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Wedgeford Trials #1
The Duke Who Didn't
Miss Chloe Fong has plans for her life, lists for her days, and absolutely no time for nonsense. Three years ago, she told her childhood sweetheart that he could talk to her once he planned to be serious. He disappeared that very night.
Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality.
All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village.
Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.
Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality.
All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village.
Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2020
About the author
Courtney Milan
69 books5,317 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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January 4, 2022
“The truth is,” he told her, “I’m not like you. I don’t make lists. I don’t have rational explanations for everything. If you asked me why I wanted you, I wouldn’t be able to give a carefully thought-out account. I could only say that you make me feel like the home I want to live in.”
Childhood friends to lovers trope? Regency romance? Chinese female and male leads born in Britain? Asian Duke? Chinese food? Sweet romantic scenes with a few steamy scenes? Father and daughter relationship?
I’m sold.
Seriously, this has got to be one of the sweetest and most heart-warming romance stories I’ve ever read. I don’t even know how to explain how happy this story made me. I can’t remember how I put this story on my tbr, but I can’t thank myself enough for doing so. I read this in one day, and it was nothing but a delight. Not only that, I’m surprised I enjoyed everything in this and dreaded nothing. It was exactly what I needed, as my recent reads have been low ratings.
The Duke Who Didn’t simply follows childhood friends Chloe Fong and Jeremy Yu. When Chloe confessed her feelings for Jeremy, the Duke of Lansing and owner of the entire village, he left a while after, not saying anything to her and leaving her alone and broken. Three years later, he has returned and has plans on winning Chloe’s feelings back. He approaches her with an agreement of paying her to make him a list for her aunt because she is looking for his future wife. While Chloe agrees to this, she has no plans of returning her feelings for him, remembering how much pain he put her in three years ago. Not only that, she’s focused on her lists and planning making, which means she has no time for nonsense. But of course, Jeremy, being his charismatic and humorous self, is able to woo her again, bringing back the feelings the two children had for each other a decade ago but were never able to properly show each other.
She simply met his eyes and shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense for it to be me. Why would it be me?”
“You make perfect sense to me.”
The fact that I loved everything about this says a lot. I found myself grinning, smiling, and laughing throughout the entire book, although I found myself sad as well, but for good reason.
First, I completely fell in love with Chloe, Jeremy, and their relationship. I found Chloe’s development to be admirable, and I found her to be someone who is determined but also vulnerable. She knows she’s cold and can come off as harsh to some people, but I loved her fierce attitude and quick defensive responses. Jeremy made her vulnerable, but in a good way. He didn’t change her. More or so, he helped her find another side of herself. I found her to have so much pride in herself but I also found her to be very caring, sympathetic, and overall a loving person. She cared so much about the people around her, especially her father, and she wanted to do nothing but protect him and be able to take care of him.
Her father, Mr. Fong, was just like her, and it was something Jeremy noticed a lot. He also had so much pride in himself, and they were both the type of people who did not want to accept help from anyone, no matter how many times they asked to help, and no matter how much help they needed.
Her dad, being her dad, reminded me so much of my dad. I couldn’t stop making comparisons between the two. Chloe wanted to help him all the time, such as helping with his sauce and building his business, but Mr. Fong did not accept help, and he could not bear to watch someone like his daughter putting extra work in her life. He was the historical equivalent of my dad. My dad never asks for help from other people, either because he thinks they won’t do the job correctly, or because he knows (or thinks) he can do it on his own.
Not only that, but his protectiveness also reminded me of my dad. It was in no way overprotective or misogynistic. It was protection from the love of a father, in which I found sadness but hope in. His interactions with Jeremy were also very fun to read, and I was always enjoying it and laughing when he would add spice to Jeremy’s foods.
“It is breakfast time,” he announced. “It is no longer time to hold hands.”
“Ah Ba! We weren’t holding hands. He was just…helping me with my hands being sore.”
It was not even slightly convincing. Jeremy felt himself blush.
“Oh,” Mr. Fong said. “I see. Posh Jim, what a self-sacrificing, noble, and convenient reason to hold my daughter’s hands.”
That, Jeremy thought, and the fact that I’m trying to marry her.
Along with that, I also found Chloe to be one of the sweetest female characters I have read about. I loved reading about her lists and how determined she was to cross off her tasks marked.
Jeremy, as well, was nothing but charismatic, confident, and so, so, so sweet. He has got to be one of the most charming male leads I have been able to read about, and I was always thrilled to read his chapters or his scenes in Chloe’s point of view. I wholeheartedly appreciated his jokes and ambition to win Chloe back. His confidence was in no way selfish, but instead it made him much, much more attractive. In my opinion, he really had a way with words. Courtney Milan knew what she was doing when she created his character, and there was never a moment I found myself annoyed or disgusted in any way. I completely fell in love, and although I hardly use the term “book boyfriend”, Jeremy has made its way through that non-existent shelf.
Speaking of Jeremy, I don’t think anyone understands how happy I became when I found out Jeremy was a virgin. Virginity in romance novels is so common in women but in men? Not really. I’ve been waiting for someone like Jeremy, to be honest. Shy but also confident. He knew what he wanted, but he was confused as to how he would approach it. He was also so enamored and blown away by Chloe, that it didn’t make anything awkward or weird, even though the poor guy could only stare, say uhh, and burst out the most random sentences. He and Chloe’s sex scenes (and overall, sexual tension) were so lovely.
Jeremy’s mind seemed to go blank. Thighs and shoulders and neck had been enough to almost tie his tongue. Now he could take in the entire naked expanse of her, turned so that he could see that profile of breast and buttock. Every thought in his mind—incoherent as those had been—seemed to shatter and blow away like dust on dry wind. There was only one thing he could say: “Uhh.”
Chapter 15. That is all.
I don’t even like reading books like this all the time, but I was highly anticipating Jeremy and Chloe’s first, which is something I have never done. I felt like a little kid aggressively holding their lollypop because they were scared it would fall. I was scared Chloe and Jeremy would be interrupted, or if they would find themselves in a position of no longer wanting each other sexually, or if they just awkwardly went through everything together.
I think another reason why chapter 15 felt so beautiful and real to me was because of how Chloe and Jeremy were both virgins. But, as I said before, it was never awkward, and I never felt myself cringing at it. More or so, I felt myself smiling to the point where my cheeks felt like they would tear up. It was just so enjoyable. Fun. Sexy. Loving. Sweet.
Although I was “swooning” through their sex scenes, I couldn’t help but fall in love through literally every romantic scene they had with each other. Since the moment Jeremy returned at the beginning of the book, the feelings for each other were felt. Jeremy, though, is one of the most romantic men I’ve read about. Somehow he was able to be romantic and overall mesmerizing while also being funny and a dork. Their banter was nothing but a treat. I swear if this book (or a book similar to it) would get adapted to a media series or film, I would be crying from laughter in the movie theater. I think I had read enough disappointing books that I forgot what laughter and cute banter felt like.
“Chloe.” His voice was hoarse. “You must know—I may not be serious about anything, but about you? I am.”
Something else I noticed in this is how unclear discrimination can be. The reason I say unclear is that it isn’t something that is actively described or actually stated. As the reader, you can read through it. For example, when Chloe and Jeremy went into the inn they stayed at, the housekeeper spoke English to them in a very slow manner, as if they couldn’t understand. The housekeeper seemed shocked at the fact that Jeremy could in fact, as the author stated, speak the Queen’s language. Jeremy, being half Chinese and half British (his mom is Chinese and his dad was British) also struggled with his British aunt’s request of marrying a British woman. She wanted his future children to look “less Chinese” in order for his mother’s tradition to slowly die away and be forgotten. Another example is also when Jeremy explains to Chloe how rejected he was in school for being who he was. Even though he had the marks to show himself worthy, he didn’t receive honors, and was rejected because English was not his mother tongue. He found jokes and humor as a way to cope, but also as a way to appeal to others in order to hide.
They want to make you English, but you need only be yourself.
This story has a happy ending. There was no unnecessary drama in between the chapters, as it really follows Chloe and Jeremy as they fall in love with each other. Something common in romance novels is how the characters break up or leave each other (for a while) when they find out the other's secret, but I was so glad to see that Courtney Milan did not follow that path.
Jeremy had been hiding the fact that he is the Duke of Lansing and owned (almost) everything in their village, but it was not something he told anyone. He hid it from Chloe as well as from his friends, and he was worried about what their reaction(s) would be when he would say the truth. However, when Jeremy told Chloe the truth, Milan took the approach she was taking since the beginning: she hit it with humor. I was so happy to know Chloe didn't get mad at Jeremy for not telling her before. I was already imagining the scene play out: she would cry and go up to her house, talk with her father, and he would probably try his best to comfort her. Some time would pass and the two would realize they were missing each other. One of them would then realize how much they fucked up, so they would attempt to see each other again to apologize.
Then the happy ever after would unfold.
It's so boring, having to read similar scenarios over, and over, and over again. I was glad Milan took the positive approach and decided to continue the relationship without unnecessary drama and breakup.
