Edward promises that his brother can have the title, he just wants to make sure that Stepehen Shaughnessy, his childhood friend, isn't ruined along with Miss Marshall's newspaper. Of course, Edward's father and younger brother both left him for dead in a war-torn France nine years ago, so Edward feels absolutely no loyalty or connection to them. The Shaughnessy brothers, however, his oldest friends, and Miss Marshall, who is quickly worming her way into his affections, he is willing to use all his devious and underhanded ways to help.

As Edward and Free work together to foil James Delacey's plots against her, they naturally grow closer, and Free discovers that while Edward may lie, cheat, be an expert forger and blackmailer, he's also a genuinely good man deep down, but has been mistreated by the world for the longest time, and believes himself not only incapable of love but wholly undeserving of being loved or even trusted. Of course, Edward knows that if Free ever discovered who he really is, and who his brother is, she will no longer great him with a beaming smile, but hate him forever.

I love Courtney Milan. This is no secret. I rate her book Unraveled among the best romances I've ever read. Well, that book has just been knocked off its top spot, because as far as I'm concerned, The Suffragette Scandal is her crowning achievement. As anyone who has been following my blog, or checked out my Goodreads ratings, I've never rated a Milan-book or novella lower than three stars. This book makes me want to break the ratings system, because it deserves six. All the other books of hers that I've rated five stars have little things that niggle and annoy me. This book is flawless. There is a secondary romance involving Free's best friend, Lady Amanda, the niece of Violet from The Countess Conspiracy which is so subtly and cleverly done that I was honestly wondering if I was reading too much into things to begin with, and whether my mind was creating a romance where there was none. I don't want to spoil anything, but bits involving Lady Amanda had me sobbing on a public bus because I was so moved, and I cheered out loud when the story finally reached its very satisfying conclusion.

Frederica Marshall is Oliver Marshall's little sister and in previous books in the series, she struck me as rather abrasive and annoying. Of course, that Free was an opinionated teenager. This Free is twenty-seven, college educated and tempered by the massive challenges of being a progressive woman in a society that wants women to be seen as ornaments and help meets, not heard and given equal say or footing as men. All grown up, Free Marshall is a force to be reckoned with. I wish she'd be my friend, even though she'd be a bit too outspoken and keep frustratingly thrusting herself into danger for my tastes. She's not flawless, she knows that she's bossy and opinionated, and speaking rashly without thinking can hurt the people she loves dearly. She doesn't publish her newspaper solely to convince men that they are wrong about women, she's doing it to inform and empower women.

Love is too small a word for what I feel for Edward. I'm not sure there are words in any of the languages I speak (English, Swedish, Norwegian and a smattering of German, if anyone was interested) to describe how I feel about Edward. He's so guarded, and cynical and has been beaten down so much by the world and the cruelty of men that he has trouble believing in anyone or anything. He sees the world in terms of how he can take advantage of it, and gain as much as possible for himself. Free sees the world in terms of how she can improve it for the most people and make it a better place in future. They are so different, yet both so sharp and clever and lonely. Their banter is absolutely divine. Their second meeting involves Edward trying to blackmail Free, only to have her turn around and blackmail him more successfully. Their romance is seemingly impossible, but of course they find a happy ending, and the romantic gesture from Edward at the end had me in tears, again.

This book made me laugh, and cry, and swoon, and ruined me so much for other books that instead of being able to read anything else, I just had to start re-reading this book again, only more slowly, so I could properly savour the plot, characters and writing. I don't think there's a single chapter where I haven't highlighted at least one section or quote or small dialogue exchange. I was lucky enough to get an ARC, so I could read the book four days early. That means I've now been fortunate enough to read the book twice, only a day after it's released. Courtney Milan self-publishes, so consider buying her book if you can. Otherwise, find it at your local library or just read it in a book store, and rate it honestly on all forms of social media. Get the word out if you like it. If I haven't convinced you by now that you want to read this book, you are clearly a person who doesn't like good writing. Courtney Milan is not a romance writer, she is an excellent writer who just happens to be writing in the romance genre. Please give this book a try!

