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nmcannon 's review for:
Once Upon a Marquess
by Courtney Milan
Courtney Milan's work came very highly recommended from the Twitter romance writers community, so when Milan announced a sale on Once Upon a Marquess, I snapped it up. This first installment in the Worth Saga was a hilarious, all-round good time that I heartily recommend to light-hearted historical romance fans everywhere.
Once Upon a Marquess centers on the lives and tribulations of Lady Judith Worth and Lord Christian Trent, Marquess of Ashford. Set in 1860s Victorian England, Judith is the daughter of a disgraced Earl and struggles to support her siblings and recapture the riches of their past. Through much thrift and a metric ton of self-taught horology, Judith has manged to provide dowries for her sisters and brother, but the moment she hands the cash over to the safe-keeping of a solicitor, the money vanishes. Because this is Victorian England, Judith needs an upper class man to glower the solicitor into giving up the money's location. But the only man who will have anything to do with her put her family in disgrace in the first place. Christian Trent was just trying to do the right thing, when he reported that Judith's brother and father told state secrets to the Chinese government. Honest.
In the tumbling laughter of the friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers trope, Judith and Christian's relationship was hysterically funny to read. Both of them love wordplay, so I frequently stopped to highlight extended sections of dumb jokes. The historical research was spot on, as far as I could tell, and well-used to raise stakes, color in the world, and form character. The identity rep included mental illness and mentions of men who love men existing. Other reviews have noted that Milan is famous for her humor and slow burn romance, and they are right. The themes of righteousness, justice, family, and patriotism were surprisingly deep, though the patriotism one seemed very far away. I'd dunk most of the current American government administration in the trash for one (1) corn chip.
Once Upon a Marquess is the historical romantic comedy equivalent of tea & scones while tucked cozy in the corner. Milan has created a delightful, entertaining world to escape to, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Worth Saga.
Once Upon a Marquess centers on the lives and tribulations of Lady Judith Worth and Lord Christian Trent, Marquess of Ashford. Set in 1860s Victorian England, Judith is the daughter of a disgraced Earl and struggles to support her siblings and recapture the riches of their past. Through much thrift and a metric ton of self-taught horology, Judith has manged to provide dowries for her sisters and brother, but the moment she hands the cash over to the safe-keeping of a solicitor, the money vanishes. Because this is Victorian England, Judith needs an upper class man to glower the solicitor into giving up the money's location. But the only man who will have anything to do with her put her family in disgrace in the first place. Christian Trent was just trying to do the right thing, when he reported that Judith's brother and father told state secrets to the Chinese government. Honest.
In the tumbling laughter of the friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers trope, Judith and Christian's relationship was hysterically funny to read. Both of them love wordplay, so I frequently stopped to highlight extended sections of dumb jokes. The historical research was spot on, as far as I could tell, and well-used to raise stakes, color in the world, and form character. The identity rep included mental illness and mentions of men who love men existing. Other reviews have noted that Milan is famous for her humor and slow burn romance, and they are right. The themes of righteousness, justice, family, and patriotism were surprisingly deep, though the patriotism one seemed very far away. I'd dunk most of the current American government administration in the trash for one (1) corn chip.
Once Upon a Marquess is the historical romantic comedy equivalent of tea & scones while tucked cozy in the corner. Milan has created a delightful, entertaining world to escape to, and I look forward to reading the rest of the Worth Saga.