Title: Unveiled Series: Turner #1
Author: Courtney Milan
Published: July 7, 2014
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 381
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Of all Ash Turner's accomplishments, stealing a dukedom from his old enemy is by far the most brazen. Now that he's been recognized as the heir, nothing remains but to head to Parford Manor and survey the estate that will be his. He expects opposition.
He gets Lady Margaret.
Margaret lost everything when Ash claimed the dukedom: her dowry, her legitimacy, and her place in society. Now Ash wants to take her family home, too. She disguises herself as a nurse, determined to learn his weaknesses. But the closer she comes to Ash, the greater the pull of his reckless charm. If she wants to reclaim what she has lost, her only choice is to betray the man she is beginning to love...
There is a reason Courtney Milan is my favorite historical romance author, and I think Unveiled really proves that. I’ve yet to dislike any of her books, of course, but by rights I should have disliked this one—it having quite a few romance tropes I’m really not a fan of (like a character lying about their identity to their romantic interest). But, of course, Milan knows her stuff, and though this isn’t my favorite of hers, it’s nevertheless a great, re-readable book.
I, generally, really enjoy Milan’s male leads, and Ash Turner was no different. He was genuinely kind and attentive and loyal, though he was also hellbent on revenge—though not for his own sake. Ash’s love and protectiveness toward his younger brothers was probably the highlight of Unveiled for me, and I loved how real and complicated the author was able to make that relationship.
More that that, the way Ash interacted with Margaret, the female lead, was also satisfying. She, obviously, is lying to him about who she is and what her goals are, but his reaction to that reveal was anything but expected. This goes a long way both to thwart romance novel tradition, but also to really reveal the sort of character Ash was. (To be honest, he might be a little too perfect, but anyway.)
OH. Also Ash is dyslexic and I loved that Milan portrayed that and proved that it wasn’t a disastrous calamity that prevented him from having a functional life. Yes indeedy.
I did come to like Margaret a lot by the end of Unveiled, but initially I had trouble with how closed-minded and snobbish she was. But, of course, over the course of the story the reader sees Margaret learning to set aside the rigid social distinctions she was raised to believe in and also sees her coming to view things from other perspectives. More importantly, Milan focuses Margaret’s growth on proactivity and self-realization. Over the course of Unveiled, Margaret comes to believe in her own importance and her own worth, which is just…ahhh. So happy-making. In some ways, Ash’s perfection is almost merely the tool for Margaret’s personal journey, which is why I’m more willing to accept his near flawlessness.
Altogether, this was an excellent book, about two strong, nuanced characters who learn about each other and themselves. The strong family element was also a huge point in this book’s favor, as were the few moments of comic relief provided by said family. Unveiled is yet another great example of why Courtney Milan is one of the best (if not the best).
