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The Duchess War
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
Miss Minerva Lane is a quiet, bespectacled wallflower, and she wants to keep it that way. After all, the last time she was the center of attention, it ended badly--so badly that she changed her name to escape her scandalous past. Wallflowers may not be the prettiest of blooms, but at least they don't get trampled. So when a handsome duke comes to town, the last thing she wants is his attention. But that is precisely what she gets. Because Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, is not fooled. When Minnie figures out what he's up to, he realizes there is more to her than her spectacles and her quiet ways. And he's determined to lay her every secret bare before she can discover his. But this time, one shy miss may prove to be more than his match...The books in the Brothers Sinister series:. The Governess Affair (free prequel novella)1. The Duchess War1. A Kiss for Midwinter (a companion novella to The Duchess War)2. The Heiress Effect3. The Countess Conspiracy4. The Suffragette Scandal4. Talk Sweetly to Me
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review
Chrissyreadit
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

A little more seriousness to the topic of romance with a Duke, a headstrong genteel girl of questionable origin, friendship and social issues. Fast, and while there are things about the trope I both expect and get irritated by have no regrets that this was my #auldlangspine pick - #2 on your list @DGRachel and easily available via Libby. I‘m reading Blackwaterfalls also but only a couple chapters in and won‘t finish this month.

DGRachel Yay! I‘m glad you enjoyed it. 1y
72 likes1 stack add1 comment
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sprainedbrain
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I‘ve always heard good things about Courtney Milan (and I love her Twitter) but this was my first novel of hers… definitely won‘t be my last. Love the unconventional heroine and hero, the smart and funny banter, and the spice was perfection. 🌶🔥

Rosalyn Landor‘s narration on the audible version is excellent, and I‘m definitely going to read the rest of the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian One of my all time favourite romances! The rest in this series are great too. 2y
75 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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sprainedbrain
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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I‘ve read so many books recommended by Jenny over the years, and I have even more on my tbr thanks to her posts here and on Goodreads. Tagged my current audiobook, which I bought because I trusted her romance recs.

So very sad for her family, friends, and all of us that she is gone. 💔

#RememberingJenny

KristiAhlers Oh no! I didn‘t realize she‘d passed. She did have excellent tastes in reads 💜 2y
Centique She did have great taste in romance I agree 💕 I really enjoyed this series too and hope you like this one! 2y
sprainedbrain @Centique I loved it! Definitely going to continue the series. ❤️ 2y
66 likes3 comments
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DGRachel
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I‘ve had this on my Kindle since 2018 and I hate that I waited so long to read it. Milan is now one of my top 3 historical romance authors. The book is delightful from start to finish. The writing is compelling, the romance development is believable, the MCs are smart and sassy (I LOVE witty banter between characters-give me all the snark, please), and there were multiple laugh-out-loud moments. I miss Robert and Minnie already.

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SassenachTheBookWizard
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I am definitely a fan of Courtney Milan's writing

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dainarmb
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Mehso-so

I am not doing so well on my Mount TBR challenge right now LOL

Picked up this historical romance to see if that sub-genre was for me. Wasn't a huge fan tbh, I think I'll stick to my contemporary and YA fluffy picks.

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thestarlesscasea
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Mehso-so

I appreciated the politics, Violet and Sebastian were delightful (albeit underused), and my heart ached for both leads' experiences with shitty parents. The central relationship was relatively believable and sweet, but it wasn't particularly captivating. I would have preferred less of all the unnecessarily drawn out plotting and more little moments between the two of them--it's a romance, after all.

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Bookzombie
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I read the prequel novella for this series last month and after this one I can say I‘m definitely going to read more from Milan. I loved Robert and Minnie‘s story. I loved that the she included important issues of the time. I loved the found family aspect. I freaking loved that their first sexual encounter is not perfect! I laughed out loud and I cried. Book 3 of #BookspinBonanza

TheAromaofBooks Great review!! I love romance that has plenty of humor. 4y
Bookzombie @TheAromaofBooks Thank you! Also, I updated this post because this is Book 3 for #BookspinBonanza. 4y
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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jmtrivera
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Apparently this is the only book I own with #Brothers in the (series) title, and I have not even read it!
#MagicalMay @Eggs

Eggs Gorgeous dress 👗👏🏻 4y
jmtrivera @Eggs True! 4y
17 likes2 comments
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adadvs
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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I can‘t believe it took me this long to find another good historical romance series. It draws you in at a good pace. And let‘s not forget how badass the heroine is. Kudos to Milan for this start of what will hopefully be a great series.

