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Fabulous historical romance dealing with contemporary issues such as consent, women's rights, immigration and racism without ever being peachy. I whizzed through the whole box set. There are no duds here, I enjoyed all the stories in the set.
This is one of the best series I've read. The characters, especially the women, just get better and better, and the socio-political nuances are near perfect. A really, really great read.
I generally avoid admitting reading "trashy" fiction, but these came highly recommended and and are super enjoyable. Also well researched, which makes everything better. Was off work sick and made it through the entire set.
Loved this series of books. It's great reading about the lives of a group of people throughout a series of books. The Hero characters are different from the usual norm and they choose (or fall in love) with very unsual Heroines. Great stories.
5.0 out of 5 starsDidn’t Want To Stop Reading, And So Sad To Reach The End
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 March 2020
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I really dislike reading reviews which complain of inaccuracies of historical events, as some reviews of this series as individual books have done. I would like to say that these are fictional works and would suggest those reviewers take a step down from their high horses and read these books for what they are, or alternatively stick to reading educational factual books. I have loved this whole series. The characters are wonderful, all with their faults and foibles and all are brought to us in stories that are well written, and beautifully scripted. Ms Milan is a true story teller with the knack of bringing characters to life with a bare minimum of effort. There is a wonderful sense of humour throughout, and yet I have swallowed a lump in my throat on a few occasions. My eyes filled with tears at least twice - totally unheard of when reading novels and usually reserved for wildlife documentaries. Each of these stories, be they full length or novella has been as magnetic as the last and on finishing them I know I will in due course return to re-read each one and that I will find bits of missed treasure when I do so. The biggest problem with this set of novels is that now I know it will be very difficult for me to find something else to read that will be nearly as good.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 December 2016
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Never doubt the power of the puppy cannon! - The Suffragette Scandal
Ms Milan so beautifully captures the essence of the Victorian era; both its highs and lows. The research behind the plots is flawless and I love how she takes the time to explain where she has skewed history (usually timelines) and the fascinating titbits she uncovered through her research in each of her authors notes. The acerbic wit, emotionally devastating scenarios and a enough romance to maintain traction is also a wonderful blend.
Her ability to create a dynamic cast is incredible. By the end of book two you can't help but care about the characters and by book five they feel like old friends, the end of the series was emotionally devastating - like leaving a group of friends you met on holiday to depart to your every day life. The problems, pressures and misunderstandings are realistic and this helps to fall into the books and never want to emerge.
I can't recommend this box set highly enough for a rainy day or a holiday read. Book one in this series 'The Governess Affair' is free on Amazon so if you're not sure I say "Why not give it a go?"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 November 2016
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I didn't love the first book in this series - it was *fine* but I didn't love it. But I love Tessa Dare's romances and she bigs up Milan's work so I persevered. So glad I did. Engagingly flawed characters, solid understanding of the time period and dialogue that is at times laugh-out-loud (or giggle-on-the-bus) funny. And the sexy bits are pretty darn sexy.
This is historical romance with beautiful attention to detail and each creative liberty explained in the afterword. The characters and their love stories are DELIGHTFUL and memorable and the surrounding stories are robust and well crafted. More please.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2015
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The stories in this boxed set are variable, but when they're good they're very good. The novellas, except for the middle one, seem just a little too short for the stories that they're telling. I was particularly taken by the way that recurring characters behaved in the same way as they had in their own stories, which is not always the case in a series.