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garbage_mcsmutly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism
unsuccessfulbookclub's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
Just a total swoonfest and so funny!! Courtney’s author’s note is amazing and I adored reading about this little tucked away community of East Asian diaspora in the English countryside. How refreshing to read a historical romance set in England with such a richly diverse cast.
Jeremy is a hot mess puppy boi and Chloe is the type a, take no sh*t woman I want to be besties with. This pair!! LOVE!
Jeremy is a hot mess puppy boi and Chloe is the type a, take no sh*t woman I want to be besties with. This pair!! LOVE!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent and Colonisation
Minor: Grief and War
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Colonisation
wilybooklover's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
A lovely, low-angst historical romance, featuring a serious, organised heroine and a playful, puppy-like hero. Childhood friends-to-lovers can be hit-or-miss for me as a trope and I loved this incarnation of it. I also loved the subversion of the only one bed and hidden identity tropes. Chloe and Jeremy were just so sweet together.
I adored the little village full of POC living their best lives that Courtney Milan created. I liked that she didn’t skim over the realities of life as a POC in the late Victorian era, but also didn’t let those struggles take over the story. It’s like she carved out a little pocket of joy for these characters to live in.
A minor quibble, but I will admit I did wince a little when one of the characters said ‘on accident’ because I fully believe that is not a phrase that any adult British person has ever said in the history of the English language. It sounds as jarringly wrong and ungrammatical to me as ‘by purpose’ does. I am so sick and tired of Americanisms in historical romance!
If you want to read a little more diversity in historical romance then this is a delightful option. Be prepared with snacks, because there’s a big focus on delicious food and it will probably make you hungry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia
dulcinea's review
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism
marylinaris's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
The Duke Who Didn’t is a fun book with a lot of heart.
Both of our main characters, Chloe and Jeremy, were lovely people and I loved, loved, loved their romance.
Their set up reminded me of the “I like women who read” scene from P&P, but drawn out to 200 pages, with ‘Lizzie’/Chloe being roped in to help find a well-read woman. The author managed to draw this out without making the characters look dumb/naive or like they are bad at communicating. That made it all the more fun and engaging.
Chloe also knew what she wanted, when she made the “there is only one room at the inn”-trope happen for her - good for her!
I’m also a huge fan of Chloe’s relationship with her father, it was just perfectly heartwarming, supportive and real.
I genuinely love how the author integrated Asian characters into the normally overwhelmingly white regency literary setting. They are not magically there with everyone being colorblind and accepting. These characters are not only servants and face racism every day but they rather live in this believable corner of the world where they build a safe place.
While the romance and family relationships take center stage, the book does discuss serious topics. The characters have faced racism and they discuss unfair treatment in school systems, exploitation of immigrant workers, the feelings of mixed-race children trying to fit in with their parents’ cultures and societies.
Somehow this book manages to give these topics the seriousness and space they deserve and yet the book overall managed to not take itself too seriously. We got two characters having a meta conversation about the “there is only one room at the inn”-trope, a Duke forgetting to collect rent for decades, and a main character who makes jokes as easily as he breathes.
Both of our main characters, Chloe and Jeremy, were lovely people and I loved, loved, loved their romance.
Their set up reminded me of the “I like women who read” scene from P&P, but drawn out to 200 pages, with ‘Lizzie’/Chloe being roped in to help find a well-read woman. The author managed to draw this out without making the characters look dumb/naive or like they are bad at communicating. That made it all the more fun and engaging.
I’m also a huge fan of Chloe’s relationship with her father, it was just perfectly heartwarming, supportive and real.
I genuinely love how the author integrated Asian characters into the normally overwhelmingly white regency literary setting. They are not magically there with everyone being colorblind and accepting. These characters are not only servants and face racism every day but they rather live in this believable corner of the world where they build a safe place.
While the romance and family relationships take center stage, the book does discuss serious topics. The characters have faced racism and they discuss unfair treatment in school systems, exploitation of immigrant workers, the feelings of mixed-race children trying to fit in with their parents’ cultures and societies.
Somehow this book manages to give these topics the seriousness and space they deserve and yet the book overall managed to not take itself too seriously. We got two characters having a meta conversation about the “there is only one room at the inn”-trope, a Duke forgetting to collect rent for decades, and a main character who makes jokes as easily as he breathes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Racism, and Sexual content
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