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jackiehorne's review
3.0
A new historical series by Milan gets off to an interesting, but not entirely successful beginning. Judith, our long-suffering heroine, has been gallantly holding her family together after her father and eldest brother were convicted of treason for what we later in the novel find out is giving military information to the Chinese during the Opium Wars. Judith's first love, the titular Marquess, Christian Trent, was involved with uncovering the treason (why, I wasn't ever quite sure of, giving how young he was at the time, and how most of the ton seemed to regard him with suspicion because of his odd behavior; perhaps they will be revealed in later novels in the series). Judith broke with Christian, in spite of his offer of marriage after her father's suicide and her brother's transportation.
But now Judith needs Christian because some money she's sent to a lawyer, money intended for her estranged sister who is living with an uncle, has somehow gone astray. Not sure why Judith found this predicament enough to contact Christian for his help, when she wouldn't accept his help after the treason (plot contrivance?). The two discover that said estranged sister has not in fact been living with her uncle, and Christian spends much of the novel chasing missing sister down, without much success.
In fact, the plot here (beyond the romance arc) consists primarily of set-up for future novels: the missing sister; the traitorous brother (whom all thought drowned, but is revealed late in the novel to still be alive); odd younger sister; younger brother tormented at school for being related to traitors.
What's left is the romance plot, which is compelling: two young lovers split apart by their differing commitments to justice and family loyalty who come together again 8 years later only to discover their feelings of betrayal haven't entirely eliminated their feelings of love. Writing intense, emotional scenes between her lovers is Milan's strength, and she does it here to good effect. But the novel spends much of its time showcasing Judith and Christian flirting and word-playing their way back to one another, and at times, the cleverness slipped into unintelligibility; I had to stop more than a few times and reread, just to try and get the joke. Not what you want to have happening when you're deep in the emotions of the characters....
Judith as a character is interesting, but not very active for a Milan heroine. She has an unconventional job, but its not central to the story, or even something we see her doing. Not my favorite Milan heroine.
I liked Christian better, even if I didn't always understand him. He suffered from nightmares as a child, which has had a huge impact on his later life. He's also an unconventional smart-ass, a pretty unusual character for a Victorian aristocrat. I didn't really get until the end of the novel that Christian, which made his motivation in his interactions with his family members hard to understand, and the reconciliation at novel's end far less impactful.
The black moment scene was pretty lame for a Milan novel, no doubt why the reconciliation scene followed almost immediately after, with little in the way of drawn-out torment for either lover.
All in all, a mixed bag. Here's hoping future books in the series come together better than this one does.
But now Judith needs Christian because some money she's sent to a lawyer, money intended for her estranged sister who is living with an uncle, has somehow gone astray. Not sure why Judith found this predicament enough to contact Christian for his help, when she wouldn't accept his help after the treason (plot contrivance?). The two discover that said estranged sister has not in fact been living with her uncle, and Christian spends much of the novel chasing missing sister down, without much success.
In fact, the plot here (beyond the romance arc) consists primarily of set-up for future novels: the missing sister; the traitorous brother (whom all thought drowned, but is revealed late in the novel to still be alive); odd younger sister; younger brother tormented at school for being related to traitors.
What's left is the romance plot, which is compelling: two young lovers split apart by their differing commitments to justice and family loyalty who come together again 8 years later only to discover their feelings of betrayal haven't entirely eliminated their feelings of love. Writing intense, emotional scenes between her lovers is Milan's strength, and she does it here to good effect. But the novel spends much of its time showcasing Judith and Christian flirting and word-playing their way back to one another, and at times, the cleverness slipped into unintelligibility; I had to stop more than a few times and reread, just to try and get the joke. Not what you want to have happening when you're deep in the emotions of the characters....
Judith as a character is interesting, but not very active for a Milan heroine. She has an unconventional job, but its not central to the story, or even something we see her doing. Not my favorite Milan heroine.
I liked Christian better, even if I didn't always understand him. He suffered from nightmares as a child, which has had a huge impact on his later life. He's also an unconventional smart-ass, a pretty unusual character for a Victorian aristocrat. I didn't really get until the end of the novel that Christian
Spoiler
was not telling his mother about his opium addition because he didn't want her to feel guilty for starting him down the drug path by giving him laudanum for his nightmares when he was a childThe black moment scene was pretty lame for a Milan novel, no doubt why the reconciliation scene followed almost immediately after, with little in the way of drawn-out torment for either lover.
All in all, a mixed bag. Here's hoping future books in the series come together better than this one does.
ceridwyn's review against another edition
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
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.
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.
danielles_reads's review against another edition
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 thatAnthony 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!
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
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 (
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
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
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.
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
Graphic: Drug use and Drug abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, Abandonment, Trafficking, Sexism, War, Grief, and Sexual content