And I finally get what all of my fellow “ballers” are talking about when they talk about Milan. This amazing little novella is full of wit, life, some very real darkness, but overall a wonderful triumph and a happy ever after I can get behind!
This is a prequel to the Brothers Sinister series. It tells the story of former governess, Serena, and the Duke of Clermont’s “man of affairs”, Hugo. Serena spends every day sitting outside the Duke of Clermont’s residence saying nothing, while he tells Hugo to get rid of her. As they begin to talk over the course of days Serena’s horrific story slowly unfolds, while Hugo’s attraction to such a strong woman begins to build. A wonderful love story comes about.
What I really enjoyed about this one, and what I’m finding in general with romance novellas is that there’s no time for extra shenanigans. There’s no extra strum und drang with 50 pages left because the author needs to make the book a certain length. You go in, meet and establish the characters, have them fall in love and get out. What more can one want from such a wonderful little story. The other thing I really enjoyed about this one is that both Hugo and Serena felt very real. Hugo at the end, instead of rising morally above and just walking away as so many perfect heroes do, punches out the evil Duke of Clermont and still spills his awful secrets to his wife. Serena, selfishly, when she realizes Hugo’s attraction decides that she’s going to steal him away from Clermont and keep him for herself. That’s how people actually operate! It was great!
So, overall I’m 3 Milan’s in and completely in love with 1. This one is only 99 cents on kindle so if you’re thinking of trying out a Courtney Milan romance I so far can’t recommend a better place to start!
