A Kiss for Midwinter (The Brothers Sinister Book 3)

Wow. Just ... wow. Loved it!!! It's rare to be able to pull out a great story with well-drawn characters in a novella, but Ms. Milan managed to do that beautifully.HERO: Jonas (26)Fantastic hero - very unusual, don't think I've ever read a hero like him. There's nothing cookie cutter here - no rake/rogue, no stuffy aristocrat, none of the usual figures that we see so often (and love! Not bashing them, by any means). Jonas is a doctor; he is very straightforward, blunt, to the point, almost/often to a fault. I don't want to say he's socially awkward, because he's not, but he has the unfortunate habit of sometimes saying the wrong thing (ex: when he tries to explain to Lydia that he wants to talk to her not because of the secret he knows, but because she's the 11th prettiest girl in Leicester, ). A lot of these slip-ups make for some great laughs though and make him all the more endearing. Despite his clinical manner, he is also a very sensitive and caring person and we do get to see that side of him quite early on.[Quote: A friend had once told him that he was like bitter coffee---positively habit-forming, once one acquired a taste for the beverage, but off-putting on the first few sips.]HEROINE: Lydia (20)Lydia was a wonderful heroine; also unusual, though not AS unusual as Jonas. I liked how Milan dealt with the heroine getting pregnant at 15, in the sense that I liked how she had all the characters in the book deal with it (that's essentially the prologue, so I'm not ruining any spoilers). In most romance books, when something like that happens the heroine is then shunned, kicked out of the house, constantly made to feel guilty, etc. None of that here, Lydia's parents were actually wonderful, the father especially. Milan also manages to capture the complexity of emotions that Lydia feels about what happened and the circumstances, which would be a challenge in even a regular-length book, let alone a novella. She doesn't have Lydia's character swing to an extreme because of what happened, but instead really shows us the complexity and layers of emotions and effects that experience had.[Quote: For so long, she hadn't let herself feel anything at all. She'd smiled and laughed and ignored the harm that had been done. But deep inside, she hadn't stopped wanting, and no matter how she'd tried, no matter what lies she told herself, she had still hurt.]THE ROMANCEFinally, even the relationship - the dynamic at the beginning, how it develops, how their feelings evolve, etc. - was unusual and did not at all feel like an overdone romance book recipe. It was such a treat to read their interactions, see how their feelings and opinions changed, and watch the beautiful romance unfold. ::sigh:: Jonas was really great, I gotta tell ya'! Anyway. Milan was able to deliver a believable and lovely relationship in a novella, which is no small feat, as well as wonderful and interesting secondary characters, who only added to the story and didn't get in the way or steal any scenes - she was smart enough to add secondary plots or distractions along the way.BOTTOM LINEOverall, a FANTASTIC read that I just adored. Left a huge, dopey grin on my face in the end and I was so sad that it was over. Can't wait for time to pass so I can read it again :-D.EXCERPT"I don't know why you're doing this," she sniffed as he dabbed at her cheeks. "You're being kind, but you always make fun of me."He ran his hand down her shoulder. "I never make fun of you.""You say such horrid things about me.""I never say horrid things about you," he contradicted. "I tell you exactly what I think of you, and you never believe me.""You're sarcastic and contradictory."He sighed and breathed in the smell of her, sweet and uncomplicated. "Well, yes. That, I must admit to. But half the things I say to you in sarcasm, Lydia, I really mean. I just can't bear to leave them unsaid.""But if you don't think badly of me ..."He didn't answer. He wanted her to lift her head at this moment. He wanted her to look him in the eyes and realize that he loved her. He wanted her to love him back.

