I received a copy of this book to read from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. After The Wedding is the second book in Courtney Milan’s The Worth Saga series. It could be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series because they are so well written. The most important thing to know about this book is that it’s about hope and being loved for who you are, it’s going to make laugh and cry and wonder. Lady Camilla Worth was 12 years old when her father was found guilty of treason and when an uncle offered to take her in she was separated from the rest of her brothers and sisters and till this day regrets choosing lemon tarts, pretty dresses and comfort over love. She has spent the last nine years being sent from one situation to another with no one choosing her and no one wanting her. In her latest situation living with the Rector Miles she’s a half price maid of all work who is constantly being told that she has no worth, that she needs to be redeemed as she is a sinner. Adrian Hunter is pretending to be a valet at the request of his uncle Bishop Denmore who is convinced that a rival Bishop Lassiter is corrupt and wants Adrian to gather evidence for him. Adrian is hoping that if he does this his uncle will acknowledge him and his family and repair the rift created when his grandfather the duke disowned his daughter Adrian’s mother because she married a black man. I don’t want to say too much more because I will run on and recite the entire story and Courtney Milan has written such a wonderful tale that really you need to read her version only. Some steam, Publishing Date April 2, 2018 #AfterTheWedding #NetGalley

I loved this book! It made me laugh, it made me cry! Cam and Adrian are awesome. I want to read more about the little sister.

The story of Lady Camilla Worth and Mr Adrian Hunter is definitely worth waiting for.

This is a heartbreakingly beautiful narrative on hope and resilience. Camilla and Adrian are the most endearing of characters. They have displayed an incredible resolve, extraordinary toughness of spirit and astounding fortitude time and time again. Camilla has been starved of affection for almost a decade, Adrian yearns persistently for recognition of his birthright. The hope in their hearts have never extinguished, believing that one day they'll have what they greatly wish for. Fate has intervened, their paths have crossed. Now they have to untangle the legal bond of their undoing to achieve their HEA. How convoluted!

Courtney Milan could not have written this better. It's an absolute gem of a novel. The conglomerate of characters was wonderful. Few countries in United Nations have been duly represented!

I'm raising a glass to Ms Milan for a job-well done. My poor heart aches from reading but I would willingly go through it all again because After the Wedding is an exceptional tale of longing and eventually finding one's place in this world .

I voluntarily read an advanced reader's copy from the publisher. This is my honest and impartial review.

This was a very captivating story. Camilla and Adrian were both the subjects of some type of prejudice through no fault of their own but rather through other people’s reactions them. My heart ached for all the trials that Camilla endured but I loved the fact that inspite of this she still had hope. Adrian, although from a wealthy family, was the subject of prejudice but had affected the guise of rising above it. Their growing relationship was a joy to read and the fact that they were able to put the other first. This story was very different from the usual romance. I can only say how much I’ve enjoyed this story, the characters will stay with me and I look forward to reading in the series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the second main installment in the Worth family saga - a story (apparently soon!) spanning continents, multiple siblings, a variety of crimes and a large and diverse cast. This volume focuses on Camilla - the prodigal sister who left the family in the wake of her father's execution for treason to live in comfort with an unkind uncle. Suffice to say, things didn't quite go according to plan, and nine years later she finds herself poor and somewhat ruined, living under an assumed name as a servant - until she is forcibly married off to Adrian, pretending to be a valet, but in truth, the heir to a large family business and the secret (Black) nephew of a scheming bishop. Now, after the wedding the two of them must find a way to make the best of their situation. Preferably - by consciously uncoupling, since they're not a couple in the first place. Or must they?

It's been quite a wait for me for this novel, but yes, it's all worth it (pardon the pun). Courtney Milan does it again: she weaves a romance that is so much more than a love story. I loved Camilla - she reminded me of Anne Shirley, with a twist. The same desperate need to be loved and cherished, hope and imagination, but a far less idealised world and less idealised psychological portrayal of the repercussions this might bring. I loved Adrian, kind and loving and clever - he wasn't as interesting as Camilla, admittedly, but he was a great romantic protagonist.

The plot avoids so many obvious choices and instead allows the protagonists to be honest and faithful to each other in a truly unusual way for a genre that thrives on secrets and misunderstandings. This could have led to lack of tension in a lesser book, but was rendered fresh and exciting in Milan's capable hands. I loved the way she constructed the plot here.

This is also a very timely book, engaging honestly with the #MeToo moment without being preachy or becoming dated. It takes on a very difficult issue (though I don't mean to imply it's a book about rape - it's about power and abuse, but more broadly) and does it justice. And its characters fight for justice and dignity for those denied it, and it makes them all the more interesting and complex.

