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The Worth Saga #2.75
Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure
Mrs. Bertrice Martin—a widow, some seventy-three years young—has kept her youthful-ish appearance with the most powerful of home remedies: daily doses of spite, regular baths in man-tears, and refusing to give so much as a single damn about her Terrible Nephew.
Then proper, correct Miss Violetta Beauchamps, a sprightly young thing of nine and sixty, crashes into her life. The Terrible Nephew is living in her rooming house, and Violetta wants him gone.
Mrs. Martin isn’t about to start giving damns, not even for someone as intriguing as Miss Violetta. But she hatches another plan—to make her nephew sorry, to make Miss Violetta smile, and to have the finest adventure of all time.
If she makes Terrible Men angry and wins the hand of a lovely lady in the process? Those are just added bonuses.
Author’s Note: Sometimes I write villains who are subtle and nuanced. This is not one of those times. The Terrible Nephew is terrible, and terrible things happen to him. Sometime villains really are bad and wrong, and sometimes, we want them to suffer a lot of consequences.
Then proper, correct Miss Violetta Beauchamps, a sprightly young thing of nine and sixty, crashes into her life. The Terrible Nephew is living in her rooming house, and Violetta wants him gone.
Mrs. Martin isn’t about to start giving damns, not even for someone as intriguing as Miss Violetta. But she hatches another plan—to make her nephew sorry, to make Miss Violetta smile, and to have the finest adventure of all time.
If she makes Terrible Men angry and wins the hand of a lovely lady in the process? Those are just added bonuses.
Author’s Note: Sometimes I write villains who are subtle and nuanced. This is not one of those times. The Terrible Nephew is terrible, and terrible things happen to him. Sometime villains really are bad and wrong, and sometimes, we want them to suffer a lot of consequences.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2019
About the author
Courtney Milan
69 books5,318 followersCourtney Milan writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller.
Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else. Sign up for it here: https://bit.ly/CourtneysTea
Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.
Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.
Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else. Sign up for it here: https://bit.ly/CourtneysTea
Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.
Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.
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March 28, 2019A thoroughly enjoyable light-hearted frothy romance which is also a howl of pure screaming rage. We don't get enough of those.
We also don't get enough f/f histrom, and we particularly don't get enough romances with heroines in their sixties and seventies. But here it is: two ladies who are properly old, with bad knees and gnarly knuckles and papery skin, and who are still desirable and desiring and ready to love--and one of them was never beautiful and has a squint, for heaven's sake, and they are still romance heroines and I might cry.
The plot is very light--Mrs Martin's Terrible Nephew won't pay his debts, Violetta enlists her help, and the two women set out to ruin his life quite spectacularly, for his own crappy sake but also for the sake of all the shitty men in this shitty patriarchal world who grind women down and make them serve and tell them not ever to be angry or demand to be seen or ask for a place. That's the howl of rage and it runs through every page of the book, not subtly either. This is the romance version of I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate, which is not coincidentally my favourite song. You get the feeling it's been a long time coming. The Terrible Nephew has no redeeming features whatsoever, and you might say he was an extreme man-hating caricature of an English gentleman of the Regency to Victorian era, unless you know anything about English gentleman of the Regency to Victorian era, in which case he's perfectly plausible. And gets his comeuppance spectacularly, which isn't so historically plausible, but that is exactly what romance is for.
Gaaah. This is a very therapeutic book indeed.
We also don't get enough f/f histrom, and we particularly don't get enough romances with heroines in their sixties and seventies. But here it is: two ladies who are properly old, with bad knees and gnarly knuckles and papery skin, and who are still desirable and desiring and ready to love--and one of them was never beautiful and has a squint, for heaven's sake, and they are still romance heroines and I might cry.
The plot is very light--Mrs Martin's Terrible Nephew won't pay his debts, Violetta enlists her help, and the two women set out to ruin his life quite spectacularly, for his own crappy sake but also for the sake of all the shitty men in this shitty patriarchal world who grind women down and make them serve and tell them not ever to be angry or demand to be seen or ask for a place. That's the howl of rage and it runs through every page of the book, not subtly either. This is the romance version of I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate, which is not coincidentally my favourite song. You get the feeling it's been a long time coming. The Terrible Nephew has no redeeming features whatsoever, and you might say he was an extreme man-hating caricature of an English gentleman of the Regency to Victorian era, unless you know anything about English gentleman of the Regency to Victorian era, in which case he's perfectly plausible. And gets his comeuppance spectacularly, which isn't so historically plausible, but that is exactly what romance is for.
Gaaah. This is a very therapeutic book indeed.
March 29, 2019
I CONFIRM WHAT I SAID IN MY PREVIEW this was lovely and such a mood!!!
Older sapphic women fall in love while on a quest to make Terrible Men pay for, you know, Everything.
TW: panic attack, misogyny, patriarchy, mention of rape and sexual assault, "more than friends"
____
So this is apparently a historical f/f novella with two older women and the mood is "hell yeah"
Older sapphic women fall in love while on a quest to make Terrible Men pay for, you know, Everything.
TW: panic attack, misogyny, patriarchy, mention of rape and sexual assault, "more than friends"
____
So this is apparently a historical f/f novella with two older women and the mood is "hell yeah"
March 23, 2019
I wanted to like this, but I... did not. Milan's heroines do not sound like women living in England in the nineteenth century, they sound like an American novelist trying - and doing a bad job of - to sound like women living in England in the nineteenth century. Is it voice, or is it exposition? Milan's not very good at distinguishing between the two. I was also... not invested in either the plot or the relationship between the two main characters. We get it, men are terrible. As a co-signer of that message, why did I find a storyline about two women triumphing against the odds (again, terrible men) so flat? And don't even get me started on the complete and utter lack of chemistry (a Jane's Wedding level lack of chemistry, even!) between the two main characters. I mean, Courtney Milan *tells* us they're attracted to each other and I suppose so they must be, but every line detailing that attraction just falls completely flat (not to mention the massive sulk that Violetta falls into upon assuming that Berenice doesn't find her attractive, bitter as she legitimately feels, feels silly and entitled. Way to go from 0 to 100 immediately girl).
Mature lesbians go on a heist-y romp together could have been so good, but this... was not.
Mature lesbians go on a heist-y romp together could have been so good, but this... was not.
March 10, 2021
This was a delightful little novella. It was funny and entertaining and had me laughing out loud a few times. There’s also a lot of heart in it making it a very enjoyable read.
Violetta is a 69-year-old manager of a rooming house. She’s let go of her job right before she’s able to receive her promised pension. Desperate, she connives to get her money from Mrs. Martin (73), aka Bertrice, to collect a debt from Bertrice’s nephew who they call Terrible Nephew. Terrible Nephew has been living in the rooming house for 2 years without paying rent. However, Bertrice is over Terrible Nephew and refuses to pay for him. Her solution is to get him out of the rooming house and ruin his life for being so terrible.
Violetta and Bertrice spent their time coming up with schemes to get rid of Terrible Nephew. As they work together, they also bond over being older and ignored by society. Some of their conversations were really touching in how they felt invisible because of their age and gender. I loved how they each refused to give up in their own ways. Bertrice would do whatever she could to make sure Terrible Nephew didn’t get his grubby hands on her money. And Violetta, doing whatever she could just to survive and realizing that she deserved love.
Their feelings turn romantic and they were so sweet with each other. My only complaint is though the romance is very sweet, it’s also pretty light. However, if you’re not reading for the romance there really shouldn’t be issues with the story.
I recommend this to anyone wanting an enjoyable story that’s a little different.
Violetta is a 69-year-old manager of a rooming house. She’s let go of her job right before she’s able to receive her promised pension. Desperate, she connives to get her money from Mrs. Martin (73), aka Bertrice, to collect a debt from Bertrice’s nephew who they call Terrible Nephew. Terrible Nephew has been living in the rooming house for 2 years without paying rent. However, Bertrice is over Terrible Nephew and refuses to pay for him. Her solution is to get him out of the rooming house and ruin his life for being so terrible.
