A Kiss for Midwinter

Publisher's Summary

Miss Lydia Charingford is always cheerful, and never more so than at Christmas time. But no matter how hard she smiles, she can't forget the youthful mistake that could have ruined her reputation. Even though the worst of her indiscretion was kept secret, one other person knows the truth of those dark days: the sarcastic Doctor Jonas Grantham. She wants nothing to do with him... or the butterflies that take flight in her stomach every time he looks her way.

Jonas Grantham has a secret, too: He's been in love with Lydia for more than a year. This winter, he's determined to conquer her dislike and win her for his own. It all starts with a wager and a kiss...

©2012 Courtney Milan (P)2013 Courtney Milan

Excellent Christmas Love Story...

I loved this story and listened to it I a day. It's a sweet and sexy love story that show you real characters with believable flaws. It's not a perfect love story but one with real struggles and bumps in the way. But at the end love conquers all and gives you a very satisfying happily ever after. The narration was impeccable as well and the Christmas theme was executed to perfection. I highly recommend this book.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Beautiful Story - Book 3 of The Brothers Sinister

Lydia is Minnie's best friend from the 2nd book, The Duchess War. There were some passing statements in that book regarding Lydia's "situation". The story was short but so in depth.
I felt this book in my heart and couldn't stop listening. I love the story between Lydia and John.
Rosalyn Landor, of course I can never give enough praise to. She makes every book she reads a joy to listen to.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Pretty good Story

Any additional comments?

This is an interesting book. The characters are not the nobility but normal people. The hero is a doctor with a father who is a hoarder. The heroine is the daughter of a good respectable man and she works part time in a shop. My major complaint about the book is the heroine. I know she had a tough time as a teenager, and because of that she was so unbending and skeptical of the hero without truly good reason. He spends his time in the book in trying to win her and she spends her time resisting him. I wanted to slap her. Otherwise, the storyline was interesting, the doctor was very likable, and learning about life as a non-nobility person (yet respectable and not poor) was a good experience.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another winner!

*4.5 stars*

Another awesome audiobook by Courtney Milan, narrated by the wildly talented Rosalyn Landor. This series is like my crack and I have no intention of quitting any time soon!

For all of those who doubt that they could like historical romance, I implore you to try this series. It is a smart, funny, interesting romance in a really well conceived historical setting.

I loved that the main character was a doctor in this one. I have a weakness for books with factual medical content, and I have an even bigger weakness for plainspoken, somewhat geeky, sex-positive, feminist, beta heroes. Doctor Jonas Grantham is SO my type. I picture him with glasses and sort of curly hair (neither of which were in the book, but a woman can dream). *sigh*

What is awesome about Courtney Milan is that she makes me also love the female characters. No simpletons or annoying ladies here, folks. Lydia Charingford is determined, strong, and very easy to relate to. I loved her and I loved the slow relationship development between her and Jonas.

For a novella, this book is impressive in the slow burn aspect of the romance. It felt like a book of hundreds of pages, that is how well developed everything was. Though I don't know much about historical details, everything seemed right, which is all that matters to me.

The narration... I could have a hallelujah moment from that alone. I ADORE this narrator, and I'm obsessed with her ability to do a husky male voice.

I'm going to keep buying all of the books in this series because I have yet to experience a misstep from this author.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderful story, great characters!

I’m in love with this entire series! This story is no exception it has great characters and a great story! I couldn’t put the book down. You can really just lose yourself in the story and feel the emotions of the characters.

Cute story

I enjoyed the story. I gave 4 stars for the story because I felt like the author changed Lidia’s personality more than what was realistic. I could also do without the sexual details. The romance stories are so enjoyable in and of themselves. This only detracts in my opinion. I love happily ever after’s, which this story was. The narrator was fabulous, as always!

A lovely novella.

This novella was quite enjoyable, funny and sad at times. Not only does it show the mindset of the past, but some still exist today. I started the second full book of the series and realized I had to read/listen to this one before I finished that one. I am really enjoying this series.

very good!

The reader was good and used different voices, but wasn't annoying.

The book was believable, even for how short it was. It was humorous and sad, but not so sad that everything else was overshadowed. The author balanced it nicely with the cheer and the good in the book. This is definitely a drama, not a romantic comedy.

Spoilers: she was taken advantage of when she was 15 (lover told her intercourse wasn't how you got pregnant) and ended up pregnant...later found out her lover was married. The doctor at the time prescribed "medicine" that induced a miscarriage. This is a story of how she overcomes her past and learns to trust again.

Sweet Winter Romance

I read the 3rd book first a few months ago and fell in love with it, then I listened to the 2nd book a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book and was really let down by the ending and how the characters resolved things and I had much the same experience with this novella. I loved 85% of it and it was going to get 4 stars until that last 15% which I didn't enjoy at all. I did love getting to see how Lydia is doing and getting her own story! So it gets 3 stars as I still really like it and I will for sure be continuing on with this series very soon. But the narration was perfection!

Explicit sexual scenes, too much for me

I like historical fiction. There was too much and too many explicit sexual scenes. I skipped over all of them.

1 of 4 people found this review helpful

Tender, funny and heart-wrenching

What did you like most about A Kiss for Midwinter?

The characterisation was superb, right down to the supporting characters. Courtney Milan is one of few authors who is able to craft a novella which feels as though you've read or listened to a full-length novel when you've finished it. In a relatively short space, she tells the story of a young woman trying to bury her past while at the same time feeling it has tainted her irrevocably; paints a swift but detailed portrait of the love of two very different fathers for their children; and shows us a young man who is spending his life trying to make up for a youthful error which changed the course of a woman's life. It's beautifully written and just as beautifully performed. Rosalyn Landor is quite simply THE bee's knees when it comes to historical romance, and she's doing a tremendous job with this series of Ms Milan's.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved both the principals, but I think Jonas wins by a nose. He's so refreshingly honest and I love the idea of his giving Lydia the gift of truth. He's downright sexy, too ;-)

Which character – as performed by Rosalyn Landor – was your favourite?

It's impossible to say as she's so good with every character she plays.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There were a couple of moments I found myself tearing up, definitely.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I absolutely love COURTNEY MILAN!!

Where does A Kiss for Midwinter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Mid range, as I have read many heavier tomes that affect me deeply.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the character of Jonas very much; he was before his time and very serious and blunt. I loved his honesty, mostly.
The coming together of the two leads was expertly done as usual, with a depth of understanding of the human condition of the era.

What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?

She is an expert narrator and has a voice that is ideal for any character. Brilliant!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Of course, but life steps in!

Any additional comments?

All Courtney Milan's books should have a top class Narrator so that discerning people are able to buy and enjoy the books that we love.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful