Talk Sweetly To Me is a novella that concludes the fascinating Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan. This is a series that really stands out to me in terms of its character development, attention to historical detail, and, of course, sweet romance. Things finish up in this world with the story of Rose Sweetly and Stephen Shaughnessy which is not my favorite of Milan's romances, but still stands out in this oft-saturated genre.
Stephen is introduced to readers in The Suffragette Scandal as the son of Irish Catholics who works as a freelance writer for Frederica Marshall's newspaper. He specializes in satire on political issues and rights debates of the day. Stephen is also known to be a womanizer who doesn't seem capable of settling down. Like all of the heroines in this series, Rose is a woman who feels out of place. She is an English woman of African descent which automatically makes her a social outcast. She also happens to be a mathematical genius who would rather spend her time computing complicated equations than shopping.
Rose and Stephen meet each other before this novella even begins due to the fact that they are next door neighbors. I absolutely loved their interactions and how they challenged one another. I did think that the romance moved pretty quick due to the shorter page length. I really wish that this had been a full-length story so that the development would have seemed a bit smoother. But, it was still a sweet love story that forced both characters to take a chance on a life they never thought they would have. Plus I got to learn a bit about tracking comets and the lost art of people as computers rather than machines.
All in all, Talk Sweetly To Me is another unorthodox historical romance from an author who is definitely not afraid to take risks. The writing is concise and the message is subtle yet powerful. I look forward to seeing what Courtney Milan does next.
I received a free e-ARC of this book from Courtney Milan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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