The only thing more inconvenient than Camilla’s marriage at gunpoint is falling in love with her unwilling groom…Adrian Hunter, the son of a duke’s daughter and a black abolitionist, is determined to do whatever his family needs-even posing as a valet to gather information. But his mission spirals out of control when he’s accused of dastardly intentions and is forced to marry a woman he’s … marry a woman he’s barely had time to flirt with.
Camilla Worth has always dreamed of getting married, but a marriage where a pistol substitutes for “I do” is not the relationship she hoped for. Her unwilling groom insists they need to seek an annulment, and she’s not cruel enough to ruin a man’s life just because she yearns for one person to care about her.
As Camilla and Adrian work to prove their marriage wasn’t consensual, they become first allies, then friends. But the closer they grow, the more Camilla’s heart aches. If they consummate the marriage, he’ll be stuck with her forever. The only way to show that she cares is to make sure he can walk away for good…
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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
08/24/2021 “After the Wedding” (nook) is sad from the beginning. This well-written story was not what I expected. Adrian’s and Camilla’s journey is strange and full of heartache. But there is hope. In fact, the emphasis is on hope throughout the story.
Not on of this author’s best.
I’ve read quite a few of Ms. Milan’s books and always enjoyed them. However, I’m kind of on the fence with “After the Wedding.” In the beginning, I was intrigued with Camilla and Adrian in the altar scene. I wanted to know why they were married at gunpoint. Unfortunately, the flashback at how they ended up there was not as interesting as I thought it would be.
I found Camilla’s character annoying with her constant inner monologue about her unworthiness and her desire to have love in her life. I understand how she would feel that way, but I didn’t need to be reminded of it in every chapter. Adrian, on the other hand, was way too trusting and it took him most of the book to come to the conclusion that not every one deserves second chances.
I thought the biracial twist was interesting and it was the first time I’d read a relationship like that in historical romance. All in all, “After the Wedding” starts off intriguing, but by the time I got to the end, all I could think was “it’s about time.”
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review and was not obligated to leave a review.
This early Victorian set romance illustrates the issues of class, race, and women’s oppression usually left out of this historical time period romance, and does so in a light-hearted way. Bravo, Courtney.
Talk about an arranged marriage…this one starts with the bride and groom having a gun held to their heads to force the wedding. From there, Adrian and Camilla are committed to proving their wedding was illegal, except of course they are drawn more and more to each other. This one is interesting because it is particularly interested in the diversity of nineteenth-century Britain: Adrian is black, a motley cast of immigrants, and several of the tertiary characters are gay. It’s got a lot of heart and more than a few funny moments!
Wonderful characters and a very good story line.
Wonderfully diverse, but dull characters. Very little plot.
Difficult to read and did not hold my interest, boring. I have a large collection of this author’s previous works. I purchased the vast majority of them. I have noticed that the latest books have been lacking. I will not buy any more.
The first half of this book moved very slowly with main characters continually rehashing their individual angsts. The second half was much more witty and energetic, along the lines of the author’s usual style.
Love this author!
After the Wedding by Courtney Milan is book Two in The Worth Saga. This is the story of Adrian Hunter and Camilla Worth. I have read the previous books but feel this is easily a standalone book.
Adrian is undercover as a Valet to help his Uncle. Camilla father was convicted of treason and instead of being a ‘Lady’ now she is past around from family to family. This time they have her being a maid and when she and Adrian are caught in a compromising position they are forced to marry. Camilla thinking she might have finely found someone that might want and keep her learns pretty fast that not the case. Adrian thinks that his Uncle can help with getting this marriage annulled….but can he keep his hands off Camilla for his Uncle to do so.
Enjoyed reading their story!