The Suffragette Scandal (The Brothers Sinister)

Huzzah! Courtney Milan! This heart-tugging story of two people living in a world into which they do not fit is a an appropriate ending to Milan’s brilliant Brothers Sinister series. Consider this: despite being called the Brothers Sinister, the titles refer to women, and these books are truly about the heroines and the role of women in Victorian society. And in 1877, suffragettes represented the ultimate threat to the status quo. Frederica “Free” Marshall is the daughter of Hugo and Serena Marshall of The Governess Affair. Her brother Oliver, hero of The Heiress Effect, was educated at Cambridge and is now a member of Parliament. In his story, we saw Free as a precocious youngster who wanted to attend Cambridge and didn’t see why she shouldn’t have just as good an education as her brother. Oh yes, and the right to vote. Fortunately, Girton College came along, and Free got her B.A. Using a legacy from her namesake great aunt Freddy, Free establishes a newspaper – the Women’s Free Press – By Women, For Women, About Women. Free has made a name for herself as a crusading investigative reporter, exposing abuses against women in factories and hospitals and advocating for their right to vote. She has no illusions of achieving total victory, but she is unwaveringly committed to at least trying. At the suggestion that she could have had a easier life married to a lord, she retorts: "I’ve built something here. It’s a business that is not just for women, but for all women. We print essays from women who work fourteen hours a day in the mines, from prostitutes, from millworkers demanding a woman’s union. Do you think I’d give this up to plan dinner parties?" Free and her newspaper are, not surprisingly, quite unpopular with certain parts of society, and now some unknown person or persons are on a campaign to destroy the paper. One day, Edward Clark appears in her office offering to help Free fight her nemesis. After coolly announcing that he is a blackmailer, a forger, and a liar, Edward admits that he has his own reasons for desiring revenge against the man responsible for Free’s troubles. He won't divulge who that man is, but Free realizes that she has little choice but to, if not trust him, at least see if he can deliver. It happens that Free’s adversary is James Delacey, Edward’s younger brother and perpetrator of a cruel betrayal of Edward. For almost seven years, Edward has been assumed to be dead, and James is now on the verge of claiming Edward’s rightful title as Viscount Claridge. Edward does not want the title or any of the responsibilities that go with it, and he had never intended to return to England. James’s vendetta, however, threatens one of Edward’s oldest friends, a young man who writes a column for Free, so Edward proposes to be her ally while keeping virtually all of the details of his life a secret from her. The story takes the reader through several months of Free and Edward working together, and sometimes apart, to achieve their goals, never completely trusting one another. Along the way, Edward undergoes a remarkable, and unexpected, journey toward the discovery that he is not quite so much of a scoundrel as he had supposed. Gradually, he tells Free more about his life -- how he was exiled by his father, betrayed by his brother and eventually caught in the horrible siege of Strasbourg during the Franco-Prussian War, how he was held captive and tortured, and how he came to perfect the art of forgery. But he never reveals his true identity to Free, even after he marries her, and he knows that this is one deception she will never forgive. There is so much to know about Edward that I would have to double the length of this review were I to discuss it all. Suffice it to say, then, that Edward is a reluctant, tortured hero unlike any other I have ever read, and I’m half in love with him myself. Not surprisingly, the other Brothers Sinister and their mates appear as secondary characters, along with Free’s parents. Every book in this series has featured unforgettable characters, and it’s fun to encounter them again. This review has barely skimmed the surface of Milan’s complex, satisfying story, but I want to say a word about the Brothers Sinister series in general. By polite society's standards, there is something "wrong" with each heroine -- Serena, the ruined governess determined to get justice; Minnie, the chess prodigy and political activist; Lydia, condemned by medical "science" for her sins at the age of fifteen; Jane, a naturally loud, talkative, argumentative woman who chose to make herself more even more undesirable to protect her afflicted little sister; Violet, who hides her scientific acumen knowing that society will not accept her discoveries; and now Free, brash, assertive, and committed, no matter that society disapproves of such unladylike behavior. In none of these books does the hero come along, sweep the heroine off her feet and rescue her. Instead, these women persevere until they succeed in finding a comfortable mate and place in the world without surrendering their essential being. And the mates that they find are exceptional as well – men willing to accept the women they love for who and what they are. Milan’s talent is so remarkable that she is able to present these stories without every straying into preachiness. In fact, each book is filled with warmth, sensuality and lots of clever humor. Obviously, I adore romance novels, but Milan's books are really so much more than that. They are not merely historical romance novels. They are history. They are romance. They are excellent novels deserving of wide readership. As I’ve said before, she's playing chess, while everyone else is playing checkers.

