Ms. Rawlings' The Belanger Family series is one of my favorite romances. This book takes place one year after the events of the first book. The Reign of Terror is over for the most part and the rise of Napoleon is in the early days. Brigitte is blackmailed into helping her father-in-law into spying on Jean-Paul (younger brother of the hero from the first book) in order to make JP pay for the death of Brigitte's husband. The father-in-law is a very powerful black market operator/mastermind and has spies spying on Brigitte as she is spying on JP. However, JP and Brigitte grow close, as well as JP and her kids still at home (including the heroine of the next book). It was wonderfully atmospheric and the period details were used to move the plot along. The pace kept the character motivations from being too repetitive and I really felt the romance develop nicely from the get go. And it is always a treat to read a historical romance set in someplace other than the US or England.

What a load of crap. This is new adult nonsense dressed up in Victorian era clothing. The male MC is no hero - is an alphahole of stupid proportions. The female MC is a walking doormat. This story was short (about 7,000 words or 3 chapters) but was so full of clichés that it must have come from her early days of writing, it was so amateurish. Not the quality I expect from Milan.

I have owned this book since 2011. The depths of my kindle account is scary at times. I very much enjoyed this one. It had humor, a lovable rogue, a wonderful heroine, some really funny situations. But it also had some heart wrenching moments that had me going from smiling to having tears in my eyes. And oh so romantic. *sigh.

Just a tad too much lusting in this one too early, with not enough tension buildup. Much better in that regard in the second half.

Overall good though, page turner. Will read the next.

Oh dear this is difficult to review. First I am so so happy to have Lisa Kleypas back to writing historical romance. 

Issue I have here is that the hero starts out so unpleasant and wimpy and just changes on the flip once he lusts after the heroine. I had such a hard time warming up to her and just really feel their actual romance, beyond just lust. He wants her, in bed. But I just don't get a sense of why he "likes' her.

Then of course enters Winterborne. And from that point on all my feels go there.
That moment when Winterborne sees Helen for the first time, that one brief glimpse, told me more about the character of Helen through Winterbornes eyes than the whole book managed to convey about the actual heroine Kathleen. I don't know how to explain it. It was the same when one moment Helen looks into Winterbornes eyes later when she helps him pick something up. That look, so much potential and feels.
I never really got a sense of the essence that are Kathleen and Devon. But with just a couple of looks and lines, I am fully invested in a secondary potential coupling.

I kept writing Katherine instead of Kathleen in this review, that is how much I never got her. :)

I do like the cast of characters over all, if I look at it as a assemble cast book. Love West the brother of the hero, love the twins and the servants. But as a romance between 2 people, it just didn't work for me as well, with those particular people.

Overall I liked it, just not the couple in this book as much as the other parts. Their ending and HEA was a bit rushed, but oh boy the set up for the next book really really intrigues me. Looking forward to some meat to dig in. :)

Very much want the Winterborne book now.