Author Courtney Milan blows triumphantly back onto the romance scene with her latest release, THE DUKE WHO DIDN’T, first in the Wedgeford Trials series. I think my appreciation for this book was vastly improved by having followed all our Milan’s tribulations over the past several years via her social media accounts. She’s been a strong proponent for equal treatment and equal opportunity for all people, and I love her advocacy. This gave her choice of characters with their backstories even more poignancy to me.
Miss Chloe Fong is Chinese, and grew up in Britain. She lives in the village of Wedgeford, surrounded by other non-stereotypical Brits (read: non-white) who comprise the village. Jeremy Wentworth is the Duke of Lansing. He’s half Chinese and half-British, and of course has struggled to fit in with the ton, who are stuffy and not welcoming of any other-ness, such as being half Chinese! Jeremy owns the village of Wedgeford but has never collected rents on it. He likes to travel incognito to the village every year for the Wedgeford Trials, a sort of treasure hunt mixed with rugby, which sounds like great fun. Jeremy fell in love with Chloe years ago, but heartbreakingly believes he cannot ask her to live in the society of the peerage, where she will be ostracized and criticized for who she is.
I adore Chloe! Chloe has an excessive love of lists, which speaks dearly to my heart. Chloe is helping her father to launch a Chinese food sauce for sale, and she has so much to do that she makes incessant lists of all her tasks. Her fussiness about the details are endearing, and I love how Jeremy both teases her a little about her lists but staunchly supports her in her list-making and in her overall endeavors. Chloe is a dedicated and loving daughter, and such an admirable person!
Jeremy is a wonderful character as well. We get both Chloe and Jeremy’s POV in this story. Jeremy comes across as an irreverent prankster, but in knowing his innermost thoughts, the reader can appreciate that he is so much more than that. The dialogue between these two is sprightly and delightful. I highlighted the snot out of this book, as there are so many snarky and darned funny passages.
THE DUKE WHO DIDN’T is classic Milan, imbued with witty conversation, great social commentary, and a gorgeous romance. I love the setting for this story, with “atypical” characters (they’re really not as per historical accuracy, but they are for historical romance books). Milan’s THE DUKE WHO DIDN’T gave me all the happy romance feels that I could desire, and kept me gaily laughing throughout the book to boot.
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.
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