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pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
Cash and Daisy are important characters in Once Upon a Marquess. When you are reading that romance you know that Milan has another story up her sleeve. I am grateful that Milan puts pen to paper so I can learn more about Daisy and Crash. This was a delightful, but too short tale.
golden_lily's review against another edition
2.0
Six months ago, Daisy and Crash were in love. Then, minutes after the first physical act, it all fell to pieces. Now Crash, a charming and genial scoundrel, is trying to turn legit with London's first velocipede shop and Daisy, the poor flower girl best friend from Judith's book, has entered to win a 50 pound prize at the local parish to open an emporium of women's goods.
You don't see a lot of historical romances from the POV of England's lower class of the Victorian era, and the reason is it's sad. It's sad to see Daisy struggle to keep coal in the stove and her mother bed ridden with rheumatism before 50. It's sad to hear Crash's story of his slave grandmother throwing herself overboard to escape her rapist and her (and his mother's) eventual turn as a dockside prostitute. He's proud of his lineage of strong women, and after hearing about them, I am too, but it's still sad. Crash's mix of Caribbean, Indian, and maybe Chinese or French or is it Portuguese? definitely lends the book a diverse air not found in other Victorian romances, as does his casual bisexuality, but it's not enough to overcome the big mis.
After having sex, Crash tells Daisy he's going straight, casually relating a tale of a time he stole. Daisy, having strong English morals, knows stealing is wrong. So she tells Crash she forgives him. Crash, not looking for absolution, becomes upset and Daisy can't understand why. She's thoughtless and privileged and hurtful and that's wrong, but it's the kind of romance novel wrong between two leads that I could move on from. Crash however, makes a conscious decision to hurt Daisy the way she's hurt him. He tells her she is a waste.
You could write me 150,000 words after that and I will never be able to ship the h/h. There can be no HEA. No amount of groveling, no delightful banter about tea and pastries and orgasms can pull back those words. It doesn't matter that Crash teaches Daisy to keep her head high and to push away insults, because his would already be in her heart. Any ending that doesn't conclude with her believing those shards of doubt her beloved put there, is false. You can't unring a bell, not even a romantic fantasy.
You don't see a lot of historical romances from the POV of England's lower class of the Victorian era, and the reason is it's sad. It's sad to see Daisy struggle to keep coal in the stove and her mother bed ridden with rheumatism before 50. It's sad to hear Crash's story of his slave grandmother throwing herself overboard to escape her rapist and her (and his mother's) eventual turn as a dockside prostitute. He's proud of his lineage of strong women, and after hearing about them, I am too, but it's still sad. Crash's mix of Caribbean, Indian, and maybe Chinese or French or is it Portuguese? definitely lends the book a diverse air not found in other Victorian romances, as does his casual bisexuality, but it's not enough to overcome the big mis.
After having sex, Crash tells Daisy he's going straight, casually relating a tale of a time he stole. Daisy, having strong English morals, knows stealing is wrong. So she tells Crash she forgives him. Crash, not looking for absolution, becomes upset and Daisy can't understand why. She's thoughtless and privileged and hurtful and that's wrong, but it's the kind of romance novel wrong between two leads that I could move on from. Crash however, makes a conscious decision to hurt Daisy the way she's hurt him. He tells her she is a waste.
"Very well. Do do you want me to forgive you for your mother? She'll be a burden, that's for sure. Shall I forgive you for working in a shop? I know you flirt with the men who come by. ... I forgive you the fact that you were raised to think yourself better than you are. ... I forgive you your impertinent and umwomanly desire to be more. ... I forgive you your utter ignorance in bed," he had continued, "and your maidenly qualms. Hell, I'll forgive you your very existence in return. Even though, as these things are reckoned, you are a complete waste of a woman."
