The Pursuit Of...

The Worth Saga #2.5

by Courtney Milan

What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a white British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually.

• They attempted to kill each other the first time they met.
• They're liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they're inexplicably sharing.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are… Oh, no.

The Pursuit Of… is about a love affair between two men and the Declaration of Independence. It’s a novella of around 38,000 words.

Genres: Romance, Historical, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Novella, M M Romance, LGBT

154 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 26, 2018

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

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

Holy crap, THIS is the Courtney Milan book I've been waiting for.

A few years ago, Courtney Milan was my favorite historical romance author. I bought up everything she has ever written, and I absolutely devoured her backlist. But since then, I've had issues.

I hated her contemporary romance series, and her more recent works have felt uninspired and forced. I didn't get that sense of ease and humor that I had from her earlier books, and that made me feel disinclined to keep reading her.

The last few CM books I've read have all been ARCs (advanced review copies), and so I vowed to stop requesting her ARCs because I don't exactly enjoy giving negative reviews. However, once I spotted the cover for The Pursuit Of... and read a few positive reviews from my friends, I knew I had to get it. I one-clicked it that day and started it a couple days later. And, holy F, I was blown away.

I like that Courtney Milan puts her money where her mouth is and actually writes diverse books, especially in the historical romance category where diversity is hard to find. I loved that we had a POC MC in The Pursuit Of..., and that his circumstances and hardships weren't brushed aside.

But what made The Pursuit of... really special wasn't the fact that we had a diverse romance, but that the book was funny and easy and, most importantly, felt natural. The storyline just flowed, and I loved the plot and characters, which is really, really hard in a novella format.

The humor is what really sold me. The story is the farthest thing from slapstick-funny, but the cheese... oh god... the cheese. I had tears, I was laughing so hard. I f-ing loved that horrible/delicious cheese.

I also loved the characters, who both had personality and made a huge impression on me, which, again, is very difficult to do in less than 200 pages.

This book showed the spunk and talent that made me fall in love with Courtney Milan. I'll buy 100 more of her books if she keeps this up.

goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

~2.5~

My mother is a huge fan of Courney Milan's work and has read all her books. I don't read M/F but was excited to see that Milan had written a M/M historical romance (her first M/M, I believe).

Unfortunately, I didn't mesh well with Milan's writing style. I found it overly descriptive and somewhat stuffy. (Mind, this is a subjective preference; objectively, Milan is a strong writer.)

I enjoyed the Revolutionary War setting and the focus on the continuing hardship and cruelty freed slaves faced.

John and Henry are brilliant MCs. I especially loved Henry (who clearly had severe ADHD) and his runaway mouth.

John's stoic refusal to trust any white man broke my heart. I didn't blame him, not at all, even though he was at times unfair to Henry.

I liked the banter between the men, although I think their speech patterns were too modern and the focus on the cheese (literal cheese made from milk) was a tad OTT; funny, yes, but it went on for too long.

My mom claims Milan writes steamy stories, but that was not the case here. There is but one muted sex scene late in the book. Maybe my 70-year-old mother and I have different definitions of steamy?

The MCs are separated for several years, and the epilogue is a weird setup for the next story. Even the last chapter where the MCs reunite was disappointing; they never touched or hugged.

I felt the friendship between the men, but nothing more.

[Moony Eliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maybe an ideal is nothing more than selfishness writ large.”

I’m so upset. I’ve made a terrible, regrettable mistake by reading this novella, because it turns out it’s the only m/m Courtney Milan has ever published. And it was scrumptious, hilarious, and full of so much personality that I’m devastated it's an only child.

Most people were easily befuddled when their cheerful principles overran their prejudice.

All this non-review is going to be is a bunch of quotes. And believe me, I whittled it down to a fraction of the number I first included.

Something was wrong, and the only reason John wasn’t in a tearing panic was that tearing panics had never accomplished a damned thing.

This story is pudding proof that characters can be cute together while maintaining the almighty, invaluable tension that brings dimension to the whole thing. John and Henry were simultaneously sexy and profound and I loved every word.

