Her Every Wish

The Worth Saga #1.5

by Courtney Milan

Crash has never let the circumstances of his birth, or his lack of a last name, bother him. His associations may be unsavory, but money, friends, and infamy open far more interesting doors than respect ever could. His sole regret? Once lovely, sweet Daisy Whitlaw learned the truth about how he made his fortune, she cut him off.


Daisy’s father is dead, her mother is in ill health, and her available funds have dwindled to a memory. When the local parish announces a charity bequest to help young people start a trade, it’s her last chance. So what if the grants are intended for men? If she’s good enough, she might bluff her way into a future.


When Crash offers to show her how to swagger with confidence, she knows he is up to no good. But with her life in the balance, she’s desperate enough to risk the one thing she hasn’t yet her heart.


Her Every Wish is a companion novella in the Worth Saga. It stands on its own, but those who wish to read in order might want to read the first book in the series, Once Upon a Marquess, before this one.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Novella, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Victorian

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2016

About the author

Courtney Milan writes books about carriages, corsets, and smartwatches. Her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. She is a New York Times and a USA Today Bestseller.

Courtney pens a weekly newsletter about tea, books, and basically anything and everything else. Sign up for it here: https://bit.ly/CourtneysTea

Before she started writing romance, Courtney got a graduate degree in theoretical physical chemistry from UC Berkeley. After that, just to shake things up, she went to law school at the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude. Then she did a handful of clerkships. She was a law professor for a while. She now writes full-time.

Courtney is represented by Kristin Nelson of the Nelson Literary Agency.

Reviews

[sraxe · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Come to my side,” he murmured. “We have baked goods and tea.”

“That’s a terrible argument. The side of proper English morality also has pastries and tea. They practically invented it.”

“They stole the tea, and they certainly never baked the biscuits. In addition, I know fifteen ways to give a woman an orgasm.”

Daisy choked.

“Which is rather antithetical to their position. So which do you prefer, Daisy. Pastries and tea? Or pastries, tea, and, orgasms?”

I loved this book. (Which is suuuuuch a surprise given my five-star rating, huh?) I loved this book for so, so, sooo many reasons, and not just because of the plot and characters. The representation was one great point of interest, with one of the very minor characters, May, being a lesbian (or bi, it's not specified). And Crash. (I loved Crash, btw.) Crash is a POC (and bisexual, I believe, but it's not outright stated), who is part black, Indian (South Asian), and half Chinese, French or Portuguese (but he doesn't know for certain). But the thing I loved best about it was that it made me think and discuss. There was no easily discernible right or wrong in this situation, because both were equally wrong in their own ways, imo.

This is a second chance romance, so there was a separation between the two. (And for those who don't like long separations, worry not! It's a few months in this case, but I don't remember if it's said exactly how many.) Usually a separation in a second chance romances tends to be as a result of some big misunderstanding, which I can only assume is because the author doesn't want to make either character the "bad guy" or the cause of it. In this case, Milan doesn't use that cop-out. She makes them both culpable for the separation. They'd both made mistakes, said hurtful things, and separated as a result. What I absolutely loved was that they both took responsibility for these mistakes, apologized, and only then got back together. (No doormat heroines here, folks!)

Daisy was a really, really great character. She was strong in so many ways, and it was sad to see her so down on her luck and treated so awfully. Daisy didn't fall at Crash's feet once he apologized. She made him work for it. And she didn't settle or make exceptions or anything of the sort. She decided that she was only going to get back together with Crash only when her dream had been achieved, which was to start a business. And even after she was humiliated by the grocer, she did, in a moment of weakness, have doubts and think that maybe she should just stop, get married to Crash, and call it a day. But that's not what she decided to do in the end. Instead, she strengthened her resolve, picked herself up, went to her friend, Judith (Once Upon a Marquess), and proposed a business partnership. And once that was achieved, only then did she get married to Crash. Just as she'd originally promised the both of them.

Now, Crash. Crash, like I said, I absolutely loved. He was great in so many ways. After a lifetime of hurtful remarks and mistreatment, I love to see that he hasn't let it bring him down. Yes, his family helped him out in that sense, telling him to ignore the awful and racist things people have said to him. And because of that, he's able to laugh off racist and classist remarks, whether they're intentional or not. And when it comes to Daisy, he earns her forgiveness. Even when he thought that she had moved on and was with someone else, he says that he just wanted her happiness, nothing more.

This reminded me of Evan (Unlocked). Even though Crash didn't think he could have Daisy, just as Evan didn't think Elaine would ever accept him back, he decided her happiness was first. But the difference in Evan and Crash was that Crash wanted her happiness for her before he even understood her side of the conflict. He was still hurt because of not only what she'd said, but also that she never contacted him when he was in France, despite him waiting for her to do so (he still thought she was the one in the wrong at this point), and thinking that she'd moved on with someone else. And yet he was still willing to shelve away his own happiness so that she could be with "Edwin," if that's what it took to make her happy. Evan was: I was wrong and I'm going to make it up to you. Crash was: You hurt me, but I still want you to be happy.

The conflict. I have a lot of things to say about it. The reason behind their conflict was that, after Crash and Daisy slept together, which was when she gave her virginity to him, she made comments that he took offence to. He was telling her a story about his "checkered past," and she responded by saying that she forgives him for "everything." He bristled at this, asking her what "everything" constituted, and went into naming random things, and she said yes to all of them. He asked things like the colour of his skin, for being a bastard, for his un-English features, for daring to think himself worth something, etc. She didn't realize what she was saying was awful and wrong, and she didn't realize that she was hurting Crash. Crash responded in a reactionary manner and told her he forgives her, too; he forgives her for her burden of a mother, for her flirtatious manner with male customers, for her "ignorance in bed," for being raised to believe herself to be better than she is, etc.