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Christinak
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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The next temptation struck in a moment. He‘d thrown his bag on the seat next to her. Only a single metal buckle separated her from his papers. His potentially damning papers. He had to be importing the handbills from somewhere. Maybe he had a bill of sale or a note in that satchel. But…it would be a tremendous breach of #privacy. And what would she do even if she found something? His word against hers would still leave her ruined. #QuotsyJan20

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Owlizabeth
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I‘ve been in bed almost all day reading this one. A wallflower with a sordid past, a duke with radical beliefs, this was more complex than the typical romance novel. Milan explores women‘s roles and the meaning of family and the beginning of unions and the fight against the peerage status quo. I love a brilliant heroine and a hero that falls for her mind. And the sexy sex was fumbling and fantastic. On to the second in the series. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Texreader Sounds like a perfect day: reading in bed! 4y
readordierachel Love this series. The Countess Conspiracy is my favorite. 4y
51 likes2 comments
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Lindsy
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

It remains to be seen what the fate of RWA will be but this article provides a lot of context of not just the most recent events but of events leading up to the current problems the organization faces.

https://jezebel.com/inside-the-spectacular-implosion-at-the-romance-writers-1841...

Lindy I like what Nora Roberts had to say about RWA‘s fear mongering in regards to lesbians. (edited) 4y
24 likes1 comment
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Michollio
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I've read this one before, but I wanted to rearead it as I've decided to actually read the series in order instead of just randomly reading her books as they go on sale on Amazon. Enjoyed reintroducing myself to this world, and excited to move on to the rest.

#BookishBingo: Character lets go of bad habits
#Pop20: By an author who has written more than 20 books

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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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More updates but also I actually worked at work and had to find out while eating dinner that Meghan and Harry have broken up with the Royal Family? What the what? This is a wild timeline we‘re in, to be honest.

DGRachel It definitely feels like 2020 is saying “hold my beer” 😱 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I have something to share from Chuck Tingle..... 4y
LibrarianRyan Yes, hold my beer... but I get it. Harry‘s far enough down the line to leave “official” duty and I wish them luck. 4y
35 likes3 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Avon and Harlequin have pulled out of supporting the annual conference RWA holds. That‘s two of the biggest romance publishers. From what I‘ve seen both have made at least some efforts to publish more diverse romance so this backs those choices as well.

LibrarianRyan I agree. Harlequin I think has done the best job diversifying. I think because they have a YA imprint and started there. 4y
DGRachel Berkeley Romance has pulled out now, too. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @LibrarianRyan & @DGRachel and this is on top of agent groups backing off too. 😮 4y
33 likes3 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

It looks like a complaint against the RWA and/or a call for an investigation of the RWA has been submitted to the Texas State Attorney General‘s Office. The RWA is headquartered in Houston and it‘s the AG‘s office that investigates non-profits.

Even just getting one side(ish) of the story and being an outsider there‘s enough happening to make me wonder if something‘s going on.

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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

RWA has decided to cancel the RITAs and refund everyone their money.