You could write me 150,000 words after that and I will never be able to ship the h/h. There can be no HEA. No amount of groveling, no delightful banter about tea and pastries and orgasms can pull back those words. It doesn't matter that Crash teaches Daisy to keep her head high and to push away insults, because his would already be in her heart. Any ending that doesn't conclude with her believing those shards of doubt her beloved put there, is false. You can't unring a bell, not even a romantic fantasy.
tellingetienne's review against another edition
5.0
ughhghghgh why are all the books that Courtney Milan writes so perfect? Even during my reading dry spell I could always count on her to catch my interest.
zerp's review
3.0
Daisy dreams of opening a shop that caters to working class women's needs, so she enters a contest offering a cash prize for the best business proposal. It's an uphill battle because many people resent the idea of a woman opening a business.
Crash has been treated badly by society for most of his life, but he has a loving family that teaches him ways to ignore the cruelty and follow his dreams. His past business practices wouldn't be considered respectable, but now he is working towards opening a legitimate business.
Daisy and Crash were just beginning a relationship when misunderstandings and unkindness parted them. A few months later, Crash sees Daisy making her business proposal (and how cruelly people treat her). He offers to coach her on how to strengthen her presentation for the final round of the contest.
The cruelty that both main characters have to deal with on a regular basis is heartbreaking (sexism, racism, and classism). But even with all of the negativity, the book ends up being pretty sweet.
Crash has been treated badly by society for most of his life, but he has a loving family that teaches him ways to ignore the cruelty and follow his dreams. His past business practices wouldn't be considered respectable, but now he is working towards opening a legitimate business.
Daisy and Crash were just beginning a relationship when misunderstandings and unkindness parted them. A few months later, Crash sees Daisy making her business proposal (and how cruelly people treat her). He offers to coach her on how to strengthen her presentation for the final round of the contest.
The cruelty that both main characters have to deal with on a regular basis is heartbreaking (sexism, racism, and classism). But even with all of the negativity, the book ends up being pretty sweet.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
3.5
This is a really enjoyable little novella; one of those books that you can read in a single sitting on a lazy afternoon (which is what I've just done). I haven't read a lot of Courtney Milan, but the few books of hers I have read are much of a piece with this: very socially aware of the different challenges disadvantaged people laboured under in times past, with a fundamentally optimistic outlook as the protagonists decide to put themselves first and subsequently succeed. There can be a tendency, in some romances - not that I'm an expert - towards the self-sacrificial, and so I really enjoy stories where the main characters say, with perfect truth, that they deserve better and work to get it.
That doesn't mean they're perfect, of course. Both hero and heroine here, while sympathetic, are rather too used to seeing life through the lens of their own marginalisation. Crash (and I'm sorry, but that's a stupid name) experiences bigotry due to his race, but is less aware of Daisy's struggles because of her gender... and vice versa. They both grow and change, and as always when it comes to reading romance, I am disposed to care for decent people doing their best to behave decently, even if they don't get it right at first.
That doesn't mean they're perfect, of course. Both hero and heroine here, while sympathetic, are rather too used to seeing life through the lens of their own marginalisation. Crash (and I'm sorry, but that's a stupid name) experiences bigotry due to his race, but is less aware of Daisy's struggles because of her gender... and vice versa. They both grow and change, and as always when it comes to reading romance, I am disposed to care for decent people doing their best to behave decently, even if they don't get it right at first.
solaana's review
4.0
Courtney Milan is going to have to try to get anything less than 4 stars from me, yo.
xandrarama's review against another edition
4.0
Very well written. The (second-chance) romance almost takes a backseat to character self-discovery and growth. The protagonists are working class and their original breakup can be attributed to internalised racism and sexism. The male protagonist is mixed race, illegitimate, bisexual, and an entrepreneur specialising in velocipedes (bicycles). The female protagonist is initially terrified by these newfangled contraptions of death. Great representation in a genre dominated by white, cishet, middle-to-upper-class protagonists.
andipants's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the relationship in this book. At its heart, the plot is miscommunication-based, which I normally hate, but here, it's completely believable, and the miscommunication involves a serious lack of empathy and understanding, which we get to watch the characters come to terms with and address like mature adults. It's realistic, it's nuanced, and it's super satisfying. The characters themselves are delightful, and I loved the resolution. There were a few details and bits of dialogue that seemed a bit modern, but overall, this was a delight.