I listened to this via Audible's Romance Package. I struggled to finish this one as the feminist plot bogged the story down. The h is an independent woman who publishes a suffragette news paper. She meets the H when he comes to meet her and to warn her that her enemy is plotting to take her down. The H has been living outside of England for 7 years and plans on going back to France where he lives. We learn that he is the missing eldest son of a Viscount and that his younger brother is petitioning to take up the title and the estate. The H is fine with this because he has no interest in the title and its trappings. His brother is meanwhile the h's enemy. He is plotting against her because she turned down the offer to be his mistress. The H helps the h to foil his attempts, the problem is that he never discloses who he really is and what his motives are. One of the other reviewers mentions that the first half of the book is good but the second half is a little tedious. I loved the interaction between the main characters and I desperately wanted to see how it would all work out. The narrator was excellent.

I forced myself to keep reading until more than a third. Then I skipped to the end to see what happened. Even that did not interest me. I read part of the end to see what happened to the bad guy and then stopped.

Some of my friends loved this. So this is one of those stories that works for some and not for others.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count length: 4,816 (299 pages). Swearing language: mild including religious swear words (in the part I read). Sexual content: not read. Setting: 1877 England. Copyright: 2014. Genre: historical romantic suspense.

Spoiler alert:
Until now, Ms. Milan has been one of my favorites since I first read one of her books. This book started out as a favorite......until I get to the parts when C.M. decides she needs to be politically correct and she inserts a story line that has no bearing on any of the rest of the story. It appears she just wanted to make a statement about a gay lifestyle. This small "sub-story" was very brief, but had no correlation with the rest of the book. Very disappointed with the choice C. M. made to include this. She will not be an automatic read for me in the future.

This is book 4 in the Brother Sinister series and while I really enjoyed it, I think it would have been even better if I had read the previous books. I'd recommend to start from the beginning since there is a multitude of characters with their own background stories appearing across this series.

Ms Milan has created a whole set of great characters, both the main and the supporting ones. They all stand out and are very memorable.

It was the heroine, Free, whom I came to like the most in this story. She is everything I love in a romance novel heroine - witty, strong, independent, smart. She had strong political opinion on the place and role of women in 19th century England and she was not afraid to voice it loud and clear. But she was more than a suffragette, she was a woman, a loyal friend and sister, a passionate and gentle lover.

The hero, Edward, was a more typical character - a rogue, a scoundrel, but good and honest at heart. He was the typical hero bearing scars from his past, who saw himself unworthy of love and happiness, and he craved them. His self pity was too much at times but his journey to become a better man was very real and engaging.

Ms Milan explores a number of social and political issues acute in 19th sentury Britain but still at the heart of the story is the romance between Free and Edward. And it was remarkable in its compelxity even for a contemporary setting. They were equal in their relationship and each of them accepted the other for who she/he was. She loved the scoundrel with all his baggage and danger and he loved the suffragette and everything that goes with being one. The had to overcome major issues in order to be together but eventually both let the other be the best person they can be.

I liked how Ms Milan blended social issues and family dynamics in a seamless mix. Neither the romance, nor politics overcame the story, they just blended perfectly together.

I very much enjoyed the writing style of Ms Milan. The witty banter, the subtle sense of humour and hidden sexual innuendos. She manages the create the historical setting without being overly descriptive.

It's was a very enjoyable read for me and I can see many more historical romances joining my TBR list. First come the rest of the Brothers Sinister series, of course. A highly recommended read!

You can read more of my reviews on my blog - elliereadsfiction.blogspot.com

Oh how I loved The Suffragette Scandal! This book is sooo much fun, just like the other books in the series. Going in I wasn't really sure if I would enjoy it as much as some of the pervious books, wasn't sure if I would like Free as much, but oh how I loved both her and Edward. They are amazing together! Their conversations are just so witty and fun! This was another book that I read with a huge smile on my face. There are parts that are so like me, so like something I would say, that I just loved it!

