Reviews

The Marquis who Mustn't by Courtney Milan

carbs666's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Nothing buy 5 stars for my queen Courtney Milan!!! 

In all seriousness this book is doing masterful character work from page one. Naomi is such a compelling heroine, and the way she changes her view of not only herself but also her mother and aunt over the course of the book is so beautiful. Kai is brining big service top energy with a chip on his shoulder - there is something instantly so endearing about the way he commits to Naomi's lie and puts his swindling education to good use. Also, thank you to Courtney Milan for finding a premise for fake dating/fake engaged that actually works and makes sense. My faith in the trope has been restored.

At its core this book is really about healing childhood trauma and learning to re-parent yourself, and isn't that what romance is rly all about??

christinelee1989's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

robiniay's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

meromenesko's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

karyssa223's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

relin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

A fun continuation of the series! Also the pottery! And the family relationships and stories!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Sexism

Moderate: Abandonment and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Xenophobia

ravenpuffr2's review against another edition

5.0

Another gem from Courtney Milan. Wonderful characters, great cultural context from so many perspectives. Loved the structure - set up a lot of potential conflicts to walk the traditional romance arcs, and delightfully subverted the resolutions.

ritabriar's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

Wedgeford continues to be delightful, full of well-developed, unique characters, all with family from Asia. It seems like Wedgeford is a real place you could go and meet these people. (Well, their descendants anyway.) 

Kai and Naomi both have injuries that

conflict with each other and gradually heal

as the plot progresses. Kai's reserve perfectly compliments Naomi's outgoing nature, and their chemistry is spicy-hot.  

In any Milan story, there are characters who are friends and those who aren't. I love the way those who aren't friends are simply allowed to live their own lives. If they refuse to be ignored, then the other characters handle the situation accordingly. For instance, in this book

Kai's father

is handled beautifully. I also love when reveals are handled with aplomb, such as the resolution of

Kai's fraud

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Racism and Misogyny

Kai's father forces him to learn rules that enable the two of them to commit fraud together for much of Kai's childhood. As an adult, he agonizes about the harm this caused and how he might have chosen differently, even though he was just a child. Naomi faces the compounding effects of misogyny and racism when pursuing her ambitions. Her parents also don't take her ambitions seriously

at first

.

piratenami's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

webbsusa's review against another edition

5.0

So grateful that Courtney Milan is back with another book—and this book in particular. At a time when everything feels hard and awful and devastating, this books feels like an escape into a softer, kinder, better world—a place where there is true community made of people who care about each other and lift each other up. While I loved the romance of this book, I loved the story it told about forgiveness and community even more. Grateful to the author for sharing this story with us.

I received an eARC from the author. All opinions are my own.