DGRachel Did they still have submissions? It seems like every time I turned around someone else was announcing that they‘d pulled their books from consideration. What a nightmare! 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel Yes but I think it was going to cost them more to run it than to not. They said in the letter it was because they had worked in the previous year or so to make it more diverse and improve judging, etc. that with withdrawals it would no longer be representative of romance as a genre. It sounded pretty but to me it seemed a bit of a late response and, based on other actions, not honest. 4y
BethM Holy shit. 4y
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BethM Did you guys see the cover of the RWA journal that was published today?! @DGRachel 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @BethM Yup. Talk about not reading the room. I understand it was probably decided on before this but even do it‘s not ok. After this, it‘s even worse - if that‘s possible. 4y
DGRachel @jpmcwisemorgan @BethM Yes, I saw that cover and wow. Talk about wholly inappropriate. “Oh look at the NWL reaching back to help the WOC up this publishing mountain because we all know NWLs are here to save WOC.” WTF? 4y
DGRachel @jpmcwisemorgan Jamie- quick question. Do you know of a way to find out where an author stands on this #RWAShitShow? I received an invitation to read a book thru NetGalley, but if the author is one of the NWLs, I don‘t want to accept. I found her Twitter page and she appears to be dead silent about RWA, so I didn‘t know where else to look. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I‘ve only seen a couple of names. I don‘t know if anyone made a list just for this but there had been someone who had a do not buy or do not read list - some people are doing this on Goodreads too. I can see if I can find something but a lot of it‘s been screenshots so that‘s hard to search. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I know some people weren‘t going to read board members who stayed or the women who filed the supposed compliant. I say supposed because apparently there‘s a bunch of secret stuff happening. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel Suzan Tisdale and Kathryn Lynn Davis are behind the original ethics complaint. Harper Kincaid wrote the article in the report that just came out that is apparently not great - some have said its transphobic. I‘ve not read it but a lot of authors are upset about the content of it. Romance Sparks Joy might be a good place to look for recs of people to read. (edited) 4y
DGRachel Thanks! I‘ll head over to Romance Sparks Joy and see if the author in question is mentioned on either a naughty or nice list. I don‘t want to boycott an author unnecessarily, but I don‘t want to support one that‘s awful. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel There‘s not been a lot of naming of names that I‘ve seen. I know some things have been said on the RWA private group but they‘re with screenshots so it‘s hard for me to try search for them. I even read a couple of blog posts and most people have avoided naming NWLs. 4y
29 likes12 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Romance Sparks Joy has put together a list of books pulled from the RITAs that are by underrepresented authors. They‘ll use proceeds from the affiliate links to fund bookish related activities. I think they‘ve helped with the RITA submission fees in the past. You can find these books at: http://www.romancesparksjoy.com/rita-withdrawls-list/

CoffeeK8 Thanks for sharing! 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @CoffeeK8 You‘re welcome! I thought there might be some interest here and I know not everyone uses Twitter. 4y
32 likes2 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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There are agents groups pulling support for the RWA and one of the women who complained about Milan is saying she was encouraged to do so by staff (she initially claimed to have lost a 3 book contract but that‘s apparently a lie???). A lot of books have been pulled from the RITAs and you can buy them from a storefront - link is to tweet with the Amazon link because it‘s shorter - https://twitter.com/AllAboutRomance/status/1213521532812759040?s=20

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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Romancelandia on Twitter is still willing to burn the RWA to the ground. There was an email from the RWA to members telling them they to be nice (I‘m WAY oversimplifying this). There were complaints against Milan that were considered in the sanctions but she wasn‘t told about them so she couldn‘t respond. SECRET complaints. Authors are calling for the new President to resign and a forensic audit.

MarriedtoMrT I haven‘t been on Twitter today but I have been mostly following since 12/23 and WOAH is it a mess. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @MarriedtoMrT I can barely keep up. It twists and turns, and some people have come forward with things the RWA has ignored and it creates a pattern - at least to me it does. 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Wow! Nora Roberts is a class act. She has a statement on her website regarding what‘s happening. She pulled out of RWA years ago and admits to not always being aware of lack of inclusion AND points out that it‘s likely she‘s been problematic and she apologizes for that and will strive to do better. Her website keeps crashing but I have a link to a Google doc that has her statement https://t.co/GcZgmb2uq4?amp=1

LibrarianRyan Wow. That was so well done. I loved every bit of it. 4y
llwheeler Thanks for linking that. She really is a class act. 4y
Branwen What a star. I love Nora Roberts! 😍 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan @LibrarianRyan @llwheeler @branwen I think some people would have liked it to be stronger but given she‘s no longer a member of RWA I think it‘s a good start, especially because she likely has a lot of readers who won‘t have heard about this and will listen/care because she has made a statement. And some readers will base who they read on who steps up. This could have a big impact. 4y
CoffeeK8 What a great letter. 4y
sprainedbrain She‘s awesome. What a great statement. 4y
31 likes6 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Ok, Chuck Tingle called out Damon Suede for lying about knowing him. Neil Gaiman is now aware of what‘s going on. Now, Chuck Tingle is calling for people to cancel their RWA memberships, although a number of people have pointed out that needs to wait until the petition to recall Suede is in and the vote is held. Yes, I follow Chuck Tingle in Twitter and Facebook. No, I really don‘t think RWA thought this through.