Violetta and Bertrice spent their time coming up with schemes to get rid of Terrible Nephew. As they work together, they also bond over being older and ignored by society. Some of their conversations were really touching in how they felt invisible because of their age and gender. I loved how they each refused to give up in their own ways. Bertrice would do whatever she could to make sure Terrible Nephew didn’t get his grubby hands on her money. And Violetta, doing whatever she could just to survive and realizing that she deserved love.
Their feelings turn romantic and they were so sweet with each other. My only complaint is though the romance is very sweet, it’s also pretty light. However, if you’re not reading for the romance there really shouldn’t be issues with the story.
I recommend this to anyone wanting an enjoyable story that’s a little different.
March 26, 2019
This is a delightfully angry romp about two women who have had ENOUGH, are finding their voice, their power, and each other. It’s probably the angriest romance I’ve ever read and I’m so impressed with the way Milan channeled something so many of us have been feeling into a glorious work that manages to explore themes of class, privilege, bisexuality, #notallmen, pervasive misogyny, and the cisheteropatriarchy.
Throughout the story, societal assumptions that men are better, smarter, or somehow worth more are rejected at every possible opportunity. They’re lazy, bullies, incompetent, and a whole host of other negative qualities. Hopefully it won’t be a surprise to anyone that men can be these things. It’s very clear that Milan’s point *isn’t* that all men are horrible – there are a few quality examples in the story and everything – it’s that so many are, in such insidious ways, that life is made immeasurably harder for women who don’t conform to the things a society built largely by and for men expects from them.
The Terrible Nephew is, well, terrible. I adore that Mrs. Martin refuses to refer to him by name until she compromises with him and says she’ll call him “ “‘Mr. Cappish, a despicable bag of diseased meat.” ”
This is not to say that either of these women are perfect humans (if there even *is* such a thing). Yes, they’re both clever and strong and incredible … AND they both operate under assumptions that need to be unpacked and examined. To the delight of her readership, Milan is the sort of author to dissect that stuff on the page. They also both have a lifetime of festering hurts to lance and heal.
At this point, you may be thinking “oof, this sounds heavy” and, while the themes are, it’s really not. It’s ridiculously funny, laugh-out-loud funny, don’t-read-while-drinking-anything funny. See above in re: “despicable bag of diseased meat.” They hire a choir to wake the Terrible Nephew and follow him around singing badly off-key and at full voice. There are multiple scenarios involving confused and annoyed farm animals. They make cheese toast throughout the story. My two favourite such meals are the one they make over the fire Bertrice set to the boarding house and the one with roughly hewn bits after Violetta tries to teach Bertrice to make it and Bertrice decides to kill the bread dead.
Their love affair is sweet and the sex is hot, while managing to take their age (and age-related concerns) into consideration. I LOVE that Milan makes it clear they’re not too old to fall in love and, perhaps more importantly in terms of smashing ableist/ageist stereotypes, to have sexual desires. That’s right, they bang and it’s oh so good.
Side note – I *strongly recommend* reading the Author’s Note and Acknowledgements if those aren’t part of your general reader MO.
Review cross-posted on redhotbooks.com
Throughout the story, societal assumptions that men are better, smarter, or somehow worth more are rejected at every possible opportunity. They’re lazy, bullies, incompetent, and a whole host of other negative qualities. Hopefully it won’t be a surprise to anyone that men can be these things. It’s very clear that Milan’s point *isn’t* that all men are horrible – there are a few quality examples in the story and everything – it’s that so many are, in such insidious ways, that life is made immeasurably harder for women who don’t conform to the things a society built largely by and for men expects from them.
The Terrible Nephew is, well, terrible. I adore that Mrs. Martin refuses to refer to him by name until she compromises with him and says she’ll call him “ “‘Mr. Cappish, a despicable bag of diseased meat.” ”
This is not to say that either of these women are perfect humans (if there even *is* such a thing). Yes, they’re both clever and strong and incredible … AND they both operate under assumptions that need to be unpacked and examined. To the delight of her readership, Milan is the sort of author to dissect that stuff on the page. They also both have a lifetime of festering hurts to lance and heal.
At this point, you may be thinking “oof, this sounds heavy” and, while the themes are, it’s really not. It’s ridiculously funny, laugh-out-loud funny, don’t-read-while-drinking-anything funny. See above in re: “despicable bag of diseased meat.” They hire a choir to wake the Terrible Nephew and follow him around singing badly off-key and at full voice. There are multiple scenarios involving confused and annoyed farm animals. They make cheese toast throughout the story. My two favourite such meals are the one they make over the fire Bertrice set to the boarding house and the one with roughly hewn bits after Violetta tries to teach Bertrice to make it and Bertrice decides to kill the bread dead.
Their love affair is sweet and the sex is hot, while managing to take their age (and age-related concerns) into consideration. I LOVE that Milan makes it clear they’re not too old to fall in love and, perhaps more importantly in terms of smashing ableist/ageist stereotypes, to have sexual desires. That’s right, they bang and it’s oh so good.
Side note – I *strongly recommend* reading the Author’s Note and Acknowledgements if those aren’t part of your general reader MO.
Review cross-posted on redhotbooks.com
March 23, 2019
Well, this is just an utterly adorable and fabulous novella about two elderly Victorian women (both of whom have been through a LOT from the men who've legally controlled their lives so far) teaming up to take down a Brett Kavenaugh-like Terrible Man, succeeding against all odds, and falling in love along the way.
There were so many lines I loved and highlighted along the way, like:
"Discussions never helped anything; they inevitaby ended in people begging Bertrice not to do whatever it was she wanted to do."
and:
"Well, then." Bertrice refused to harbor feelings of uncertainty simply because it was logical to do so.
I love Bertrice's ferocity and Violetta's snark. I love this moment from Violetta:
"Violetta wished people had tried to bribe her with chocolates earlier in her life. She had thought herself moral and upstanding, when in reality, nobody had ever tried to corrupt her with anything she really wanted."
Both women spent their youths and middle ages being forced to live within other people's expectations. Now, in their late 60s and 70s, they're egging each other on to be AMAZING and I loved reading every moment of it.
There were so many lines I loved and highlighted along the way, like:
"Discussions never helped anything; they inevitaby ended in people begging Bertrice not to do whatever it was she wanted to do."
and:
"Well, then." Bertrice refused to harbor feelings of uncertainty simply because it was logical to do so.
I love Bertrice's ferocity and Violetta's snark. I love this moment from Violetta:
"Violetta wished people had tried to bribe her with chocolates earlier in her life. She had thought herself moral and upstanding, when in reality, nobody had ever tried to corrupt her with anything she really wanted."
Both women spent their youths and middle ages being forced to live within other people's expectations. Now, in their late 60s and 70s, they're egging each other on to be AMAZING and I loved reading every moment of it.
July 23, 2019
Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan is another one of those writers who I normally won’t pick because they write mainstream. But she ventured into lesfic territory and it’s a historical so here we are.
In short, two old birds join forces to burn down patriarchy, fall in love and make wonderful toasty cheese thingies together. I had hoped for a bit more pash between Bertrice and Violetta because as it was (a few measly paragraphs) their romance got short shrifted.
The plot was silly and a bit thin. Don’t buy it for the romance.
f/f no magic there really
Themes: horrible cover design, older women, the white men own the world or cisheteropatriarchy, a terrible nephew, revenge is a dish best served… with geese, and goats, and fire, lots of toasty cheese things.
3.3 Stars
In short, two old birds join forces to burn down patriarchy, fall in love and make wonderful toasty cheese thingies together. I had hoped for a bit more pash between Bertrice and Violetta because as it was (a few measly paragraphs) their romance got short shrifted.
The plot was silly and a bit thin. Don’t buy it for the romance.
f/f no magic there really
Themes: horrible cover design, older women, the white men own the world or cisheteropatriarchy, a terrible nephew, revenge is a dish best served… with geese, and goats, and fire, lots of toasty cheese things.
3.3 Stars
June 28, 2021
rep: lesbian mcs
tw: mention of past rape, misogyny
this is what lesbianism is all abt actually
tw: mention of past rape, misogyny
this is what lesbianism is all abt actually
November 7, 2020
oh, oh! What a fun and unique romp!