As a final note, this was one of the most sweetest and most entertaining books I have ever read. I know I've said before how the enemies to lovers trope is superior, but childhood friends to lovers has another special place in my heart. If I can find more books like this one, not only will I cry from how single I have been my whole life, but I will cry from happiness at the imagination of two fictional characters who grew up together falling in love. It's just beautiful.
I don't really read historical/regency romance novels, but this is definitely underrated in my opinion. I hope more people become aware of it in the future.
“I promised that you would fly free, yet here you are, tangled in my petty revenge. If I’d been better, if I had been able to let go… You would be choosing your own path in life.”
September 21, 2020
2020 Fall Bingo (#fallintorombingo🍁): Grumpy & Sunshine
Since our heroine Chloe loves lists, I thought that it would be fitting to write my brief review (aka All The Reasons I Liked This Book) in list form!
1) Grumpy/Sunshine vibes, y'all! Jeremy is a mischievous trickster who loves to tease Chloe and has given on ever being serious. And while Chloe isn't grumpy all the time, she's serious/no-nonsense enough that the couple dynamic still counts as a variant of Grumpy/Sunshine.
“Why not?” Jeremy focused on the dough in front of him, grinning. “You were cute. You reminded me of a kitten.”
She lined up another row of labels and slammed her stamp down. “I am not cute,” she said, between stamps, glaring at him. “I am mean and harsh and you will respect that.”
2) I don't wanna give the impression that Chloe is only straitlaced and rule-following, because she's not. She's vulnerable and intimidating and anxious and brave and bent on revenge and — I could go on for a while. The list she and Jeremy make (his "I wanna find a wife with exactly Chloe's characteristics!") is so specific and perfect.
“I want a wife who makes me sign contracts to pay for lists, a wife who agrees to do too many things and then falls into a panic, and a wife who has at one point in her life told me to stick my head in a river and swallow.”
She's wonderfully complex and no description I give can fully capture her personality. I adored her.
3) Deception storylines can be a hit or miss for me, but I REALLY liked how the "How ever will Jeremy tell Chloe that he's really a rich duke after ten years?" storyline played out. No spoilers, but the reveal was clever and made me laugh out loud. No third act breakup that I'm then forced to bitch about in my review! Hallelujah.
4) Chloe and her dad. Y'all. Tears streaming down my face. Obviously I was cutting onions in the kitchen while reading because nothing else can explain the sobs wracking my body. I am not normally a crier, okay?!? Her dad is so protective and funny (he keeps making Jeremy's food extra spicy as a warning), and I was NOT prepared for That Conversation. You'll know which one when you read it.
5) This romance is so gentle and comforting. I was a bit worried that racism would be a significant conflict in the book because both MCs are of Chinese descent in Victorian England (many white people in Victorian England sucked and were racist — this isn't news to anyone). I really liked how the book handles mentions of racism. It's mostly off-page, but it doesn't erase the terribleness of British society and empire. Yes, the aristocracy has been cruel to Jeremy. Yes, white men have cheated Chloe's family out of a fortune by stealing a sauce recipe. But their tormenters are, for the most part, off-page and in the past (of course the present still grapples with the past, but it's not as painful as actually experiencing hateful acts on page).
I'm grateful for this plot decision. By setting the story in a comforting/safe village where the MCs are welcome and loved, I felt comforted and safe. Obviously there's nothing wrong with romance novels that tackle racism/colonialism in painful ways, but I think there's also room for comforting/funny romances about BIPOC in historical times. By zooming the stakes into the village of Wedgeford and its inhabitants, I felt reassured in Chloe and Jeremy's HEA after the end of the book.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Since our heroine Chloe loves lists, I thought that it would be fitting to write my brief review (aka All The Reasons I Liked This Book) in list form!
1) Grumpy/Sunshine vibes, y'all! Jeremy is a mischievous trickster who loves to tease Chloe and has given on ever being serious. And while Chloe isn't grumpy all the time, she's serious/no-nonsense enough that the couple dynamic still counts as a variant of Grumpy/Sunshine.
“Why not?” Jeremy focused on the dough in front of him, grinning. “You were cute. You reminded me of a kitten.”
She lined up another row of labels and slammed her stamp down. “I am not cute,” she said, between stamps, glaring at him. “I am mean and harsh and you will respect that.”
2) I don't wanna give the impression that Chloe is only straitlaced and rule-following, because she's not. She's vulnerable and intimidating and anxious and brave and bent on revenge and — I could go on for a while. The list she and Jeremy make (his "I wanna find a wife with exactly Chloe's characteristics!") is so specific and perfect.
“I want a wife who makes me sign contracts to pay for lists, a wife who agrees to do too many things and then falls into a panic, and a wife who has at one point in her life told me to stick my head in a river and swallow.”
She's wonderfully complex and no description I give can fully capture her personality. I adored her.
3) Deception storylines can be a hit or miss for me, but I REALLY liked how the "How ever will Jeremy tell Chloe that he's really a rich duke after ten years?" storyline played out. No spoilers, but the reveal was clever and made me laugh out loud. No third act breakup that I'm then forced to bitch about in my review! Hallelujah.
4) Chloe and her dad. Y'all. Tears streaming down my face. Obviously I was cutting onions in the kitchen while reading because nothing else can explain the sobs wracking my body. I am not normally a crier, okay?!? Her dad is so protective and funny (he keeps making Jeremy's food extra spicy as a warning), and I was NOT prepared for That Conversation. You'll know which one when you read it.
5) This romance is so gentle and comforting. I was a bit worried that racism would be a significant conflict in the book because both MCs are of Chinese descent in Victorian England (many white people in Victorian England sucked and were racist — this isn't news to anyone). I really liked how the book handles mentions of racism. It's mostly off-page, but it doesn't erase the terribleness of British society and empire. Yes, the aristocracy has been cruel to Jeremy. Yes, white men have cheated Chloe's family out of a fortune by stealing a sauce recipe. But their tormenters are, for the most part, off-page and in the past (of course the present still grapples with the past, but it's not as painful as actually experiencing hateful acts on page).
I'm grateful for this plot decision. By setting the story in a comforting/safe village where the MCs are welcome and loved, I felt comforted and safe. Obviously there's nothing wrong with romance novels that tackle racism/colonialism in painful ways, but I think there's also room for comforting/funny romances about BIPOC in historical times. By zooming the stakes into the village of Wedgeford and its inhabitants, I felt reassured in Chloe and Jeremy's HEA after the end of the book.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2020
If you love an adoring hero who is the biggest DORK alive and who cannot stop cracking jokes, you’ll love Jeremy! Also, Asians!!! In a historical romance!!! One of whom is a DUKE. Bless you, Courtney Milan.
June 27, 2022
“It will not weigh me down to love you. It will set me free.”
Oh man, I loved this a whole lot. Like a lot. 🥲
This was so, so fuckin’ sweet and wholesome. I adored the characters. You really got to know every part of them and I loved and appreciated that so much.
It’s one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, why I will always prefer character-driven stories over anything else, because of how deeply connected you become to them. They end up living in your mind (and heart) and I did not mind Jeremy and Chloe occupying it at all.
If I was to describe the characters to you right now, they’d come across annoyingly simplistic. There’s so much depth to them and you’d only uncover that through reading this story. My words alone wouldn’t do them justice.
The writing was gorgeous. I felt like I was floating. Transported. Calm. The whole story was intimate and heartbreaking and so very delightful. The humour? Absolutely on point.
I’m off to buy myself a physical copy immediately.
Oh man, I loved this a whole lot. Like a lot. 🥲
This was so, so fuckin’ sweet and wholesome. I adored the characters. You really got to know every part of them and I loved and appreciated that so much.
It’s one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, why I will always prefer character-driven stories over anything else, because of how deeply connected you become to them. They end up living in your mind (and heart) and I did not mind Jeremy and Chloe occupying it at all.
If I was to describe the characters to you right now, they’d come across annoyingly simplistic. There’s so much depth to them and you’d only uncover that through reading this story. My words alone wouldn’t do them justice.
The writing was gorgeous. I felt like I was floating. Transported. Calm. The whole story was intimate and heartbreaking and so very delightful. The humour? Absolutely on point.
I’m off to buy myself a physical copy immediately.
November 10, 2021
A super cute and diverse historical romance! Would recommend if you’re looking for a low-conflict, small town romance vibe.
October 3, 2020
(2.5 stars) Well, I dunno. Maybe I missed something here, because I couldn't find a 5-star story in this to save my life. Yes, it's a sweet romance. Yes, it's a lovely homage to author Milan's Chinese heritage. Yes, it informs, to an extent, about prejudice, racism, and bigotry, about the importance of family and culture. These are all admirable things. And the characters here are appealing people. And I also appreciated Milan's author's notes at the end of the story, notes which were more instructive and informative about Chinese history and culture than the story itself.
But the story, albeit romantic and sweet, had a very slow and repetitive plot and felt written just for Milan to pay respect to her heritage, not to supply me with a great romance. (Yeah, it's all about me here because I am in the minority about this romance.) I guess I'll give this three stars just because. Just because I admire Courtney Milan's stance on many social issues. Just because I have enjoyed many of the books she wrote in the past. (Mostly the Brothers Sinister, a Turner or two, and maybe one and a half of the Worth saga.)