Julsmarshall It is so crazy! 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @Julsmarshall Right?! I don‘t understand what RWA thought the result would be if they didn‘t have all their ducks in a row. If there‘s a legitimate complaint against Milan, then it should be addressed but as far as I can tell there‘s a bunch of shady shenanigans and half-truths. I saw at least some of the stuff that‘s supposedly in the complaint and I don‘t recall it being a problem, it was straightforward and not an attack on anyone. 4y
LibrarianRyan This was great. this stuff has been crazy. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @LibrarianRyan It apparently all started in August when they asked Milan to recuse herself from the ethics committee but then rewrote all sorts of rules and created a new committee and have papers to the President-Elect (that‘s Damon Suede, who is it the President because the President stepped down, I think). 4y
LibrarianRyan @jpmcwisemorgan That is what I got from all my reading. 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Ok, this sums up most of what‘s going on and gives at least some indication of how this all started. It doesn‘t highlight all the local chapter issues that are also coming to light. https://twitter.com/RomancingNope/status/1211025913128902657?s=20

You shouldn‘t need Twitter to read this. You should also be able to read it in a browser, I did.

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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

There are offshoots. It‘s nearly impossible to keep up now. Damon Suede, who is now the President of RWA, told people Tessa Dare hates them. She‘s now had to correct that with several people. And it looks like he makes this kind of a habit??? He tells people he has closer relationships with people than he has, etc. - and says to those people‘s actual close friends so.... 🤷‍♀️It‘s like every messed up thing is coming out now.

DGRachel He‘s a pathological liar. It seems like he can‘t open his mouth without a lie spilling out, not unlike a certain “leader of the free world”. At least the petition to remove him from office appears to have enough signatures, so *maybe* RWA can be salvaged and rebuilt with some integrity... 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel There‘s a readers petition going around too. It‘s telling RWA to get it together and that readers are going to act with their dollars. I signed that one. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel It looks like Julia Quinn came out in support of the petition to recall Suede. She‘s told her readers on Facebook she‘s concerned about what happened (she‘s not on Twitter). 4y
DGRachel So far, the romance authors that I read and love have mostly responded in a manner that allows me to continue to read them in good conscience (I haven‘t seen any response from the others, but they may not be on Twitter) 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I think there are quite a few not on Twitter, like Julia Quinn. I know a couple of people are trying to compile lists of authors who have removed their books from consideration for this year‘s RITA. 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Ok so Damon Suede is the new President of RWA. I don‘t know who he is other then he writes for Dreamspinners and that company has not paid people regularly in at least a year. There are authors that say he lies. I don‘t know where he said this (another tweet shows a small clip of Suede‘s statement) but Chuck Tingle has taken issue with his claim. Chuck Tingle is now involved. There‘s probably gonna be a story!

CoffeeK8 Chuck Tingle takes no prisoners. This is getting out of control 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @CoffeeK8 Damon Suede has had his invitation to some convention rescinded for both 2020 and 2021. I don‘t know much about him but apparently he likes to say things that aren‘t true or entirely true. Other genres have even noticed and it made the news (I don‘t remember which paper). And it‘s still going. 4y
26 likes2 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

I don‘t even know where to begin because now it sounds like there were “secret” complaints or different versions or something - none of which Milan was told about and given an opportunity to respond to. Also, the new President has released a statement to chapter leadership and it sounds like there‘s some shenanigans with his role in all of this (and not just that he‘s a Dreamspinners author who is still being paid).

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effani
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

Well, this was lovely. I'm starting to really appreciate Courtney Milan's flair for writing characters with trauma in their pasts. It's a gift to find the right happily-ever-after for people who've been badly hurt before, and not paper over the hurt with a smarmy love-fixes-everything message.