In addition - while the romance is obviously an important element of a romance novel, I must say the secondary characters and storylines are even better than the romantic plot between the two protagonists. I can't *wait* to read a book about Grayson, Theresa and even Benedict (as well as spoilers). These characters and subplots, for all the little space that is devoted to them, were fully-rounded and fascinating. I loved the humour, too - the encounter with the wealthy widow in particular. I was also happy to see a reference to Milan characters from Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances, Henry and John.

The book comes out on 24 April. Do yourself a favour and if you like historical romance - give it a try (with or without the previous volumes), and if you don't like historical romance - well, it's still a great read.

Courtney Milan’s newest addition to the Worth Saga is a stunning work. Amidst the laughter, love, and passion that Milan always brings to her work, we get an intriguing story line with unusual twists, and several historical plot lines that are strikingly different from a run of the mill historical romance. I hope Milan continues to explore the under-represented corners of the people of the Victorian era.

Take the time to Google the unfamiliar names in Milan’s dedication. I join her thanks.

Somehow Courtney Milan started a new series and I had no idea. I am so excited that I found out by book two and that I enjoyed it so much that I will be quickly adding the first book to my collection. One good thing about being late to the party is that I can attest that this book does work as a stand alone. We meet the characters from the first book and it did make me very curious about their story but I never felt lost or as if I was missing something.
I love Milan so I had high expectations for this book and I still ended up reading it in one sitting and loving every minute of it. Adrian and Camilla were both really strong and smart characters that I adored from the get go. I loved the journey that they go on together and how their connection develops. My only complaint was how often repeated Camilla's need for love was, I liked her and found her story incredibly touching until I felt as if I was getting hammered in the head with it. Adrian's back story is also incredibly moving and helped make him one of the best heroes I have read in a long time. The other characters were diverse and interesting. I think I would read entire books about all of the people that Adrian works with.
I cannot wait to see where book three takes us.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Adrian Hunter has concealed his identity and posed as a valet to assist his uncle who is a bishop. He’s on the verge of obtaining the information he needs when circumstances spiral out of his control. He’s caught alone with a woman he scarcely knows. When they’re discovered in this compromising circumstance, he’s forced to marry her at gunpoint. Luckily, his uncle should be able to obtain an annulment. All Adrian has to do is complete his mission and not consummate the marriage, no matter how enticing the bride may be. Lady Camilla Worth has never expected much out of life not since her father was convicted of treason and she was passed from family to family. A marriage, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances under which it was contracted, should mean stability. It’s unfortunate that her groom doesn’t agree. But Camilla has made the best of worse circumstances. She is determined to make her marriage work.
The book started slowly as there was lots of back history to the first couple of chapters but the pace did pick up & I was hooked. My heart went out to Cam who had no self esteem as she’s constantly been pushed from pillar to post for the last nine years & she’s now a lowly maid & thinks her family don’t want her in fact no one wants. She just wants someone to want her for herself. Adrian would love for his maternal uncle to acknowledge his nephews & time & again he runs to do his bishop uncle’s bidding. I felt uncomfortable some of the time whilst reading as I so wanted things to turn out well for Cam & I hated the way she’d been treated. The uplifting part was the gradual realisation by the pair of how they really felt

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

DNF. I really tried to like this book and the characters but I need more passion and heat in my romances. I somewhat like Camilla and Adrian and I enjoy that they have realistic problems. However, Camilla is a little too desperate for attention for me. I feel bad for her and her situation, but there was just something about her that I didn't connect with. Adrian was polite, but I also thought he was too gullible where his uncle was concerned and was dismissive of Camilla more than I liked. The writing is great in the story, but I just don't connect with the characters and their romance is taking a bit too long to develop for me.

Well, this one hit me right in the feels. Ms. Milan is absolutely unmatched when it comes to quick and witty dialogue between her heroes and heroines and this lovely tale was no different. I’m not going to lie, I balled like a baby throughout this gorgeous love story. Adrian and Camilla are exquisitely flawed characters who begin the story believing one thing about themselves and gradually learn something that most of us need to learn, we are all worthy of love always. Camilla broke my heart so much. She has lived many years being told she was less than and losing people she cares deeply about. Watching Adrian and Camilla gradually fall in love was incredibly beautiful. It’s a bit of a slow burn but like all Milan’s novels, the payoff is absolutely worth it. We waited a long time for this one and I’m delighted to say that the wait paid off.

