Series: Turner

Throwback Thursday Review: Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

Posted March 22, 2018 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Unclaimed by Courtney MilanReviewer: Holly
Unclaimed (Turner, #2) by Courtney Milan
Series: Turner #2
Also in this series: Unlocked (Turner, #1.5)

Publication Date: September 20th 2011
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 422
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars


Her only hope for survival...

Handsome, wealthy and respected, Sir Mark Turner is the most sought-after bachelor in all of London and he's known far and wide for his irreproachable character. But behind his virtuous reputation lies a passionate nature he keeps carefully in check...until he meets the beautiful Jessica Farleigh, the woman he's waited for all his life.


Is to ruin the man she loves...

But Jessica is a courtesan, not the genteel lady Sir Mark believes. Desperate to be free of a life she despises, she seizes her chance when Mark's enemies make her an offer she can't refuse--seduce Mark and tarnish his good name, and a princely sum will be hers. Yet as she comes to know the man she's sworn to destroy, Jessica will be forced to choose between the future she needs and the love she knows is impossible.

Every Thursday in 2018 we will be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books.

This review was originally published on September 28, 2011.

I considered not finishing this book when, more than halfway through, the heroine was still being dishonest about her motives and intentions with the hero. While I’m glad I finished it, I find her actions – both before he learned of her deceit and after – tarnished the story.

Jessica is a courtesan that can’t stand to be touched by men. She needs money to start over somewhere else and the only way she can get it is by ruining the most popular man in England. Mark Turner is supposed to be chaste, but Jessica knows all men have a price. She just has to find his. If she can, she’ll receive enough money from her former protector to start a quiet life elsewhere.

Mark needs a break from the pressure of London and the hordes of adoring fans, so he retires to the country. Which is where he meets the widow Jessica Farleigh. Mark isn’t just chaste – he’s trying to live a chaste lifestyle. That means doing the right thing because it’s right, not because it’s fashionable. He isn’t a hypocrite. He has needs and desires the same as every other man. He’s just chosen not to act on them..because to do so wouldn’t be fair to either himself or the lady in question.

Jessica is wounded. Her life hasn’t been what she expected it would be and things have only gone from bad to worse. She needs an out, and for a woman in her position life doesn’t offer many. I understood that. But I had a hard time connecting with her. Part of the problem is my own hang-up. I can’t stand it when a character keeps a massive secret from his/her counterpart for the entire book. Especially when it’s something that will cause the other person pain. Since Jessica did this – even having good reasons for doing so – I had a really hard time forgiving her.

Aside from that, I truly enjoyed her personal journey. She needed to learn to like herself. It wasn’t always easy, but with Mark’s help she was able to recognize her own worth. I found this personal aspect of her story fascinating.

Mark was..well, honestly, Mark was close to perfect. He wasn’t just pretending to be a chaste man. He wasn’t just pretending to want to do the right thing. He was a flawed man willing to own his mistakes and shortcomings, and to try to overcome them. It wasn’t that he wasn’t flawed, because he was, but he accepted his flaws.

This was a well written historical romance that deals very well with the personal journey of the heroine. But I found it somewhat lacking in the romance. Not that I didn’t believe in the HEA, but I wasn’t invested in them as a couple so much as I was curious about them as individuals.

The romance world needs more heroes like Sir Mark Turner.

3.75 out of 5

e=UTF8&tag=boobin-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969″ target=”_blank”>here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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Review: Unlocked by Courtney Milan

Posted June 21, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 6 Comments

Review: Unlocked by Courtney MilanReviewer: Rowena
Unlocked (Turner, #1.5) by Courtney Milan
Series: Turner #1.5
Also in this series: Unclaimed (Turner, #2)
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: May 31, 2011
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 111
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-half-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

A perpetual wallflower destined for spinsterhood, Lady Elaine Warren is resigned to her position in society. So when Evan Carlton, the powerful, popular Earl of Westfeld, singles her out upon his return to England, she knows what it means. Her former tormenter is up to his old tricks, and she’s his intended victim. This time, though, the earl is going to discover that wallflowers can fight back.

Evan has come to regret his cruel, callow past. At first, he only wants to make up for past wrongs. But when Elaine throws his initial apology in his face, he finds himself wanting more. And this time, what torments him might be love…

This book was so short but that did nothing to hinder my enjoyment of this book. I freaking adored it and was surprised that I loved it as much as I did, considering it was only 110 pages. Courtney Milan packed a helluva punch in this short story and I literally ate it all up. I adored this book and thought it was too cute for words.

This story follows Lord Evan Carlton as he comes back home from being abroad and growing into a man to make things right with the girl that he made the laughingstock of the ton. Evan has a great many things that he’s sorry for and being an immature little shit is one of them. Lady Elaine Warren isn’t a fan of Evan’s and he can’t blame her since the last time he saw her, she was the butt of his jokes and his friends went to great lengths (and to his chagrin, still do) to make her feel like an idiot in front of a crowd.

Evan’s time away has taught him how to be a better man and he hopes that Lady Elaine will forgive him…even though he’d understand if she never did. His cousin and long time friend is still the ton’s resident mean girl and Evan has become ashamed of the woman that she still is. She continues to rag on Lady Elaine and he wants nothing to do with it. Evan goes through the hardships of trying to repair his friendship with Lady Elaine and the friendship that blossoms between the two of them was my favorite part of the story.

I loved Evan, I loved that he realized what an ass he was and I adored how sorry he was. He was determined to make things better for Lady Elaine and I loved it. I really enjoyed that Milan didn’t play what he did down in order to make Evan more likable because by showing us just how hurtful Evan was, it was easy for me to see just how sorry he really was. Everything he did to try to get back in Lady Elaine’s good graces made me melt and the speech he gave in front of everyone and the things that he said to his cousin? SWOON! I loved it all.

Lady Elaine had every right to hate Lord Carlton and his crowd. She was so strong to have put up with the snickers and the hurtful words thrown her way. She earned my respect each and every time she stood up to Lady Diana and for the fierce way she protected her mother. She didn’t back down to anyone and with each passing page, I admired her more and more.

The thing that I enjoyed most about this story was that even though it was such a short story, it didn’t feel like it was. It also didn’t suffer for having being such a short story. Milan did a wonderful job of sucking me into the story and not letting go. Though I didn’t want the book to end, I wasn’t left wanting more when I was finished. I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entire book and cannot wait for more from Courtney Milan.

Kudos on a job well done, Mrs. Milan.

Grade: 4.75 out of 5

This book is available from Courtney Milan. You can buy it here and here in e-format.

four-half-stars


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