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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

I think Romancelandia on Twitter is going to burn the RWA to the ground. Board members have resigned, local chapters are asking about leaving, authors are letting their memberships lapse, some have pulled out of judging the RITAs, and others have pulled their books out of the RITAs. Several authors have come forward with complaints that the RWA has ignored in the past. The floodgates are open!

LibrarianRyan Yes. I say this Christmas eve. They kind of deserve it. It's a little crazy. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @LibrarianRyan It just keeps coming! More people are stepping forward with complaints from local chapters and how national RWA did nothing or backed the complaint - so much in your face racism that nothing has been done about. (edited) 4y
CoffeeK8 I am so interested to see how the whole situation plays out. From what I understand racial equality and white supremacy have always been a problem with RWA. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @CoffeeK8 I assume nothing will happen, at least not immediately. My guess is it will continue as a mostly white female organization, despite being started by a black woman. All the authors of color will leave and either not have a professional organization or will start yet another group. A number of people have pointed out how unfair it is they‘d have to start again without the resources RWA has because they shouldn‘t have to do the labor again. 4y
CoffeeK8 @jpmcwisemorgan sadly, this is exactly what will happen. Some people are the worst! (edited) 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

And this latest fiasco with RWA has been linked to the Dreamspinners fiasco - which I realized I‘ve not posted about and oh boy is that not a huge hot mess that RWA has not addressed for authors.

Julsmarshall Such a mess. So disappointed in RWA. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @Julsmarshall Yup. I‘ve been following the Dreamspinners mess for most of this year. I should probably post about it because there are authors who‘ve taken their rights back who could use support. The new thing with RWA doesn‘t really surprise me based on other things I‘ve seen authors say. They were supposedly trying to do better but clearly that‘s not the case. 4y
DGRachel I‘ve been following the latest hot mess all week. To say I‘m disappointed in RWA is an understatement. 4y
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jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I think they thought they‘d be under the radar because it was close to Christmas but as some on Twitter pointed out, they (the authors) can multitask and wrapping presents while burning RWA to the ground wasn‘t really asking to much of them. 4y
DGRachel Yeah. It‘s been a complete sh*tstorm, and now all the POC on the board have resigned. A bunch of Presidents/President-Elects of chapters have signed a letter demanding the resignation of the RWA President (she did resign), President-Elect (leave it to a white man to hold on to power for as long as he can), and someone else, whose title escapes me at the moment. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel The President-Elect is another wild story. His husband has been on Twitter lecturing people about this action and I think maybe some other stuff. Damon Suede has a book coming out soon with Dreamspinners and some of the other authors think this may be why the RWA hasn‘t shown any support for Dreamspinners authors when they‘ve shown support for authors in similar circumstances in the past. 4y
DGRachel Yes! I saw that, too, and Courtney just blew Damon up on Twitter. I feel like I really need a bag of popcorn and my twitter feed rolling on a big screen right now. What a scumbag! 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @DGRachel I just saw the Damon Suede thread and holy biscuits!!! 4y
25 likes8 comments
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jpmcwisemorgan
Duchess War | Courtney Milan

Holy hot biscuits! Two days prior to Christmas the RWA decided to sanction Courtney Milan for calling out racism because at least one white woman was unhappy about what she says on Twitter. I think they‘ve set their organization on fire and they‘ve had to take back their statements pending legal advice. They did all this with some sort of special committee. It‘s wild. I‘m in a semi break from social media so I don‘t have all the details. Yet.

