Denise

The smile Mr. Clark gave her felt like a weapon—one that he'd chosen carefully from his massive arsenal. It was the smile of a man who knew that he could charm and devastate, and he employed it with the precision of a master.

This is the last full length book of the Brothers Sinister series (there is just a novella to be released later this year). Frederica "Free" Marshall (who, if you remember from previous books, is the half-sister of Oliver Marshall) and Edward Clark are the female and male main characters. Free is the headstrong owner (and investigative reporter) of a newspaper called Women's Free Press. Edward Clark is the son of a Viscount, who was sent by the Viscount to a war-torn area years ago as a punishment. Edward has come back for his revenge and meets Free hoping to use her to get his revenge. Little did he know that Free won't just lay down nicely and be used, as she has plans of her own. Even though neither of them want to, they find themselves falling for each other.

Free is probably my favorite female character in this series. She is such a strong female who is fighting for a cause that she supports with her whole heart. Her investigative reporting, inspired by a real woman, is daring and can be scary but she doesn't shy away from it because she has a need to help others. Edward's past really haunts him and has turned him into the self-proclaimed scoundrel that he is today. He was definitely one hot scoundrel but once his past was revealed you couldn't help but be devastated for him. What I loved most about Free and Edward was their banter, especially when it came to their discussions about Edward's muscles.

Before I read this book I was alerted to the fact that the term 'suffragette' was first used in 1906. This book takes place in 1877. 'Suffragette' is used not only in the title but also in the book. As the term hadn't even been coined yet it couldn't possibly be used in the book's time period. I had hoped that there might be an explanation in the author note but there was not. There was some great information about the real women that Free and her investigative reporting and newspaper were based on.

I would recommend this book if you like characters with real depth, especially a strong female character who won't be seduced in a second. Courtney Milan's characters always shine and these characters are no exception.

I received a galley copy so content of the book and quotes that I've included in my review may have changed in the final version. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.