You’d be a terrible wife for a duke, but for a man who doesn’t want to be a duke any longer? I can’t imagine anyone better.
A random observation: I vibe much better with Courtney Milan's novellas than her novels. Somehow, in her novellas the central romance arcs always end up better paced, to the point that those shorter books don't feel short at all. All the beats get hit at just the right times, the relationships unfold naturally, all that. Whereas in the longer books such as this one, I always find there's some rockiness, especially in the first half. Some aspects of the attraction between the MCs feel rushed, others drag on, and it takes a while for the story to find its footing and pace. The Duchess War was no exception in that regard.
Despite that rockiness, I really liked the story. Both characters are flawed, have lots of depth, and compliment each other really well. I loved how they very gradually opened up to each other and, consequently, to the reader about their respective past, especially in Minnie's case. As usual for Milan's books, the main couple was surrounded by a rich cast of compelling, well-developed side characters who all had their own truths they held on to. Not all of them were easy to sympathize with, but I always ended up understanding where they're coming from and why they do what they do. Of course, with the big glaring exception of Robert's father (though to be fair he's less a character and more backstory material).
As for the main characters, I have to admit Robert frustrated me a lot. Though it was a good kind of frustration, the kind you get when a character feels really alive and has a big seed of likability in them, so you just want to shake them and demand that they stop self-sabotaging. He's such a good guy and always tries to be so noble, but he does it in ways that end up causing at least as much problems as they solve. Like he's got this idea of what it means to be a good person who isn't at all like his dreadful father, and he has serious trouble applying that high ideal to real life situations that require more flexibility. Or more thinking about the actual other person in the room instead of projecting your ideals on them. He does show growth throughout the book, though, and there was that one part where his idealistic nature came really, really handy.
In contrast, Minnie is delightfully practical and thoughtful. She has her own ideals, but she's a lot more rational about them, and she's such a strong character. I liked how her practicality wasn't seen as some kind of flaw she should work on by opening up to the world, but rather it was Robert's idealism that caused problems and Minnie's rational approach that helped them both solve those problems, even in super emotionally charged moments. There's something incredible refreshing about this. Also, her backstory was revealed masterfully, in that awesome way when you get new information, look back at the previous chapters, and realize the clues were out in the open from the start, you just lacked the context to place them.
Other things I enjoyed:
- The way Courtney Milan once again packs an incredible amount of character and plot development into her smutty scenes.
- The numerous non-romantic relationships the characters are engaged in, such as Minnie's friendship with Linda and the questions of trust within its context; Minnie's relationship with her aunts and a mixture of gratitude and bitterness at her lack of choices that permeates it; Robert and his mother slowly working through all the ways she hurt him in the past, and all the ways he was used to hurt her; Robert's circle of friends with all their mutual support and banter.
- The prose and the historical atmosphere.
Pacing issues aside, this is a great romance book.