It's 1890 in England. The hero is the son of a Chinese woman who married a white Brit of the peerage (who eventually, through misfortunes of family members, became the Duke of Lansing). After the death of his father, this mixed-race young man is a duke of the realm. (Yep, that's right. There were a heck of a lot more Blacks living in Victorian England than Asians, but no matter that there were few mixed Black members of the peerage, much less dukes. That's not really important to the story.)
Our heroine, Chloe, is Chinese and lives in a village in the countryside which is 50% inhabited by Chinese immigrants. (Not sure if I read anything much about the 50% non-Chinese inhabitants. What did they do? Why were they there?) Jeremy, the young duke, has been coming every year since his adolescence to the village for its annual celebration, complete with a competition and lots of delicious Asian food to enjoy. He believes that he does so incognito, that nobody knows that he is the Duke of Lansing, owner of that village and its surrounding land.
Chloe is an introverted listmaking planner, considered cold and unfriendly by many. She doesn't leave home without her clipboard (called a "board clip" here for some reason. Isn't that the clip on the board, not the board itself?) Jeremy is more spontaneous and outgoing. He is also in love with Chloe and has been for years. Chloe is in love with Jeremy and has been for years. Now all they have to do is get on the same page.
So the book is full of repetitive ruminating, repetitive conversations, a slow plot, and an eventual HEA. The tidbits about Asian food and culture, the characters' interactions, including other inhabitants of the village, a "brown sauce" being developed by Chloe's father and a revenge planned by them to get even with the British men who stole the father's initial sauce years ago and bottled it as their own, are all somewhat interesting, but not enough to make me like this more than I did.
Lest you think I am unfeeling about the plight of immigrants, I will tell you that my husband is one to the U.S. He is post-graduate educated, speaks three languages, his acquired-language English with an accent. And he does not look WASP-y white. So there are undereducated people in this country, ones who just barely can speak their own language, who feel superior to him because they are whiter-looking. I abhor prejudice and bigotry. That was not my problem with this new Milan romance. I just found the romance lacking by my Romanceland standards.
But the story, albeit romantic and sweet, had a very slow and repetitive plot and felt written just for Milan to pay respect to her heritage, not to supply me with a great romance. (Yeah, it's all about me here because I am in the minority about this romance.) I guess I'll give this three stars just because. Just because I admire Courtney Milan's stance on many social issues. Just because I have enjoyed many of the books she wrote in the past. (Mostly the Brothers Sinister, a Turner or two, and maybe one and a half of the Worth saga.)
It's 1890 in England. The hero is the son of a Chinese woman who married a white Brit of the peerage (who eventually, through misfortunes of family members, became the Duke of Lansing). After the death of his father, this mixed-race young man is a duke of the realm. (Yep, that's right. There were a heck of a lot more Blacks living in Victorian England than Asians, but no matter that there were few mixed Black members of the peerage, much less dukes. That's not really important to the story.)
Our heroine, Chloe, is Chinese and lives in a village in the countryside which is 50% inhabited by Chinese immigrants. (Not sure if I read anything much about the 50% non-Chinese inhabitants. What did they do? Why were they there?) Jeremy, the young duke, has been coming every year since his adolescence to the village for its annual celebration, complete with a competition and lots of delicious Asian food to enjoy. He believes that he does so incognito, that nobody knows that he is the Duke of Lansing, owner of that village and its surrounding land.
Chloe is an introverted listmaking planner, considered cold and unfriendly by many. She doesn't leave home without her clipboard (called a "board clip" here for some reason. Isn't that the clip on the board, not the board itself?) Jeremy is more spontaneous and outgoing. He is also in love with Chloe and has been for years. Chloe is in love with Jeremy and has been for years. Now all they have to do is get on the same page.
So the book is full of repetitive ruminating, repetitive conversations, a slow plot, and an eventual HEA. The tidbits about Asian food and culture, the characters' interactions, including other inhabitants of the village, a "brown sauce" being developed by Chloe's father and a revenge planned by them to get even with the British men who stole the father's initial sauce years ago and bottled it as their own, are all somewhat interesting, but not enough to make me like this more than I did.
Lest you think I am unfeeling about the plight of immigrants, I will tell you that my husband is one to the U.S. He is post-graduate educated, speaks three languages, his acquired-language English with an accent. And he does not look WASP-y white. So there are undereducated people in this country, ones who just barely can speak their own language, who feel superior to him because they are whiter-looking. I abhor prejudice and bigotry. That was not my problem with this new Milan romance. I just found the romance lacking by my Romanceland standards.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
April 17, 2024 Too boring to finish
I think I’d rather read a romance between her father’s Unnamed Sauce and her Clipboard, they had enough page time and way more chemistry.
This was exceedingly dull, had zero stakes, the characters were too nicey-nice; constantly bogged down by their inner thoughts and never making any moves towards each other, and I’m still waiting for the plot to start. All tell, no show, this was extremely disappointing. The main characters, Chloe and Jeremy, had such fascinating backstories and the idea of this book was so innovative and refreshing but it literally never went anywhere on page.
I hit DNF and returned it to the library at 45%. Not rating because I hear the second half is better, but ya, I need way more emotion and angst in my historical romance. This is good for readers who find Tessa Dare too dark and complicated. 😵💫
I think I’d rather read a romance between her father’s Unnamed Sauce and her Clipboard, they had enough page time and way more chemistry.
This was exceedingly dull, had zero stakes, the characters were too nicey-nice; constantly bogged down by their inner thoughts and never making any moves towards each other, and I’m still waiting for the plot to start. All tell, no show, this was extremely disappointing. The main characters, Chloe and Jeremy, had such fascinating backstories and the idea of this book was so innovative and refreshing but it literally never went anywhere on page.
I hit DNF and returned it to the library at 45%. Not rating because I hear the second half is better, but ya, I need way more emotion and angst in my historical romance. This is good for readers who find Tessa Dare too dark and complicated. 😵💫
Want to read
September 5, 2020
April 26, 2023
4 stars
“The question has never been who my list is about,” Jeremy told her. “It’s been about whether she’ll have me.”
Three years ago, Chloe Fong told her childhood sweetheart to be serious, and he left and hasn't returned... until now. Jeremy is secretly the Duke of Lansing, and he's returned because he wants to marry Chloe. But he has to convince her that he's serious about her, even if he's mischievous in everything else.
“I like all your worst qualities.”
I thought this was a very sweet historical romance with lots of humor and witty banter. The storyline with the sauce Chloe and her father were making was one of my favorite parts, I honestly really wanted to try this fictional sauce they were making. I normally like my historical romance angsty, and this one wasn't but in a fun way. I really enjoyed seeing two people begin to get to know each other and help the other one thrive and grow. And I'm excited to read more by Courtney Milan!
“You must know—I may not be serious about anything, but about you? I am.”
“The question has never been who my list is about,” Jeremy told her. “It’s been about whether she’ll have me.”
Three years ago, Chloe Fong told her childhood sweetheart to be serious, and he left and hasn't returned... until now. Jeremy is secretly the Duke of Lansing, and he's returned because he wants to marry Chloe. But he has to convince her that he's serious about her, even if he's mischievous in everything else.
“I like all your worst qualities.”
I thought this was a very sweet historical romance with lots of humor and witty banter. The storyline with the sauce Chloe and her father were making was one of my favorite parts, I honestly really wanted to try this fictional sauce they were making. I normally like my historical romance angsty, and this one wasn't but in a fun way. I really enjoyed seeing two people begin to get to know each other and help the other one thrive and grow. And I'm excited to read more by Courtney Milan!
“You must know—I may not be serious about anything, but about you? I am.”
August 26, 2023
This has to be one of the purest, cutest, lowest angst stories I’ve ever read I swear. I have more notes somewhere but 10/10 listen or the audiobook if you’re able to because Mary Jane Wells knocked this out of the PARK. Seriously I enjoyed this so much more than I think I would’ve if I’d been reading the physical copy.
“Do you like blondes?”
“Chloe are you blonde?”
“No.”
“THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK?”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5
Taylor Swift song association: Mary’s Song
“Do you like blondes?”
“Chloe are you blonde?”
“No.”
“THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK?”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶/5
Taylor Swift song association: Mary’s Song
October 3, 2023
➥ 5 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
I don't think I'll be able to do this book justice with my review, but I feel it deserves a mediocre one at least. On my brave yet often fruitless search for a good historical romance, Elena recommended me this one. I can't lie, I was apprehensive at first. Childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance are just not my thing: I never seek it out, I rarely see it done well, and in fact I tend to avoid books with those tropes. And yet here is this absolute delight of a book that did the impossible so well that it currently holds the title of being my favourite historical romance book I've read this year.
Chloe (h) and Jeremy (H) were very close as children. Jeremy would always make her feel included and this led to that and they became the best of friends.
Jeremy ends up leaving for a crushing amount of time only to come back one day, and Chloe, heartbroken and angry, doesn't know what to do with herself.