Mrs Bertrice Martin is 73, and is a woman of gumption and wealth. She doesn't mince her words, and prefers forthrightness and honestly, despite the demour era of 1867 and pleasantries the time insists upon. She hates most men, and makes no apologies for it.
Miss Violetta Beauchamps is 69 a more reserved. She's worked hard her whole life, doing the 'right' things but was looked over and forgotten in her youth because she wasn't deemed pretty with her crossed eyes, and has found herself even more invisible and forgotten in her aging.
Both women lament the fact that it's a man's world, and that in age neither are given the chance to even be seen as whole people with desires and wants, let alone any sort of future.
Violetta had the pension she had been promised after 50 years of service rescinded. While Bertrice's TERRIBLE nephew is filing debts and running on credit throughout London, on the assumption she will pay up or die in short time and leave him all her wealth.
Violetta had arrived intending to get Bertrise to pay Terrible Nephews own debt to her, but found Bertrise wasn't having any of it, and claimed no responsibility. But both came up with a better plan, and thus starts their scheming together, to get back at Terrible Nephew and arranging his downfall, and reclaiming their own lives through this adventure.
The writing was hilarious and also touching. The internal monologues of both characters was endearing and meaningful, because you really feel the pain and discomfort of how they feel in being ignored as women not just because of the time period - but also because of their age - which is still very much an issue today.
The idea that anyone over 65 could possibly be a sexual being wanting intimacy and friendship, or more. The idea that romance is only for the young, without lines on their faces, and without sags and marks on their bodies.
I truly enjoyed the narrative there, and think it was presented in a positive yet realistic way, while still maintaining some humour that wasn't mocking. A Highly Recommended Read, and now I want toasty cheese things. (A unique staple in the novel.)
Mrs Bertrice Martin is 73, and is a woman of gumption and wealth. She doesn't mince her words, and prefers forthrightness and honestly, despite the demour era of 1867 and pleasantries the time insists upon. She hates most men, and makes no apologies for it.
Miss Violetta Beauchamps is 69 a more reserved. She's worked hard her whole life, doing the 'right' things but was looked over and forgotten in her youth because she wasn't deemed pretty with her crossed eyes, and has found herself even more invisible and forgotten in her aging.
Both women lament the fact that it's a man's world, and that in age neither are given the chance to even be seen as whole people with desires and wants, let alone any sort of future.
Violetta had the pension she had been promised after 50 years of service rescinded. While Bertrice's TERRIBLE nephew is filing debts and running on credit throughout London, on the assumption she will pay up or die in short time and leave him all her wealth.
Violetta had arrived intending to get Bertrise to pay Terrible Nephews own debt to her, but found Bertrise wasn't having any of it, and claimed no responsibility. But both came up with a better plan, and thus starts their scheming together, to get back at Terrible Nephew and arranging his downfall, and reclaiming their own lives through this adventure.
The writing was hilarious and also touching. The internal monologues of both characters was endearing and meaningful, because you really feel the pain and discomfort of how they feel in being ignored as women not just because of the time period - but also because of their age - which is still very much an issue today.
The idea that anyone over 65 could possibly be a sexual being wanting intimacy and friendship, or more. The idea that romance is only for the young, without lines on their faces, and without sags and marks on their bodies.
I truly enjoyed the narrative there, and think it was presented in a positive yet realistic way, while still maintaining some humour that wasn't mocking. A Highly Recommended Read, and now I want toasty cheese things. (A unique staple in the novel.)
October 8, 2019
This was a little on the nose in parts (mostly dialogue), but it was also full of spit and vinegar. I could feel Courtney Milan's rage (tempered with good humor) on every page, and it wasn't an incoherent rage, more like a well-harnessed one. The rest of her body of work shows compassion for men caught up in the same patriarchal system that puts women at an inherent disadvantage, but I guess she just needed let this one rip, just let out a pure expression of feminine rage. That it's elderly, lonely, queer feminine rage makes it all the better. Terrible Nephew (the antagonist of the piece) is truly terrible and you do not feel sorry for him in the least, nor are you meant to.
Bertrice Martin is a wealthy widow whose terrible nephew has caused Violetta Beauchamps to lose her job, and her pension (actually, her employer had been looking for an excuse not to have to pay it). Violetta, who at the age of sixty-nine has very few prospects for employment, approaches the formidable Mrs. Martin hoping to (swindle) some money out of her. She presents herself as the owner of the boarding house where Terrible Nephew rents rooms, rooms which he hasn't paid rent for in over two years. In fact, she only manages the property for her employer, the same employer that insisted they let Terrible Nephew stay on, in the hopes that when he comes into his inheritance they will be able to milk him for money, the same employer who then fired Violetta when it became clear that wasn't happening. Still, she lies, and when Bertrice and she go on their "adventure" (which involves doing irritating crime at Terrible Nephew), this lie becomes a sticking point in their relationship. Especially when it becomes clear that the two women might otherwise develop a close, romantic relationship.
I will confess that I didn't appreciate their adventures as much as others have, because it was making me anxious that all the crime they were doing was going to get them in serious trouble. I kind of wish their vengeance had involved more cleverness in the realm of legality and less bedlam involving animals and destruction of property. But that's really more for my sake than the narrative's.
When they weren't being mischievous devils, they were being quite sweet with one another. Bertrice has money and a certain amount of influence, but all of her friends have died, including her lover, and she has been depressed for years. Violetta is also lonely, and has been her entire life. She is not pretty and knows it, and her only family (whom she cared for financially) has died. Her life is a constant barrage of loneliness combined with anxiety about money. Violetta is poor. Some of the most pointed moments in the book involved Violetta's existence challenging Bertrice's view of the world.
All in all, not perfect, but definitely worth a read.
Bertrice Martin is a wealthy widow whose terrible nephew has caused Violetta Beauchamps to lose her job, and her pension (actually, her employer had been looking for an excuse not to have to pay it). Violetta, who at the age of sixty-nine has very few prospects for employment, approaches the formidable Mrs. Martin hoping to (swindle) some money out of her. She presents herself as the owner of the boarding house where Terrible Nephew rents rooms, rooms which he hasn't paid rent for in over two years. In fact, she only manages the property for her employer, the same employer that insisted they let Terrible Nephew stay on, in the hopes that when he comes into his inheritance they will be able to milk him for money, the same employer who then fired Violetta when it became clear that wasn't happening. Still, she lies, and when Bertrice and she go on their "adventure" (which involves doing irritating crime at Terrible Nephew), this lie becomes a sticking point in their relationship. Especially when it becomes clear that the two women might otherwise develop a close, romantic relationship.
I will confess that I didn't appreciate their adventures as much as others have, because it was making me anxious that all the crime they were doing was going to get them in serious trouble. I kind of wish their vengeance had involved more cleverness in the realm of legality and less bedlam involving animals and destruction of property. But that's really more for my sake than the narrative's.
When they weren't being mischievous devils, they were being quite sweet with one another. Bertrice has money and a certain amount of influence, but all of her friends have died, including her lover, and she has been depressed for years. Violetta is also lonely, and has been her entire life. She is not pretty and knows it, and her only family (whom she cared for financially) has died. Her life is a constant barrage of loneliness combined with anxiety about money. Violetta is poor. Some of the most pointed moments in the book involved Violetta's existence challenging Bertrice's view of the world.
All in all, not perfect, but definitely worth a read.
March 27, 2019
Two elderly queer ladies fall in love, make cheese toast, and do their very best to - literally - burn down the patriarchy. I read the entire thing with the world's most enormous grin on my face.
June 14, 2022
This was a great little novella! If you're looking for a sapphic historical romance featuring senior-aged characters, then look no further. This follows two women who are 69 and 73. Violetta is financially desperate, Bertrice is extremely wealthy, but both are lonely and struggling. They go to London to antagonize Bertrice's Terrible Nephew, engage in some entertaining escapades, and slowly begin to fall for each other. It's charming, but also addresses some real underlying history of how older women were treated and how few resources some of them had. Definitely worth a read.