night_shift Yeah, it's been all over Twitter for a few days now. Definitely some shady business with the extra committee created specifically for this and white lady hurt feelings propelling it forward. It's disgusting. I don't really read any of the books of the people involved, but I just want to buy Milan's books to send support. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @UnidragonFrag I‘ve been following it, just not engaging in any of it because I‘m trying out less social media. I think the tagged book is one people suggest you start with if you‘re going to try Milan. I‘ve not yet because I have a pretty big TBR but I‘ll get to it one day. 4y
effani I've been meaning to read Courtney Milan for a long time and am just getting around to it now because of all this. I'm really enjoying the tagged book. I believe the prequel novella, The Governess Affair, is a free ebook (at least I got it free a while ago). The Duchess War is better in my opinion but I'm glad I read the prequel first. 4y
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night_shift @jpmcwisemorgan yeah, I get that. I keep wanting to ditch the social media, but I always come back 🤷‍♀️ I'm trying to read what I have for this next year and not to buy anything beyond bookclub books I don't have, but I'll likely go grab that one. Who knows when I'll read it lol 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @UnidragonFrag I can‘t completely ditch because a lot of my family is on FB and we don‘t live near one another. But I think I need to maybe use it a little less. I have so many books to read that I don‘t need a new author to try out but I like to support people who are trying to make things better. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @effani I might have the free one. I think it came up earlier this year in some online conversation. I really should just read it! 4y
night_shift @jpmcwisemorgan yeah, I've got family too on Facebook, but I'm ok ditching them 😂 they have my number. But seriously, it's Twitter that's the bane of my internet existence. Hours lost there. I have so many things I want to read too (GR had like 3k added) but I totally agree about supporting people. 4y
jpmcwisemorgan @UnidragonFrag Oh yes Twitter sucks up so much of my time. I deleted my app so I have to do it through the browser on my phone. It‘s a more conscious decision to use it now and I‘ve been on less. 4y
Julsmarshall Such a horrible situation. Courtney Milan is a quality person, smart, funny and a benefit to the romance community. RWA has done her, and apparently dozens of other authors, wrong. They need to be transparent, clean house and make this right! (edited) 4y
night_shift @jpmcwisemorgan I may need to try that. Would definitely make it more tedious to mess around on. 4y
25 likes10 comments
review
sebrittainclark
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

4/5

I'm really enjoying this series so far. I thought the references to Jane Austen and Lady Catherine were particularly fun.

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esurient
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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parasolofdoom
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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My top 5 books of the decade (by genre) -- Romance

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xicanti
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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I ran one of those procrastinatory “do my faves have anything on sale?” searches earlier and discovered Courtney Milan DOES! You can currently get the entire Brothers Sinister series for $2.99. You should jump on it if you like historical romance, or if you‘re one of those anti-romance types who‘s open to rethinking the genre. Milan might just change your mind.

emtobiasz Agreed! Milan is definitely the author who got me into romance! 5y
xicanti @emtobiasz I know a bunch of people who bought into all the genre stereotypes until they gave her a try and realized there‘s more out there! 5y
twohectobooks I have majorly reassessed my opinions about the romance genre over the past decade but I still just generally don‘t enjoy it (so far). That being said, sometimes when I go into a book not expecting any romance and get a really beautiful one, I am so on board. So ... 🤷🏻‍♀️ 5y
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rockpools I‘ve been wanting to try her, & it‘s Qa.99 in the UK too. Oh look, I accidentally one-clicked! (Thanks) 5y
xicanti @twohectobooks first off, I hope this doesn‘t come across as nasty. I don‘t mean it to. What I‘m hearing here is that you like romance when it‘s not marketed as romance, and while I don‘t know your whole reading life that takes me back to my own anti-certain-genres days, which were about bias. I expected to dislike certain genres so I didn‘t always look at each book on its own merits. I do hope you someday find a marketed-as romance you like! 5y
xicanti @RachelO excellent accident. 5y
readordierachel Hot damn! I love this series 5y
twohectobooks Not nasty at all! I think I just didn‘t express myself well and am struggling to do so with only 451 characters. Maybe I‘ll write a blog post... What I‘m trying to say is that after a lot of soul-searching and reevaluating my prejudice I still don‘t think romance is my genre. High fantasy isn‘t either. But if a synopsis interests me I might give either one a chance and I have some books in each that I‘ve loved. Dunno if that clears it up at all. 5y
xicanti @twohectobooks yeah, 451 characters makes things tough sometimes! That makes sense, and I love that attitude. I get so sad when people tell me they‘ve totally shut themselves off from certain genres, largely because that‘s what I used to do and I cheated myself out of so much great stuff. I‘m always glad to hear of readers who‘ll branch out when they find something that appeals to them. 5y
34 likes9 comments
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parasolofdoom
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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This is why Courtney Milan is a g--d Queen

Ashley_Nicoletto God, I love her. ❤️ 5y
20 likes1 comment
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Nessavamusic
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

