September 22, 2020 | Publisher Femtopress LLC
Source: ARC via Publisher
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.I can’t tell you all how excited I was to learn that Courtney Milan was going to release a new book in a new historical romance series. I read and loved her Brothers Sinister series earlier this year and I enjoyed it so much! I jumped at the opportunity to read The Duke Who Didn’t early! I really enjoyed The Duke Who Didn’t and I’m so glad to have more Courtney Milan stories to devour!
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.
Miss Chloe Fong is a woman after my own heart with her love for lists. But there’s so much more to her than that. If there’s one thing Courtney Milan knows how to do— even in her historical romances—it's to create incredibly complex characters. Even if you think you know a character, Milan adds more layers and depth. I loved how ambitious and strong Chloe was but I also loved seeing the more vulnerable parts of her. It never feels like Chloe is too strong or too vulnerable in any given situation. There is such a delicate balance between different aspects of who she and it made me love her even more.
I also want to take a moment to talk about the cultural aspects of Chloe and her family. She is Chinese and there are so many aspects of her culture sprinkled throughout the story. Not only was it amazing to read about Asian immigrants in the 1800s, but I also loved the depiction of how life changes when you immigrate. I really resonated with Chloe clinging on to the stories of her family and how she never wanted to lose that connection. I also really appreciated how I was able to find similarities in how her family and my family give respect to family members that have passed away. I’m trying to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers but this honestly made me very emotional. This book is a perfect example of why representation is so important and why you don’t have to share the same culture with another character for it to resonate with you. Chloe is Chinese and I am Indian but there were so many aspects of our cultures that were similar, especially with how she honors a deceased family member. It left me feeling emotional and hopeful for even more.
If I'm being honest it took me a while to warm up to Jeremy. I wasn't sure if I could be sold on their romance based on the premise but I'm not sure why I was worried. Milan knows how to write characters in a way that you sympathize with them and understand their motives. I ended up loving Jeremy and appreciating his internal struggle about telling Chloe who is really was. It felt so genuine and I knew that he loved and respected her. And the fact that he loves all aspects of Chloe and her personality. He knows there's so much more to her even when people write her off as a cold person.
I loved The Duke Who Didn't so much! I read this book in one setting when I was in a terrible reading slump and this was just the book to get me out if it. It's sweet and funny and sensual in all the best ways. I enjoyed reading Chloe and Jeremy fall into each other and finally give in to their attraction. I am excited to read more of the series and to see where Milan takes her characters!
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