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A review by danielles_reads
The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
My first-ever 5 star romance! ❤️ This has all the ingredients for a perfect romance for me: nuanced characters who both have their own separate emotional journeys as well as a solid platonic foundation together, a couple who encourages each other to be their best selves, and of course, the PINING! I also loved how Grayson's attraction to Amelia became stronger the more confident in herself she became.
Honestly, the second I finished this I considered starting over and listening to the whole thing again so I could experience Grayson and Amelia's journey all over again. 🥺
I really love both Grayson and Amelia as their own separate characters. Amelia's background was so heartbreaking, but it was lovely to see her relationship with her brother. It's all the more heartbreaking that her story was based on real life history of English missionaries taking Chinese babies. I was so invested in her journey to find her mother again, andteared up a bit when she did. I'm so glad Milan went the route of having her mom accept Amelia as the bridge between cultures. It was interesting to see Grayson's mind after his scenes in After the Wedding, where he seemed so gruff. He was a little gruff here too, but he's also super smart and a born leader. His pain regarding his family was so raw, and I loved that he reconciled with his mother, who told him that of course she's glad he survived.
The stuff about the Chinese telegraphic code was so interesting, and I loved Milan's note at the end about it (she pretty much invented it!). It was so great to see a woman in STEM in the 1800s, and the "criminally underutilized" comment about Amelia made it even better to see her grow into her role. I loved seeing her confidence grow. She became such a brilliant leader as well.
Grayson and Amelia’s chemistry was electrifying too. I loooved reading their pining. Everything with the telegraphs forced them to spend a lot of time apart, which only increased their pining for each other. I loved every second of it hehe. It also made their reunions even more powerful, and honestly, sexy. Their sex scenes were perfectly steamy. I loved how they still had some fun and silly banter that was very accurate to their characterslmao at Amelia trying to invent a better condom while still having a ton of physical chemistry. I loooved all the letters and telegraphs they sent to each other over the months.
I'm also so glad we got more of Benedict and Theresa's storyline here! I was dying to learn more about Theresa's adventures after the end of After the Wedding. Their dynamic was amazing and fun as always, and I'm glad they got to reunite for a bit, andBenedict finally realizing that he didn't have to do everything his sisters told him to do, and he could make his own choices and live in China forever if he wanted to. I'm really looking forward to learning more about Priya!
The only thing that bothered me about this book was that the beginning was a little too cartoonish. Amelia forgetting literally everyone's name like 20 times was very over-the-top in the beginning (though it did feel a lot more realistic in the second half, and led to some great character growth withBenedict telling Amelia that yes of course she deserves accommodations ), especially when it was Grayson's name. And their interactions prior to getting on the boat were so silly, like what kind of woman would ask her male employer she barely knows what it's like to kiss someone you like? But I honestly forgot all of that happened once the story really got going. Grayson and Amelia had so many great interactions and I loved every scene of theirs so much that I'm willing to forgive a tropey beginning. Plus, their very first scene together with Amelia talking about trying to invent a bamboo bustle was wonderful.
I'm so happy I read this series since it led to this wonderful book. I did realize that the audiobook was narrated from a slightly older draft since quite a few of the quotes I tried to save were different between the two versions. So I really look forward to rereading this with my eyeballs someday to experience it all over again with the final text.
Honestly, the second I finished this I considered starting over and listening to the whole thing again so I could experience Grayson and Amelia's journey all over again. 🥺
I really love both Grayson and Amelia as their own separate characters. Amelia's background was so heartbreaking, but it was lovely to see her relationship with her brother. It's all the more heartbreaking that her story was based on real life history of English missionaries taking Chinese babies. I was so invested in her journey to find her mother again, and
The stuff about the Chinese telegraphic code was so interesting, and I loved Milan's note at the end about it (she pretty much invented it!). It was so great to see a woman in STEM in the 1800s, and the "criminally underutilized" comment about Amelia made it even better to see her grow into her role. I loved seeing her confidence grow. She became such a brilliant leader as well.
Grayson and Amelia’s chemistry was electrifying too. I loooved reading their pining. Everything with the telegraphs forced them to spend a lot of time apart, which only increased their pining for each other. I loved every second of it hehe. It also made their reunions even more powerful, and honestly, sexy. Their sex scenes were perfectly steamy. I loved how they still had some fun and silly banter that was very accurate to their characters
I'm also so glad we got more of Benedict and Theresa's storyline here! I was dying to learn more about Theresa's adventures after the end of After the Wedding. Their dynamic was amazing and fun as always, and I'm glad they got to reunite for a bit, and
The only thing that bothered me about this book was that the beginning was a little too cartoonish. Amelia forgetting literally everyone's name like 20 times was very over-the-top in the beginning (though it did feel a lot more realistic in the second half, and led to some great character growth with
I'm so happy I read this series since it led to this wonderful book. I did realize that the audiobook was narrated from a slightly older draft since quite a few of the quotes I tried to save were different between the two versions. So I really look forward to rereading this with my eyeballs someday to experience it all over again with the final text.