And I know many may want to jump in and condemn one or the other, but I don't feel it's that simple because a case can be made for both equally. Courtney Milan lays out both sides of the argument for readers in the book (Aunt Ree expressing Daisy's to Crash and Crash expressing his own to Daisy), but I still want to throw my feelings in here (particularly for Crash, because I had a strong reaction to his hurt).

Even though what he said to her was awful...I can't say I blame him. When you're a POC, you hear all kinds of tone-deaf and racist BS. Some people don't realize that what they're saying is racist or offensive ("You're pretty for a black girl," "I wish more of your people were like you. You're a good [enter ethnicity here]," etc.). And, you know...you get really fucking tired of that. Crash said he'd had to deal with twenty-six years of racist and classist bullshit. You get sick of that shit. Over the years, he's developed a coping mechanism to deal with it: he laughs it off. If you act like what someone is saying to you isn't hurtful, you can sometimes take away the other person's power in that situation.

And although you can laugh off or wave away hurtful insults like those from people you don't know or care for, it's a whole different (and scarring) monster to hear an echo of all of those things now being parroted back to you in the form of a person you love. For someone you love to say something like they "forgive you" for the colour of your skin...it's unreal. It doesn't matter if they misspoke because they still said it. They still hurt you. You can't unhear something like that, so you can't unhurt the person so easily. And then it brings other thoughts to mind. You wonder if the entire time you were with that person, did they ever see who you really were, beyond the colour of your skin? Or did they always look at "what" you were. (And that's something Crash deals with, too, with people asking him "what" he is because he's mixed.)

This was another misstep Daisy made in this situation. After she'd inadvertently hurt him, she waves off his hurt, which is what so many people do when dealing with marginalized groups. They minimize the hurt person's feelings because they hadn't meant to hurt them, so what's the problem, right?

“Maybe I didn’t say the right thing the right way.” She’d struggled to understand. “But there’s no call to hurt me like that. Good heavens, Crash, it’s not like I wounded you.”

Even now, even months later, it still hurt to remember his words. So she had said the wrong thing. What should it have mattered to him? She’d seen him shrug off worse insults, and her remarks had at least been kindly meant. His response… Now that had been truly unkind.

Just because the intention wasn't there, it doesn't mean she didn't hurt him. She did. And then she invalidated his hurt by saying that she didn't mean it, so maybe he should just get over it. However, what Daisy had said had been in ignorance, not bigotry. Because Daisy is white, she doesn't even realize that what she said was wrong because she's never had to experience it. She made the situation about herself and her hurt feelings.

He was hurt, so he was hurtful in return. He was wrong in that, but I don't think it's fair to ask him to stop, let go of his hurt, and then consider her feelings instead, which is what she does here. Trust me when I say, POC hear this all the time. The same thing can be said for her in this case. She's the one who'd initiated the forgiveness talk, so why couldn't she have stopped? He'd simply been jokingly relaying a story about his past, not asking for her forgiveness in any way. So who is she to say that she forgives him? Even if it's not meant to, that implies that she's above his status, which is why she's able to bestow forgiveness upon him, as if she's some authority.

When he asked for clarification on what "everything" was, she didn't stop and think it through. He was already angry and hurt enough by this point to understandably not be logical and clearheaded, but she was still fairly calm...so couldn't she have seen something was wrong? She does, actually. She notices the changes in the atmosphere, the way that his speech changed, his tone changed, his facial expression changed, the way he pulled away from her...so couldn't she have stopped? Instead, she compounded it, continuing to say yes. His bastard status. His un-English features. The colour of his skin. Yes, yes, yes, she said. It was only after the part about the colour of his skin did he go in on her, not before. And you may say hey, she asked him afterwards when he was calm if he meant any of what he said, and he responded with yes. Well, so did he, though. When he'd asked her for clarification, that was his wait a minute moment, and she piled on, adding to the hurt further.

They were also both equally vulnerable in this moment. She had given Crash her virginity, which can be argued as being the only thing of value a woman had in that time. Crash, on the other hand, spent years keeping people out of his "bubble" because he didn't want to be hurt by the racism he sees, hears, and feels every single day. But he finally let someone in, and that person was Daisy.

There's intersectionality here as well because, as a woman, you want to sympathize with Daisy and what he said to her. But as a POC (particularly male), you want to sympathize with Crash and what she said to him (whether or not she meant it that way). But as a woman of colour, who do you side with? It's like...wait, who's wrong? The thing is...they both were. But they were both right in their hurt, as well. Yes, what Crash said was hurtful, but what she'd said had been on par, imo. What Courtney Milan wrote also speaks to the fact that they were both hurt in their own ways, but because they've never had to deal with either of what the other has had to, they didn't realize they were hurting one another. You've got Daisy looking at things as a white woman, and then you've got Crash looking at things as a man of colour. And then, finally, Crash is taken to task for his words by Aunt Ree, who steps in as a woman of colour, bringing both sides together. He realizes what he'd missed originally about his words and apologizes. And what I loved was that she didn't fall at his feet, grateful for having him take her back. Nope. She stood her ground and made him work for it. In the end, they were both hurt, both at fault, and, rightfully, both apologized.

Fuck...Courtney Milan is amazing, is all I've got to say. Usually we can see how one character is clearly in the wrong and being bullheaded about it, but in this situation, a case can be made for the both of them. Both of their anger was justified, and they were both allowed their hurt. And then to have them both realize they were at fault...and for them BOTH to apologize to one another? And to have a man truly apologize—more than once—rather than beat around the bush, and try and make it up to her? Fucking amazing.

