Reviews

Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan

Only show reviews with written explanations

ceridwyn's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The neurodivergent rep in this is stellar.

noapo88's review against another edition

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5.0

So much fun

This is not the type of books i usually read. I don't really read romance novels and I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction. I like my books contemporary or sat in a fantasy world.
I read a great review and for some reason decided to give it a try.
I'm so glad I did. I loved the characters, I laughed and cried with them. I found myself fully invested in the "will they, won't they" plot. Can't wait to start book two.

l1brarygirl's review against another edition

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challenging funny mysterious fast-paced

5.0

danielles_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the perfect read for me after finishing an anger-inducing 1 star sequel and DNFing a mind-numbingly confusing book. I had such a fun time with this silly book, and I loved the balance between the romance, family antics, and serious plot about treason. Imagine my surprise when I looked at Goodreads afterwards and realized how many people dislike this one 😅

I do agree with the negative reviewers that this is a bit over-the-top silly sometimes, but Rosalyn Landor’s performance is so great that I was more enjoying her different bird accents rather than focusing on the bird roleplay itself lol. It may be a little too ~quirky~ but I think it’s beautiful to be your whole weird self with someone who embraces it and is weird right alongside you.

Anyway, I was surprised by how interested I was in the treason plot. It provided some really interesting forced character growth for the Worth family, with some intriguing tension between Judith and Christian. Since this is a romance novel, I had already assumed that

Anthony was actually alive and well

, but knowing that plot element didn’t decrease my enjoyment at all, since that wasn’t the main thing causing the tension.

I really liked all of Judith and Christian’s interactions, as well as their growth separately, with Judith learning to let go of things she can’t control and Christian accepting himself and being honest with himself and others. I loooved the letters they wrote to each other, which were so funny and lovely. Christian was so dedicated to helping Judith no matter how she felt about him (

I loved that he’s the reason she has a successful clockmaking business!

), which was so sweet! And I don’t think I’ll ever get over the sexy bread scene 😂😮‍💨

And honestly it was nice to see how a more typical family deals with daily life compared to the rich land-owning families of the time. Judith dealt with so much stress and it was great to see her be rewarded for it.

I loved Benedict and Theresa, and even though they both felt a bit younger than they were at times, they provided hilarious entertainment within the more serious scenes. But they also had some serious moments too that showed how close they were with Judith, like with Benedict’s experience with school and breaking the plates. And man, all those cats!

Also the ending was so intriguing! I wasn’t planning on continuing in the series right away but I started the next one just after finishing because of that ending!

earthboundcutie's review against another edition

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3.0

Sex scene happened reallyyyy late in the story, I can handle a slow burn romance but this was a little too slow for me.

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I absolutely loved this start to Milan's Worth Saga. This is a perfect balance between her signature humor and some delicious angst. The sibling dynamics add levity and urgency to the plot's conflict, as we see our female main character shouldering the burden of the family's fall from societal grace - into relative poverty. This is a beautifully done second-chance romance with touches of brother's best friend and childhood friends to lovers. Milan writes such sharp and nuanced historical and political sub-plots, and I found the family saga here so heartbreaking and compelling, and perfectly balanced with the primary romance.
Both of our main characters accomplish a lot of personal growth through on-page reflection and reconciliation. And I appreciated the flashbacks to their earlier years, building our understanding of their current tension and longing. And the longing! A forest of pine trees.

I also really appreciated how much attention there is to our male main character's development, because often in M/F romance we have a stronger focus on the female main character's journey, but this felt really balanced. I loved how Milan explores morality vs legality in his storyline, and how she pushes characters to confront the nuances of doing the right thing vs doing the honest thing. We see each ch racter examining their loyalties - to family, country, and personal values.

Content Warnings