Free and Edward have risen to one of my favorite book couples ever. I cannot express adequately enough how amazing this book was. How fun and silly and smart and just amazing it is. From the first moment Edward saw Free he was drawn to her. He didn't know why, or what was to come, but he just was drawn in. He never thought anything would come of it, he doesn't think himself a good person, too much darkness in him, and he is only in town to seek some revenge against his family members who abandoned him. In order to do so he has to convince Free to work with him, something he at first is going to be easy to do. After all he has no problem with using whatever he needs to to convince her, including blackmail. Or should I say Huzzah! Blackmail! (Read the book - you will understand!).

Free is super smart. Smarter and stronger than Edward ever imagined. She has started a paper by women, for women, about women. She definitely doesn't need a man in her life, especially one that will try and keep her down. At first she thinks Edward is just a normal guy thinking like most men that women are weak and not deserving of the same rights. Only she quickly finds out he is not. He fully supports her causes, he just is so beaten down by his life thus far he doesn't think she will be able to do anything to enact change. When Free beats him at his own game, outwits him, she expects him to be angry. Only he is not. He loves that about Free. He loves that she can challenge him, she can stand up to him, she can beat him. Oh their conversations were so much fun! The conversations on exclamation marks alone were amazing, and popped up throughout. I loved it!

I loved that Free and Edward grew closer, but Free was strong enough and smart enough to know that Edward had some things to work out. They both have challenges they need to overcome to be together, ways of thinking and figuring out how to both be happy with their situations they find themselves in. Though it could have been a darker book, there are plenty of darker moments or things that happen, it was just fun! My favorite part was the bit about the puppy cannon. Seriously that is something I would have said! Read this book. Seriously, it is amazing. Beyond amazing. So much fun!

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

The Suffragette Scandal was my first Courtney Milan and now I'm kicking myself for being so late to the party. This book is... amazing. The writing is so cheekily clever and the characters are perfection. It's one of those books that makes you grateful for the simple act of reading.

Free is awesome. She's wild and determined and brilliant and I'm totally in love with her. She'll do anything for a story for her newspaper, especially a story that shows the unfairness of the world. She's not naive and knows the dangers of the situations she willingly puts herself in, but keeps fighting.

With a heroine like that, there needs to be a hero to match and Edward well and truly lives up to the job. Edward has the double bonus of being both a bad boy criminal scoundrel and a secret aristocrat - what more could anyone really want in a hero? (the answer is obviously nothing because Edward is scrumptious).

It's the dialogue that really makes this a standout read, though. It's witty and touching and I want to quote it all, but instead I'll let you enjoy it for the first time in context. The interactions between Free and Edward are fabulous from the first moment they meet, when they flirt over punctuation - yes, really, and it's as magnificent as it sounds. There's also a wonderful moment when Free calls Edward out for mansplaining (though not in those words, obviously), and it's the best moment ever.

There's a great secondary cast, including the other ladies at Free's newspaper and Edward's friends. And also a secondary romance that had me swooning. Usually I'm not a huge fan of more than two perspectives in a romance, but Amanda is my forever exception. Sweet, fumbling Amanda, getting lost in conversations and so confused by social niceties. I just adore her, and her romance with Genevieve melts me. Ah, my heart, just a melted puddle on the floor.

If you like historical romance at all, but especially if you like strong heroines and the heroes who love them, read this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Huzzah! This was, surprisingly, one of my favorite books by Courtney Milan! Surprising because I've read everything she's published (and thought, how much better can it get) and because I initially didn't like our main character, Free, when she was first introduced (as a side character in her brother's book). BUT -- I think this is probably one of her best. Free and Edward are both totally believable characters who are layered and conflicted in meaningful and easy-to-relate-to ways. It's got a wonderful historical backdrop in terms what it meant to be a suffragette at the time (the sexism from not only men, but also other women). The side characters get legitimate side plots (though they're almost too perfect sometimes), the main characters help one another grow as they fall in love... and overall, really, I feel like this is one of her best.