Holiday cheer and smiles are sometimes not what they seem and Dr. Jonas Grantham wagers with Miss Lydia Charingford that there are things he sees on his rounds that will sap her Christmas Spirit. Having seen this author's books raved on over the years, I have finally gotten around to my first and was eager to be persuaded to join in the excitement.A Kiss for Midwinter is a 'tweeny' standalone novella in the Brothers Sinister series as a follow up to the Duchess War featuring this heroine's best friend getting her story.In a bleak prologue, A Kiss For Midwinter sets up the story with Jonas a very young doctor's apprentice forced to watch an old doctor practicing medicine in a hideous manner with a young, vulnerable woman who is unmarried and finds herself pregnant. Fortunately, her father is loving and protective.Staying silent because he gave his word and because getting the man's practice when he finishes up medical school has stuck in his craw for years. Jonas determined to do better by his patients and has. Now he wants to look about him for a wife, but the only lady who catches and keeps his attention is the irascible Lydia Charingford. He is unaware at first that she is the grown up woman he saw in that vulnerable state, but she hates him because she thought he knew and would use this against her. Thus, if he is to stand a chance with her, he must be unorthodox in his courtship. A wager!Lydia hates everything about the smug and smirking doctor who makes her feel prickles and discomfort when she wants to drift serenely through life with her past safely tucked far way. His blunt and forthright way of speaking about medicine, about contraception, about life unnerves her and his challenge to go with him on his rounds and see there isn't much to be festive and cheerful about confuses her. The man shows her hope and generosity in his way of dispensing his medicine and then she discovers his own secret and he tells her what she really knew all along. The past must be dealt with and she must reach across the chasm of her fears if she is to ever be truly happy and healed.A Kiss for Midwinter was a breath of fresh air. The author wrote an engaging romance pair and plot to lead them along, but I was most struck by the frank approach to medicine and it's place in the culture at the time. I am ever so happy that we live in a time where surviving a doctor's visit and prescription is infinitely higher than the one in ten shot back then. I was also please by the approach to handwashing to prevent the spread of germs, contraception and sexual relations so disease isn't rampant, unwed mothers and neither is wearily dying in child birth. It might have detracted from the story, but it didn't because it fit the characters in this story. I can see Jonas and Lydia working out great as a medical team in their town practice because she gave the warm bedside manner that he struggled with and he had the expertise to help heal.So, yes, it was a great intro to the author's writing and this series. I want to go back and read the romance for Lydia's friend and the rest of the series. Those who enjoy sexy historical romance that ties well to the historical setting should definitely give this one a go.

Although the author make some different and even bold choices, I find the end result overall refreshing. I loved all the books so far, even when they can trigger some bad memories. I only regret that the first and third book are so small. I can't wait to read the book about Oliver. Also I would prefer that the novella was related to the Duke somehow, not the duchess because the brothers are the protagonist of the series, but I loved the characters. Courtney Milan is turning in one of my favourite authors. I'm very happy I'm finally reading her work.

Realistic, reasonably-enacted characters, whose troubles are compelling. It is not an easy combination to write, and Courtney Milan has done an excellent job in A Kiss for Midwinter. The most refreshing aspects of this novel are a heroine who is by no means unblemished, parents who choose to cherish rather than chastise her, and a male lead who breaks the mold of a rich yet reticent lord. In this novel you will instead be treated to a doctor, and much more frank-speaking than is usually found in regency romances!

Ich muss gestehen, dass ich zunächst gar nicht so scharf darauf war, eine Weihnachts-Novelle zu lesen. Doch da ich auch die Vorgängergeschichten dieser Buchreihe gelesen habe, konnte ich nicht wiederstehen. Und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Wieder wartet Frau Milan mit einer sehr unkonventionellen Liebesgeschichte auf, welche vor allem durch ihre Charaktere überzeugt. Jonas, der Arzt, war für mich das Highlight des ganzen Buches. Seine Art manche Dinge zu sehen und ganz nüchtern medizinisch zu erklären fand ich absolut liebenswert und zum Teil zum schmunzeln. Auch war es interessant bis gruselig zu lesen, was damals so als Medizin verwendet wurde. Und so war das Buch nicht nur eine Bereicherung für's schmachtende Herz, sondern auch für's Hirn. ;-)

Six years ago Jonas Grantham watched a doctor prescribe poison to a young woman. At the time he knew it was wrong - just as the doctor's assertions of moral failings and bad miasmas also were - but he was only twenty, unqualified and had given his word he wouldn't interfere. But the encounter has haunted him ever since.Five years later Jonas returned to Leicester to take up his medical practise and look for a wife. Lydia may have been only the eleventh prettiest unmarried girl in the city, but he was interested enough for a closer look. Except Lydia wants none of him. Because she was that young woman, and she has no time for sarcastic, blunt doctors who think badly of her.Only Jonas doesn't think badly of her. In fact, despite more than a year of contemptuous treatment, he's actually fallen in love with her. Now all he has to do is get her to like him, and perhaps win himself a kiss... It's worth a shot. After all, since his heart is already gone, he has nothing more to lose.This gorgeous novella is a follow-up to  The Duchess War , where Lydia was the cheerful best-friend of the heroine. Jonas played only a brief but intriguing part. While it might be useful to have read that first, I don't think it's essential. All the relevant points to Lydia and Jonas' relationship are here, so you won't miss anything vital.Jonas is an unusual hero with his blunt, slightly gloomy style, but his pursuit of Lydia is touching and even heartbreaking at times. His sarcasm and social awkwardness mask a sweet heart, most clearly seen with his helplessness towards his father. Lydia is lovely too, if a little too accomplished at self-deception. She has excellent reasons though, which have nothing to do with stupidity. The way she comes to terms with her past is quite moving.Tender, emotional, witty and fun this novella never feels rushed or too short. It's beautifully paced, skilfully detailed and the characters are wonderful. Whether writing in long or short form, Courtney Milan is one of the best writers in this genre today and this novella just proves that she's getting even better. Indulge yourself - you won't regret it. The Duchess War

This was a lovely short sweet story. Very much enjoyed it for a bit of light reading.