Resisting him was like trying to hold the ocean in place with one’s fingers. It wouldn’t work, and the ocean regarded the effort with nothing so much as amusement.

I fell for all of it lickety split — not just the characters, but also Courtney Milan's delightful prose like “explosive cheerfulness” and “undisclosed pretensions” and “your father is the anti-cheese.” (I recommend reading it immediately to appreciate what that means.)

“If it bothers you, I can keep quiet.”
“Really? In that case…”
“I only meant for a minute, maybe two. I always forget that I’m supposed to be doing it.”

4.5 stars. Idk, maybe 5 stars. I’ll let you know after the tenth time I read it.

P.S. This is a standalone; you can ignore the fact that it's in the middle of a series.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my FIRST Courtney Milan's and it's an MM (!) historical -- with interracial couple, no less. See, I have embraced MM historical but I still cannot really read MF historical (due to my problem with limitation of what women can do in yesteryear, plus the topic of marriage *bleh*). So I am happy when this one is released individually (previously, this one is released in anthology Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances)

And I LOVED it!! It's AMUSING -- and Henry Latham is one ADORABLE human being!! I loved that this is slow burn; I had so much joy when Henry and John were on their road trip back to John's home... and I loved the letters they both writing when they were temporary being apart. The technology these days has reduced to 'art of writing letters' in my humble opinion, people write shorter in 280 characters or less, or write shortened language in text. So yes, I adore John and Henry's letters to each other.

And the ending (before the epilogue chapter) was lovely *sigh*

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Milan's The Brothers Sinister series and have been meaning to read more by her. This is her only M/M (to date) and it was great. I really hope that she either revisits these two at some point or writes more M/M, because she's great at it.

This has much humor, and cheese, and the MCs were hilarious together. Well, Henry is hilarious. John is the "straight man" of the duo and makes the humor work with his dry comments. John, a former slave, was fighting for the Continental army when he meets Henry, a British soldier, during the siege at Yorktown. Henry's a bit of a blabbermouth, and John doesn't know what to make of him but quickly realizes he enjoys the other's company. Henry has some self-esteem issues he needs to work on, and John is a solid presence in his life. The impact they have on each other as they're traveling across America was believable, and the cheese was practically a third character in its own right.

Their budding relationship was so sweet. John doesn't fall into the "black man teaching a white man about humanity" trap and Henry, while he thinks himself dense and useless, proves to be anything but. He's a bit clueless about certain things, for sure, but he quickly adapts when that's pointed out.

I wish this had been longer, but at the same time it was also just the right length.

[gloria .☆ﾟ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

waiter! waiter! more queer HR by Courtney Milan please!

i do get a little jealous that romances with a man tend to get these competitive and intense plotlines. like, before Bloom Town 🫦 most sapphic HR was only about two girls fluttering their eyelashes at each other. i prefer these more rugged character interactions if that makes any sense whatsoever. John is such a sweetheart and Henry was such a darling too. They work so well together: the perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic. And Henry was a pretty great sunshine character! It’s not so often we get super talkative and “frivolous” characters that are completely embraced. John led with such responsibility and heart, but he got serious and devious sometimes and it was perfect bc Henry would get all bashful and actually not speak out of shock 🥹.

“I have become more circumspect. I’m much better at judging who is safe to talk to.” He threw that out, holding his breath.
John looked over at him. “‘Talk.’ Is that how fancy British officers describe fucking?”
Henry’s heart hammered in his chest. He looked John in the eyes. “What do you call it?”
John stirred the stew and shrugged.
“I’ve never had a commission bought for me. I’ve no choice but to be circumspect. I don’t call it anything.”
Henry exhaled slowly.
“I just do it,” John said on a hoarse whisper.

Overall lovely reading experience, and I will never forget about the “delicious cheese”, but I do think there were times when I could have done with more slowing down of scenes. The intimate (not necessarily sexual) scenes that Milan is so good at, were good here, but could have been savored more. Their interactions seemed a tad fleeting, even when we’re told they’re totally in love. Just a little more fragile/soft desperation and described intensity please! Slow mo! Thank you

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why in the ever-loving hell doesn't CM write more MM Romance? This was delightful!