Clearly, liked I said in my placeholder "review" earlier, I have a lot of feelings. And that's what an amazing author can do for a reader. They make them think and feel well after the pages on a good book have closed. (And I'm not talking ragey THAT WAS BULLSHIT feelings that come with awful books, btw.) It stays with you. And I loved this book and its nuances and its depth.

(This was a buddy read with my amazing buddy, Daniella! We had a good time sharing our Crash love/hate, haha!)

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buddy read with the amazing sraxe! Thank you for putting up with my overly dramatic comments, dear.

Before I start talking about my experience with this novella, I encourage you guys to read the reviews that my pals sraxe and Nenia wrote (links are at the bottom). They both gave this 5 stars, and have some amazing insights that I think are worth sharing.

Okay. On to the review.

Her Every Wish solidified my love for Courtney Milan. I won't even be surprised if someone told me that she could walk on water and could raise people from the dead, because it seems that there's nothing this woman can't do.

I'd always thought that novellas can't achieve the level of depth that a full-length book can offer, but she proved me wrong. This didn't even feel as though it was a novella; I was too swept away by the story to be concerned by its length. The pacing was absolutely perfect, and her writing was nothing short of brilliant.

Like I said, it's like there's nothing Courtney Milan can't do. She's like Moses out to deliver us from the clutches of badly written romances.


So if the writing was so great, why did I give this 3 stars, you ask?

Well, I was a put off by something that happened between the characters, something that triggered my asshole alarm.


You see, after Daisy lost her virginity to Crash--and this happened immediately after the deed, mind you--they got into a misunderstanding because Daisy found out that Crash stole from a certain Mr. Wintour.

(By the way, a brief background:
Daisy - a gently-bred woman whose family became destitute
Crash - a POC who was raised in the streets)

Because of her genteel upbringing, Daisy was abhorred by what Crash did. Then this conversation happened:

“It doesn’t matter,” she had said. “I love you. I forgive you.”
He’d frowned down at her fingers twining with his.
“You forgive me,” he had finally said in a low tone. “Why do you forgive me? I didn’t steal from you. What are you forgiving me for?”
“For everything,” she had said earnestly. “I forgive you for everything you’ve done.”
“Everything.” The pleased animation had slipped from his face. The next words came slowly. “You forgive me for everything. Not just the one-time theft. Pardon me; I should like to have your everything spelled out.”

Things got worse:

He pulled his arm from her. “Do you forgive me for taking wagers?”
“Of course.”
“You forgive me my former lovers, I assume.”
“Naturally.”
Instead of appeasing him, each answer of hers made his face even more dangerous. “You forgive me for being a bastard, I suppose.”
“You know I do.”
His voice was low and cutting. “Next, you’ll forgive me my aunt and my mother. You’ll forgive me for not having English features, for the color of my skin, for—”

Which culminated to this:

“I forgive you your utter ignorance in bed,” he had continued, “and your maidenly qualms. Hell, I’ll forgive you your very existence in return. Even though, as these things are reckoned, you are a complete waste of a woman.”

Oh, boy.

*breathes in*

*breathes out*

Yes, both of them made mistakes, but I felt that Crash's savage attacks were too unfair. This was a woman he was considering of marrying, and I just couldn't fathom how he could've jumped to the wrong conclusions about her. He must have sensed that she didn't mean "I forgive you" as an attack. Hell, he SHOULD'VE sensed that. At the very least, he should've given her a chance to explain before cutting her like that and saying that she was complete fucking waste.

Why didn't he give her the benefit of the doubt? Why did he assume the worst about her from the get-go? Why?

Plus, she just gave him her fucking virginity. That was a big deal, especially given the setting. Sure, Crash might not have understood the importance of this because of the environment he grew up in, but that doesn't excuse him for going on a freakin' ragefest immediately after sex. Hell, the sheets haven't even cooled from their lovemaking, and he'd already insulted her.

What the fuck.

Look, when I read romance novels, I internalize the character of the heroine. That's why I get so mad if the hero does something that I can't stand. If my boyfriend did this to me in real life, he'd be swimming with the fishes by the time I was through with him.


Call me unforgiving, I don't really care. This really took out the enjoyment I got from reading the novella, and I honestly couldn't support the two in the end.

It was a shame because Daisy and Crash were really well-written characters. I just couldn't completely forgive him for what he said. I wanted more grovelling, damn it.

Overall, though, this was an enjoyable--albeit extremely emotional--read. I highly recommend it for fans and newbies alike.

***
sraxe's Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nenia's Reveiw: http://readasaurus.blogspot.com/2016/...

[Zero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daisy dreams of opening a shop that caters to working class women's needs, so she enters a contest offering a cash prize for the best business proposal. It's an uphill battle because many people resent the idea of a woman opening a business.

Crash has been treated badly by society for most of his life, but he has a loving family that teaches him ways to ignore the cruelty and follow his dreams. His past business practices wouldn't be considered respectable, but now he is working towards opening a legitimate business.

Daisy and Crash were just beginning a relationship when misunderstandings and unkindness parted them. A few months later, Crash sees Daisy making her business proposal (and how cruelly people treat her). He offers to coach her on how to strengthen her presentation for the final round of the contest.

The cruelty that both main characters have to deal with on a regular basis is heartbreaking (sexism, racism, and classism). But even with all of the negativity, the book ends up being pretty sweet.

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up for a quick read before the end of the year. I have read the first two full-length books in the series. And this one was the best for me. Simple, sweet, poignant.

With all the mess around #IstandwithCourtney and the RWA, this was perfect book to give perspective. Both MCs had to confront their inner bias to understand how they had hurt each other.

