The Duke Who Didn’t
The Duke Who Didn’t
By Courtney Milan
Description
Miss Chloe Fong has plans for her life, lists for her days, and absolutely no time for nonsense. Three years ago, she told her childhood sweetheart that he could talk to her once he planned to be serious. He disappeared that very night.
Except now he’s back. Jeremy Wentworth, the Duke of Lansing, has returned to the tiny village he once visited with the hope of wooing Chloe. In his defense, it took him years of attempting to be serious to realize that the endeavor was incompatible with his personality.
All he has to do is convince Chloe to make room for a mischievous trickster in her life, then disclose that in all the years they’ve known each other, he’s failed to mention his real name, his title… and the minor fact that he owns her entire village.
Only one thing can go wrong: Everything.
Review
Simply put, this book was a delight from start to finish. The Duke Who Didn’t is a low angst story of two childhood friends reuniting and realizing that their love is enduring. Chloe is no-nonsense and a list maker and very determined to make her family succeed and help her father gain his revenge. Jeremy is a secret duke and a yearly visitor to Chloe’s village of Wedgeford, oh and he’s owns the whole village too. Three years before, Chloe told Jeremy that he needs to be serious and he ended up leaving. Now, he’s back and determined to win Chloe over. Jeremy’s back story, as a half Chinese duke who is out of place in British society is heartbreaking and I was so happy for Chloe’s love and acceptance of him. Jeremy knows that his life would be difficult for Chloe but he loves enough to find a way that will work for both of them. The town of Wedgeford, with it’s diverse cultures and cast of characters was beautifully created.
What I really loved most about this book was how perfect Chloe and Jeremy are for each other. Chloe is serious and she has her lists but underneath that is a shy girl. There’s a scene where Jeremy first comes to town as a child and realizes that Chloe wants to join the game but is too shy to speak up. He gives her the oppurinity to join without putting pressure on her. It’s so clear how perfectly they just click. Chloe made have told Jeremy to be serious but she doesn’t really want a serious Jeremy. She just wants a Jeremy who will love her. And he totally and completely does.
She should never have told him she wanted him to be serious, because the way he was looking at her… It felt as if she were the center of his universe. As if nothing and nobody else mattered to him.
The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan, Chapter 4
Jeremy learned that being serious isn’t how he is and he’s back to town to convince Chloe to take him anyway. I love how he used her lists as a way to show his love for her. And there are scenes where the secret duke rolls up his shelves and gets to work along side Chloe, showing his support every step of the way.
“Chloe,” he murmured when he pulled back, “what part of ‘I want my wife to have exactly your qualities’ made you think I could ever want someone who was not you?
The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan,Chapter 18
Finally, the sex scenes. Hot damn were they steamy and sweet as in one. Plus I loved there where scenes of Chloe pleasuring herself. And then when she and Jeremy finally did have sex (loved the play on “there’s only one bed”) it was a realistic depiction of sex where Chloe shows and actually tells Jeremy what works and doesn’t work for her. It’s far more accurate than the usual heroine having an orgasm just from penetration. And because of the relationship between Chloe and Jeremy, the scenes just work and make sense.
Also, I love Jurassic Park shout outs of Jeremy calling Chloe “Clever girl”. They made me smile every time. Okay, enough gushing. I think you get the point that I loved this book and 100% want everyone to read it!
*Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Somewhere Lost In Books 
I was intrigued by the cover, and reading your review, makes me want to pick it up even more.
~ Corina | The Brown Eyed Bookworm
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Yay! I absolutely adored it! It was just delightful and somehow lighthearted while still addressing serious things. An excellent combination!
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