January 17, 2023
This was like a Tom & Jerry cartoon and the entire Sesame Street cast got together and decided to have a baby, and this was their offspring. I read M/M romances all the time, so when this showed up on the "bargain books" table...I thought okay. How different can it be? Well... let me tell you... about 500%. It was supposed to be humorous...but it was instead, more than a little redundant. At one-point these two looney tunes women actually sent an entire flock of geese into the deadbeat nephew's room. If the landlord wasn't concerned about the guy living, there rent-free...and I'm betting he was paying something in some form...why should his aunt and her friend give two figs about it? I've learned my lesson and I think I'll just stick with the "hot, sexy" guys. I know I'm probably sitting in the top row, of the minority grandstand with this one... all by my lonesome, but I've sat there before...and I know that we can't, and don't, all like the same things. I'm sure the rest of the grandstand is saying, "She didn't like this??? What on Earth is wrong with her?" I feel that I should say that this is NOT the norm for this author. I have read and enjoyed several of her other books.
April 27, 2019
Courtney Milan is not good at writing lesbian romance.
I was hesitant to say as much based on just the lesbian side couple in Brothers Sinister; they were, after all, a side couple. But these two were the heroines of their own story, and that cinched it for me. None of the attraction felt organic; in Milan's world, lesbians express attraction for each other by thinking wistfully of how popular the other woman must be with men. Also, at one point a woman's pubic hair is described as a "silver forest" which just. No.
But what about the non-romance part of the plot? Reader, it was ridiculous. Mrs. Martin is obscenely rich, so much so that she can set a building on fire in a public square (it's okay though! She hired firefighters to make sure it wouldn't spread! Because that's totally how fire works!) hire workmen to plaster over her nephew's door and trap him in his room (and somehow, the workers are the bad guys for refusing to do this, because Men Are Bad) and throw thousands of pounds at a random woman in the street because hey, she'll have the knowledge and wherewithal to do something useful with it! Her dialogue is peppered with endless pronouncements about how terrible men are and how few options she has in life, except for the fact that she is obscenely rich and can do whatever she wants with her money. Am I meant to cry for the plight of aristocratic millionaires? It's not that rich women don't experience misogyny, but it's more than a little offputting when your heroine is wildly reckless and destructive, gets away with it all because of her bulging bank account, and still rants endlessly about the unfairness of it all. Bertrice's love interest, Violetta, is meant to offset this, but given that her happy ending is getting to share Bertice's money and move to Boston, what is the actual lesson here? That inequity is bad, except when your pet characters get to enjoy the spoils?
There's something else, which wasn't in the book proper, but made me angry enough to drop a star off the rating. In the afterward, Milan talks about how she originally planned to have Bertrice and Violetta frame the Terrible Nephew for sexual assault, but changed her mind because of the Kavanaugh hearings. I'm sorry, what the fuck? It really took that to make her realize that a plot in which the villain is felled by false rape accusations was a bad idea? Were we meant to walk away from that with "well men are bad, so it's okay to frame them for sexual assault?" Or that it's okay because he previously attempted to rape someone, so making up false charges is his just desserts? The whole book is soaked with the shallowest possible form of feminism, where repeating "men are bad!" endlessly is seen as insight and empowerment and lesbians are motivated by the fact that they hate men; it's like a parody of an Andrea Dworkin book masquerading as a love story.
I was hesitant to say as much based on just the lesbian side couple in Brothers Sinister; they were, after all, a side couple. But these two were the heroines of their own story, and that cinched it for me. None of the attraction felt organic; in Milan's world, lesbians express attraction for each other by thinking wistfully of how popular the other woman must be with men. Also, at one point a woman's pubic hair is described as a "silver forest" which just. No.
But what about the non-romance part of the plot? Reader, it was ridiculous. Mrs. Martin is obscenely rich, so much so that she can set a building on fire in a public square (it's okay though! She hired firefighters to make sure it wouldn't spread! Because that's totally how fire works!) hire workmen to plaster over her nephew's door and trap him in his room (and somehow, the workers are the bad guys for refusing to do this, because Men Are Bad) and throw thousands of pounds at a random woman in the street because hey, she'll have the knowledge and wherewithal to do something useful with it! Her dialogue is peppered with endless pronouncements about how terrible men are and how few options she has in life, except for the fact that she is obscenely rich and can do whatever she wants with her money. Am I meant to cry for the plight of aristocratic millionaires? It's not that rich women don't experience misogyny, but it's more than a little offputting when your heroine is wildly reckless and destructive, gets away with it all because of her bulging bank account, and still rants endlessly about the unfairness of it all. Bertrice's love interest, Violetta, is meant to offset this, but given that her happy ending is getting to share Bertice's money and move to Boston, what is the actual lesson here? That inequity is bad, except when your pet characters get to enjoy the spoils?
There's something else, which wasn't in the book proper, but made me angry enough to drop a star off the rating. In the afterward, Milan talks about how she originally planned to have Bertrice and Violetta frame the Terrible Nephew for sexual assault, but changed her mind because of the Kavanaugh hearings. I'm sorry, what the fuck? It really took that to make her realize that a plot in which the villain is felled by false rape accusations was a bad idea? Were we meant to walk away from that with "well men are bad, so it's okay to frame them for sexual assault?" Or that it's okay because he previously attempted to rape someone, so making up false charges is his just desserts? The whole book is soaked with the shallowest possible form of feminism, where repeating "men are bad!" endlessly is seen as insight and empowerment and lesbians are motivated by the fact that they hate men; it's like a parody of an Andrea Dworkin book masquerading as a love story.
April 25, 2019
After seeing the summary for this in my recommendations on Amazon (and some goodreads friends), I couldn't resist picking it up and starting it right away (and ignoring my other reads). I was hoping for a light and fun read to take my mind off stuff that was bothering me that day.
This delivered :) I had so much fun reading this and laughed so many times (at some things probably harder than I should have). I haven't read the other books in the series but I didn't feel lost here as I followed our ladies through their adventure.
There were times where I just wanted to give these ladies bone crushing hugs and kick the nephew a good swift kick. I found it eye-rollingly funny that some of his lines he actually thought were intimidating.
Then when the little sh*t pulled a certain something *glares*
Certain parts in the last half did have me cheering and cackling some (because I am a mostly mature adult ;-) )
Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this.. I had so much fun with this and was in such a good mood afterward. I can definitely see the appeal of Miss Milan's work. Will I check her out more in the future? Possibly, but Mount TBR has quite a few new additions so it wouldn't be for a little while yet.
Definitely would recommend!
This delivered :) I had so much fun reading this and laughed so many times (at some things probably harder than I should have). I haven't read the other books in the series but I didn't feel lost here as I followed our ladies through their adventure.
There were times where I just wanted to give these ladies bone crushing hugs and kick the nephew a good swift kick. I found it eye-rollingly funny that some of his lines he actually thought were intimidating.
Then when the little sh*t pulled a certain something *glares*
Certain parts in the last half did have me cheering and cackling some (because I am a mostly mature adult ;-) )
Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this.. I had so much fun with this and was in such a good mood afterward. I can definitely see the appeal of Miss Milan's work. Will I check her out more in the future? Possibly, but Mount TBR has quite a few new additions so it wouldn't be for a little while yet.
Definitely would recommend!
March 16, 2020
Mrs Martin is as memorable a character as I’ve ever read. I adore how she says what’s on her mind, and ooh what a creative mind it is! Her ideas for driving the Terrible Nephew out of the rooming house (and her life) are wilder than I could have imagined and occasionally left me laughing so hard that I had to put my Kindle down because I was weeping and couldn’t see.
As sharp and untamable as Bertrice is, Violetta is admirable. Yes, she’s trying to deceive someone to get money, but she’s doing what she needs to do to survive. She’s not beautiful and is one of the “surplus women” of the 19th century, never having married and of a lower class. She’d put in her time working day in and day out for most of her life, only to be cast aside with nothing but the money she’d scrimped and saved over the years. I loved when she shows her backbone and how Bertrice helps her further develop that skill, and I was so happy for them in the end because of the joy and comfort they find in loving each other.