For a novella, this was right up their with A Kiss for Midwinter, which is one of my absolute favorites.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There’s something I’ve learned in the last few weeks. When you feel yourself on the verge of falling, you need to go faster. To not apologize for who you are, what you have come from. Apologies sound like excuses. You’re brilliant, Judith, and kind, and funny, and anyone who does not like you is unworthy of you.”

“Easy to say.”

“I know.” Daisy looked at her friend. “But has giving a damn about them changed how they react to you?”

“No.”

“Then why bother giving one?”

Consider this read a prelude to Lisa Kleypas' new book releasing tomorrow. Consider this read a desperate SOS from the terrible monstrosities that are examinations.

Here's the thing, I've stopped feeling ashamed for liking historical romances. I love reading them and I refuse to apologise because of it. And the fact that I read fluff doesn't make me a ditzy reader.

This book is the exact thing I needed to read right now and I know my tongue would rot and fall off before I said that Courtney Milan doesn't know her game. Because oh, she does and she's brilliant at it. Her characters (both main and side) have more facets than a clearly cut diamond. There's no one twu wuv and some magical dick that solves all the problems of the heroine. Because life is so much more than that.

And the diversity, oh. We have a feminist heroine (unsurprisingly) and a PoC hero here who is also bisexual (in your face bierasure!).

So yeah, tl;dr- This book is all kinds of awesome. Go read it!

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eARC, from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
'Her Every Wish' by Courtney Milan is 1.5 in the "The Worth Sagabook" It is the story of Daisy Whitlaw and Crash. I really felt it was a 3.5 star but didn't have that option here. This a Novella so it is a short..emotional read. I really was frustrated with Crash and some of his actions/words. But I love Ms. Milan writing and just having her name on this book makes me love it... not to mention she always has such good book covers. Anyway this was another good book that you don't want to miss.

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[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Courtney Milan. I had thought she wasn't an author for me, since I didn't much care for The Duchess War, but I'm happy to report I enjoyed this one!

While I did feel Crash and Daisy slipped a little too quickly into easy, playful banter after "hating" each other for months, the rest of the book was really good. It was a heartwarming romance, and I lurrrvvveed the emotional upheaval I experienced around 55-56%. Yes, I was misty-eyed.

I'll definitely be checking out more Milan in the future.

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from 2016

A for narration; B for content.

As was the case with Once Upon a Marquess, the book in Courtney Milan’s new Worth Saga that precedes this novella, reactions to Her Every Wish have been mixed. That said, I found it to be more cohesive in many ways than the novel. Because of the shorter format, the storyline is simpler and less complex – not that there aren’t complexities, because there are – but with fewer characters and fewer obvious foibles, there is more room to concentrate on the relationship between the protagonists, something I felt lacking in the previous story.

Daisy Whitlaw appeared in Marquess as a friend of the heroine, Judith. Daisy’s father was a successful tradesman, but after his death, Daisy and her invalid mother have found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. In an attempt to better provide for them both, Daisy enters a competition offering a prize of fifty pounds to the person (not the man, as she points out more than once) with the best idea for setting up a new business. Daisy knows her proposal is sound, yet when the day comes to announce the shortlist of ten, she is nonetheless astonished to find herself one of the ten. On discovering that ‘D. Whitlaw’ is a woman, the other entrants – all men – are disgusted. Daisy is insulted and ridiculed, her confidence deserts her and she starts to question her wisdom in having entered the competition in the first place.

She is trying to hurry away from the crowd when a familiar voice stops her. Crash – who has no other name (well, actually his first name is Nigel, but nobody ever calls him by it!) – is what we might today call a bit of a “wide boy”, running all sorts of schemes with his fingers firmly thrust into several pies. He and Daisy went to bed together – just once – before this story opens, but although they obviously have strong feelings for each other, something went badly wrong and their relationship ended almost as soon as it began.

Crash is a fascinating character. He’s clever and blessed with an inordinate amount of charm, but because he is of mixed race, he is as used to being told “this is not for the likes of you” as Daisy is, because she’s ‘only’ a woman. He offers to help Daisy to prepare to deliver her final proposal to the judges, knowing instinctively that what she needs is the confidence to believe in herself, to KNOW that she is just as worthy of success as anyone else and to be able to stand up to those who would disparage her. He stands by Daisy, supports her and is instrumental in her personal growth, all admirable things which make Crash a typical Milan hero.

Daisy is the sort of heroine one begins rooting for immediately, and I enjoyed listening to her finding her confidence and herself as she discovers the determined, clever and resourceful woman she really is. Like Crash, she’s had a lifetime of being told “you can’t” and it’s difficult conditioning to break, but with his help, she finds the strength to do so.

Thus, much of the story is about Daisy’s journey of self-discovery and her mission to take charge of her life; and that’s terrific and as well written as one would expect of this author. But while I enjoyed the supportive nature of the relationship between the protagonists, the romance takes a back seat and is rather underdeveloped.

We know from the start that Crash and Daisy had a very short-lived affair, but aren’t told the reasons for the break-up until over we’re half-way through the story. But the reason for their separation (on less than good terms) right after they’d just finished making love was one I found really hard to buy into. Crash has a massive over-reaction to something Daisy says which had me scratching my head and literally thinking “WTF?”. When they do eventually talk things through and Crash tells Daisy how her words made him feel, I was able to feel more sympathy with him and to understand his point of view – yet because this doesn’t come until much later, I spent an hour or so thinking that he was an idiot and had behaved in a ridiculously high-handed and unpleasant manner for no reason at all towards a woman who had just given him the only thing of value left in her possession.

