#CBR10 Book 27: "Unraveled" by Courtney Milan

Page count: 258 pages
Rating: 5 stars

This is a re-read, and my original review for this book can be found here.

As with the other Milans I've been revisiting, I wanted to listen to this in audio, but discovered, to my dismay that it wasn't narrated by Polly Lee, who did the first two books in The Turner series, but Nicole Quinn, whose voice just did NOT work for me. I tried to warm to her throughout the first chapter, but gave up and returned the audio.

Unraveled is my favourite book in this trilogy and still, so many years after I first read it (end of 2011) on of my favourite romance novels period. It's quite common in romance to save the last book in a series for the most conflicted and complicated of the characters introduced earlier in the series. This is certainly the case here. Smite Turner is scarred both physically and emotionally from the terrible things his overly religious (and quite quite mad) mother put him through growing up. All three Turner brothers are affected by the death of their sister Hope, but I'd forgotten that it was revealed in this book that she was Smite's twin - so he would likely feel the loss even more acutely.

In addition to the emotional scars he has from his mother's mistreatment and months living homeless on the streets, taking care of his younger brother, Smite is clearly neuro-atypical in some way. He has an eidetic memory and can recall everything he's ever seen or heard, making it all the harder for him to actually process and move beyond the traumas of his past. It seems being with Miranda makes him less acutely aware of them and makes them easier to bear, without their relationship being some sort of miraculous and implausible cure. One of the things I love so much about this book is that Smite is a very damaged individual and he's not magically fixed by the love of a good woman, he just finds it easier to cope when he's not all alone anymore.

As I said in my original review, this book can be read as a stand-alone, but being the third book in a trilogy, there are also scenes tying up story lines introduced earlier in the series and emotional punchlines that absolutely work better if you know the characters involved. All three books are excellent romances, so it shouldn't be a hardship for anyone to read them all.

I was very happy to see that Smite and Miranda Darling still made my heart happy, even if I'm disappointed that the audiobook didn't work for me.

Judging a book by its cover: Poor, partially decapitated cover model. While I'm grateful that we don't see the entire face of the woman who's supposed to portray Miranda (telltale red hair), so the reader can keep their own mental image of what she looks like, the "lopping the top of the person's head" off approach to covers isn't great either. Of all the dresses used for the books in the trilogy, I think this is the one I like the most, though, both in design and colour. So pretty.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

#CBR10 Book 26: "Unclaimed" by Courtney Milan

Page count: 432 pages
Audio book length: 11hrs 15mins
Rating: 4 stars

This is my first re-read of this book. My original review can be found here.

With the other two books in The Turners series, I have re-read the books more than once over the years. I read Unclaimed back in 2011 and haven't revisited it since. Until now.

While I would still rank it as the weakest of the three books in the trilogy, that is only really because one of the books has to come in third place. In my memory, Mark and Jessica's story wasn't as engrossing and emotionally satisfying as that of Ash and Margaret or Smite and his Miranda Darling (review of re-read to come). On this re-read I found it a lot more rewarding, possibly because last time I read the book, I blazed through it during a Read-a-thon, while this time, I spent several days over it, listening to it in audio.

One of the nice things about this story is the reversed experience dynamic in the couple. So often you have the virginal or fairly sexually inexperienced heroine matching with the jaded and sexually prolific rake. Here, the hero is the virgin and the heroine the sexually experienced one, although at the start of the story, she's gone through a trauma bad enough that she can't even stomach being touched, let alone feel any sort of desire. Jessica has been so lonely for so long and it's a gradual process for her to even warm up to Sir Mark, the man she's been sent to seduce. Of course she eventually finds her mojo again and thanks to Mark and his unorthodox family, begins to believe that there could be a larger group of people who care for her.

I don't really want to spoil the book for anyone, so I'll not disclose exactly what sort of trauma Jessica is struggling to get over. All I will say is that on re-reading the book, the section where she reveals the truth to Mark had me in tears, my heart breaking for her, feeling her grief and loss of agency so much more strongly this time around, when I doubt I thought too much about it last time. Generally, Jessica as a heroine resonated so much more with me on this re-read than the first time I read the book.

I have long said that Courtney Milan is possibly the best historical romance writer out there, and this book is another example of why she's so very good. I'm very glad that I revisited this book and discovered that I liked it better than I remembered.