Full review (TLR): https://www.thelesbianreview.com/mrs-...
Full review (Lambda): https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/0...
As sharp and untamable as Bertrice is, Violetta is admirable. Yes, she’s trying to deceive someone to get money, but she’s doing what she needs to do to survive. She’s not beautiful and is one of the “surplus women” of the 19th century, never having married and of a lower class. She’d put in her time working day in and day out for most of her life, only to be cast aside with nothing but the money she’d scrimped and saved over the years. I loved when she shows her backbone and how Bertrice helps her further develop that skill, and I was so happy for them in the end because of the joy and comfort they find in loving each other.
Full review (TLR): https://www.thelesbianreview.com/mrs-...
Full review (Lambda): https://www.lambdaliterary.org/2019/0...
April 28, 2019
I’ve been on a quest for good f/f. Bonus points if it’s historical. M/m is so represented in the genre and obviously f/m is ubiquitous, but f/f is hard to find and, often, very pricey. I have managed to read some acceptable books but they’ve been, patchy, to say the least:
- The Covert Captain: Or, A Marriage of Equals
- The Brutal Truth
- Spring Flowering
Funnily enough, most of these books have the same issues - overly complex and not hitting the necessary romance beats. None of them are terribly written and the historicals were very period appropriate but overall none of them held up as strong romances. Plus I was unmoved by the sex in all of them. Where is my hawt lesbian sex at?
Then I heard CM was getting into the game. She has already written the cutest secondary f/f romance - The Suffragette Scandal. I thought this would be it - f/f done right.
Alas, this still is not quite there.
As ever with a CM book this is wonderfully written, with some outstanding turns of phrase. There’s a description of a toasted cheese sandwich which made me extremely hungry and then there’s this piece of rather classic Milan writing:
“Still, she drew the eye in a way that Bertrice could not explain, and did not want to attempt to understand. Her cheeks were round and ruddy, like a tea-kettle on the hearth. She sat stiff-backed, feet on the floor, but there was something about the way she looked at the wall that made Bertrice think she was seeing some country far beyond England.
She wanted to know what she was looking at. It wasn’t just attraction. It was a pull within her, beckoning her closer.”
The main characters are well drawn. Mrs Martin is cantankerous, forthright and speaks her mind. Bonus points because she actually is all of those things.She’s been mistreated by the men in her life and intends to exact some revenge for that. She’s disagreeable and I like a disagreeable heroine. Violetta our other heroine is in a terrible situation. She’s been cheated out of her pension, she’s an ageing woman in a young man’s world and she’s angry and afraid. She positively bristles with it.
These two ladies have a lot going on and through them Milan explores a whole number of themes - the power disparities between men and women, rich and poor, young and old. Both of our heroines are old (for romance heroines, they are very old indeed). CM is known for this, of course. The Countess Conspiracy, for example, canvasses the under representation of women in STEM professions and violence against women to name but two themes. Usually there is a balance of these matters with the plot and the romance such that these weighty matters are - if not quite overcome - they are subsumed by the strength of the romance and you know the romance will help defeat them.
Here the management of the themes felt pretty heavy handed. Most of this thematic exposition takes place in dialogue, rather than through plot and the progress of the relationship with the result that I just didn’t feel that these things were overcome. As a consequence of that the romance felt a bit borne of convenience rather than properly developed. It just didn’t really sparkle, particularly in the face of all of the really dreadful problems these great women face.
All that said, because of the characteristic Milan writing, there were some lovely moments and I don’t want to sell the romance too short.
Then there’s the sex. CM has written a nice little book about an older lesbian couple and I felt so, so disappointed that they got such short shrift in the bedroom. It was maybe two paragraphs and done. Not to mention it was heavy on the euphemism and a bit clumsy.
So, all in all: fine. But still not the great f/f I was hoping for. I just have to hope KJ Charles shows up with the goods in a month or so Proper English.
- The Covert Captain: Or, A Marriage of Equals
- The Brutal Truth
- Spring Flowering
Funnily enough, most of these books have the same issues - overly complex and not hitting the necessary romance beats. None of them are terribly written and the historicals were very period appropriate but overall none of them held up as strong romances. Plus I was unmoved by the sex in all of them. Where is my hawt lesbian sex at?
Then I heard CM was getting into the game. She has already written the cutest secondary f/f romance - The Suffragette Scandal. I thought this would be it - f/f done right.
Alas, this still is not quite there.
As ever with a CM book this is wonderfully written, with some outstanding turns of phrase. There’s a description of a toasted cheese sandwich which made me extremely hungry and then there’s this piece of rather classic Milan writing:
“Still, she drew the eye in a way that Bertrice could not explain, and did not want to attempt to understand. Her cheeks were round and ruddy, like a tea-kettle on the hearth. She sat stiff-backed, feet on the floor, but there was something about the way she looked at the wall that made Bertrice think she was seeing some country far beyond England.
She wanted to know what she was looking at. It wasn’t just attraction. It was a pull within her, beckoning her closer.”
The main characters are well drawn. Mrs Martin is cantankerous, forthright and speaks her mind. Bonus points because she actually is all of those things.She’s been mistreated by the men in her life and intends to exact some revenge for that. She’s disagreeable and I like a disagreeable heroine. Violetta our other heroine is in a terrible situation. She’s been cheated out of her pension, she’s an ageing woman in a young man’s world and she’s angry and afraid. She positively bristles with it.
These two ladies have a lot going on and through them Milan explores a whole number of themes - the power disparities between men and women, rich and poor, young and old. Both of our heroines are old (for romance heroines, they are very old indeed). CM is known for this, of course. The Countess Conspiracy, for example, canvasses the under representation of women in STEM professions and violence against women to name but two themes. Usually there is a balance of these matters with the plot and the romance such that these weighty matters are - if not quite overcome - they are subsumed by the strength of the romance and you know the romance will help defeat them.
Here the management of the themes felt pretty heavy handed. Most of this thematic exposition takes place in dialogue, rather than through plot and the progress of the relationship with the result that I just didn’t feel that these things were overcome. As a consequence of that the romance felt a bit borne of convenience rather than properly developed. It just didn’t really sparkle, particularly in the face of all of the really dreadful problems these great women face.
All that said, because of the characteristic Milan writing, there were some lovely moments and I don’t want to sell the romance too short.
Then there’s the sex. CM has written a nice little book about an older lesbian couple and I felt so, so disappointed that they got such short shrift in the bedroom. It was maybe two paragraphs and done. Not to mention it was heavy on the euphemism and a bit clumsy.
So, all in all: fine. But still not the great f/f I was hoping for. I just have to hope KJ Charles shows up with the goods in a month or so Proper English.
February 8, 2022
There are few authors who I trust to write about two spunky old broads burning down - quite literally - the patriarchy and falling in love along the way. Courtney Milan is one of them.
Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure was a delightful, thoroughly entertaining story by turns amusing and poignant, rageful and compassionate. And, of course, it devoted ample page time to the ooey gooey deliciousness of cheesy toast. Pro tip: do not read while hungry!
Mrs. Martin's Incomparable Adventure was a delightful, thoroughly entertaining story by turns amusing and poignant, rageful and compassionate. And, of course, it devoted ample page time to the ooey gooey deliciousness of cheesy toast. Pro tip: do not read while hungry!
June 20, 2019
4.5 stars
This novella is part of The Worth Saga, and stars one of the minor supporting characters of After the Wedding. You really don't need to have read that book, though (unless you want to, it's good, but sad), this story stands perfectly on its own.
Courtney Milan is a marvel. She writes incredibly satisfying, yet informative romance novels (you are unlikely to find historical inaccuracies in her stories, unless she's changed something on purpose) and manages to take a genre so full of tropes and frequent repetition and create new and interesting things with it. While most of her stories are about cis-gendered, heterosexual couples, she's big on at least a supporting cast of queer characters. She's had several bi-racial pairings, and one of her best books has a trans heroine and an Asian hero, not something you see in a lot of contemporary novels these days.