I really enjoy Courtney Milan’s historical romances. She writes about strong heroines who don’t fit the mold of the more traditional 19th century English Romance heroine. They’re either really smart or doing something outside the standard role for women of that era. I don’t know how historically accurate that all is, but I know that there were women who were marching to their own drummers back then and why not enjoy imagining them also finding HEAs along with doing amazing things.

This is the second in her series about the Worth family whose father was convicted of some poorly-defined treason and committed suicide. The oldest brother was also convicted and disappeared while being transported. So, although the remaining children grew up in luxury as the sons of an earl, they’ve now been cast out into ignominy and poverty. I hadn’t read the first book in this series, Once Upon a Marquess, but it should be a sign of how much I enjoyed this book that I immediately bought and downloaded the first book.

The heroine of this book, Camilla Worth, has been separated from her family since she was 12. She chose to go live with her uncle and he cast her out six months later. Since then, her life has been a series of being cast out of one situation after another. Every time she think she’s made a friend or a connection, she’s been abandoned. This has left her feeling inferior and lonely and desperate for someone, anyone to just love her a little. She doesn’t ask for much and think she is undeserving of love, but still continues to hope for having that special connection to one person - it doesn’t have to be a man, but could be an elderly lady who needs a companion or a friendly co-worker. I kept thinking of Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers” every time Camilla ponders whether it is sinful for her to keep hoping.

She is working for a corrupt rector who keeps telling how worthless she is when she meets the valet of a visiting bishop, Adrian Hunter. Right away, you know this is going to be a different sort of romance since Adrian is the mixed-race son of a black abolitionist and a duke’s daughter. But he has been brought up in a family full of love. Sadly, three of his brothers died when they fought in the American Civil War, but as the youngest he stayed home. He had worked for his maternal uncle, a bishop who refuses to acknowledge him because he fears it would hurt his advancement in the church if people knew his sister had married a black man. But Adrian still respects his uncle and hopes for a familial connection so he agrees to pretend to be a valet to the bishop’s rival to figure out if that bishop is doing something nefarious.


Unfortunately, the evil rector and bishop suddenly threaten him and Camilla to get married by gunpoint. After being coerced into marriage, Adrian tells her that he wants to get an annulment because he wants to get married to someone with same sort of love that his parents share. Another rejection for Camilla. But she can’t help liking him and he’s actually a very kind man who just takes a while to realize how vulnerable, yet lovable Camilla is.

I found myself tearing up a few times about Camilla’s sad life and sad self-image. She’s almost too good to be true as she remains honest and kind despite all the rejection that she has endured. This was a lovely couple and they fully deserved their eventual HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

3.75 Stars

"After the Wedding isn't like other Historical romances I've read. Not that it lacks the usual romantic stuffs in HR genre. For me, there are just enough romance in it but rather, the plot includes some points that HR romances don't usually have.

The characters are diverse and very likeable. The MCs, Camilla and Adrian, were both regular people, not some dukes and socialite Lady, though Adrian has some connections. That alone is something I'm not used to in this genre, but I liked it because it's very refreshing. I love that the author made the characters this way. It made them unique in so many ways in comparison to other HR MCs. Adrian, by the way, is a POC which is amazing.
Also I love the relationship between Cam and Adrian. Yeah, they started not seemingly like husband and Wife, not even really friends. But that made the development of the romance amazing. I like it how this couple resolved REAL conflicts instead of petty angst and resentments. I think they avoided those stuffs because they're too honest with each other. They tell each other what's wrong and what's not. And that made the plot unique as well. I know forced-marriage or marriage-before-love is already cliched but the clicheness end there. Adrian and Camilla's real struggle comes from their own current states; Camilla finding a place/person to stay and Adrian as a POC, and though throughout they are somehow helping each other, it is apparent that not one of them is really dependent to the other, showing their maturity. And I found myself sad for these two as I read their story.

The only reason I only gave it 3.75 stars is it started a little slow and the first chapters are almost like much info dumps. But it's worth it to keep reading as it got better. From the moment they were married, the pace, though not that fast, it didn't drag too. It was okay. Also I found some repetitions of infos throughout the narration. Like one info was already mentioned and then the next chapter it's mentioned again or sometimes they're on same chapter. It would be okay to repeat an info as long as it's mentioned one in a dialogue and the other is in narration but if it's both in narration and narrated by the same person, well...anyway, I think it could've been edited and so make the book shorter.

It didn't bother me that much really, and surely won't bother other readers, but well, I just noticed it and hoping next time I won't notice it again in this author's work. BECAUSE, I'm planning to read more from this author. I mean, it's obvious she's a good writer and put unique characters alive. I like her style. :) :)

*I received an arc from the publishers thru Netgalley. Thank you. :)