There’s one other thing about Crash that I can’t not mention as it’s come up in so many other reviews; and this is that there are three throwaway references to the fact that he has had male lovers as well as female ones. I have no problem at all with a bisexual character in a book, but as this is never explored further, and the listener is given no idea of how this informs his character or affects his relationship with Daisy, I ended up wondering what was the point of mentioning it at all?

One of the things I’ve enjoyed about Ms. Milan’s novels and novellas is the way she is able to tell a strong story that encompasses more than a romance while never making the listener feel as though she is tub-thumping or delivering a lecture. The way she has tackled a myriad of issues surrounding the position of women in 19th century society, whether it is the scientifically-minded woman who has to hide behind a man in order for anyone to take her work seriously (The Countess Conspiracy) or the danger faced by those women who dared to speak out against the accepted order and worked towards effecting change (The Suffragette Scandal) – have been interesting, and, yes, educational. But most of all, she made me feel for these women as they fought and made me fall a little bit in love with the men who came to stand beside them.

I decided to wait to listen to the audiobook of Her Every Wish rather than snapping up the Kindle edition on the day of publication. Having found it difficult to get into the ebook of Once Upon a Marquess and seen the mixed reviews for this novella, I was sure that the audiobook, which has the advantage of Rosalyn Landor’s melodious voice and strong affinity for the author’s distinctive prose would be the best way to experience the story. I made the right choice. Once again, Ms. Landor proves exactly why she deserves to be called the doyenne of narrators of historicals by means of her strong characterisations, clear differentiation, and by her ability to get into the heads of all the players in the story and to bring out their every emotional subtlety and nuance. I thoroughly enjoyed her portrayals of Crash’s indomitable aunt and her friends, a group of what we might term ‘game old birds’ who have been there, done that and got the T-shirt several times over. She also does a good job of roughening up her normally perfect RP accent in order to reflect that these are working and lower class characters; this is not indicated in the text, but is an acting choice I definitely approve of. I admit that I had wondered how she would vocalise Crash, who, by his own admission, has no idea who his parents were or what his ethnicity actually is; but as the text actually mentions that he has a “plummy” voice, her choice to employ a slightly coarser, less ‘posh’ London accent works perfectly.

Ms. Milan is never going to be a writer who can ever be called uninteresting or dull, and I’m a huge fan of hers. Yet I can’t deny that I’ve been rather disappointed in both the instalments in this series so far. I know we’ve got a long way to go yet, but neither this novella nor the preceding novel has been particularly successful in the romance department, and that’s a little disappointing. I had the feeling while listening to both that whereas Ms. Milan had previously achieved the right balance between didacticism and romance, now the scales are starting to tip unfavourably for those of us who are primarily interested in the romantic elements of her stories.

But as long as Rosalyn Landor is narrating these books, I’ll keep listening to them. Her talent for getting to the emotional heart of a story makes His Every Wish an engaging and enjoyable audio experience in spite of the reservations I’ve expressed, and while I wouldn’t advise newcomers to Ms. Milan’s work to start here, her fans will find things to enjoy.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time, you don't waver You don't stop. You don't apologize. You believe that you're right, that you can win, that you deserve it. And you don't let up."

I CRIED READING THIS ON THE TRAIN ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK.

COURTNEY MILAN IS EVERYTHING. POC HERO THAT IS ADORABLE AND GREAT AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN WOMEN AND BELIEVING WOMEN CAN SUCCEED AND WOMEN ARE NOT WORTHLESS AND WORTH MORE THAN THEIR BEAUTY THANK YOU COURTNEY!!!!

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: mixed race (Black) bi li

courtney milan will never let me down

[Beanbag Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story. I like that it's not about the aristocracy or anyone incredibly wealthy. I really hope we see these characters in the next book. I want to know how they're doing with their ventures.

More in depth review may come later.

[Becky (romantic_pursuing_feels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 (If I’m honest I didn’t count, so I might be off but I think it’s one scene??)
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: pretty soon in – I didn’t count it but it was during the first scene
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes
Format: listened to the audiobook from my library (Hoopla)
(Descriptions found at end of my review)

Should I read in order?
I think this one is fine alone!

Basic plot:
Daisy enters a contents to get funding for starting a trade business and her once lover Crash offers to give her tips to win.

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian -1866
- London setting
- working class mains
- second chance
- novella length
- average novella steam – 1 scene

Ages:
- didn’t catch them but would guess late 20s?

First line: Taken from audio, may be butchered
The crowd stood elbow to elbow, buffeting Daisy Whitlaw about as if she were a slice of bread that landed in a bucket of a slops.

My thoughts:
I grabbed this one as a Diverse Baseline Challenge choice (for indie BIPOC author I think??) and enjoyed it!

My minor issues were with second chance because it makes me sad, and I never really LOVED the hero. I did like the heroine.

I have really been liking Milan’s writing with this series so far. I read a few of her first books and didn’t love them but these feel more funny, witty, and flow better to me. In this one, I really felt the newness and scariness of a developed bicycle, something we take for granted today and I thought that whole plot point was really fun.

Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 6
Average rating: 4 stars
Favorite book: The Governess Affair

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- parental death
- parental illness
- misogyny
- racism and classism


Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: Sorry, I didn’t take notes on this! I’m not sure.
Hows the consent? It’s good!


Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs


Full break down on what my ratings above mean here:
Overall: How I felt about it everything considered!
Readability: How ‘readable’ was the book? Did I fly through it? Did I have to tell myself to pick it back up repeatedly? Were any passages confusing? (I will probably score like (1) is literally unreadable due to formatting/typing errors, etc (2) There were lots of errors that made it difficult to read OR It was extremely confusing and I had to reread passages to make sense of it OR I disliked it so much I had to bribe myself to keep reading (3) I didn’t really want to keep reading and would have preferred to abandon the read and start something else OR some minor continuity issues/confusion (4) I liked it fine, maybe a minor error or 2. I was happy to pick it up when I had time. (5) I never wanted to put this down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it. I hid in the bathroom from my kids to read. I threw inappropriate food at my children for dinner so I could read instead.)
Feels: Totally subjective to each person but did the book give me any tingles? Any butterflies? Did it rip my heart out (in a good way?)
Emotional depth: How well do I feel I know the characters at the end? How much did I feel their emotions throughout the story?
Sexual tension: Again, subjective, but how strong was the wanting and longing to me between the characters? A book might have strong sexual tension without a single touch.
Romance: Was there romance? Did romantic things happen? This can be actions/words/thoughts of the characters and again is subjective.
Sensuality: This is how the intimate scenes are written. Kisses and sexual scenes – how sensual were they? Were they on the mechanical side? Was there emotional pull tied in? Were the details explicit or flowery? These are subjective but generally (1) too short to get a good judgement (2) not all what I'm looking for - very vague or flowery prose (3) either not explicit enough or not enough emotional pull (too mechanical/physically descriptive without the emotions) (4) what I love in a scene (5) absolute perfection - perfect balance of emotional longing and explicit descriptions
Sex Scene Length: How long the bedroom scenes are (generally (1) is 1-3 sentences (2) is a few paragraphs to a page-ish (3) is about average, a few pages (4) more well developed scenes, quite a few pages with descriptions (4) the majority of the book takes place in the bedroom. This is always hard to tell for me on audio!
Steam Scale: Generally, each flame is a scene. If scenes are super close together I sometimes combine them. If a scene is super short or so vague I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t count it. There’s some levels of grey but generally the number of flames is how many sex scenes there are (I max out at 5 so I’ll put a + after if there’s more than that)


Find me
Instagram || The Storygraph || Bookbub ||

Book Clubs
The Ton and the Tartans (Historical Romance)
Upturned Petticoats and Undone Cravats (Historical Romance with Steam Requirements)
A Love Less Ordinary (Science Fiction, Paranormal, Monster, Fantasy)
Modern Manuscripts (Contemporary Romance)
Words for the Wicked (Contemporary Romance with Steam Requirements)
Vintage Romance (Old School Romance – published 2000 and prior)

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Crash and Daisy had a past, but Daisy is over that. Now her focus is winning the local contest where the winner gets 50 pounds to start up a business. The rules don't say that is for strictly for men, so Daisy slips in on that loophole and dreams of Daisy's Emporium. Of course Daisy is jeered at and worse at times. Crash has come back into her life in order to help Daisy win. She thinks he has bets going against her winning the contest and trying to pad the outcome, but he has a whole different agenda that involves Daisy's heart. This was a good addition to this new series and we did meet Daisy in the first book. Crash and Daisy make a good couple, but be warned, CM doesn't sugar coat how women are treated during this time. Well worth the price, but can't wait for the next one.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars.
3.5 for the story and an extra .25 for the writing.
The writing as usual is exquisite
As a story I enjoyed this, I liked reading about Daisy's journey and her eventual triumph as a romance however it falls a little short. I never connected with them as a couple, never felt the emotion and the romamce didn't seem as fully fleshed out as those in Courtney Milans's other books.
Full disclosure: I judge Courtney Milan books more harshly than those penned by mere mortals

[Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

the sort of book everyone needs in their life imo. ilu courtney

[steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a few days ago and as such, don't recall much. I do remember that overall I felt it was cute and I liked the whole "chase your dreams" theme but I also felt that for a historical novel, there were a lot of current day themes in it. Sometimes it felt like 2018 characters talking (I'm not sure if that makes sense, I wish I could recall exact examples but I do recall a few moments when reading when I thought it sounded too modern and forward thinking for that time period).

Still good though. Milan writes good characters. Reading book #2 as soon as one of my libraries gets a copy in.

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I wasn't blown away by the first book in "The Worth Saga" I really did enjoy this novella. This focuses on Daisy (best friends with Judith Worth from "Once Upon a Marquess") and Crash.

Daisy is still blown away by the fact that her former neighbor and friend Judith is now married to a marquess. Daisy feels weird stepping foot in Judith's world, but wants to do what she can in order to provide for herself and her mother. Daisy then joins a contest, in which the best business idea wins. After initially being booed and belittled, Daisy is able to squeak through the initial round of judging. Her former lover Crash though she now despises promises to help her get ready for it.

I will start out with what I loved. I loved the idea of Daisy pushing through to go up against a lot of men in order to make her business idea come to fruition. I loved the fact that Daisy learns from her past with Crash and actually apologizes when she realizes that she hurt him (unwittingly). And I even like that Milan shows that a woman in this day and age who was not married, was often overlooked and treated as some person who was not worth as much as those who were married or well off. I can not have lasted in Victorian times.

I also loved the character of Crash though I was confused with what Milan was trying to do with him. Crash is a mixed race character who ignores those around him that would make him think he is less than what he is. He has decided upon a business idea of selling velocipedes (bicycles) and is still hurt that his romance with Daisy ended.

I liked the reappearance of Judith and loved the acknowledgement that her life was not one big bed of roses. I also loved the new secondary characters introduced in this one (Crash's grandmother and her other card playing friends).

The romance scenes between Daisy and Crash were great, and I can see why they were both attracted to each other.

I really enjoyed the ending of the book and I hope to see more of Daisy and Crash.

Now onto the not so good. I think that Ms. Milan alluded to several times that Crash was attracted to other men. And I for one am fine with bisexual characters in romance books. But it felt weird to me to have this character attracted to men but settling on Daisy. I needed more there. There is a throwaway line that Crash wants marriage and children so settled on Daisy and it didn't exactly make me think oh that's a great romance for the ages. It made me think that because of the time and place that they lived in, he decided to be with a woman.