In this novella, while both the protagonists are cis-gendered white women, she manages to diversify the genre that little bit more. While m/m (male/male) pairings are getting a lot more common, in both historical and contemporary romance (so many athletes), you still don't see a lot of f/f (female/female) stories. You certainly do't see them about women around my mother's age. Romance really is so much about young people, I literally don't think I've ever read a story with characters who are in the later stages of their lives.
That the story is also full of righteous female rage and how powerless they can feel, and how important it is to learn to not give a f*ck and making yourself heard and fighting back against the patriarchy, that's just a bonus. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a LITERAL "watch it all burn down and make cheese toast among the embers" scene in this story, and it felt earned.
The two women in the story are from different social classes and while they interact and come to love one another, they also learn a lot and expand their horizons. Violetta has never had the chance to be brave and impetuous, Bertrice has always had the privilege of her wealth to protect her, even in a world entirely ruled by men. She has never really had to consider how difficult life is for women of the lower classes, and becomes kinder, wiser and less bitter over the course of the story.
This novella wasn't in the original outline for Milan's Worth Saga, but came to be as a result of some of the truly depressing developments we've seen in the news over the last few years. It's a terrible time to be a woman in America, the patriarchy keeps trying to wrest away hard-earned rights and this very angry little story is her result of some of the frustrations she's clearly felt. While I despair at the direction the world is currently turning, I'm glad Ms. Milan turned some of her anger and fury into another piece of great art.
Judging a book by its cover: The covers are never going to be a selling point for Ms Milan's stories, but this one is even more badly photo shopped than some. You once again get what I'm assuming is stock photo formal wear, this time with an elderly lady wearing it, slightly awkwardly placed in front of an image of the British Houses of Parliament. I love your writing, Ms. Milan, but your covers just really make me sad. No one's going to pick up a story based on this. However, the cover is tons better than that for After the Wedding, so that's something.
This novella is part of The Worth Saga, and stars one of the minor supporting characters of After the Wedding. You really don't need to have read that book, though (unless you want to, it's good, but sad), this story stands perfectly on its own.
Courtney Milan is a marvel. She writes incredibly satisfying, yet informative romance novels (you are unlikely to find historical inaccuracies in her stories, unless she's changed something on purpose) and manages to take a genre so full of tropes and frequent repetition and create new and interesting things with it. While most of her stories are about cis-gendered, heterosexual couples, she's big on at least a supporting cast of queer characters. She's had several bi-racial pairings, and one of her best books has a trans heroine and an Asian hero, not something you see in a lot of contemporary novels these days.
In this novella, while both the protagonists are cis-gendered white women, she manages to diversify the genre that little bit more. While m/m (male/male) pairings are getting a lot more common, in both historical and contemporary romance (so many athletes), you still don't see a lot of f/f (female/female) stories. You certainly do't see them about women around my mother's age. Romance really is so much about young people, I literally don't think I've ever read a story with characters who are in the later stages of their lives.
That the story is also full of righteous female rage and how powerless they can feel, and how important it is to learn to not give a f*ck and making yourself heard and fighting back against the patriarchy, that's just a bonus. I don't want to give too much away, but there is a LITERAL "watch it all burn down and make cheese toast among the embers" scene in this story, and it felt earned.
The two women in the story are from different social classes and while they interact and come to love one another, they also learn a lot and expand their horizons. Violetta has never had the chance to be brave and impetuous, Bertrice has always had the privilege of her wealth to protect her, even in a world entirely ruled by men. She has never really had to consider how difficult life is for women of the lower classes, and becomes kinder, wiser and less bitter over the course of the story.
This novella wasn't in the original outline for Milan's Worth Saga, but came to be as a result of some of the truly depressing developments we've seen in the news over the last few years. It's a terrible time to be a woman in America, the patriarchy keeps trying to wrest away hard-earned rights and this very angry little story is her result of some of the frustrations she's clearly felt. While I despair at the direction the world is currently turning, I'm glad Ms. Milan turned some of her anger and fury into another piece of great art.
Judging a book by its cover: The covers are never going to be a selling point for Ms Milan's stories, but this one is even more badly photo shopped than some. You once again get what I'm assuming is stock photo formal wear, this time with an elderly lady wearing it, slightly awkwardly placed in front of an image of the British Houses of Parliament. I love your writing, Ms. Milan, but your covers just really make me sad. No one's going to pick up a story based on this. However, the cover is tons better than that for After the Wedding, so that's something.
March 2, 2021
I read three books so I could read this book here, which I believe I owned before I owned the others. Why? Because the other books were chronologically before this book, and in the same series. Plus this book is a historical fiction book by an author who I rather enjoy, and it involved a f-f relationship romance.
Three series related things to note before I move on from this being a series book: 1) this is the fifth book currently published in this series and I've read four of them; 2) at least three of the books in this series involve LGBT people (book 2, After the Wedding, involves a bisexual; book 2.5, The Pursuit of ..., involves two men; book 2.75, this book here, involves two women); 3) it helps to have read book 2, After the Wedding, as Mrs. Martin makes an appearance in that book (however brief) which does help provide some insight into the character, but, and this is important, no other series character appears in this book other than Mrs. Martin so it isn't really that important to the other four published books in this series (other than, as noted, book 2). To reinforce that idea, to read book 2 before reading this book, I tried reading this book here before reading any of the other books in the series and I couldn't get into it - then I speed through it after having meet Mrs. Martin before in After the Wedding.
This book takes place in 1867, mostly in London. So: historical fiction. Weirdly, considering this series, the two leads are both white and of English ancestry. Unlike most books set back in the 19th century in England, the main characters are not in their teens, twenties, or thirties (the women tend to be in their teens or 20s; the men tend to be in their 30s). Though like most books in this era, the two leads are at least five years apart (and, a lot of the time, the leads tend to be at least ten years apart). Here, there's a five year gap in age. Also, one is rich, the other is poor. Have I been both vague and overly detailed enough yet?
Mrs. Bertrice Martin is both one of the lead POV's, and the woman meet earlier in this series. Bertrice is openly lesbian in that earlier book, and suggests to the lead female in that book, Camilla, the advantages of romancing women (not mentioned then, but later, Camilla had already discovered that pleasure). Also, which I also mention now since both the lesbianism and the other thing play their parts in this book. Other thing being (hehe, I just got distracted watching Paul Lucas do a really good puppet act on Johnny Carson; what a weird thing to insert into a sentence)... Right, so, Bertrice likes living a life that avoids men. The book she stars in, this book here, finds Bertrice being all lesbian, and stuff, while also sending the entirety of the book not avoiding men (or, at least, one specific man). Right, also Bertrice is rich and 73.
Other main character in this book is meet immediately. Sixty-nine year old Miss Violetta Beauchamps runs, or did, a rooming house. The kind for semi-important men. Days (days? weeks?) before she was going to reach the point she was going to get a pension, her boss fired her. Which is not how the book starts. Book starts with Violetta in Bertrice's house trying to con her. Bertrice's nephew, henceforth known as the Terrible Nephew, lives in the rooming house Violetta used to run. Has done so for at least two years and hasn't paid rent for most of those years.
One thing leads to another and the two women are in London working on a plan to eject Terrible Nephew from the rooming house. The two women develop a romance, and stuff.
I liked the book, and the characters. And story. And stuff.
Rating: 4.61
March 1 2021
Three series related things to note before I move on from this being a series book: 1) this is the fifth book currently published in this series and I've read four of them; 2) at least three of the books in this series involve LGBT people (book 2, After the Wedding, involves a bisexual; book 2.5, The Pursuit of ..., involves two men; book 2.75, this book here, involves two women); 3) it helps to have read book 2, After the Wedding, as Mrs. Martin makes an appearance in that book (however brief) which does help provide some insight into the character, but, and this is important, no other series character appears in this book other than Mrs. Martin so it isn't really that important to the other four published books in this series (other than, as noted, book 2). To reinforce that idea, to read book 2 before reading this book, I tried reading this book here before reading any of the other books in the series and I couldn't get into it - then I speed through it after having meet Mrs. Martin before in After the Wedding.