But, fear not, what we have here is not a jerk hero at all, even though it may seem so from the plotline. Jeremy is exactly why I read historical romance. Jeremy is polite, respectful, kind, caring, humorous, curious, romantic, and communicative. He is such a fantastic male love interest and I applaud Courtney Milan for making my dreams come true. On that note, when is the movie adaptation coming out? Because I need one, this book would make a great one, and this book deserves it.
Not only does it depict a healthy, real-feeling, gooey romance, but Milan also provides a detailed and relevant background and set up. The sauce plotline had me (again) skeptical at first, but I found that it actually made a lot of sense and it facilitated some lovely romantic moments. And humorous ones of course!
Gold. Finding another great author of which you can devour their backlist is *moan*. If you're here for grumpy girl, sunshine guy...well you're in the right fucking place. I already said it but I'll say it again, this book just exists to do everything historical romance should do. Dramatic declarations of love? Forced proximity? Ridiculous formalities? Niche plotline backdrop? Tea appreciation? Night sharing a room at an inn? Female character with agency, logic and personality? Desperate man that struggles to breathe at the sight of his girl? IT'S THERE.
Ripping my hair out as we speak (I was really trying to keep my cool while writing this review). The only two criticisms I would have are that 1) sometimes the plot focus and romance focus got a little chunky and felt a bit of sludgy to get through but that's minimal, and 2) Chapter 15 you will always be famous that was a life-changing sex scene but GOOD GOD COURTNEY MILAN, you can't just DO THAT so well, and then NOT write a scene for their wedding night 💔.
Thank you Jeremy and Chloe for reminding me of my bisexuality 🙏. In conclusion! If you're pathetically failing at dodging misogynistic, emotionally constipated, inauthentic historical romance, use this book as a shield while holding it open and reading it!!
They're so perfect, bye. Even the conflict that seems inevitable is handled so gracefully and tastefully by Milan and that's what I love to see. No cheap dramatic decisions here, folks. If you're on the hunt for a more detailed, articulated and overall wonderful review, I'll kindly be pointing you in the direction of The Elena's Review.
"But before I let you go for the night, before we both collapse of exhaustion...I love you. I want you. I need you rather desperately. Please tell me you'll marry me."
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
I don't think I'll be able to do this book justice with my review, but I feel it deserves a mediocre one at least. On my brave yet often fruitless search for a good historical romance, Elena recommended me this one. I can't lie, I was apprehensive at first. Childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance are just not my thing: I never seek it out, I rarely see it done well, and in fact I tend to avoid books with those tropes. And yet here is this absolute delight of a book that did the impossible so well that it currently holds the title of being my favourite historical romance book I've read this year.
Chloe (h) and Jeremy (H) were very close as children. Jeremy would always make her feel included and this led to that and they became the best of friends.
"You're the worst," she had told him. She had meant that he was the best.
He had laughed, maybe misunderstanding. "I am," he'd said, taking off his cap and bowing at her in the English manner. "The absolute worst, at your service."
Jeremy ends up leaving for a crushing amount of time only to come back one day, and Chloe, heartbroken and angry, doesn't know what to do with herself.
But, fear not, what we have here is not a jerk hero at all, even though it may seem so from the plotline. Jeremy is exactly why I read historical romance. Jeremy is polite, respectful, kind, caring, humorous, curious, romantic, and communicative. He is such a fantastic male love interest and I applaud Courtney Milan for making my dreams come true. On that note, when is the movie adaptation coming out? Because I need one, this book would make a great one, and this book deserves it.
Not only does it depict a healthy, real-feeling, gooey romance, but Milan also provides a detailed and relevant background and set up. The sauce plotline had me (again) skeptical at first, but I found that it actually made a lot of sense and it facilitated some lovely romantic moments. And humorous ones of course!
"Right," she finally said. "I'm convinced Wedgeford Brown it is, and if the duke objects, I'll throw the jars right at his head."
"Your aim is terrible," Naomi pointed out.
"But his head is so very large," Chloe responded, and everyone but Jeremy burst out laughing at that.
Gold. Finding another great author of which you can devour their backlist is *moan*. If you're here for grumpy girl, sunshine guy...well you're in the right fucking place. I already said it but I'll say it again, this book just exists to do everything historical romance should do. Dramatic declarations of love? Forced proximity? Ridiculous formalities? Niche plotline backdrop? Tea appreciation? Night sharing a room at an inn? Female character with agency, logic and personality? Desperate man that struggles to breathe at the sight of his girl? IT'S THERE.
Jeremy let out a sigh. “I’m trying to be very serious about you, sweetheart.” He hadn’t reached out to touch her in all this time, so she did it for him. She set her hand against his cheek. He let out a noise and tilted his face to fit into her palm. “Chloe.”
Ripping my hair out as we speak (I was really trying to keep my cool while writing this review). The only two criticisms I would have are that 1) sometimes the plot focus and romance focus got a little chunky and felt a bit of sludgy to get through but that's minimal, and 2) Chapter 15 you will always be famous that was a life-changing sex scene but GOOD GOD COURTNEY MILAN, you can't just DO THAT so well, and then NOT write a scene for their wedding night 💔.
“I was referring to the fact that you are more beautiful every time I see you. It’s positively outrageous. It should not be possible. And yet! Here you are.”
Thank you Jeremy and Chloe for reminding me of my bisexuality 🙏. In conclusion! If you're pathetically failing at dodging misogynistic, emotionally constipated, inauthentic historical romance, use this book as a shield while holding it open and reading it!!
“It leaves me at a disadvantage,” he said. “Between the two of us, you could choose anyone in the entire world who met your standards. I can only choose you.”
He could see her press her fingers into her eyes from behind. “Idiot.” She sniffled. “You’re such an idiot. I can’t believe I’m in love with an idiot.”
They're so perfect, bye. Even the conflict that seems inevitable is handled so gracefully and tastefully by Milan and that's what I love to see. No cheap dramatic decisions here, folks. If you're on the hunt for a more detailed, articulated and overall wonderful review, I'll kindly be pointing you in the direction of The Elena's Review.
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
August 30, 2023
There had been a time, back when he’d focused on her so intently, seeking her out year after year, when she’d thought he was a story written just for her.
↬3.5 stars ☆*
Every single year during the Trials, Jeremy comes back to her. Until one year he stopped coming and it broke Chloe’s heart. Three years later, she had stopped writing his name on her lists. Everything she thought they had was a silly dream. She’s poor, she’s bossy and she’s too opinionated. She could never have someone like Jeremy Yu.
But this year he finally comes. Her heart shakes only to be broken again when he asks her to make a list with all the qualities he wants in a wife. But he tells her he wants one exactly like her.
You wouldn’t imagine how much I enjoyed following Jeremy and Chloe’s banter, especially during the first part of the book. I loved how Jeremy teased her in a way that screamed ‘i love you’. How Chloe was so soft yet strong, how she was brave enough to ask for what she wanted but not naïve enough to think everything she had dreamt was plausible. I could see exactly why they were so in love with each other, and that balanced out for me the fact that they were already in love at the beginning. Moreover, there is something about historical romances, about how kisses seemed to be worth promises, that makes my romantic heart feel all warm. I fangirled every time they opened their mouth to say things like these:
↬Exhibit A: “Chloe, sweetheart. Look at me. () It’s your decision. But please. Please never kiss a man who doesn’t think you deserve his effort.”
↬Exhibit B: “You gigantic hypocrite. You tease her all the time.”
Chloe clutched the lists to her chest and looked up angrily. “He does, but it’s different because I like it.”
The relationship between Chloe and her dad was another one of the highlights of the book. I loved the way they always refused to be helped yet always demanded the other to let them help. Poor Jeremy had to suffer the consequences of their bond, but the boy was too precious and clever to refuse the challenge Chloe’s dad kept adding on his disk. I also appreciated how the author didn’t make this a complete fairytale and portrayed discrimination in little things throughout the book.
Despite adoring Chloe and Jeremy together and separately, for some reason the last part of the book didn’t quite satisfy me the way I was hoping for. It’s been a week trying to figure out what went wrong. I’m still not confident about the answer, but I think it didn’t help that I saw the clues for the ‘plot twist’ from the beginning and, taking into account the backstory Milan created for Chloe and her father, I was expecting something to go wrong at some point. While I didn’t want to see the typical scene everyone would expect from this-Jeremy conveniently forgets to explain Chloe he is a Duke-, I wasn’t a fan of the alternative. I don’t do well with humor in general and this time I was expecting some little angst that never appeared, leaving me an anticlimactic aftertaste.
Overall, I would recommend The Duke Who Didn’t if you are looking for a different type of historical romance, with a virgin hero and heroine, low angst, banter and a vibe a lot more down to earth than the typical scenes set in palaces.
October 23, 2020
In a time of pervasive toxic masculinity Milan (as usual) offers an antidote in the form of a sweet and often goofy-ish duke who lacks impulse control named Jeremy. Jeremy has a lot of names, is exactly what he seems, and all of his names make his life and dedication to Chloe a little more complicated than a rich guy loving a difficult woman.