I loved Henry, I loved John, I loved that she didn't pull any punches in telling the truth about slavery in the North & about prejudice. That she had Henry re-evaluate his privilege, reminded readers that the Revolution wasn't just about taxes for some who joined the fight, and pointed out the hypocrisy of Thomas Jefferson's "all men are create equal" call to arms in the Declaration of Independence while still owning slaves. But she did it without killing the spirit of the document...and of the sentiment it still inspires.

I knew, from the very first chapter, that I was gonna like the story. Romantic, insightful and OH SO very much what I needed right now. Please, consider writing more in the genre Courtney!

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

rep: gay mc, Black gay mc

This review is also posted on Reads Rainbow.

I feel like even if you’re not generally a fan of historical fiction, it’s different when the books tell gay stories and you’re gay yourself. There’s just something magical and healing about meeting in the text someone like you, who lived a century, two ago. Especially when they get to have a happy ending.

So with that in mind, let’s talk about The Pursuit Of… It takes place in the XVIII century, right during the American Revolution. (And yes, there is some recitation of the Declaration of Independence and yes, it’s more romantic than you would ever have imagined.) To make things more interesting, our main characters are a Black, freed American and a wealthy, white Brit. They meet on the battlefield, where they obviously try to kill each other.

The thing is, though, this isn’t actually an enemies to lovers story. Because they’re never actually enemies? Yes, they seem to be on the opposite sides, but only in name. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t take away anything from the slowburn quality of the romance. They still have to learn to see eye to eye, they still have to learn to outgrow their prejudices & what’s most important - Henry, the British officer, has to acknowledge his privileges and figure out how to use them for something good.

So it’s a story of two people growing up together, in a way; learning about themselves, about each other, about the world. The bulk of it takes place when they walk some 500 miles (and they would walk 500 more). You’d think that means it’s boring, that nothing happens. And you’d be mostly correct, nothing much does happen. It’s not boring at all, though, and that’s thanks to the characters. Henry and John are just so wonderfully well fleshed out! To top it off, Henry is probably the most ridiculous person I’ve read about this year and he makes the whole novella absolutely hilarious.

Yes, The Pursuit Of… is a novella, it’s barely 40.000 words long. And yet - because of how real the characters are - it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will heal your gay heart. It’s a love story and it’s an exceptionally wholesome one. It’s full to the brim with smart metaphors, with little moments that feel almost sacred and ring very true to a gay ear, with pure hope.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has so much potential to be a 5 star read but the slow burn got to me at some point. Any time I thought they would finally kiss, Courtney would tease us and have it end right at the moment. Kind of ruined the chemistry for me. I loved the themes of racism discussed in this book and what John, our black hero, says about white fragility and how a man's word is not enough but the actions of many and theirs.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I loved the humor, the characters and the way Henry and John’s story blended with the historical setting. It started strong and lost me a little in the middle, but the last part of the story put things back on track, just when I was fearing the author would go for the easy, banal option of Henry deciding to stay with John right after the end of their journey.
I liked how the years they spent apart were incorporated into the narrative in a lighthearted and yet meaningful way with their correspondence, so that, when they reunited after those few years, it didn’t seem unrealistic that they were still in love and ready to be together.

And, of course, there’s the cheese. How could you ever forget the cheese? It’s practically the third MC. 😂

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Publisher Says: What do a Black American soldier, invalided out at Yorktown, and a white British officer who deserted his post have in common? Quite a bit, actually.

• They attempted to kill each other the first time they met.
• They're liable to try again at some point in the five-hundred mile journey that they're inexplicably sharing.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are not falling in love with each other.
• They are… Oh, no.

The Pursuit Of… is about a love affair between two men and the Declaration of Independence. It’s a novella of around 38,000 words.

My Review: Lord Henry's long-tongued prattle gets him into boatloads of trouble, from before we meet him to the worst possible moment: he's a British aristocrat behind enemy lines, a man's been murdered, and he's in the wrongest place possible.