THAT SAID -- I don't think it's for everyone. (Spoiler Alert!!!) I don't know what the traditional romance reader looks for, but there's homosexual characters/side plots, a lot of detail on unfair treatment towards women of the time, and it's definitely not the traditional alpha-male-meets-helpless-virgin historical romance in terms of sexual norms and stereotypes. I loved it, but I can see why some people would struggle with this.

Greater Detail:
Frederica "Free" Marshall runs a women's newspaper (for women, by women with one notable exception) that's all about supporting (an din this case, sometimes creating) the idea of women's rights and opportunities. Over time, she's made quite a few enemies, and one man in particular wants to destroy her and her career.

Enter Edward Clark (not his real last name), a scoundrel of a man who's adept at forgery, blackmail, and things himself a broken wastrel of a man, unworthy of happiness. He's a pessimist's pessimist, and he's back in town to try and protect the Stephen, the younger brother of his best friend Patrick (who's more like a brother and to whom he more or less owes his life). Saving Stephen more or less means saving Free, and that's how they paths cross.

She doesn't trust him. And he doesn't trust love or anything that has any good in it. But, they're similar in a many ways: they're survivors who are willing to do anything for the things they care about (in her case, her newspaper, family and friends, in his case, just his friends). They're drawn together because they challenge and surprise one another (and the reader: there's plenty of excellent, laugh-out-loud-sly dialog and wordplay, perhaps the best I've seen from her).

It's at least ONE of my favorites. There are a few things I felt came/happened too easily (the side characters and how perfect they are, as well as how some of that resolves), and some parts I thought a bit too dark (all of Edward's past, some of which doesn't get revealed until the very, very end and some of the scandals Free has gotten into). I also wondered a little about how totally believable the final climactic sequence was.

But... is that nitpicking? Yeah, kind of. Overall, I loved this book. I read a chapter or two, put it down, and when I came back to it, I had to read the rest of it straight through. A must for all Milan fans who will appreciate her wordplay, her complex characters, and her way of challenging norms and expectations (even within the confines of historical romance).

Comparisons to Other Authors/Books:
The fully fleshed out characters make me think of the better of Lisa Kleypas's, Julia Quinn's or Sherry Thomas's works. Milan has a heck of a vocabulary on her, and everything is just very smoothly written (like Lisa Kleypas in terms of well drawn characters, but a little less hit-me-with-a-thesaurus than Sherry Thomas). Sensuality-wise, she's definitely below Stephanie Laurens and probably more similar to Julia Quinn. Humor-wise, I'd say she's somewhere along the lines of a Tessa Dare (but a little more serious). And drama-wise, she has setups that remind me of Kat Martin or Amanda Quick, but these resolve in a less-dramatic-and-more-believably layered way. My favorite is still Unclaimed, followed by Unveiled and Unraveled. The only Milan I would avoid is probably Unlocked (another novella, and not as good of one).

Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy

Courtney Milan writes in an extremely responsible manner.. responsible if you want to tell a tale about women. I have read many of her books and find myself captivated every time. It's not that she writes an excellent story, which she does. It's not that she creates fantastic characters, which she does and it's not that she understands relationships, which she does. No, it's that she understands women of the times. The Suffragette Scandal is a perfect name for this book.

Ms. Milan doesn't write a romance, exactly.. it's more a declaration of the times. Women are just beginning to stand up for themselves. They have found their feet and are realizing what Miss Jane Austen tried to teach them. A woman without a man is in some deep trouble. That will never change until they makes some demands and those demands are met.

The Suffragette Scandal is book four in her Brothers Sinister Series and the third that I have reviewed. Each book takes on women's issues in one way or another and each book pulls you in past the theme to the characters beneath. These aren't mere wooden images repeating a message.. no they are intricately crafted players that live the message. They could be our ancestors, telling the story that they lived. About a time when history portrays as all sweetness and light and often sweeps the reforms and the fight to reform under the rug.