Though I didn't find Chloe all that difficult, there are definitely shades of many women you know that are easy to spot and endear you to the character. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that the characters flirted with depth and while relatable I could've used more, but it's overall a quiet story of acceptance and loving someone enough that outside factors aren't really that uncomplicated. IT's certainly one of the softer Milans I've read, and smacks of her recent novella for me. Don't get me wrong-there's a couple of chapters featuring her characteristic gut punch, but overall it's a smooth and uncomplicated story about love.
As usual, she offers some wonderful family interactions, sparkly humor, and lovely exchanges between the leads. In the end, the result is a story as soft as the hero and as gentle as what some of us need at the moment.
Need something soft and/or never read Milan before? It's a great place to start. It isn't the best to showcase her talent, and I know no Milan fans will disagree. Here, those edges are smoothed out and make for an overall (pleasant and light read.)**
** My friend Gaufre has made several points that makes me reconsider this assessment. I think I'm likely over-simplifying a bit. So, YMMV.
Though I didn't find Chloe all that difficult, there are definitely shades of many women you know that are easy to spot and endear you to the character. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that the characters flirted with depth and while relatable I could've used more, but it's overall a quiet story of acceptance and loving someone enough that outside factors aren't really that uncomplicated. IT's certainly one of the softer Milans I've read, and smacks of her recent novella for me. Don't get me wrong-there's a couple of chapters featuring her characteristic gut punch, but overall it's a smooth and uncomplicated story about love.
As usual, she offers some wonderful family interactions, sparkly humor, and lovely exchanges between the leads. In the end, the result is a story as soft as the hero and as gentle as what some of us need at the moment.
Need something soft and/or never read Milan before? It's a great place to start. It isn't the best to showcase her talent, and I know no Milan fans will disagree. Here, those edges are smoothed out and make for an overall (pleasant and light read.)**
** My friend Gaufre has made several points that makes me reconsider this assessment. I think I'm likely over-simplifying a bit. So, YMMV.
September 8, 2020
THIS WAS SO DELIGHTFUL.
What do you expect from a Courtney Milan book, right? But also, two British characters of Chinese descent falling in love in a historical romance? Sign me the fuck up. They're both absolutely wonderful characters to read, with the best kinds of suck it up moments. The only thing that might drop this below five stars for some readers is the pace and progress between no relationship and absolutely relationship, but stuff like that happens, yeah?
Anyway, I'm so excited for all of you to read this. And I need MORE WEDGEFORD BOOKS because every effing person who lives in Wedgeford deserves their own story.
(Also, there's an amazing(ly long) author's note and an excerpt from the next Worth book so I dare you not to just devour the whole thing in one sitting.)
What do you expect from a Courtney Milan book, right? But also, two British characters of Chinese descent falling in love in a historical romance? Sign me the fuck up. They're both absolutely wonderful characters to read, with the best kinds of suck it up moments. The only thing that might drop this below five stars for some readers is the pace and progress between no relationship and absolutely relationship, but stuff like that happens, yeah?
Anyway, I'm so excited for all of you to read this. And I need MORE WEDGEFORD BOOKS because every effing person who lives in Wedgeford deserves their own story.
(Also, there's an amazing(ly long) author's note and an excerpt from the next Worth book so I dare you not to just devour the whole thing in one sitting.)
Shelved as 'wishlist'
January 14, 2021Only 99 cents today!!!!!
February 14, 2021
I absolutely loved The Duchess War, so I was excited to dive into Courtney Milan's newest release. This one has two Asian main characters, which I've never read in a historical romance before. In the beginning, Jeremy is back in town after leaving for three years. He's determined to find a wife and have Chloe help him by making a list of qualities for the perfect wife (lists are her thing). Jeremy and Chloe liked each other growing up, but Jeremy left and is determined to make Chloe his wife now that he's back. While I really enjoyed the romance of this book, I felt the plot really lacking. Chloe is helping her father brand his new sauce and...that's really it. She's trying to come up with names, making labels, and jarring the sauce. I wasn't really interested in any of the plot and only became invested in the romance more near the end of the book. I didn't feel as connected to Chloe and Jeremy's relationship and wish we had more of them loving each other in the past so that I got that angst and longing that we were told they had for each other in the present.
I will say, I did really love both plots that had to do with Chloe and Jeremy's respective families. This really developed in the second half of the book and I loved them discussing and learning more about their families. Other than that, though, I really had a hard time getting through the first half of this book to really care about the romance. Sadly, this isn't another favorite Courtney Milan book of mine.
I will say, I did really love both plots that had to do with Chloe and Jeremy's respective families. This really developed in the second half of the book and I loved them discussing and learning more about their families. Other than that, though, I really had a hard time getting through the first half of this book to really care about the romance. Sadly, this isn't another favorite Courtney Milan book of mine.
March 4, 2024
4.5 stars - Ugh, this was so cute! I love that this was a low angst version of CM but her amazing character work and writing was still there. This just had me smiling and kicking my feet throughout - very cozy
Read
June 30, 2022DNF
I love ya Ms Milan but from the start I just couldn’t get into this unique take on HF romance. And I really, really wanted to love this!!
I think more time was spent introducing a new invention (clipboards although it was called a board clip) than explaining why these two are infatuated with either other when they’ve only met once a year and she told him to get lost for being too silly— and he listened to her (no spoiler — that’s the first chapter). And of course they each have secrets they are keeping.
That was the second chapter.
I’ve read my share of HF romances set in the pastoral English countryside and his secret? Totally impossible to keep that secret in a small village— everyone knows all those English villagers gossip fiercely— if they didn’t, the list of HF romances would be super short.
Let’s chalk this is up to — “It’s me, not you Ms Milan!”
Maybe I’ll revisit this when I’m in a mood to just enjoy the banter.
I love ya Ms Milan but from the start I just couldn’t get into this unique take on HF romance. And I really, really wanted to love this!!
I think more time was spent introducing a new invention (clipboards although it was called a board clip) than explaining why these two are infatuated with either other when they’ve only met once a year and she told him to get lost for being too silly— and he listened to her (no spoiler — that’s the first chapter). And of course they each have secrets they are keeping.
That was the second chapter.
I’ve read my share of HF romances set in the pastoral English countryside and his secret? Totally impossible to keep that secret in a small village— everyone knows all those English villagers gossip fiercely— if they didn’t, the list of HF romances would be super short.
Let’s chalk this is up to — “It’s me, not you Ms Milan!”
Maybe I’ll revisit this when I’m in a mood to just enjoy the banter.
January 6, 2021
Ok so you all know how Tessa Dare created a seaside town called “Spindle Cove”, which is a haven for spinsters, bluestockings, and wallflowers? Basically, a whole village chock-full of romance heroines you can use for as many novels as you care to continue the series? Yeah so Courtney Milan has created the Spindle Cove OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. Wedgeford is a late-Victorian English town, with a plausible backstory, where tons of people of colour live and thrive. Brilliant. The town is full of romance heroes and heroines of colour, and because they’re in this “diverse bubble”, their stories can be about more than just how hard it was to be ethnic in England in the 19th century (though obviously it was). I look forward to whatever she comes up with—the town of Wedgeford gives her a lot of scope. How do you write more diversity into historical romance? BAM.
Wedgeford is owned by the Duke of Lansing, and this book is his story, kind of. I’m not sure I think it’s the strongest intro to a series she’s ever written. If you are a Milan fan (like me) you should of course read this, and if you are new to her writing, you might want to consider beginning instead with The Duchess War, which I feel is a strong series opener.
In keeping with the theme of this novel, I procrastinated writing this review. Both main characters were blocked in some way in this novel, unable to move forward with their lives, even as what they had to do became increasingly obvious. I appreciated that Milan dealt with this theme in her novel. I appreciated her little insights about being creatively stymied, anxious, and unable to do what must be done. I related. I am an artist and so I really, really, related.
It’s a difficult theme to show in a novel without weakening the plot, because showing two blocked characters, unable to act, means that you risk ending up with a novel without a lot happening. I feel Milan’s book suffered from this pitfall. There were many things I loved about this book, and I think I see where she was going with all this. At the same time, I feel like both characters have an interesting story, but I’m not sure I read it.
As this novel opens, our main characters have already met, fallen in love. I missed the courtship part of the story—we see some of it in flashbacks near the end of the book, but not enough for me to fully buy into their romance.
The stakes in this story are very low from the start, verging on boringly low. The hero wants to ask the heroine to marry him, and comes into town to do that. He is pretty sure she will say no, even though there is no plausible reason why he would think this. The heroine likes making lists, so he has this plan where he’ll pay her to make a list of the characteristics he should want in a wife, and that she will realize he wants her. Sort of. The plan is like I just described, but less reasonable and straightforward, and more abstract. It does not work, for either the heroine or for me. Meanwhile, the heroine’s dad has invented sweet and sour sauce or something, and they are going to debut it at this festival in Wedgeford, but she has not thought of a name for the sauce and therefore cannot print the labels. The fact that the sauce is Unnamed is one of the main issues in the story, and I don’t want to disparage that because it leads to a bunch of great moments where we realize Things Don’t Have To Be Perfect, Just Good Enough and You Should Ask For Help When You Need It and other great things, and I like that and agree with that, but it also causes problems.