4 stars. Courtney Milan wins everything. This is easily my favourite of the four full Brothers Sinister novels - maybe because it stars a suffragette. Frederica Marshall is the little sister of Oliver Marshall, the MP, and the male MC in The Heiress Effect. Free is wonderfully rebellious, extremely intelligent, and the editor of the Women's Free Press who is fearless in her reporting. She believes so strongly in her ideals and the written work that it's hard not to fall for her. And fall for her Edward Clark does. Edward is a master forger who still has a lot of loyalty to his childhood friends Patrick and Stephen Shaughnessy. Edward was essentially kicked out of the country by his father and brother, who were noble, because of his lack of belief in the way they treated their servants. Edward is now presumed dead, but has secretly come back to England to ensure the safety of Stephen, who is currently writing for the Women's Free Press, and is, obviously, a target of those who don't want women's suffrage. As a romance, Edward is a pretty dark character - from the beginning, his narrative voice is dark and pretty cynical about the world. He's definitely the roguish Han Solo to Free's Princess Leia - except that Free would never want to be a princess. The way the two of them fall in love through their matched wit and cunning is trademark Milan, and the way they inspire each other to greater heights and learn to accept one another is fascinating and sexy. As a reader, I fell in love with the way the story twisted and turned - as a romance, of course you know what will happen in the end, but the story and the writing are always sharp and compelling. I should also mention that Free's story sort of parallels that of her mother and father in The Governess Affair - so if you liked that one, you'll really like The Suffragette Scandal as well. I would highly recommend reading The Suffragette Scandal if you like romance and feminist issues. I think it works okay as a standalone, but it's so much richer of a reading experience when you've read about all the other characters first, so please, pick up the rest of the books in the Brothers Sinister series!

I really enjoyed all books in the series. Perfect on a sunny or rainy day, at the beach, on the couch or in bed. Will definitively read more by this auther!

Really well written, good story line and characters. It's a romance book with a difference.

well played so to speak and so timely a read in my life at least.

I love that this book is clever and witty, showing that romance can be a bi-product of more than constrained desires and sudden social faux pas, but a meeting of minds, that desire can flourish from shared ideas. A wonderful plot, had me riveted from the beginning. Please write more romance like this!

Eu sou completamente viciada em romances da época da regência. E como qualquer viciada, de tempo em tempo eu preciso de pequenas doses deste tipo de leitura, a fim de evitar minhas inevitáveis crises de abstinência. The Suffragette Scandal é o quarto livro da série Brothers Sinister, que embora não tenha me cativado tanto quanto a série Turner ainda assim, a cada livro, vem conquistando o meu coração e entorpecendo o meu vício. A narrativa conta a estória de Edward Clark que voltou à Inglaterra após mais de sete anos fora do continente. Ele foi mandado embora pelo seu falecido pai e abandonado pelo seu irmão mais novo. Após anos sem contato com a sua família aristocrática ele foi dado como morto. Mas, Edward sobreviveu. Ainda que não da forma mais honrada. O herdeiro ao título de Visconde, se tornou um falsificador e um chantagista de primeira. Frederica Marshall, a Free, é proprietária e editora-chefe do jornal Women’s Free Press, que é escrito para mulheres e sobre mulheres. Ela é uma feminista de carteirinha que muitas vezes coloca sua vida em risco para conseguir uma matéria. Ela é idealista, corajosa e almeja a igualdade entre homens e mulheres - inclusive no que se refere ao direito de voto. Os caminhos de Free e Edward se cruzam quando ele descobre que seu irmão mais novo tem a intenção de arruiná-la. Ele quer ajuda-la, ainda que por razões ocultas. Contudo, ele precisa convencer a Sta. Marshall de que ela vai necessitar da ajuda de uma falsificador, charlatão e mentiroso. Ou seja, de um grande canalha. E nunca houve um canalha mais adorável! Sua mente brilhante e calculista associada com a espiritualidade e inteligência de Free contribuíram para uma estória excitante e encantadora. O romance entre os protagonistas florescerá de forma doce entre atendados contra o jornal de Free, mentiras e confusões. The suffragrete Scandal se passa em 1877 e é rico em detalhes históricos e descrições, mas não ao ponto de ser enfadonho. A escrita de Courtney é certamente mais reminiscente àquelas de autores de romances históricos, e mantem o erotismo à um nível bem baixo, sem contudo se olvidar do romantismo e da sensualidade. Este é o quarto romance da série Brothers Sinister e apesar de poder ser lido de forma autônoma, eu recomendaria a leitura dos livros anteriores, já que temos vários vislumbres dos outros personagens desta série. Recomendadíssimo para aqueles que gostam de romances do gênero.