Judging a book by its cover: This, like all of Milan's books, has been reissued with Milan's own covers (she self-publishes all her books now), but my book still has the cover from the publisher. I think the cover designer could have done a better job finding a shot where the cover models looked like they were actually enjoying being in each other's company. The female model looks more like she's about to fall asleep than as if she's in the throes of desire. I like that she's wearing yellow, which is the colour of at least one of Jessica's dresses in the book. I also find the giant ring on the male model's hand funny - Jessica's tasked with getting Sir Mark's ring as proof that she's seduced him. I very much doubt his signet ring would be that gaudy and ostentatious.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

#CBR10 Book 11: "Unveiled" by Courtney Milan

Page count: 384 pages
Audio book length: 12 hrs 14 mins
Rating: 4.5 stars

A long time ago now, back in April 2011, I first discovered Courtney Milan as an author, having read favourable things about her on various romance review blogs. My original review of this book, can be found here.

Fondly as I remember Ash and Margaret's story, this is not the Turner series book I've revisited most often. According to my records, I've only re-read it once before, back in 2012, so I was very interested to see if it was as good as I remembered. I listened to the book in audio (because I'm still not advanced enough to wrangle my e-reader and feed my child at the same time, certainly not at night). Nicole Quinn has one of those nice, crisp British voices that seems so very suitable for historical romances.

Even after nearly eight years, and with many, many, many more historical romances read, this is a very good book. I read through my original review, and I very much still agree with myself. So many romance heroes are domineering alphas and unrepentant rakes, who seem to think that women should just fall into their beds and can overwhelm with the sheer force of their personality. In these post-#metoo-times, having a hero who's very open and honest about what he wants, but also determined about obtaining clear and enthusiastic consent before he makes a move is encouraging (especially since back in 2011, when this book first came out, that certainly wasn't the norm among romance heroes. To a modern reader, it's also more appealing to read about a man who's not afraid of hard work. In the Victorian age, when these books are set, most of the landed classes came to realise that they couldn't survive merely on the income from their properties alone and society was changing rapidly. Ash is next in line for a dukedom, but has lived through poverty and need and worked since h was fifteen to make his fortune. He's no idle and cosseted fop.

So many of Ms. Milan's books are about clever and capable women who achieve great things, even with the limitations placed on them by the society they live in. Margaret isn't one of these heroines, having lived a sheltered and privileged life as a duke's daughter until Ash's revelations suddenly shook the very foundations of her existence. Even posing as a servant in her childhood home, she's not actually lower class, and never has to suffer true hardship. Being the youngest child of the duke, and being a woman, she's frequently been ignored by the duke an her brothers. She's never been away to school, she's been raised to be a nobleman's wife and a pretty ornament. Now that her legitimacy has been taken away, it's as if she has no worth whatsoever. Ash sees her, all of her, and does his best to build her confidence. He doesn't know that he's speaking to Lady Anna Margaret, youngest daughter to the duke he despises. He believes her to be a low-born nurse, and yet he still wants her to know that she is important, she has value, she should believe in herself. It is thanks to Ash's bolstering of Margaret's confidence that they are able to sort out the complicated tangle and find a happy ending eventually.

At some point this year, Ms Milan will hopefully publish her next historical novel (it's been years since her last one). Until then, I'm going to try to revisit her earlier books in audio format to see what I think about her back catalogue now. This was a very good start to my re-read project.

Judging a book by its cover: This is one of the books that Ms Milan published through Harlequin books, before she decided to do her own thing and self-publish. As such, my book has a somewhat different cover to the "lady in a photo-shopped wedding dress" that she so often employs on her own books. Not that this is all that much more exciting, with your trysting couple both in a state of semi-undress. I like the shades of blue they've used though.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

CBR3 Book 106: "Unraveled" by Courtney Milan

Publisher: CreateSpace
Page count: 274 pages
Rating: 5 stars
Date begun: December 19th, 2011
Date finished: December 20th, 2011

Unraveled is the third and final novel in Milan's trilogy, and can be read independently from the others, but to get full enjoyment out of it, as several minor unresolved story threads introduced in the previous two books, are resolved in this one, I would recommend reading books 1, Unveiled, and 2, Unclaimed, first.

The three Turner brothers had an awful childhood. They all have dreadful names, basically long verses of Scripture, because their mother was deeply religious, and their father was not around to stop her from naming them whatever the heck she wanted. Nor was he there to protect his children from the abuse they suffered from a woman who was clearly crazy. All three men have psychological and emotional scars, which affect them in different ways. Despite their awful past, two of the Turner brothers found love and happiness in the previous books in the series. In Unraveled, it`s the middle brother, Smite's turn.