The whole first half of the novel is them going on walks, and talking in a sort of stylized, circular way, and him saying, “What if we put “stubborn” on the list?” and her saying “Shucks, I just can’t think of a good name for this sauce!” and there are about 3 or 4 scenes of this and not much else. The hero teases the heroine a lot in a way that annoys me, but would like us (the readers) to know that he doesn’t tease her when it’s really important. We are told, not shown, this.
We are told, not shown, almost everything. Since the characters aren’t shown doing much, or reacting to dramatic circumstances, their characters are not revealed by plot. We have to trust what they say about themselves and each other to get an idea of their characters. (Is Chloe really stubborn? Is Jeremy really understanding? I don’t know, probably.)
They both have excellent backstories, which I also wish I saw shown in the story in a more direct way. The Duke has a lot of trouble being a Chinese aristocrat, and I appreciate the book isn’t about him fighting for acceptance, but without seeing at least a little more of his regular life, the book feels like when you fall in love with someone at summer camp but don’t really get to know the person they are. (Actually, that is pretty much exactly the heroine’s experience.) The heroine’s parents have some seriously great backstory—her mother was a high-ranking government official in The Heavenly Kingdom in Taiping. She flees the country to the Caribbean with her newborn baby as the rebellion topples around her. I know the story isn’t about the mom either, but if it was, I would have read it.
I actually found myself wanting to follow quite a few side characters in this novel. Perhaps I could have checked out the Wedgeford Trials, a sort of town-wide festival featuring an epic Capture the Flag-type game which sounds super wacky. The main characters usually play this wacky game—they talk about how they’ve played it in the past—but they don’t play it during the novel, because of course they wouldn’t, not the year when we’re reading about them. Every once in awhile, as they went on walks and sniped at each other evasively, we’d come upon a character participating in the Wedgeford Trials, running around having wacky fun. The reader is given the chance to stare at the fun wistfully but is then forced to follow Mr. Silly and Ms. Grumps around on their Walk of Procrastination.
It doesn’t seem like it from this review, but I am a huge Milan fan. I’ve read everything she’s written with a great deal of enjoyment, just sitting there reading like “Yess!” and “She gets it! She gets me!” I’ve never written an ARC review before, and to my shame, when I looked on Goodreads, I’ve hardly reviewed any of her novels. I will begin to rectify that immediately, and so many of her books get 5 stars from me, or will, by next week or whenever I review them. I SWEAR.
This book ultimately gets 3 stars for the diverse worldbuilding and delicious Chinese food descriptions. It has many things which make all of Milan’s books good: a beta hero, lots of consent in the sex scenes. The style/tone of the book borders on “contemporary” in a way I didn’t love. The book also has structural problems, and commits the crime of being a Pretty Good Story when we are given the impression that there’s an Extremely Great Story hovering juuuuuust out of frame of the camera, and we want it, we want it, but it isn’t quite there.
Wedgeford is owned by the Duke of Lansing, and this book is his story, kind of. I’m not sure I think it’s the strongest intro to a series she’s ever written. If you are a Milan fan (like me) you should of course read this, and if you are new to her writing, you might want to consider beginning instead with The Duchess War, which I feel is a strong series opener.
In keeping with the theme of this novel, I procrastinated writing this review. Both main characters were blocked in some way in this novel, unable to move forward with their lives, even as what they had to do became increasingly obvious. I appreciated that Milan dealt with this theme in her novel. I appreciated her little insights about being creatively stymied, anxious, and unable to do what must be done. I related. I am an artist and so I really, really, related.
It’s a difficult theme to show in a novel without weakening the plot, because showing two blocked characters, unable to act, means that you risk ending up with a novel without a lot happening. I feel Milan’s book suffered from this pitfall. There were many things I loved about this book, and I think I see where she was going with all this. At the same time, I feel like both characters have an interesting story, but I’m not sure I read it.
As this novel opens, our main characters have already met, fallen in love. I missed the courtship part of the story—we see some of it in flashbacks near the end of the book, but not enough for me to fully buy into their romance.
The stakes in this story are very low from the start, verging on boringly low. The hero wants to ask the heroine to marry him, and comes into town to do that. He is pretty sure she will say no, even though there is no plausible reason why he would think this. The heroine likes making lists, so he has this plan where he’ll pay her to make a list of the characteristics he should want in a wife, and that she will realize he wants her. Sort of. The plan is like I just described, but less reasonable and straightforward, and more abstract. It does not work, for either the heroine or for me. Meanwhile, the heroine’s dad has invented sweet and sour sauce or something, and they are going to debut it at this festival in Wedgeford, but she has not thought of a name for the sauce and therefore cannot print the labels. The fact that the sauce is Unnamed is one of the main issues in the story, and I don’t want to disparage that because it leads to a bunch of great moments where we realize Things Don’t Have To Be Perfect, Just Good Enough and You Should Ask For Help When You Need It and other great things, and I like that and agree with that, but it also causes problems.
The whole first half of the novel is them going on walks, and talking in a sort of stylized, circular way, and him saying, “What if we put “stubborn” on the list?” and her saying “Shucks, I just can’t think of a good name for this sauce!” and there are about 3 or 4 scenes of this and not much else. The hero teases the heroine a lot in a way that annoys me, but would like us (the readers) to know that he doesn’t tease her when it’s really important. We are told, not shown, this.
We are told, not shown, almost everything. Since the characters aren’t shown doing much, or reacting to dramatic circumstances, their characters are not revealed by plot. We have to trust what they say about themselves and each other to get an idea of their characters. (Is Chloe really stubborn? Is Jeremy really understanding? I don’t know, probably.)
They both have excellent backstories, which I also wish I saw shown in the story in a more direct way. The Duke has a lot of trouble being a Chinese aristocrat, and I appreciate the book isn’t about him fighting for acceptance, but without seeing at least a little more of his regular life, the book feels like when you fall in love with someone at summer camp but don’t really get to know the person they are. (Actually, that is pretty much exactly the heroine’s experience.) The heroine’s parents have some seriously great backstory—her mother was a high-ranking government official in The Heavenly Kingdom in Taiping. She flees the country to the Caribbean with her newborn baby as the rebellion topples around her. I know the story isn’t about the mom either, but if it was, I would have read it.
I actually found myself wanting to follow quite a few side characters in this novel. Perhaps I could have checked out the Wedgeford Trials, a sort of town-wide festival featuring an epic Capture the Flag-type game which sounds super wacky. The main characters usually play this wacky game—they talk about how they’ve played it in the past—but they don’t play it during the novel, because of course they wouldn’t, not the year when we’re reading about them. Every once in awhile, as they went on walks and sniped at each other evasively, we’d come upon a character participating in the Wedgeford Trials, running around having wacky fun. The reader is given the chance to stare at the fun wistfully but is then forced to follow Mr. Silly and Ms. Grumps around on their Walk of Procrastination.
It doesn’t seem like it from this review, but I am a huge Milan fan. I’ve read everything she’s written with a great deal of enjoyment, just sitting there reading like “Yess!” and “She gets it! She gets me!” I’ve never written an ARC review before, and to my shame, when I looked on Goodreads, I’ve hardly reviewed any of her novels. I will begin to rectify that immediately, and so many of her books get 5 stars from me, or will, by next week or whenever I review them. I SWEAR.
This book ultimately gets 3 stars for the diverse worldbuilding and delicious Chinese food descriptions. It has many things which make all of Milan’s books good: a beta hero, lots of consent in the sex scenes. The style/tone of the book borders on “contemporary” in a way I didn’t love. The book also has structural problems, and commits the crime of being a Pretty Good Story when we are given the impression that there’s an Extremely Great Story hovering juuuuuust out of frame of the camera, and we want it, we want it, but it isn’t quite there.
Want to read
August 18, 2020
September??!!!???
Is the Worth Saga on indefinite hold? Is this some spinoff? Is this some completely separate new series?
I wish I didn't go nutzoid when Milan updates her GRs with any crumb of info. But seriously, the release date says Sept but release dates don't always hold true, so I'm kind of dying that it could be so close.
A new historical series by Milan!!!!
October 9, 2020
First of all, I enjoyed this. It was low angst, which I enjoy. Overall, I thought it was lovely. I thought the leads were well drawn and relatable and I enjoyed the setting. I am not quite sure how I want to rate this yet. Hopefully I will figure that out by the time I get through this review.
If you are a fan of Milan, this is not a return to her old form à la Brothers Sinister, for example. It felt new. The pieces came together easily and smoothly. There was great banter, which is something to expect from Milan. There were social issues addressed, another hallmark of Milan, but they didn't feel forced, which her more recent books have felt somewhat forced. It was as advertised. It was fluffier and you could tell Milan enjoyed writing it, which in turn made it a joy to read. But it didn't bring the reader through the gut wrenching, yet rewarding journey that some of my favorites by her did.