This book takes place in 1867, mostly in London. So: historical fiction. Weirdly, considering this series, the two leads are both white and of English ancestry. Unlike most books set back in the 19th century in England, the main characters are not in their teens, twenties, or thirties (the women tend to be in their teens or 20s; the men tend to be in their 30s). Though like most books in this era, the two leads are at least five years apart (and, a lot of the time, the leads tend to be at least ten years apart). Here, there's a five year gap in age. Also, one is rich, the other is poor. Have I been both vague and overly detailed enough yet?
Mrs. Bertrice Martin is both one of the lead POV's, and the woman meet earlier in this series. Bertrice is openly lesbian in that earlier book, and suggests to the lead female in that book, Camilla, the advantages of romancing women (not mentioned then, but later, Camilla had already discovered that pleasure). Also, which I also mention now since both the lesbianism and the other thing play their parts in this book. Other thing being (hehe, I just got distracted watching Paul Lucas do a really good puppet act on Johnny Carson; what a weird thing to insert into a sentence)... Right, so, Bertrice likes living a life that avoids men. The book she stars in, this book here, finds Bertrice being all lesbian, and stuff, while also sending the entirety of the book not avoiding men (or, at least, one specific man). Right, also Bertrice is rich and 73.
Other main character in this book is meet immediately. Sixty-nine year old Miss Violetta Beauchamps runs, or did, a rooming house. The kind for semi-important men. Days (days? weeks?) before she was going to reach the point she was going to get a pension, her boss fired her. Which is not how the book starts. Book starts with Violetta in Bertrice's house trying to con her. Bertrice's nephew, henceforth known as the Terrible Nephew, lives in the rooming house Violetta used to run. Has done so for at least two years and hasn't paid rent for most of those years.
One thing leads to another and the two women are in London working on a plan to eject Terrible Nephew from the rooming house. The two women develop a romance, and stuff.
I liked the book, and the characters. And story. And stuff.
Rating: 4.61
March 1 2021
November 20, 2019
“You really shouldn’t blame men for everything.”
“No, just the ninety-eight percent of society’s ills they’re responsible for.”
I don't think I've ever read a story where I was sobbing with laughter in one second and then weeping in rage the next second. I usually read fiction to escape the terrible world around me. Sometimes I feel numb from all the news headlines; if I let myself feel too much rage at the world, my mental health starts to take an emotional toll. And there's so much to feel rage about - the horrible trolls on social media, watching men ascend to positions of power despite a woman's word against them, witnessing men face no consequences for their terrible behavior while women suffer. Sometimes I just want to scream and scream and scream. Instead, I usually pick up a romance novel and transport myself into another world so that I can relish in the happily-ever-after that doesn't yet exist in my own life. Escapism is a wonderful feature of fiction. But I had forgotten that fiction also has another feature: it's an excellent way to experience catharsis.
This novella let me do two things: 1) I escaped to my familiar haunt of 19th century England and watch two queer old ladies fall in love and 2) by watching Bertrice and Violetta gleefully and systematically torture Bertrice's Terrible Nephew (like Bertrice, I refuse to refer to him by his given name), I channeled my real-life rage and helplessness into a cathartic revenge fantasy. Whenever they devised a new method of torture, I cackled with glee and imagined executing the same punishment to certain real-life Terrible Men. When Bertrice and Violetta discussed the inherent unfairness of men wielding power to the detriment of women, I raged at the unfairness of it all - both in 18th century England and in 21st century United States. The world may look very different, but some things haven't changed at all.
I don't want to spoil too much because the novella is so delightful and the reader should be surprised along the way. All you need to know is this:
“If God intended women to only have relations with men, then why did He give women fingers and tongues?”
I'm a fan of stats so here are some for you. I highlighted every single instance Bertrice or Violetta insulted the Terrible Nephew (either with a nickname or a pejorative). if there's any error, it's because I didn't catch all of them when I was laughing too hard!
- Number of Instances that TN is Insulted (including all nicknames except for TN): 49
- Number of Instances of the Phrase "Terrible Nephew): 71
- Number of Instances They Call TN "Clappy:" 4
- Number of Instances They Call TN "Robby Bobkins:" 22
- Number of Instances That Mrs. Martin is Mean: too high to count
- Number of Instances I Wanted To Set The Patriarchy On Fire: infinity
- Number of Instances Our Vengeful Duo Actually Did Set The Patriarchy On Fire: Read the book to find out!
Don't get me wrong, however. This novella is more than about rage. It's about self-worth, feeling deserving of love, and wanting to get more out of life than just survival. Oh, and it's also about cheesy toast.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
“No, just the ninety-eight percent of society’s ills they’re responsible for.”
I don't think I've ever read a story where I was sobbing with laughter in one second and then weeping in rage the next second. I usually read fiction to escape the terrible world around me. Sometimes I feel numb from all the news headlines; if I let myself feel too much rage at the world, my mental health starts to take an emotional toll. And there's so much to feel rage about - the horrible trolls on social media, watching men ascend to positions of power despite a woman's word against them, witnessing men face no consequences for their terrible behavior while women suffer. Sometimes I just want to scream and scream and scream. Instead, I usually pick up a romance novel and transport myself into another world so that I can relish in the happily-ever-after that doesn't yet exist in my own life. Escapism is a wonderful feature of fiction. But I had forgotten that fiction also has another feature: it's an excellent way to experience catharsis.
This novella let me do two things: 1) I escaped to my familiar haunt of 19th century England and watch two queer old ladies fall in love and 2) by watching Bertrice and Violetta gleefully and systematically torture Bertrice's Terrible Nephew (like Bertrice, I refuse to refer to him by his given name), I channeled my real-life rage and helplessness into a cathartic revenge fantasy. Whenever they devised a new method of torture, I cackled with glee and imagined executing the same punishment to certain real-life Terrible Men. When Bertrice and Violetta discussed the inherent unfairness of men wielding power to the detriment of women, I raged at the unfairness of it all - both in 18th century England and in 21st century United States. The world may look very different, but some things haven't changed at all.
I don't want to spoil too much because the novella is so delightful and the reader should be surprised along the way. All you need to know is this:
1) Queer Old Lady devises a deception to get money from the Aunt of Terrible Nephew (also known as Misandrist Queer Old Lady)
2) MQOL hates Terrible Nephew so much that she agrees to help QOL to evict him from his lodgings and ruin his life
3) QOL and MQOL execute a number of humiliating (but hilarious) tortures on Terrible Nephew. Geese may or may not be involved. I really can't say.
4) Terrible Nephew, a waste of human cells and oxygen, decides to use his power as A Man and take down our vengeful duo. Terrible Nephew is as dumb and terrible as his name suggests.
5) QOL and MQOL laugh at Terrible Nephew and proceed to destroy his life anyway.
6) Oh, and they fall in love and live happily ever after.
“If God intended women to only have relations with men, then why did He give women fingers and tongues?”
I'm a fan of stats so here are some for you. I highlighted every single instance Bertrice or Violetta insulted the Terrible Nephew (either with a nickname or a pejorative). if there's any error, it's because I didn't catch all of them when I was laughing too hard!
- Number of Instances that TN is Insulted (including all nicknames except for TN): 49
- Number of Instances of the Phrase "Terrible Nephew): 71
- Number of Instances They Call TN "Clappy:" 4
- Number of Instances They Call TN "Robby Bobkins:" 22
- Number of Instances That Mrs. Martin is Mean: too high to count
- Number of Instances I Wanted To Set The Patriarchy On Fire: infinity
- Number of Instances Our Vengeful Duo Actually Did Set The Patriarchy On Fire: Read the book to find out!
