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The Duke Who Didn't (Wedgeford Trials Book 1) by [Courtney Milan]

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Courtney Milan

The Duke Who Didn't (Wedgeford Trials Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Courtney Milan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,101 ratings

Book 1 of 1: Wedgeford Trials

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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.

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publication date

September 22, 2020
File size

2003 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Courtney Milan's THE DUKE WHO DIDN'T is one of the best things to come out of the hellscape that is 2020. By turns consciously tender and fiercely witty, this is an unalloyed charmer." ~ The New York Times

"...It is, most especially, the book I needed right now, because this is a book that is deeply kind to its readers... I absolutely loved it." ~ Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.

"Courtney Milan is magic. The Duke Who Didn't is magic. I love this book...I sat with The Duke Who Didn't for almost two weeks after reading it because I had so many thoughts and feelings about it. What I'm left with is joy. This book is about joy and belonging and community, but mostly sheer joy." ~ CannonballRead.

"In short, you'll love The Duke Who Didn't if you're looking for a funny, sweet romance that nevertheless takes a hard look at the true nature of nineteenth-century English society, especially in the context of colonialism. Chloe and Jeremy complement and uplift each other beautifully, and their interactions are often hilarious, but also heartfelt and very hot. Treat yourself to this yummy love story, and then go cook something delicious! I can't wait to see what the next installment of this series brings." ~ Medium

"THE DUKE WHO DIDN'T is classic Milan, imbued with witty conversation, great social commentary, and a gorgeous romance." ~ Fresh Fiction

"Somehow, this book manages to walk a very fine balance between being brilliantly charming, fluffy, delightful, and funny while making the reality of characters so heartbreakingly real and devastating that I found myself tearing up at several parts of this book. I don't understand how some authors do this -- how I can go from laughing like a maniac to reminding myself that the characters aren't real and everything is okay." ~ DearIsobel

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08G4QC3JC
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2003 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #124,836 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,305 in Victorian Historical Romance (Kindle Store)
- #2,503 in Victorian Historical Romance (Books)
- #2,843 in Multicultural & Interracial Romance

Customer Reviews:
1,101 ratings

About the author

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Courtney Milan

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Courtney 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.

She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and an exceptionally perfect dog.

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.

Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		26%
3 star		13%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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The reader who didn't.

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020

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(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 inlove 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 educated, speaks three languages, his acquired-language English with an accent. And he does not look Waspy white. So there are undereducated people in this country who just barely can speak their own language who feel superior to him because they are whiter-looking. I strongly dislike prejudice and bigotry. That was not my problem with this new Milan romance. I just found the romance lacking by my Romanceland standards.

83 people found this helpful

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Malin Engdahl

A ray of light in the darkest timeline we're currently in

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2020

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This was an ARC sent to me by the author. I had already pre-ordered the book, and the free copy has not influenced my review in any way.

Chloe Fong is seen as strict, stern, intimidating, and demanding by everyone in the little village of Wedgeford Downs, where she lives with her father. Chloe's mother died when she was a baby, and Chloe's father was taken advantage of by unscrupulous businessmen, who have now gotten rich because of the sauce he developed for them. Chloe wants to help her father perfect his new sauce, launch a rival sauce production company and eventually achieve revenge over the men who left her father to fend for himself once he had used his culinary skills to their advantage. Her father is just as much of a perfectionist as she is, and loathe to accept help from anyone, least alone the child he promised her mother he would provide for and keep safe.

The only man who ever seemed to show any romantic interest in Chloe was Jeremy Yu, also affectionately known in Wedgeford Downs as "Posh Jim". For nine years, he would come to visit during the big festival, charming everyone in general and Chloe in particular. However, once she asked him to go away until he could be serious, he disappeared, and for the last two years, despite Chloe trying to pretend that she doesn't miss him, he has stayed away. Now, when Chloe is facing possibly the most challenging weekend of her life, when the decades-long plans of her father and her may come to fruition (she just needs to figure out a name for the sauce first), he suddenly shows up again, and asks Chloe to make him a list. A list to help him find a wife...

The man known as Jeremy Yu or "Posh Jim" in Wedgeford Downs has several secrets. The fact that he is absolutely besotted with Miss Chloe Fong isn't really a secret to anyone who has ever seen them together, except to Chloe herself. No, his biggest secret is that he is, in actuality, Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, he owns the village of Wedgeford Downs, and everyone who lives there probably owes him about forty years worth of back rent. Jeremy was only a teenager the first time he came to Wedgeford during their famous Trials festival, and he was warmly accepted by everyone there and felt a sense of belonging he hasn't felt anywhere else, so he couldn't very well confess his true identity then. And with each passing year, confessing the truth became harder and harder.

Now Jeremy's aunt wants him to settle down and find a wife, and for him, there is only one candidate. He went away to try to be serious for Chloe, but can't seem to stop making jokes and looking for the positive in every situation. Jeremy knows he will need to tell her the truth about himself and his title before he proposes, but he is also aware that asking Chloe to become a Duchess is no easy thing. His mother hated the way she was treated by British high society and went back to China as soon as she could after his father's death. Nevertheless, if he must marry, Chloe is the only one he could imagine spending his life with. In order to get to spend as much time with her as possible, he promises her ten pounds if she'll write him a list with all of her qualities, as the only woman he'd consider marrying needs to have ALL of her qualities. He also insists on helping her and her father with their many tasks in preparing for the festival and the launch of their (hopefully soon to be famous) sauce.

