AAR

[Lynda X]

That's it. It's just that Courtney Milan's sequel to THE DUCHESS WAR is out today. It's $.99. I downloaded it and will let you know what I think later. Now excuse me. I'm off to read!

[Rosie]

Thanks! I had no idea she was releasing a novella.

[Lynda X]

I finished this last night, and although it's not one of Milan's best, it's still worth the time and money, especially as it's less than a dollar. You can download (as I'm sure you know) an excerpt which is an accurate excerpt, reflecting the problem with the heroine, in my opinion. A KISS FOR MID-WINTER has the same wonderful strengths of other Milan books: interesting, unique characters who are in very difficult situations as they try to do the right thing, even if it means that they suffer. Shortly into the novella, the hero, Jonas, is following an established doctor on his rounds, having promised to be quiet. He is horrified and uncertain what to do when they go to the house of a fifteen-year-old (Lydia, our heroine) who is pregnant out of wedlock and he hears his doctor "mentor" prescribe a poison that may kill her or the baby. This novella has some problems: I never really warmed up to Lydia who vigorously resists Jonas's courtship, putting the worst interpretation upon his often-too-blunt (for her) courtship. Milan examines the effects on a woman of having been seduced by an untrustworthy man and puts Jonas in an impossible situation with his declining, hoarding father, so the book has the depth and meat of Milan's usual books. But it lacks a warmth of characterization and I never much cared whether the two got together or not. However, mediocre Milan is still worth reading, in my book. <G>

[MMcA]