Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
Book 1.5 in the Brothers Sinister series, this novella gives us the backstory of Minnie’s best friend Lydia Charingford. Minnie, the heroine of The Duchess War, Book 1, had helped her friend when she ended up pregnant and unmarried some years before. Lydia overcame her ruined status in part by becoming cheerful and positive about life, always seeing the glass as half full. Dr. Jonas Grantham is a bachelor looking to wed, and who decides that Lydia is pretty enough to make his list of potential brides. What he doesn’t remember is who she is – as it turns out, he was there as the old town doctor’s assistant the fateful night the doc affirmed her pregnancy. Now that she has aged from 15 to 21, she has changed from a miserable teen to a lovely and upbeat woman.
Lydia assumes he does remember her, and that he’s pursuing her because he knows she was ruined and is therefore easy. Her optimistic attitude does not apply to the horrible young Dr. Grantham, who she imagines is always judging her and finding her lacking. He challenges her to see patients with him, betting that he will be able to introduce her to circumstances with no positive side, no silver lining. Although he doesn’t plan this outcome, he finally wins the bet by showing her more shades of gray when she meets his father, an aging hoarder who is losing his grip on reality.
Milan’s prose is witty as well as emotion-filled, and once again Rosalyn Landor brings the characters to life with perfect accents, pacing, pitch, as well as superb acting and dialogue skills. I’m still not completely won over by her standard hero voice which I find too stuffy, but in this short format, it doesn’t overshadow the charm of the story and her delivery in general.
Melinda
Narration: A-
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in (still tame)
Violence: none
Genre: Historical fiction (novella)
Publisher: Courtney Milan
A Kiss for Midwinter was provided to AudioGals by Courtney Milan for a review.
I’m a huge fan of the Milan/Landour combination. Landour does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life for me. Novellas aren’t my favorite things, but I might overlook that for Milan.
I love this series. Rosalyn Landor is one of my favorites. She brings Courtney Milan’s characters to life. Start with the Governess Affair and you won’t be able to stop the series.