It's been a year and a half since Courtney Milan published anything at all, and two and a half years since she published a full-length novel. If you follow Ms. Milan on Twitter and other social media, or have read anything online about the complete implosion of the RWA (Romance Writers of America) over the last few years, you can see that she hasn't exactly had the best of times. While she was never tested, it also seems very likely that she had Covid-19 and was pretty seriously ill earlier this year. So the fact that she's written this new historical novel, which does not fit into her ongoing historical Worth Saga, nor her contemporary Cyclone series, was a wonderful surprise. As soon as the pre-order links were available, I rushed to make sure I'd have my copy on release day. It was therefore a wonderful surprise to open my e-mail about three weeks ago and discover an e-mail with an ARC of this book - I had completely forgotten that I had qualified to be on Ms. Milan's ARC mailing list.

I devoured the book in less than 24 hours. The book made me laugh out loud more than once because Ms. Milan is very funny when she wants to be. Moreover, reading this book filled me with a satisfying warmth, like being wrapped in a cozy blanket or given a really good hug (something I think many of us are starved of at present). It's such a ray of golden light in these dark times, the entire narrative is focused on finding, recognising, and seizing your happiness with both hands, and it felt like a balm.

I love pretty much everything about this book. I love how effortlessly sweet it is, how full of warmth and joy it is. I love that Ms. Milan imagined this tiny village in Kent filled mostly with immigrants from all over the world, making up a vibrant and diverse community. I love Chloe and Jeremy as protagonists, I love the supporting characters, especially Chloe's gruff father, who shows his deep affection for her by constantly nagging her to eat. He's not necessarily happy about Jeremy's interest in her, and he certainly doesn't like that he's keeping secrets. He keeps torturing Jeremy with excessive amounts of chili added to his food until the young man comes clean about the things he's been hiding from Chloe, and Jeremy, knowing that he deserves it, dutifully eats the fiery food and suffers in silence.

I loved how determined, loyal and strong Chloe is and how Jeremy loves her exactly the way she is, not threatened or put off by her ambition and independence. I love that Ms. Milan gave us a half-Chinese duke, which may not be entirely historically accurate, but is no less implausible than the scores of dukes, viscounts and earls that already make up historical Romancelandia. I loved learning more about the Hakka people of China and as with Jackie Lau's contemporary romances, that frequently feature a lot of descriptions of food, reading about all the things that Chloe's father cooked made my mouth water.

My only initial complaint when finishing this book was that it was possibly too free of conflict and effortlessly happy. Ms. Milan has said that she specifically set out to subvert the tradition that there needs to be some big third act complication, which frequently requires angst and emotional turmoil for the protagonists to work through. There are no big misunderstandings here, this book is decidedly anti-angst, and yes, maybe the path to true love actually does run too smooth here. Having thought about it for these last three weeks, I've come to the conclusion that I was wrong, and this book just being one long escapist fantasy isn't a flaw, it's a gift. This is exactly the sort of story we need right now and I'm so glad that I was able to read it a few weeks early. I sincerely hope Ms. Milan felt as happy writing the book as I did reading it.

69 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

RabbitTrick

Disappointing...again

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

Some of Milan's early books are among my most re-read so it's disappointing that her recent work has been stinker, after stinker. The main characters in this novel are dull as dishwater and the story plods. It's really quite something when the author's notes are more interesting than the HEA itself. Don't waste your cash - revisit the Brothers Sinister Series instead.

6 people found this helpful

Eddie

Total shock: I couldn’t finish

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I struggled through 5 chapters, and if it hadn’t been written by CM I wouldn’t have made it past chapter 2. The part I did read was very repetitive, how he’s not being honest about his identity, how she likes lists, and more references to sauce than in Mr Sauces encyclopaedia of Sauces. Neither H nor h were likeable - maybe they improve as the story progresses but I couldn’t face anymore of this one. I’ve loved so many of CM’s books - many of hers are my absolute favourites but this just felt like it was written by someone else.

3 people found this helpful

Kathryn Revell

The Duke who didn't is the perfect 2020 Comfort Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

A lovely read that had me smirking and giggling every few pages. Just perfect to escape into this year. And so chocca full of food it had to be written during Lockdown!

Chloe & Jeremy might be misfits in a misfit village, but their quirks compliment each other so well. He's impulsive, she plans the spontaneity out of everything with her lists. The things that should be his greatest assets - title and fortune - he sees as the reasons most likely to stop everyone liking him.

Nothing in this book is quite like you expect it to be, from the romance to the obstacles to the culture, and it's all the more satisfying for it, coming from the world of historical romance which is too often formulaic.

A thoroughly satisfying lockdown feast.

scgc

Just lovely

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Lovely community feel, very gentle romance with interesting details. I would have liked it to be a bit longer so there was more time to explore the couple's relatives' history (and the details of the local game - possibly more planned for later books), and I did think that the hero's constant cheeriness could get me down after a while - would have been good to hear about more about his plans for his life other than marriage. But generally, just lovely.

Panin

Definately worth waiting for.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is not your run of the mill Duke book. It's delightfully light and frothy, except when it isn't.
I very much enjoyed the fact that Duke-loves-villager didn't end in the traditional manner, with all differences of station being ignored by the author.

One person found this helpful

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