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meghaha's review against another edition
3.0
“All this time, in her secret heart, she’d believed that if the truth came out, everyone would despise her. She’d believed her true self was dark and desperate, that her friends only tolerated her out of an excess of amiability.
But she wasn’t a monster.”
I really felt for Violet and she deserves all the happiness. And Sebastian and his brother's storyline echoed Violet's in a lovely way.
broonie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sincerelymendacious's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jjyee's review against another edition
5.0
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD :'))
joanav's review against another edition
3.0
provavelmente o que mais gostei desta série até agora mas ainda não acho que chegue bem às 4*... devo escrever uma opinião mais tarde.
celiapowell's review against another edition
4.0
Another wonderful feminist historical romance, with bonus science!
sd227's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
danielles_reads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As a woman in STEM myself, reading about an alternate history where a woman actually got credit for her genius made me cry. It really made the book for me.
I do think this book suffers from too many plot lines (which seems common in Milan books). I don't know why both the MMC and FMC had to have terrible siblings and trauma related to that plus the entire science storyline of course plus Violet's mother's drama plus Violet's trauma from her marriage plus the legal storyline, and all that on top of the romance. And Sebastian's brother was so awful to him that I actually hated him. So to see him get some sort of redemption arc (who caresif he's dying? He literally called Sebastian worthless! ) in the end and Violet's sister Lily didn't get any resolution at all didn't make sense to me. Like yeah, she was selfish and only talked to Violet when she needed her, but at least she wasn't outright cruel to her like Benedict was to Sebastian. He was so bad that I honestly was hoping he would die sooner rather than later. I think this book would have been a lot better if the sibling storylines were cut out (or at least Sebastian's was).
I honestly think that I wouldn't have bought into the romance as much if I hadn't read the previous books in the series. And yes, I know you're supposed to read them in order, but romance series are usually more companions than actually directly connected. But this book felt like it was building upon the scenes we got with Violet and Sebastian in the previous books rather than showing their connection in this book. I really would have appreciated more flashbacks with them together. Like yeah, it's clear they love each other a lot, but they were dealing with so much that I wanted more time with just them together and in love. I also didn't like how Sebastian declared his love for her 25% in. It ruined a lot of the tension that I love with friends-to-lovers romances and became a story more about overcoming a bunch of trauma (which is a valid story but I'm here for the romance!). Also, it was a bit annoying how Violet would constantly assume Sebastian would act in a certain heartless way when it was very obvious to the reader (and it should be obvious to Violet) that he definitely would not.
But still, I did enjoy their romance. Seeing Sebastian truly care for Violet's well-being was so heartwarming (though tbh he did feel a little too good to be true at times...). It did seem a little unbelievable to me that Sebastian was apparently the only one to notice Violet when it had always seemed like everyone in the group was good friends with her. But I did like the way that he innately understood her and the way she operated. I loved all the scenes where he patiently waited for her to finish what she was doing and acknowledge him. Now that's love.
And of course the entire science plotline was so meaningful to read about. I loved seeing Violet at work in her greenhouse, and the scene at the end withViolet working with Sebastian's advisor's photographer wife to capture chromosomes in the cell was so cool. It was interesting to see her get arrested for indecency lol and I'm glad Violet acknowledged that she got off easy and the huge crowd of supporters she got in the end was the BEST!
The storyline about Violet's trauma after her previous marriage made me so sad. I know this happens in real life to a lot of women and that made it hit even harder. I can't imagine how terrible it would feel to be married to someonewho made you feel worthless and didn't care about your health at all. I think that storyline was handled very well and I loved seeing Violet overcome that. (Though tbh I would have loved her and Sebastian to have longer sex scenes similar to the ones in The Governess Affair. It seemed like Sebastian was only really comforting her in nonsexual contexts.)
I also loved how the storyline with Violet's mom turned out.It is kind of wild for someone to kill their daughter's husband and get away with it but it felt so justified. I wasn't surprised when that was revealed but it still felt sooo satisfying. Especially when her mom was like "I want everyone to know my daughter is a fucking genius! Especially the asshats who said it was so sad I didn't have sons!" Like HELL yeahhh you TELL 'EM MAMA!
Overall, I think I had really high expectations for this since I've seen a lot of people say this one is their favorite in the Brothers Sinister series. And while I enjoyed it overall, it still felt a bit messy and not as strong as my favorite Milan, The Devil Comes Courting. Looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store though!
I do think this book suffers from too many plot lines (which seems common in Milan books). I don't know why both the MMC and FMC had to have terrible siblings and trauma related to that plus the entire science storyline of course plus Violet's mother's drama plus Violet's trauma from her marriage plus the legal storyline, and all that on top of the romance. And Sebastian's brother was so awful to him that I actually hated him. So to see him get some sort of redemption arc (who cares
I honestly think that I wouldn't have bought into the romance as much if I hadn't read the previous books in the series. And yes, I know you're supposed to read them in order, but romance series are usually more companions than actually directly connected. But this book felt like it was building upon the scenes we got with Violet and Sebastian in the previous books rather than showing their connection in this book. I really would have appreciated more flashbacks with them together. Like yeah, it's clear they love each other a lot, but they were dealing with so much that I wanted more time with just them together and in love. I also didn't like how Sebastian declared his love for her 25% in. It ruined a lot of the tension that I love with friends-to-lovers romances and became a story more about overcoming a bunch of trauma (which is a valid story but I'm here for the romance!). Also, it was a bit annoying how Violet would constantly assume Sebastian would act in a certain heartless way when it was very obvious to the reader (and it should be obvious to Violet) that he definitely would not.
But still, I did enjoy their romance. Seeing Sebastian truly care for Violet's well-being was so heartwarming (though tbh he did feel a little too good to be true at times...). It did seem a little unbelievable to me that Sebastian was apparently the only one to notice Violet when it had always seemed like everyone in the group was good friends with her. But I did like the way that he innately understood her and the way she operated. I loved all the scenes where he patiently waited for her to finish what she was doing and acknowledge him. Now that's love.
And of course the entire science plotline was so meaningful to read about. I loved seeing Violet at work in her greenhouse, and the scene at the end with
The storyline about Violet's trauma after her previous marriage made me so sad. I know this happens in real life to a lot of women and that made it hit even harder. I can't imagine how terrible it would feel to be married to someone
I also loved how the storyline with Violet's mom turned out.
Overall, I think I had really high expectations for this since I've seen a lot of people say this one is their favorite in the Brothers Sinister series. And while I enjoyed it overall, it still felt a bit messy and not as strong as my favorite Milan, The Devil Comes Courting. Looking forward to seeing what the next book has in store though!
Characters: 4
Plot / Pacing: 3.5
Setting / World Building: 5
Writing Style: 5
Themes: 5
Rating: 4.25
elinorsbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
itmustbemiriam's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This last book of the Brothers Sinister trilogy did not disappoint! If you recall, I said at the end of The Heiress Effect that I couldn't wait for Sebastian to get his HEA, and it proved even sweeter than I expected. I love an MC who has been secretly pining for years, and I love a FMC that is too smart for society's strictures. The issue of how women could and could not behave in proper society was really nicely handled, and I loved the way the FMC stepped into her power at the end.