Don't get me wrong, however. This novella is more than about rage. It's about self-worth, feeling deserving of love, and wanting to get more out of life than just survival. Oh, and it's also about cheesy toast.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2020
Courtney Milan writes good M/F romances. When I heard of this novella which features an F/F romance between 2 mature senior citizen women, I had to pick this up. I love Beatrice Martin. She's frank and direct and does not give much of a damn about what's considered proper by society. Violetta is more quiet and kinda down trodden by circumstances, but also prove really strong and brave. Their crusade against Bertrice's Terrible Nephew is over the top. But, he is really terrible, so who can blame them? Overall, a humorous short novella with an undercurrent of gender politics in late 1800's Britain.
September 26, 2019
I can’t be anything other than delighted to find romance authors with established reputations and readerships venturing out into the field of f/f historic romance. Courtney Milan has tackled not only same-sex romance but a later-life discovery of love, as well as tossing our two protagonists into a “burn down the patriarchy!” (literally) adventure. I admire the enthusiasm and cheerful fury of the non-romance plot, but certain aspects of this historic setting fell a bit flat for me.
I mean: servants. Where are the servants? I don’t care how eccentric a rich elderly woman is, she doesn’t flit off to London for an unspecified period of time without at least one lady’s maid. And even the impoverished property manager whose plight she comes to address would be expected to have at least a part-time maid-of-all-work to do the heavy labor. Erasing the servants may be a convenient way of allowing your protagonists privacy to explore their new-found attraction, but it inevitably gives a novel a very modern feel for me.
The story is far more focused on the logistics of Mrs. Martin’s crusade of retribution against her Awful Nephew than on the romance itself. The women seem to get together on the basis of little more than bonding over “isn’t it awful that the world thinks old single women are of no value?” Their romantic attraction never really clicked for me. The revenge plot is a delightful wish-fulfillment story but the very over-the-top nature of the actions made it harder for me to sympathize with the women (or at least with Martin). Deliberately setting fire to buildings in the heart of mid 19th century London is not a harmless prank but the act of a psychopath.
So...mixed feelings on this one. It’s solidly written and the plot is well structured. I’m cheered by the existence of the book and its reception, but it didn’t really hit the spot for me either as a historic novel or as a romance.
I mean: servants. Where are the servants? I don’t care how eccentric a rich elderly woman is, she doesn’t flit off to London for an unspecified period of time without at least one lady’s maid. And even the impoverished property manager whose plight she comes to address would be expected to have at least a part-time maid-of-all-work to do the heavy labor. Erasing the servants may be a convenient way of allowing your protagonists privacy to explore their new-found attraction, but it inevitably gives a novel a very modern feel for me.
The story is far more focused on the logistics of Mrs. Martin’s crusade of retribution against her Awful Nephew than on the romance itself. The women seem to get together on the basis of little more than bonding over “isn’t it awful that the world thinks old single women are of no value?” Their romantic attraction never really clicked for me. The revenge plot is a delightful wish-fulfillment story but the very over-the-top nature of the actions made it harder for me to sympathize with the women (or at least with Martin). Deliberately setting fire to buildings in the heart of mid 19th century London is not a harmless prank but the act of a psychopath.
So...mixed feelings on this one. It’s solidly written and the plot is well structured. I’m cheered by the existence of the book and its reception, but it didn’t really hit the spot for me either as a historic novel or as a romance.
June 25, 2019
3.5
It must be the times we're living in because the raging feminist politics of grievance felt downright cathartic here. Powerful men taking what they want and "surplus" women desperate to make their mark and prove that not only do they exist. but they have just as much a right to struck me as the appropriate story to tell and to read. There is though very little subtlety in the plot and I'm not sure this is a book that wins over readers not already hankering for some good old retribution from wronged women.
I was eager to read this book because romances featuring older characters are sparse. I loved that the romance heroines here are not just older but actually seniors and that love is validated regardless of age, sex, physical disability, and class. Violetta is poverty-stricken, chubby, and afflicted with a squint, while Bertrice is in her seventies and suffers from painful arthritis. Also, while male/male romances are soaring in popularity, female/female romances seem to be nearly invisible. Giving credence and validity to these identity groups is respectful, and making them the center of a romance is a much appreciated act.
I did though find the actual romance a bit on the sparse side. Bertrice and Violetta feel more like comrades in a vendetta. I've read so many wonderful romances from Milan that create magic between the couple, and some of that was missing here for me. The plot itself is a bit thin too with a handful of capers the two women play on Bertrice's Terrible Nephew. They are amusing but in the end didn't produce enough suspense to raise this book much above a mediocre rating, especially in light of the many five star reviews I've given to Milan over the years.
It must be the times we're living in because the raging feminist politics of grievance felt downright cathartic here. Powerful men taking what they want and "surplus" women desperate to make their mark and prove that not only do they exist. but they have just as much a right to struck me as the appropriate story to tell and to read. There is though very little subtlety in the plot and I'm not sure this is a book that wins over readers not already hankering for some good old retribution from wronged women.
I was eager to read this book because romances featuring older characters are sparse. I loved that the romance heroines here are not just older but actually seniors and that love is validated regardless of age, sex, physical disability, and class. Violetta is poverty-stricken, chubby, and afflicted with a squint, while Bertrice is in her seventies and suffers from painful arthritis. Also, while male/male romances are soaring in popularity, female/female romances seem to be nearly invisible. Giving credence and validity to these identity groups is respectful, and making them the center of a romance is a much appreciated act.
I did though find the actual romance a bit on the sparse side. Bertrice and Violetta feel more like comrades in a vendetta. I've read so many wonderful romances from Milan that create magic between the couple, and some of that was missing here for me. The plot itself is a bit thin too with a handful of capers the two women play on Bertrice's Terrible Nephew. They are amusing but in the end didn't produce enough suspense to raise this book much above a mediocre rating, especially in light of the many five star reviews I've given to Milan over the years.
February 19, 2020
I want to be Bertrice when I grow up
April 6, 2019
I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Here's the thing about this novella. I wanted to like it more than I did. And I wanted to like it not only because it's Courtney Milan, one of my favorite historical romance authors, but because it brings some much needed diversity to the romance genre. Not only is this a f/f romance, t both characters are over 65. However, as much as I will always seek out to read this diversity and cheer to see it gain momentum I also want the book to stand on its own merit. And this one, while it had some fun aspects to it, didn't quite hit the mark. For me, this was good entertainment but not great romance.Novellas of any kind are generally hard for me to connect with and in this one I just didn't buy into the romance. I didn't believe the attraction and it felt like I was suddenly told it was there, then there was a childish outburst and after that they were together. That being said, this book was entertaining because Mrs. Martin is just a great character. Violetta goes to Mrs. Martin looking to con her into paying her nephews' debt at a boarding house that she just got fired from pretending she's the owner and the debt is hers to collect. But because of Mrs. Martin history with the Terrible Nephew she decides to go with Violetta to make his life miserable and force him into leaving instead. There was certainly never a dull moment with what Mrs. Martin has planned for her nephew, including literally burning down the patriarchy and making cheese toast on the flames.I wish there would've been maybe a little less torturing the nephew and a little more romancing one another. Or maybe just more page count to have both. In the end, I still found this enjoyable to read and I'm still looking forward to Ms. Milan's next story.
*ARC provided by author
Reviewed by Francesca❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤
March 28, 2019
Sweet, satisfying romance about two older Victorian ladies and the hilarious revenge they wreak on a Terrible Nephew.
May 16, 2020
It was almost like being on holiday - a holiday where she lived in her own rooms and tormented men for fun and profit.
That. Was. Epic.
One cranky widow and a shy spinster team up to make the life of a deflated balloon of a human being miserable. It's unapologetic, it's angry, and incredibly touching.
"Oh, for God's sake. Forty-nine is extremely young. If forty-nine is not you, that would make me old, and I am not old. I have reached the age of maturity to which all humans must particularly aspire; to dismiss this pinnacle of perfection as old age is to demean all of humankind."
Was it realistic? Hell no. Did I read all of it with a giant smile on my face? YES.
We need more old lady sapphic stories.
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Trigger warnings:
January 14, 2020
Magic.
Full review up over on my Short Stories 366 project, here.
Full review up over on my Short Stories 366 project, here.
March 26, 2019
bertrice, a woman after my own heart
Rep: lesbian mcs
Rep: lesbian mcs
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