Had a great reading day! Mainly listening to this wonderful #romantsy book. This was a reread inspired by the plagiarism scandal, that began with this book being plagiarized and a reader noticing. A big mistake as Milan is a lawyer...
#24B4Monday #audiobook

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Nessavamusic
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Alternating between tagged book on #audiobook and One Night Wife by by Ainslie Paton. Also continuing #24B4Monday!
#fridaynightbookclub @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @JoScho

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome!! 📚🙌🏻 5y
JoScho ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
41 likes2 comments
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Nessavamusic
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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ness
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

Courtney Milan always makes me laugh and cry, and this time was no different. It was mostly delightful but three critiques: A smattering of ableist language, a fake disabled boy to show how Kind and Lovely the hero was—and I am bummed our heroine‘s BFF is married in the epilogue because I wanted her to get her own book. Other than that, it was a lovely, sexy, feelsy book.

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jpmcwisemorgan
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan

If you read or have read Milan, read romances, or just generally don‘t like plagiarism please show some support for Milan, who just found out an author in another country lifted passages from the tagged book. She‘s tweeted about it and is going to look into what options she might have. It‘s pretty clear plagiarism too. I bought the ebook and plan to read and review soon as a show of support.

Crazeedi That's a shame!!!😠😠 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @Crazeedi Yes, it is. However, Romancelandia is in the case and they‘re going to find every instance of plagiarism in the other author‘s books. Apparently she even plagiarized from a wedding cake site!!! 5y
Crazeedi @jpmcwisemorgan wow that's just crazy! There's probably more of that that goes on than we even realize unfortunately 5y
jpmcwisemorgan @Crazeedi Oh, I‘m sure there is. Sometimes I see references to things and I don‘t feel like being a Twitter detective so I just go on about my day. I just happened to catch this one as it unfolded. 5y
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Lauredhel
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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😁

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Brooke_H
Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

This is an outstanding romance. I haven't read a lot of romance for pleasure (I don't count what I've read for work), but what I have read, while enjoyable, is pretty simple and cookie-cutter. This is neither. The characters are complex. There is a mysterious back story. There are a lot of great minor characters. Most importantly, the strong leading lady has agency.

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ralexist
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

I've been inching my way into reading romance novels again; 1 or 2, here and there as I hear good things about them. I grew up in a house full of Harlequins so I'm not a stranger but I got burnt out by the genre. This book however was really good. Strong female MC, interesting take on the sexual relations, and the tackling of PTSD. For me it read less like a typical historical romance and more like a romance that just happens to be set in history.

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2BR02B
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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But they're the highest form of literature!

vivastory 😂😂 6y
LoverofLit I love a good pun! 😂😂👍👍 6y
jpmcwisemorgan I kind of want to read this now. 6y
2BR02B @jpmcwisemorgan it's a pretty fun read. My biggest complaint so far is not enough sexy times. 6y
GripLitGrl i love a good pun! 😄😄👍 6y
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Pickpick

Wow. I loved this book!! Amazing complex characters (even supporting ones) and wonderful integration of fascinating historical details of 1860s England (scientific advancements, working class rights, chess competitions and more!). Also, super funny! I was so rooting for Robert and Minnie. Milan does this incredible thing with their first sex scene: it doesn't go very well and they have to talk about it afterwards and figure out how to do better!

CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian More gushing: this is the best historical romance novel I've ever read! Also, the sex scenes after the botched first time are super sexy. #Romantsy 6y
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2BR02B
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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And suddenly I kind of like the Duchess of Clermont.

rubyslippersreads 😂😂😂 6y
50 likes1 comment
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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
The Duchess War | Courtney Milan
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Man, I love Courtney Milan's writing! Maybe almost as much as I love tea.
#Romantsy

writerlibrarian Milan is often my go to author when I don't know what to read. I have a few of hers in reserve, waiting. 😁 6y
sammisho I have been reading this series, love it! 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian @writerlibrarian Good idea! I'm happy that I have so many of her books ahead of me still. 6y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian @sammisho I've already read the second book and loved that one too! 6y
sammisho I'm on the 4th one! 6y
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