Smite (trust me, the line of Scripture he's named for is too long to be quoted here) possibly had it worst of the three boys. His eldest brother, Ash, left to make money to support his family, and Smite protected his younger brother, Mark, from the worst of their mother's crazy excesses. Cursed with a photographic memory, he is unable to forget any of the things he endured, although as an adult he puts his perfect recollection to good use as a judge in Bristol. His accurate memory for all the laws and his strict, but coldly fair judgement have earned him the nickname "Lord Justice".

Because of his perfect recall, he recognizes Miss Miranda Darling the minute she sets foot in his courtroom, disguised as a farmer's daughter, bearing witness in a minor case. As she appeared with a different name and appearance nearly a year earlier, Smite knows she is risking perjury, and he follows her home after the session in court. He warns her never to bear false witness in his courtroom again, or he'll make sure she's thrown in jail. Miranda's worried, as the reason she is pretending to be other people and witnessing in minor felony cases, is that she's made a deal with the shadowy underworld figure known as the Patron, who tries to secure justice for the lower classes in Bristol (most of the judges are not as law-abiding and principled as Smite).

Miranda is struggling to make a living by making and selling wigs. She's also supporting Robbie, a young boy who was abandoned with the acting troupe of Miranda's parents. While Miranda's childhood was a happy one, her life changed when the acting troupe fell apart due to her father's crushing depression after her mother's death. Trying as best she can to keep Robbie out of trouble, and away from a life of petty crime, she has to take the occasional "acting job" on behalf of the Patron. Now that Smite has proven that he can recognize her no matter what she's wearing, wigs and all, she wants to change her arrangement with the Patron, but this proves more difficult than she thought.

Smite is seen as cold, odd and unfeeling by everyone around him, and seems to care only for his dog. Yet he feels drawn to Miranda, and as his life seems brighter and more bearable when she's around, he proposes an arrangement that can benefit both of them.

Of all of Milan's Turner brothers, damaged and vulnerable in different ways, Smite was absolutely my favourite. He's plagued by recurring nightmares, can't bear the sound of running water (his mother nearly drowned him once), he can't stand to have his face touched, and he allows himself a maximum of 30 minutes of sentimentality per day. No wonder the world sees him as a cold, unfeeling automaton, dedicated only to justice. Miranda refuses to be scared by Smite, and quickly realizes that there is a lot more to the man than his ceaseless pursuit of duty. She refuses to take him seriously, and teases and berates him in a way only his brother Mark has ever dared. Miranda may have been raised by actors, but she is still rather innocent. Intelligent, witty, resourceful and adventurous, she accepts Smite's offer to become his mistress, both because he offers her a sum that will secure her for life, but mostly because she's strongly attracted to him.

This is my absolute favourite of the trilogy, and once again, Milan impressed me by having the characters communicating openly and honestly with one another. There are no big misunderstandings, or lies to protect the feelings of someone else, or going behind someone's back. Miranda and Smite are a wonderful couple, and it was good to see a resolution to the whole story. Highly recommended - Milan is now on my pre-order list.

CBR3 Book 85: "Unclaimed" by Courtney Milan (Read-a-thon 2011)

Publisher: HQN Books
Page count: 432 pages
Rating: 4 stars
Date begun: October 22nd, 2011
Date finished: October 22nd, 2011

Unclaimed is the second book in the series of the Turner brothers, the first brother's story was told in Unveiled. While this book can be read completely independently, there is back story about the hero, Mark in the previous book, and his story has more resonance if you start the series at the beginning.

Sir Mark Turner was knighted by Queen Victoria because of the book he wrote encouraging chastity. He is London's most sought after bachelor, and followed by misty eyed young maidens and eager reporters everywhere he goes. Sick of the attention, and the impression everyone has of him, Mark seeks refuge in the village where he grew up.

Jessica Farleigh is a courtesan, and desperately wants enough money to free herself from ever having to charm another patron. When a former lover offers to pay her to tarnish Sir Mark's reputation, she's happy to oblige, but she's on a strict time limit. What she thought was going to be simple, as all the men she's ever encountered were huge hypocrites, turns out to be quite the challenge. Sir Mark doesn't just preach chastity for gentlemen, he believes his own teachings. Yet he is instantly smitten with Jessica, believing her to be a widow fallen on hard times, and enjoys how vastly different from the prim, young virgins who normally get paraded in front of him.

While a virgin, and believing a man should control his desires, Mark doesn't deny the attraction he feels towards Jessica. He freely admits that he lusts for her, he just doesn't intend to act on any of the desires he feels. He's a good and honest and principled man and a very interesting hero in a romance. Jessica starts out detesting Mark, who seems to have everything handed to him on a platter, yet as she gets to know him, she realizes the reasons for his principles, and having to seduce him and discredit him in order to gain her own freedom and happiness gets harder and harder.