Chloe is a very relatable character, IMO. She likes lists. She makes lots of lists and gets really behind on her lists and procrastinates. Reading her characterization was cathartic. Jeremy is a Duke, but he is also half-Chinese. He hasn't told anyone in Wedgeford he's the duke that owns most of the town. He just tries blend in with a society where he doesn't stand out for his ethnicity. Wedgeford reminded of Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove -- a somewhat isolated society where normal priggish British society is not very present, where they make their own rules on what is acceptable. Jeremy has been in love Chloe for years. Chloe has been in love with Jeremy for years. This is the story of where they finally come together.
Ultimately, this story didn't blow me away, but I really appreciated it. More stories like this please. More diversity in Historical Romance, PLEASE. Writers, please write stories that bring you joy -- it shows when they do. I hope there are more stories that return to Wedgeford, because that was certainly a highlight. What a delightful setting that Milan created, with delightful secondary characters.
In conclusion, if you like angst and liked it when Milan brought the angst, this may not be story for you. It's a character-driven story that builds and the characters don't have TSTL moments. So, if you like diverse historical romances, if you like low-angst stories, you may really like this one.
This is sitting about 4.25 stars for me. I expect to reread at some point.
If you are a fan of Milan, this is not a return to her old form à la Brothers Sinister, for example. It felt new. The pieces came together easily and smoothly. There was great banter, which is something to expect from Milan. There were social issues addressed, another hallmark of Milan, but they didn't feel forced, which her more recent books have felt somewhat forced. It was as advertised. It was fluffier and you could tell Milan enjoyed writing it, which in turn made it a joy to read. But it didn't bring the reader through the gut wrenching, yet rewarding journey that some of my favorites by her did.
Chloe is a very relatable character, IMO. She likes lists. She makes lots of lists and gets really behind on her lists and procrastinates. Reading her characterization was cathartic. Jeremy is a Duke, but he is also half-Chinese. He hasn't told anyone in Wedgeford he's the duke that owns most of the town. He just tries blend in with a society where he doesn't stand out for his ethnicity. Wedgeford reminded of Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove -- a somewhat isolated society where normal priggish British society is not very present, where they make their own rules on what is acceptable. Jeremy has been in love Chloe for years. Chloe has been in love with Jeremy for years. This is the story of where they finally come together.
Ultimately, this story didn't blow me away, but I really appreciated it. More stories like this please. More diversity in Historical Romance, PLEASE. Writers, please write stories that bring you joy -- it shows when they do. I hope there are more stories that return to Wedgeford, because that was certainly a highlight. What a delightful setting that Milan created, with delightful secondary characters.
In conclusion, if you like angst and liked it when Milan brought the angst, this may not be story for you. It's a character-driven story that builds and the characters don't have TSTL moments. So, if you like diverse historical romances, if you like low-angst stories, you may really like this one.
This is sitting about 4.25 stars for me. I expect to reread at some point.
Shelved as 'nevermind'
October 25, 2020DNF for now at 40%
I barged into a buddy-read with Sam and Gaufre, only for them to finish and me to just... not. Not only that, they gave positive reviews. I'm actually finding this incredibly boring. As with many of Milan's previous works, everyone and everything is just so nice, and that's not my thing. Maybe I'll try to finish it some other time.
I barged into a buddy-read with Sam and Gaufre, only for them to finish and me to just... not. Not only that, they gave positive reviews. I'm actually finding this incredibly boring. As with many of Milan's previous works, everyone and everything is just so nice, and that's not my thing. Maybe I'll try to finish it some other time.
September 12, 2020
So happy to have read it because Courtney Milan continues to bless us with romance books. I'm so happy I live in a world (and at the same time!) where Courtney writes and publishes romance novels. Every single one hits my insides with so many emotions.
The Duke Who Didn't is a childhood friends to lovers romance where Jeremy returns to Wedgeford to finalyl ask Chloe to marry him. But Chloe was hurt when the last time he came (three years ago tho!) he broke her heart. Though Jeremy is ready with a plan to make her see that she is the woman for him; she is going to help him find someone exactly like her to be his bride unbeknownst to her that he is actually talking about her.
I'm pretty excited about this new series, Wedgeford Trials, there are so many characters that I'm very intrigued by and want them to find their happily ever afters. But Chloe and Jeremy are the protagonists in this novel and I completely loved them. Jeremy is soft and jokes around a lot. While Chloe is perceived as a cold person from the other people in the town, though she's only shy. These two have been connected since they were 14 years old and have been crushing on each other since that long.
I'm always grateful to Courtney when she writes sex scenes, especially first time sex scenes. Be it if they are virgins or just the first time they do it as a couple. In this novel, both the protagonists are virgins and their first time is written perfectly. You know most of the times the first time isn't spectacular at first and you have to find the things you enjoy to feel good and I'm happy that Milan gave us this scene.
I got an advanced galley from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Duke Who Didn't is a childhood friends to lovers romance where Jeremy returns to Wedgeford to finalyl ask Chloe to marry him. But Chloe was hurt when the last time he came (three years ago tho!) he broke her heart. Though Jeremy is ready with a plan to make her see that she is the woman for him; she is going to help him find someone exactly like her to be his bride unbeknownst to her that he is actually talking about her.
I'm pretty excited about this new series, Wedgeford Trials, there are so many characters that I'm very intrigued by and want them to find their happily ever afters. But Chloe and Jeremy are the protagonists in this novel and I completely loved them. Jeremy is soft and jokes around a lot. While Chloe is perceived as a cold person from the other people in the town, though she's only shy. These two have been connected since they were 14 years old and have been crushing on each other since that long.
I'm always grateful to Courtney when she writes sex scenes, especially first time sex scenes. Be it if they are virgins or just the first time they do it as a couple. In this novel, both the protagonists are virgins and their first time is written perfectly. You know most of the times the first time isn't spectacular at first and you have to find the things you enjoy to feel good and I'm happy that Milan gave us this scene.
I got an advanced galley from the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2024
The Duke Who Didn’t was the perfect sweet, low-stress romance to get me through a rough day.
The story takes place in Wedgeford, an English village from the late 1800’s with some quirky traditions. The heroine, Chloe, is gearing up for the village’s silly yearly competition, which often draws participants from all over England. Rather than participating in the competition herself, however, Chloe hopes to use it to sell her father’s sauce recipe and make it big enough to get a bit of revenge on his old employers. Jeremy, a semi-anonymous rich boy who has been coming to the competition for years, has inconveniently chosen this moment to try and woo Chloe, however, which results in all of the feel-good hijinks you’d expect from a novel of this sort. At some point, you see, there is a very busy inn, and there is only one bed.
(This was possibly my favourite part of the novel, but I promise that you will not actually understand why until you get there.)
There was just so much to love about this book—I could gush for ages. The plot is low-stakes, but everything still feels very personally important. I deeply identified with Chloe, with her endless lists and prickly demeanour, and I love that she is allowed to be prickly while still being worthy of love as she is. Jeremy was honestly witty, and I loved his interactions with Chloe, which were genuinely respectful in a way that I rarely see in romance. There is one scene in particular which stood out to me, where Jeremy notes that he once teased Chloe about her lists and accidentally made her cry; years later, he remembers how much the lists mean to her, and it is clear that he will never cross that line again, no matter how silly it may seem. As a compulsive list-keeper myself, I think that must be one of the weirdest, most romantic things I've ever read.
For historical buffs, this book touches on first- and second-generation Chinese immigrants from the time period. I'm certainly not qualified to comment on the accuracy of the blended culture covered in the story, but I did deeply enjoy it.
The story takes place in Wedgeford, an English village from the late 1800’s with some quirky traditions. The heroine, Chloe, is gearing up for the village’s silly yearly competition, which often draws participants from all over England. Rather than participating in the competition herself, however, Chloe hopes to use it to sell her father’s sauce recipe and make it big enough to get a bit of revenge on his old employers. Jeremy, a semi-anonymous rich boy who has been coming to the competition for years, has inconveniently chosen this moment to try and woo Chloe, however, which results in all of the feel-good hijinks you’d expect from a novel of this sort. At some point, you see, there is a very busy inn, and there is only one bed.
(This was possibly my favourite part of the novel, but I promise that you will not actually understand why until you get there.)
There was just so much to love about this book—I could gush for ages. The plot is low-stakes, but everything still feels very personally important. I deeply identified with Chloe, with her endless lists and prickly demeanour, and I love that she is allowed to be prickly while still being worthy of love as she is. Jeremy was honestly witty, and I loved his interactions with Chloe, which were genuinely respectful in a way that I rarely see in romance. There is one scene in particular which stood out to me, where Jeremy notes that he once teased Chloe about her lists and accidentally made her cry; years later, he remembers how much the lists mean to her, and it is clear that he will never cross that line again, no matter how silly it may seem. As a compulsive list-keeper myself, I think that must be one of the weirdest, most romantic things I've ever read.
For historical buffs, this book touches on first- and second-generation Chinese immigrants from the time period. I'm certainly not qualified to comment on the accuracy of the blended culture covered in the story, but I did deeply enjoy it.
October 24, 2020
At first, I wasn't really impressed about this book. The list making was too cutesy and all the reviews mentioned the book is a lighter read. But Sam and Heather told me they would buddy read it with me and it is Courtney Milan after all so I couldn't resist.
