The Marquis who Mustn't (Wedgeford Trials) Paperback – October 17, 2023

This is a series that I absolutely want more books to be released for as the first two have been absolutely wonderful. This one was a delight in ways I didn't expect even after reading the first one, and I loved reading all the pottery bits too. The side characters in Wedgford are all such a delight. I hope that the next book we get features Andrew cause even that himbo- and let's be honest, he has himbo energy - deserves to find love. The main characters were so great. I didn't think anyone could match up to Chloe and Jeremy, but Naomi and Kai have stolen first place in my heart. There's so much in Naomi that resonates with me. Things she felt that I felt. . . and things that reading here as she comes into her own were such a balm to my soul.Definitely recommend this book, and this series, to anyone who hasn't read it and is looking for some wonderful, legitimate feel-good romance.

This author always tells a beautiful love story. I also love how she weaves a community around the couple. Also, I always get a true history lesson in her books that is not overwhelming. Great author, and this is a great series.

This is the perfect historical rom-com. I have no notes.The Marquis Who Mustn’t brings us back to Wedgeford, England at the end of the 19th century. We follow Naomi Kwan on her quest to take ambulance* classes, where she stumbles into a fake/real engagement with Liu Ji Kai, the son of a fraudster and a master potter, who is intent on committing the Perfect Fraud.Courtney Milan has done something really special with the community of Wedgeford in a few ways. She’s made a community of immigrants who are allowed to stay in a place and care for each other, she’s created a historically accurate (!!!) place for stories of non-white people to live and breathe in Victorian England, and she’s given us a landscape where we know hilarity and love will rule. The way the community of Wedgeford functions as this kind of huge found family makes my heart sing.Beyond the adorable romance in this book, Milan also gives an incredibly poignant mother-daughter relationship between Naomi and her mother. Additionally this book explores the experience of having a multi-ethnic or multi-racial background but being perceived as “Asian” in majority-white country like England.As always you simply MUST read the author’s note.*first aid👍🏻RECOMMENDED! If you are looking for a lighthearted historical romance with a fake engagement and a highly competent hero? This is the book for you! If you love Tessa Dare, you’re going to adore Courtney Milan.

Wonderful follow up to the The Duke Who Didn't, although you don't have to read it first, but you'll want to. Great characters and story in this small world of Chinese immigrants in a little town in England. While interesting and fun, and emotional, you learn a lot when Ms Milan tells her tales about history, clothing, food and in this book pottery. I always look forward to her books and know I'll never be let down.

This book is so much more than a romance. The story is very different—not at all a standard plot. The two main characters do fall in love, but other than that, the book bears no resemblance to the typical Regency potboiler. Both are Chinese, living in England in the 1800s, and both have had difficult pasts. During the book, you see them slowly develop the ability to talk about their complex feelings with each other. The writing is excellent. And you learn a lot about making pottery.

Courtney Milan is a go-to historical romance author for me, and while the books are spread...ahem...quite far apart on a publishing schedule, I really enjoy the Wedgeford Trials alot. Milan has created a mostly Asian little village in England and manages to have all the fun of a historical bodice ripper while including oft-overlooked issues of caste and big city vs small city, immigration, etc.While the romance here was rather tame in book two (not really alpha male vibe) with Naomi Kwan (daughter of the innkeeper) finagling herself into a false (or is it...tum tum tum) engagement so she can attend ambulance classes against her parents' wishes, and her "false" fiancee Liu Ji Kai, returning prodigal son whose father the con man fleeced Wedgeford of savings so long ago, what really makes me fall in love with Milan's stories are the intricately layered emotional developments between the family members.Here, its Naomi, who believes she is unlovable, and that her parents settled for a loveless marriage, slowly comes to recognize that she has been wrong about who her mother is all these years, and by extension, how wrong she is about herself.Also what keeps me reading is Liu Ji Kai's fun "rules for a con" and the deep dive into pottery and glaze.This is a lovely, easy read, only slightly steamy (these two really are more about the kissing than anything else) historic romance. There's a red herring of a "fraud" that Liu ji Kai bandies about, what Milan, instead of having Naomi break up their relationship in a hissy fit, handles this with emotional maturity and grace.Will read more. Please write more! You could read this one as a standalone, as prior couple Jeremy and Chole only make occasional appearances, but you'd probably miss out on what exactly the Wedgeford trials are and have a slightly harder time keeping the jolly company of villagers straight. So go back and read the first novel first.

When I read a Courtney Milan book, I know three things will occur: 1) I'm going to learn a LOT, 2) I'm going to have my heart shredded, and 3) I trust her unreservedly to put it all back to rights.Naomi and Kai's story is no exception.Naomi considers herself "clumsy and plain" (largely due to a manipulative man who called her that and worse), and Kai is determined to atone for his father's sins.Along the way they lose their hearts to each other, despite Kai intending to move on to right additional wrongs.It's a beautiful story set in the late 1800s, and it is rich in both Chinese and Japanese history and culture.

Love this setting and the characters! Main characters navigating super relatable life lessons about who we are and how we define ourselves or the challenge of breaking intergenerational cycles and letting go of the past when it doesn't serve us anymore... very important themes through great characters! I also appreciated how the author explores ideas of belonging and cross cultural differences via these characters. Great read. I finished this in one day; hard to put down. :)

Courtney Milan rarely fails and I'm even less in her later books where, just like many great romance books authors they have decided to put their politics on page. In the case of Courtney Milan is to show us all that yes, of course there was Chinese people in England, and their art and culture and contribution to British society is a story worth telling.But this one reflects more about the wounds we inflicted on others or allow others inflict on us in bad faith and how sometimes all we need is to be seen with different eyes, to see ourselves differently too.

I wish there were more romance novels like this in the world! thankyou Courtney

Fantastic book. I loved everything about it. The love story is sweet and slow. . I loved the care that the townspeople show for each other. Naomi and Kai are terrific. The villain gets his comeuppance in a particularly satisfying way.The epilogue was one of the best I’ve ever read.

Naomi is Chloe's friend from the first book, & her family run the village Inn. This story takes place a year after Chloe & Jeremy's.Naomi tells a fib & gains a fake fiancé. Kai however recognises her & remembers their families betrothed them as children. He left the village in disgrace with his conman father & Naomi has never heard about him. But it's convenient for both of them now he's back to keep up the pretense. And slowly real feelings follow as a friendship replaces a fake relationship.A lovely gentle story of the importance of feeling valued for who you are, & with a depth of well drawn village characters for future books in the series.