Miss Frederica "Free" Marshall has devoted her life to spreading the news of women's rights. She understands that she can't change the world, she isn't even trying. What she is trying to do is change her world.. one little bit at a time. She has her own newspaper and has gone to great extremes to get her stories. But she has also made a terrible enemy who is doing his best to destroy her. Not because he is against what she does (which he is) but because she dared turn down his offer to become his mistress. But Free has friends in some unusual places and someone has sent help, sort of.

Edward Clark lost his ideals when his family abandoned him to live in war torn Europe.. Having all ideals literally beaten out of him, he claims to be nothing more than scoundrel. But Edward still has a smidgen of loyalty to his true family. And when one of the boys who stood true to him is in trouble, Edward returns to England to help. Only to find out that helping Stephen means helping the naive, suffragette that calls herself his boss. Except the more time Edward spends with Free, the more he realizes that she is more aware than anyone else. She is just willing to step into hell with a thimble of water.. if that's all she has. And the more independent and unique she is, the more Edward falls.

This is not a romance (ok it is) it's a story about two people fighting their own personal demons and realizing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sure Free comes across as confident woman but she has her issues that must be faced before she can ever be the woman Edward needs. Edward's needs are much more prevalent. In Free we see her need for assistance against an evil man but in Edward it's internal.. until both realize that their battles are similar and can best be conquered together.

I can't begin to explain how much this book touched me. I come from a family of women who would have stood at her side as her paper was burning.. who would have led the marches and landed in jail at her side. So I get her.. I also get the woman who learns that sometimes everyone needs to lean on someone else.

It's powerful and passionate and promises a true ever after.. sometimes even a happy one. I honestly loved it.

For those interested here is the reading order, sadly I have only read and reviewed three books in this series..

The Brothers Sinister Series Reading Order

½ The Governess Affair
1. The Duchess War
1½. A Kiss for Midwinter
2. The Heiress Effect
3. The Countess Conspiracy
4. The Suffragette Scandal
4½. Talk Sweetly to Me

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of The Suffragette Scandal, provided by netgalley.

"The smile Mr. Clark gave her felt like a weapon—one that he'd chosen carefully from his massive arsenal. It was the smile of a man who knew that he could charm and devastate, and he employed it with the precision of a master."

This is the last full length book of the Brothers Sinister series (there is just a novella to be released later this year). Frederica "Free" Marshall (who, if you remember from previous books, is the half-sister of Oliver Marshall) and Edward Clark are the female and male main characters. Free is the headstrong owner (and investigative reporter) of a newspaper called Women's Free Press. Edward Clark is the son of a Viscount, who was sent by the Viscount to a war-torn area years ago as a punishment. Edward has come back for his revenge and meets Free hoping to use her to get his revenge. Little did he know that Free won't just lay down nicely and be used, as she has plans of her own. Even though neither of them want to, they find themselves falling for each other.

Free is probably my favorite female character in this series. She is such a strong female who is fighting for a cause that she supports with her whole heart. Her investigative reporting, inspired by a real woman, is daring and can be scary but she doesn't shy away from it because she has a need to help others. Edward's past really haunts him and has turned him into the self-proclaimed scoundrel that he is today. He was definitely one hot scoundrel but once his past was revealed you couldn't help but be devastated for him. What I loved most about Free and Edward was their banter, especially when it came to their discussions about Edward's muscles.

Before I read this book I was alerted to the fact that the term 'suffragette' was first used in 1906. This book takes place in 1877. 'Suffragette' is used not only in the title but also in the book. As the term hadn't even been coined yet it couldn't possibly be used in the book's time period. I had hoped that there might be an explanation in the author note but there was not [I received a galley copy of this book and in the final version the author's note does talk about the word "suffragette"]. There was some great information about the real women that Free and her investigative reporting and newspaper were based on.

I would recommend this book if you like characters with real depth, especially a strong female character who won't be seduced in a second. Courtney Milan's characters always shine and these characters are no exception.

I received a galley copy so content of the book and quotes that I've included in my review may have changed in the final version. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.