Also the fight that ended Daisy and Crash's relationship was stupid. It made no sense, and since neither party explained themselves well I was tired of both of them. At least Crash's grandmother made him see how wrong he was.

I will read the next full length book and see if this series is one I want to continue in the future or not.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Six months ago, Daisy and Crash were in love. Then, minutes after the first physical act, it all fell to pieces. Now Crash, a charming and genial scoundrel, is trying to turn legit with London's first velocipede shop and Daisy, the poor flower girl best friend from Judith's book, has entered to win a 50 pound prize at the local parish to open an emporium of women's goods.

You don't see a lot of historical romances from the POV of England's lower class of the Victorian era, and the reason is it's sad. It's sad to see Daisy struggle to keep coal in the stove and her mother bed ridden with rheumatism before 50. It's sad to hear Crash's story of his slave grandmother throwing herself overboard to escape her rapist and her (and his mother's) eventual turn as a dockside prostitute. He's proud of his lineage of strong women, and after hearing about them, I am too, but it's still sad. Crash's mix of Caribbean, Indian, and maybe Chinese or French or is it Portuguese? definitely lends the book a diverse air not found in other Victorian romances, as does his casual bisexuality, but it's not enough to overcome the big mis.

After having sex, Crash tells Daisy he's going straight, casually relating a tale of a time he stole. Daisy, having strong English morals, knows stealing is wrong. So she tells Crash she forgives him. Crash, not looking for absolution, becomes upset and Daisy can't understand why. She's thoughtless and privileged and hurtful and that's wrong, but it's the kind of romance novel wrong between two leads that I could move on from. Crash however, makes a conscious decision to hurt Daisy the way she's hurt him. He tells her she is a waste.

"Very well. Do do you want me to forgive you for your mother? She'll be a burden, that's for sure. Shall I forgive you for working in a shop? I know you flirt with the men who come by. ... I forgive you the fact that you were raised to think yourself better than you are. ... I forgive you your impertinent and umwomanly desire to be more. ... I forgive you your utter ignorance in bed," he had continued, "and your maidenly qualms. Hell, I'll forgive you your very existence in return. Even though, as these things are reckoned, you are a complete waste of a woman."

You could write me 150,000 words after that and I will never be able to ship the h/h. There can be no HEA. No amount of groveling, no delightful banter about tea and pastries and orgasms can pull back those words. It doesn't matter that Crash teaches Daisy to keep her head high and to push away insults, because his would already be in her heart. Any ending that doesn't conclude with her believing those shards of doubt her beloved put there, is false. You can't unring a bell, not even a romantic fantasy.

[OLT · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) Is riding a velocipede a metaphor for life? "Don't stop. Don't waver. Don't let fear stop you. Don't lose your nerve. Do not falter. Go faster." And I'd suppose one more important part of this advice is: If you fall down, get back up/on. All this works for bike riding and for living.

Milan is our champion at HR novella writing. In just a few pages she gets her plots, which can be intricate, tightly developed and her characters deeply drawn. I don't know another HR author who can even come close to her at novella writing. This one is an off-shoot story following ONCE UPON A MARQUESS, the first book of her new Worth series. The heroine here is Daisy Whitlaw, (friend of Judith, h of OUAM), a poor, struggling, working-class girl striving to keep her mother and herself in food, shelter and enough coal to warm them when it's cold. She works in a flower shop but wants so much more from life. As a matter of fact, what she wants is to win a competition with the prize of 50 pounds to be able to start up her own business.

Then there's hero Crash, ambitious, personable, charming and a beautiful mix of ethnicities. He and Daisy had been lovers but are now estranged. However, he's back in her life to support her new ambitions, because she's losing her confidence. Crash is now a velocipede entrepreneur and it's he who gets Daisy to stop faltering and to start believing in herself. How? Well, of course you know if you read the first paragraph of this review. And, of course, along the way he and Daisy learn more about each other and why their relationship faltered.

There's so much to this little story. Great characters, interesting thoughts, and good writing. And it's much better than ONCE UPON A MARQUESS, which is perhaps my least favorite Milan HR ever. I'd say Milan got herself back on track (back on the bike?) with this story and now I'm looking forward to the rest of the Worth series.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thinking about why Milan's books are so damn satisfying. Which they are. My theory is that the very finest writers give their work depth by eliciting the broadest possible range of emotional responses. Anger, pity, amusement, embarrassment, tiny little boutonnières of joy, exhilarating speed, despair and the refusal to accept despair. Not quite the extremes of clownish guards and the ghost of a murdered father demanding revenge, or Lizzie discovering just how big his estate is before she receives the devastating letter, but this story just isn't that long.
Well it makes sense to me, but my favorite foods are all juxtapositions, too.

Personal copy.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5; 4 stars; A-
Courtney Milan’s talent really shines in her novellas. This short, intense story about Daisy, who we met in book 1, is appealing because most of the characters are those who usually play bit parts in historical romance stories. So we get some glimpses into lives outside of those who live with wealth and influence. I really like how Milan weaves social commentary into her stories without preaching.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP IN PIECES I CRIED SO HARD WHY IS MILAN LIKE THIS

[Wendi Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads just lost my review, so I'll paraphrase: I don't usually like romances, but this novella went beyond fun and fluffy to encompass a feminist theme and thoughtful conversations about race and socioeconomic statuses. I really enjoyed it!