The more loquacious...possibly better described as "an oyster"...John, a Black freedman in the Rhode Island Regiment (real thing, Author Milan explains in her Author's Note), also in the wrong place at the wrong time, finds himself saddled with a redheaded enemy chatterbox for a five-hundred-mile WALK home to Rhode Island!

John trusts no white people (one finds it hard to blame him) and Henry, emotionally abused child of parents who ignored him, never met a stranger. Along this long walk they acquire and lose many things, including a cheese of truly repellent odor, flavor, and existence. This misbegotten milk product, ever riper and less appealing to the senses, grows more rank as Henry talks more and more sweetly, saving the men from trouble, managing to open his ever-more exasperated oyster's mind and heart, and generally making himself necessary to John's world.

For his own part, Henry's decided that John is everything he wants in life: quiet, proud, honorable, and deeply focused on the success of the Revolution that earned him his freedom. Henry needs to return home to England or risk being shot as a spy. John needs to reconnect with his own family. Parting is most definitely not sweet, but a great sorrow to them both; any 18th-century parting, let alone one that involved an ocean and warring nations, was as likely as not to be permanent.

It's a romance! You already now that's not The End. But the way they come back together was rushed, since this is a novella. I forgave it for that reason, and for the better reason that the men didn't compromise so much as accommodate each other's realities. It feels very good when people of true hearts come together,which is why romances exist at all. That this one features a color divide, a Revolution of one's country against the other's, and an inventive solution to the societal disapproval of gayness issue, all harmonized to make this a pleasurable read for me.

It is sex-free, so the eww-ick homophobes may enter this world without that sandbar awaiting them. At all. Ever. For $3, and with The Plague running us all through our TBRs at lightning speed, bookhorn this one in and see what the fuss is about.

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was short and unexpectedly sweet. A lovely heartwarming and very funny historical romance.

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating 4.5

Rep: gay mcs, Black mc

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was still a 5/5 upon reread!!! What can I say other than the lgbts really won with this one.

Anyway if you haven't read it wyd

_____
No offense this was so fucking good and I would die for Henry

[Anne Boleyn's Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally read and reviewed for the anthology, Hamilton's Battalion.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was one of my favourite things I read last year (2017). It's funny and moving and just really well done. I absolutely love it. I originally read it as part of Hamilton's Battalion: A Trio of Romances, which is an excellent collection of historical romances featuring diverse main characters and the American Revolution. I bought this straightaway when it was re-released and devoured it a second time (and I rarely re-read). I really enjoy Milan's het historical romances, but this is her first queer romance and it's stunning. Henry (white, British) and John (American and Black) are both absolutely marvellous characters and so beautifully developed. Their character growth over the course of the story is a treat to read. This road-trip love story is so entertaining, but it's also very moving, and the ending is a beauty. Class and race and privilege are explored in neat ways here, and this book's thoughtful discussion of America's revolutionary ideals is well done. Milan writes excellent banter (one of my favourite things about her books) and the dialogue in this story is quite funny. This is an absolute cracker of a beautiful romance and I completely adore it. I expect I'll re-read it many times.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milan says this delightful novella is "about a love affair between two men and the Declaration of Independence." Which sounds like a menage, and I find that hilarious, but not as hilarious as this book. John, a Black American soldier who leaves the army after being injured at Yorktown, and Henry, a white British aristocrat officer who went AWOL, go on a road trip to find out the fate of John's sister and her husband back in Rhode Island. I don't understand how Milan packed so much into such a short space: John unabashedly challenging Henry's ignorance and privilege, unpacking the impact on Henry of his undiagnosed ADD (my best guess) and his family's horrible treatment of him because of it, a tender falling-in-love story, and amazingly funny conversations about terrible cheese. Actual cheese, which Henry carries around in his pack. It's like a master class in combining banter with real emotion, politics with comedy, and building characters who learn and grow. Loved it.

[emi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shoutout to this novella for making me emotional over the word 'necessary'

[Tanya Sridhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars.