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
3.5? Three stars for the plot and the romance, four stars for the characters, particularly Crash. It's typical Milan, with humour, a theme and a guiding metaphor (here: riding a velocipede) that runs through the entire story. There isn't really anything terribly new about the love plot other than a slightly more atypical hero , but the ingredients are right as always, and the reconcilliation was very, very good (I might have felt a bit choked up at reading Crash's impassioned description of why he is proud of his family).
I noticed one typo (gentleman / gentlemen) but other than that, it was slightly better than I'd expected (especially after her last historical novel, which felt a little forced,like she'd rather be writing her contemporary series).
I think it would have been better given more pages to breathe (I would have gladly read more about Crash), but as it was, it was a pleasure to read on my morning commute.
Spoiler
a mixed-race bisexual guy who possibly used to be a sex workerI noticed one typo (gentleman / gentlemen) but other than that, it was slightly better than I'd expected (especially after her last historical novel, which felt a little forced,
I think it would have been better given more pages to breathe (I would have gladly read more about Crash), but as it was, it was a pleasure to read on my morning commute.
wildwolverine's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably my favorite novella by Courtney Milan. I'm generally not a fan of her novellas, as they tend to try to do too much with too little space, but this one had an appropriate scale to the number of pages. Crash (gosh, is that a horrible name) and Daisy are two people living on the rougher side of London, which rarely gets explored in historical romances unless there's a chase scene, a kidnapping, or one of the leads is a thief to be tamed by a marquess a la My Fair Lady. Daisy's goal is to win a competition and open her own store while battling her feelings for Crash. It's a second chance romance, which helps given the shortened format of the story. There's no rushing here, and the pace is just right.
Race and Sexism take center stage in this novella. It can seem a little preachy, at times, so if that isn't your thing, fair enough. Daisy is literally laughed off the stage when she tries to propose her business model to the judges despite having the better pitch compared to her male competitors. Crash is black and while he's super charming and confident as hell, all of the women are obsessed with him because he's black. Except for Daisy who learned the hard way not to focus on the fact that he's black. Crash uses his tricks to being debonair to help Daisy improve her speech to impress the judges.
Will Daisy miraculously win? Or will sexism prevail? The answer is pretty obvious, but it was still cute watching the two fall back in love. The message in this book is pretty solid and heart-warming. It reminds me very much of inspirational stories where the takeaway is more important than the narrative or the romance. There's the same emphasis on forgiveness and hard work and kindness. So, if you don't mind Christian or Inspirational novels where the message is "Have Faith in God", then you will enjoy this story with a message of "believe in yourself and don't apologize for it" (at least that's what I got from it).
Race and Sexism take center stage in this novella. It can seem a little preachy, at times, so if that isn't your thing, fair enough. Daisy is literally laughed off the stage when she tries to propose her business model to the judges despite having the better pitch compared to her male competitors. Crash is black and while he's super charming and confident as hell, all of the women are obsessed with him because he's black. Except for Daisy who learned the hard way not to focus on the fact that he's black. Crash uses his tricks to being debonair to help Daisy improve her speech to impress the judges.
Will Daisy miraculously win? Or will sexism prevail? The answer is pretty obvious, but it was still cute watching the two fall back in love. The message in this book is pretty solid and heart-warming. It reminds me very much of inspirational stories where the takeaway is more important than the narrative or the romance. There's the same emphasis on forgiveness and hard work and kindness. So, if you don't mind Christian or Inspirational novels where the message is "Have Faith in God", then you will enjoy this story with a message of "believe in yourself and don't apologize for it" (at least that's what I got from it).