[Sheila Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a Woman Finding Her Own Power with a a Little Romance Thrown in

FINAL DECISION: A fascinating story of a woman breaking the mold that society and to a large extent herself. A story of second chances and breaking the mold, this story which is about "regular" people provides a viewpoint often not seen in historical romances. The romance is not the primary focus of the story but rather the heroine's personal journey.

THE STORY: Daisy Witlaw has dreams of being more than a flower shopgirl and so she decides to enter a competition where the winner will get funds to support a new business. She knows that the judges will never choose her as the winner, but when the man from her recent past offers to help her refine her presentation, she agrees. Crash loved Daisy but when he realized that his unsavory connections were an embarrassment to her their short romance ended. Now the two are working together and perhaps getting to understand themselves and one another better.

OPINION: I found this little story fascinating because of Daisy's struggle with discrimination and her own mental limitations because of society's view of her place. Her desire for more, for something different, for her hopes and dreams was a good story. I also liked how Crash supports her and helps her to break that final barrier. Why only four stars then? For me, the romance was lacking. It was more an intellectual romance that a deeply emotional one. I prefer romances that delve into the emotional connection between the characters. In this novella, the story is more Daisy's personal journey with the romance as a part of that journey but not the focus. I enjoyed the novella and it is a good addition to the Worth series as it ties up these secondary characters' stories.

WORTH MENTIONING: Velocipedes.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HER EVERY WISH is book 1.5 in The Worth Saga. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this novella 4 stars.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

He leaned his head down to her. "Daisy. We shouldn't."

She laughed. "Who are you," she said, "and what have you done with my Crash? You sound like someone who cares about such things as propriety and manners. We should, and you know it."

They should.

He knew it.

Oh, I liked this so much! Crash is a fantastic character, and once I read his backstory, I wanted a whole series of books about his family. And yay for PoC rep in Victorian romance! He's also bisexual, which... I would also read a series of books about his sexual adventures, not gonna lie.

I loved the banter between Crash and Daisy, especially once their animosity towards each other started to thaw a bit. The recurring "pastries, tea, and orgasms" joke was particularly delightful.

The theme of pride in your identity and your ideas was very well-done. Also, there are velocipedes. I am so excited for the rest of the Worth saga, and Milan just keeps getting better.

(Don't use a carbolic smoke ball though. They're the subject of a famous false-advertising court case, which Courtney Milan undoubtedly knows all about.)

Reread in 2021: Kit Young for Crash, yes??? Yes.

[guiltless pleasures · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Daisy’s friend Judith married a marquess and moved to the right side of town, Daisy stayed where she is, working at a florist and dreaming of opening her own emporium. She enters a competition to win £50 for a startup fund and enlists her old flame, Crash, to help hone her presentation.

Two big things to note: One, I often have said that novellas are hard. You have to strike the right balance between not enough story and too much. And Milan nailed it. This was a complex story of patriarchy, lost love and a woman’s worth that feels like a novel but was a third the length.

Second, there is a miscommunication at the heart of Daisy and Crash’s breakup, which is a trope I usually loathe, but Milan pulls it off nicely. It is LITERAL miscommunication, rather than some shoehorned faux conflict or stumbling block the author inserts.

I just think Milan is so good at overlaying what could feel like modern concepts onto the 19th century and making them seem like absolutely reasonable character motivations. Like when Daisy loses the contest to (of course) a man. She did five times the work of any of the others and still got blackballed. The forking patriarchy, man.

[Gaufre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good novella. But Courtney Milan has set expectations so high that she gets rated against herself.

[Shawna Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

*****2.5 star*****

Courtney Milan is one of favorite historical romance authors. I have read everything she has written and was excited when Her Every Wish was released. It pains me to say that this book was only ok for me. While it had a great strong heroine, the romance just fell flat to me.

Daisy Whitlaw has had a rough life, but she never stopped dreaming. Daisy is forced into poverty when she is left penniless after her father dies and must care for her ill mother. Through it all Daisy dreams of living life on her own terms and is determine to make her wish of owning her own store come true.

Daisy enters a contest to get the funds needed to start her business, but she is seen as a laughing stock and is only picked as a finalist as a cruel joke. In swoops Crash, Daisy former love that offers to help Daisy win the competition.

This is where the book lost me. Crash and Daisy had a history, but I felt none of their prior connection through their interaction and felt a lack of chemistry between them. I was never invested in the two as a pair, so their reconnection didn't fell authentic.

What I did enjoy was the strength in Daisy and seeing her belief and confidence grow throughout the story. That she wouldn't let any man or person tell her what her place was in society. I loved that Daisy didn't rely on the charity of others but took matters in her own hand to make her dream came too. I only wish the romance was as strong.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She could win. She would win. She wasn’t going to apologize for her existence. She didn’t need to be forgiven for her ambition. She wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t matter to assuage their fears.
Let them throw their rotten produce. Let them tell her she was nothing. Let them call her selfish for wanting the same chance as any man. Daisy didn’t care; she was going to win.”

3.5 stars

The whole time I was reading this, I kept on picturing Frederica Marshall shouting, ‘Huzzah, huzzah, HUZZAH!’. And while I don’t think this was Courtney’s best work ever, it was still really good, especially in terms of originality and novella format.

I loved Crash; his backstory, his personality, EVERYTHING. Gimme more charming bisexual POC heroes who support and encourage their heroines romance land! Daisy I cared less for. I didn’t dislike her, but she did not leave as much of an impression as Crash did. I was however totally invested in her agency journey of realizing her worth.

The romance wasn’t fully realized in my opinion and that’s the biggest reason for the lower rating. Nevertheless, I have to applaud a story that was at its core, all about empowering women with the knowledge that we all deserve to hope, dream and want everything possible out of life. Huzzah, Courtney Milan, huzzah!