A cute, intersting novella from Milan.

The war setting was well done by the author and I loved the MC's. Henry especially was fab - it was clear he had ADHD and the author dealt with that really well. John brought a healthy, and believable amount of distrust into the relationship. He had good reasons to not trust a white man again - I don't blame him. But he might have pulled it a bit too long.

It somehow felt more like friendship than a relationship at times. There is one sex scene - which compared to other sex scenes by Milan was quite tame. And the epilogue seemed more so a set up for the next book than a finish to their story, they barely had a reunion. So these parts kind of put me off.

But I still did enjoy the banter and connect between John and Henry, Milan did a wonderful job on that as usual.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything Courtney Milan writes is gold, what did we do to deserve her

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and sweet and funny, this story is more lighthearted than the serious subject would normally warrant. The ending is a bit idyllic, but then, if it were more realistic, it wouldn't be a romance. I don't read romances for the nitty gritty realism, lol.

I would totally read more M/M from this author if she wrote more.

[roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
lovely, aching and tender at times, I adored this book. love is stored in the absolutely horrid cheese<3

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally read as part of the anthology, Hamilton's Battalion. Review HERE.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There were a ton of things to like here but for some reason I just didn't mesh with the book or maybe the writing style? I can't put my finger on it. I liked it but didn't love it.

[BananaBerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very preachy, yet preaching to the choir. If you're the kind of person that picks up a bi-racial mm book, the intro-101 class type "debates" about race and equality aren't going to change any minds. We all likely (hopefully) already fully agree. If I wanted to read about class/race discrimination, then I prefer to read serious books about it, not freshman college party level discourse. And, the characters are extremely modern in tone, communication style and beliefs - including, very blasé about being gay in the 1700's.

Also, I just didn't see it. Out of nowhere they were in a "haze of lust" and I really thought to myself - wait, what? Did I just zone out for the last ten pages? Where did this come from? And when were they suddenly 'necessary' to one another?

If felt amateurish to me - someone just exploring race relations and mm, and outlining their nascent learnings in fiction form.

Anyway, people love it, so I'm sure it's just me.

[Mariam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know where my review diappeared off to but!

This book deals with a black officer and a white british officer who go on a trip together from georgia i think to rhode island. this deals a lot with henry's own insecurities thanks to his father's abuse. as well as john's fear for his family. i loved it. absolutely ate it up.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 - Stars

Courtney Milan’s The Pursuit Of… is a treasure not to be missed! It's a wonderful find; undoubtedly one of the best reads of any year.

The Pursuit Of… is a story of love, home, necessity, and, those world-famous lines from the Declaration of Independence declaring, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Milan has created two memorably delightful protagonists, Henry Latham an officer of the invading British Army, and John Hunter a corporal in the First Rhode Island Regiment, the 'Black Regiment'. One can only hope they return in a full length novel at some future time.

A teaser ~
To fully understand the “Cheese of Death” and how believing can actually lead to reality, you’ll need to read Milan’s story yourself. You'll be glad you did.

Finally, DO NOT neglect to read the ‘Author’s Note’ at the conclusion of the novella. Milan’s extraordinary professional and family histories combine with incredible feeling to explain her personal reasons - and attachment - to this story.

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and BReading this made the story even more enjoyable. I liked this love story of three, John, Henry and the cheese of death... I'd love to try that cheese, I was sad when they run out of it. I loved the journey the characters went through and I especially liked how despite feeling they could build something together after their journey ended, they went to build a live for themselves first, and only then they tried to get a future together. I think this made their relationship and the feelings they developed for each other more realistic.

[•°• gabs •°• · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LAUGHED AND I CRIED AND I GIGGLED AND I CRIED SOME MORE. AMAZING.

thank u to silvia for recommending this and noah for hyping it up 😭😭😭😭😭

[cactus · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I shared the highlights I made in this book, it'd basically be the whole book.

rep: gay & black mc, gay mc

tw: slavery & racism (neither are unchallenged though), mentions of homophobia but nothing explicit on the page, mild violence