While not quite as engrossing as Unveiled, Unclaimed is still a very enjoyable read, and I like that Milan takes the time to really flesh out her characters. They're not just stock characters, they are complex and multi-faceted and all her characters TALK to each other. So many romances are hampered by situations that seem easily resolved if the main characters just communicated more, and that's never the case here. Milan's next book is about the third Turner brother, intriguingly named Smite, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

CBR3 Book 29: "Unveiled" by Courtney Milan

Publisher: HQN Books
Page count: 384 pages
Rating: 4.5 stars
Date begun: April 10th, 2011
Date finished: April 11th, 2011

Ash Turner is about to become the heir to the Dukedom of Parford after proving that the current Duke contracted a bigamous second marriage, and all his heirs from said marriage are illegitimate and hence unable to inherit. As a distant cousin of the current Duke, Ash is next in line for the title and the estate. Parliament just needs to vote on the issue first. The current Duke is bedridden and ailing, having lost his second wife after the shock revelation.

Anna Margaret Dalrymple has lost her name, status, fiancee and dowry because of Ash Turner's revelations. She stays on at the family estate pretending to be her father's nurse, Miss Lowell, so she can spy on Ash and report back to her brothers, hoping they'll find proof that he'll be unsuitable as a Duke. When Ash arrives with his younger brother Mark to inspect his future holdings, there is an instant attraction between Ash and Margaret, even though she's determined to hate him, and he's unwilling to take advantage of any servants under his care.

Margaret is surprised that instead of trying to force himself on her, Ash is perfectly honest about wanting her in his bed, however, he wants her to come willingly, and pursues her most chivalrously, never making inappropriate gestures or comments towards her, just trying to get to know her. While she hates him for what he did to her family, Margaret quickly realizes that Ash is a very good and capable man, and that he's worked hard to make his fortune mainly to give his brothers all the opportunities they missed out on growing up in poverty with a mad mother. His hatred towards the current Duke stems directly from an incident where he petitioned for help, and was turned away, leading to the death of his little sister. He went to India to make his fortune, and returned to England to find his two younger brothers homeless street urchins. Even after he was able to support them, and send them to Eton and Oxford, they were hounded by their distant cousins, the Dalrymple brothers. Unfortunately, the Turner brothers thought little of the Duchess and the Duke's daughter when they decided to bring the truth about Parford's indiscretions to light.

Ash is a great hero, and it was so incredibly refreshing to read about a strong and capable man who, while clearly very virile and attracted to women, also respected them and didn't try to force himself on them or dominate them. As he grew up in poverty and made his own fortune, he despises the rigid traditions of the upper classes. It's quickly apparent that once he gets to know Margaret, he considers her not just as a future mistress, but as a potential life partner, even though he believes her to be a common nurse, and a bastard at that.  He's highly efficient, very dutiful, extremely loyal to his brothers, and completely ruthless if he believes anyone has wronged someone he loves. He has one big secret and weakness, which he hides from nearly everyone, but has managed to amass a fortune despite his difficulties. He feels deeply guilty about having to abandon his brothers, even if it was to make the money to save them, and desperately wants to understand them and make things right with them.

Margaret is very smart and has run the household with her mother until Ash Turner's revelations reduced her to nothing but a near-penniless bastard child. None of her former friends will speak to her, or even answer her letters, her mother died from the shock of the news, and her father is bitter and bedridden and clearly finds her useless and worthless. She stays behind to spy on Ash for her brothers, knowing that living unchaperoned with two gentlemen will ruin what is left of her reputation for ever, because she is loyal and loves her brothers, despite their flaws. She's amazed that Ash takes the time to really get to know her, and sees her as the person she truly is, bolstering her confidence and praising her strength, even if this means he may not get to seduce her as he so clearly wishes.

The dynamics between the two is wonderful, and another thing I really loved about this book is that there is no pesky great misunderstanding keeping the couple apart. The main obstacle keeping the couple apart for much of the novel is Margaret's divided loyalties. She falls hard for Ash, but knows that he is the man who may disinherit her brothers and leave them nearly penniless. Through much of the book she worries about his reaction when her true identity is revealed, and when the truth finally does come out, she is unable to commit to him, as it will mean betraying her brothers.

Ash's two brothers are also intriguing characters, and it seems as if Milan is planning separate books for them. This is the first Courtney Milan novel I've read, but it was so delightful and refreshing that I will be looking forward to each of her new novels, and track down her back catalogue, just to see if the rest are as good as Unveiled.