The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan (Brothers Sinister #2)
Historical Romance
July 15, 2013
Self Published

Reviewed by May

“What ungodly color are you wearing?”

“Green,” she said. “Serpent-belly green. Or perhaps it’s the green of a cloud of poisonous chlorine gas.”

“And yet nobody is shrieking and averting their eyes.” He gave her a smile. “Nice trick. How do you manage it?”

She gave him a brilliant smile, one that he’d missed. “Simple,” she said, adjusting the diamonds at her neck. “I already told you. It’s the heiress effect.”

Jane Fairfield is intentionally gaudy, her comments intended to go far over the top and be obvious and blunt to the point of embarrassment of all involved. Yes, when she goes out into society the “feather heiress” (as she’s known) can not attract a suitor. Which is precisely how she wants it.

Meanwhile Oliver Marshall, the bastard son of a duke raised by humble but loving parents, does everything he can to be proper and earn his place in society and politics.

I loved this set up, and right away I fell a little in love with Oliver that he can’t stand to see how people are speaking ill of Jane, how they mock her and want to see her humiliated. I also really like that he sees right away that she is lovely, and way more than her over the top frocks and intensely bad manners. He can see that she’s obviously clever and that she is playing a very deep game – but why? And can he humiliate her in order to secure some political support that he needs?

“What is it with him?” he heard Whitting wonder.

It was simple. He didn’t like to laugh at anyone. He could find too much of himself in the object of their amusement. And while much had changed since his childhood, that never would.

This is a novel in Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, and yet it stands alone absolutely beautifully. While reading Oliver’s parents story (the novella The Governess Affair) gives a bit more information on the circumstances of his birth as it is his parent’s story, it is not required.

Jane has reasons for trying to repel suitors, namely that her uncle will only allow her to remain in his house so long as she is trying to marry. Jane’s sister is still just over a year from her majority and so Jane is waiting out the days until they can move away and live in peace. Jane’s sister is prone to seizures and her over-protective uncle goes to far, quite often. The sister actually gets a great story here as well – it really added to this book overall.

I found a lot to like about this book. The dialogue was a sparkling delight, and I found myself chuckling and connecting with these characters and this story right from the start. Jane is just my kind of heroine – she’s in no way perfect. But she is smart, capable, and totally entertaining.

“A ninnyhammer,” Jane said, “sounds like a magic hammer. One that I can use to smite ninnies. I have a great need for one of those.”

I really appreciated that Milan avoided all the common pitfalls that so frequently annoy me in romances. There is no big misunderstanding resulting in a hissy fit. Nobody has a complete personality make-over to make things work. Also, the characters don’t fall instantly into bed.

In fact, the characters become friends and confidants before anything romantic happens which I absolutely loved. They get to know one another and I love that each can really see who the other person is, and that they don’t keep secrets or pretend with each other.

“If people want you to stop talking, or to stop dressing the way you do… it’s because you hurt their eyes. We’ve all been trained not to stare into the sun.”

I absolutely loved how Jane comes to realize that her life has become so very painful. That the pretending has been eating away at her, in part because she’s not so sure how much is acting and how much is the real her.

“I have something to tell you,” she whispered, and he leaned in to hear her secret. “I am not a blight. I am not a pestilence. And I refuse to be a piece sacrificed for the greater glory of your game.”

She wasn’t touching him. So why did it seem as if she was? He could almost feel the phantom pressure of her hand against his chest, the heat of her breath on his lips…

“You are not any of those things,” he said. “What are you then?”

“I am ablaze.” She told him. Then she smiled and gave him a curtsy. She swirled on her heel leaving him staring after her.

Her words shouldn’t have made any sense, but as she turned, the many-colored gauzes of her overskirts fluttered behind her in the lamplight. It put him in mind of a prism, grabbing hold of the light and splitting it into all the colors of the rainbow. She was… ablaze.

If I have any complaint about this book, it would be that it had far less heat than I am used to with a Milan novel. The characters had chemistry, but overall the heat was turned way down in this installment. Ah but they certainly had their moments, like this one that had me giggling.

“Your thighs are like oak logs. Very unrestful.”

“Yes, but here’s the problem. If I had pillowy thighs, I would have reached down to swing you atop my fiery gelding, and when I tried to heft you in the air, I would have dropped you. ‘Damn it!’ I’d proclaim. ‘I just threw out my back!’”

It made me laugh, cry, and I really adored that it was such a rich story. While Oliver annoyed me just a bit, I appreciated that he was not the perfect man loving the fallen woman like several past Milan relationships have been. No, our heroine is a phoenix ablaze, and he’s going to have to rise to the occasion to fly with her.

Filled with sub-plots, twists, supporting characters, a secondary romance, and an introduction to characters we’ll be seeing in her next novel, I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend the Heiress Effect if you’re looking for a satisfying historical romance with heart and a truly fantastic heroine.

Grade: B+

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