The beginning and the end of the book are light. The middle hit me upside the head. HARD. I do not think it is a light book at all. The characters do know what they want so they are already half-way to their happy ending. In that sense, there is not so much anguish. The Duke makes a lot of jokes.
Underneath the jokes there is hiding, hurt, and a deep need to belong. Milan writes about sometimes fraught but always loving family relationships and the difficulty to find a place for ourselves. Milan never delves deeply into any of this but throws many casual experiences of discrimination and racism (ex: "Oh, I know this other Asian - do you know him/her?" - like all Asians knew each other) because all of this is done casually to our characters. And I probably would not have picked up on these if they didn't hit so close.
It is also impossible not to compare this book to her previous work. In the Brother Sinister series, Milan was writing heroines who change the world. Here, the ambition is smaller but no less important: the hero/heroines want to find their own people and place in the world. As such, the novel takes place in kind of a bubble. A happy one.
The beginning and the end of the book are light. The middle hit me upside the head. HARD. I do not think it is a light book at all. The characters do know what they want so they are already half-way to their happy ending. In that sense, there is not so much anguish. The Duke makes a lot of jokes.
Underneath the jokes there is hiding, hurt, and a deep need to belong. Milan writes about sometimes fraught but always loving family relationships and the difficulty to find a place for ourselves. Milan never delves deeply into any of this but throws many casual experiences of discrimination and racism (ex: "Oh, I know this other Asian - do you know him/her?" - like all Asians knew each other) because all of this is done casually to our characters. And I probably would not have picked up on these if they didn't hit so close.
It is also impossible not to compare this book to her previous work. In the Brother Sinister series, Milan was writing heroines who change the world. Here, the ambition is smaller but no less important: the hero/heroines want to find their own people and place in the world. As such, the novel takes place in kind of a bubble. A happy one.
October 29, 2020
4.5 stars
This book was such a breath of fresh air in the historical romance world. It's funny, cute, self-aware and has a genuinely interesting story as well as loveable characters and a very unique setting: the multicultural town of Wedgeford, whose population is largely comprised of characters of Asian descent.
I'm not too familiar with the historical details, but I'm sure there weren't many actual British dukes who were half Chinese. But this book just makes sense. The premise makes sense, the plot makes sense and I love how much of her own ancestors' history and culture the author managed to incorporate into this story. 100% recommend, loved it all around.
This book was such a breath of fresh air in the historical romance world. It's funny, cute, self-aware and has a genuinely interesting story as well as loveable characters and a very unique setting: the multicultural town of Wedgeford, whose population is largely comprised of characters of Asian descent.
I'm not too familiar with the historical details, but I'm sure there weren't many actual British dukes who were half Chinese. But this book just makes sense. The premise makes sense, the plot makes sense and I love how much of her own ancestors' history and culture the author managed to incorporate into this story. 100% recommend, loved it all around.
April 30, 2022
Aw this was too fucking sweet 🥹
✨ Asian heroine with a major obsession with making lists and crossing items off of said lists
✨ British-born, half-Asian hero who is actually the duke of the lands where the heroine's village is
✨ Reverse grumpy sunshine: cinnamon roll, goofy, virgin hero and a more serious heroine
✨ Childhood friends to lovers, second-chance romance
✨ Heroine's father makes a bomb-ass sauce after his first recipe was stolen by two British lords (that epilogue with the revenge scene 🙌🏼)
✨ Village full of Asians (the representation!). Hero who's part of the nobility doesn't wanna stay in nobility but instead wants to be in the village where other people look like him because he's lonely and I just— 🥹😭
Knocked off a star because hero's reason for staying away for three years wasn't strong enough imo and I'm still kinda confused on what the Wedgeford Trials actually is lol.
~~~~~~~
Pre-read 10/2020: HOLY SHIT, THAT COVER!!
*audio listened on Scribd (again, Mary Jane Wells works her magic as SHE SHOULD)
✨ Asian heroine with a major obsession with making lists and crossing items off of said lists
✨ British-born, half-Asian hero who is actually the duke of the lands where the heroine's village is
✨ Reverse grumpy sunshine: cinnamon roll, goofy, virgin hero and a more serious heroine
✨ Childhood friends to lovers, second-chance romance
✨ Heroine's father makes a bomb-ass sauce after his first recipe was stolen by two British lords (that epilogue with the revenge scene 🙌🏼)
✨ Village full of Asians (the representation!). Hero who's part of the nobility doesn't wanna stay in nobility but instead wants to be in the village where other people look like him because he's lonely and I just— 🥹😭
Knocked off a star because hero's reason for staying away for three years wasn't strong enough imo and I'm still kinda confused on what the Wedgeford Trials actually is lol.
~~~~~~~
Pre-read 10/2020: HOLY SHIT, THAT COVER!!
*audio listened on Scribd (again, Mary Jane Wells works her magic as SHE SHOULD)
November 30, 2020
JEREMY.
That's it. That's my review.
May 19, 2021
I really wanted to like this book as much as my friend but this one was very slow and boring to me despite a fun and comedic in the beginning.
January 22, 2023
This was a refreshing historical romance with two Asian main characters, a diverse and quirky village, a culinary revenge plot with yummy descriptions, and interesting cultural and historical fact incorporation. Chloe (h) is a villager who's trying to help launch her father's sauce recipe during a village festival. Her father was taken advantage of years before by two gentlemen who stole a sauce recipe from him and profited from its popularity, while he received no credit. Chloe was a list addict, intimidating, and determined young woman. She's thrown completely off balance by the return of a prior crush, Jeremy (H), who had previously come every year to their festival but had been absent for a few years. Jeremy is there to win Chloe over to marrying him, but he wants to ease her into the idea *and* he has to break the news that he's actually not just a wealthy gentleman, he's a duke. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both were virgins (which I loved because there was mutual pining and the H didn't gain experience elsewhere while feeling all the things for the h).
Overall this was a low angst read with humor and heart. I really enjoyed how Chloe and Jeremy's reconnection developed with him returning to his flirting and teasing ways with her, while she was both cautious and wanted to experience physical intimacy with him. There are many funny scenes throughout the book, not just with the main characters, but also the village side characters and Chloe's father. Jeremy was a bit of a goofball, but he was so devoted to Chloe and he does step up to be supportive and caring of her when she needs it. Chloe had to learn how to accept help and accept that Jeremy wasn't going to leave again. So this is a slow burn that does eventually build to a couple of steamy scenes. I wished that Jeremy didn't feel he had to tiptoe around and hint at his longterm interest with Chloe and I also wanted Chloe to accept help more readily.
There were lots of details about Chinese culture and language, which I hadn't read in this type of context before. The plot line involving Chloe's father's sauce development was really interesting and I enjoyed it immensely. I also appreciated how the author portrayed Jeremy's struggle with being a half Chinese duke, how he tried to make it so when he pursued Chloe, she wouldn't experience some of the judgement that he had. His mother had hated being a duchess so he was carrying around a lot of negative emotions about his title. The secret that Jeremy was keeping about being a duke did drag on a bit longer than I liked and I suspected how it was going to end up being resolved (I was right), but I did like that resolution too. There was also a bit of mystery about Chloe's father's background (I was right about this too).
This does end on a HEA and there are two epilogues, one a little less than a year in the future that was excellent and then one further into the future resolving the sauce plot line and showing them still happy and with kids. I was so satisfied with this story. The author's note at the end also had great details that covered historical elements to language to culture to food.
Overall this was a low angst read with humor and heart. I really enjoyed how Chloe and Jeremy's reconnection developed with him returning to his flirting and teasing ways with her, while she was both cautious and wanted to experience physical intimacy with him. There are many funny scenes throughout the book, not just with the main characters, but also the village side characters and Chloe's father. Jeremy was a bit of a goofball, but he was so devoted to Chloe and he does step up to be supportive and caring of her when she needs it. Chloe had to learn how to accept help and accept that Jeremy wasn't going to leave again. So this is a slow burn that does eventually build to a couple of steamy scenes. I wished that Jeremy didn't feel he had to tiptoe around and hint at his longterm interest with Chloe and I also wanted Chloe to accept help more readily.
There were lots of details about Chinese culture and language, which I hadn't read in this type of context before. The plot line involving Chloe's father's sauce development was really interesting and I enjoyed it immensely. I also appreciated how the author portrayed Jeremy's struggle with being a half Chinese duke, how he tried to make it so when he pursued Chloe, she wouldn't experience some of the judgement that he had. His mother had hated being a duchess so he was carrying around a lot of negative emotions about his title. The secret that Jeremy was keeping about being a duke did drag on a bit longer than I liked and I suspected how it was going to end up being resolved (I was right), but I did like that resolution too. There was also a bit of mystery about Chloe's father's background (I was right about this too).
This does end on a HEA and there are two epilogues, one a little less than a year in the future that was excellent and then one further into the future resolving the sauce plot line and showing them still happy and with kids. I was so satisfied with this story. The author's note at the end also had great details that covered historical elements to language to culture to food.
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