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    Ebook347 pages6 hours

    Unclaimed

    By Courtney Milan

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers Australia
    Release dateJul 1, 2012
    ISBN9781460845561
    Unavailable
    Unclaimed
    Author

    Courtney Milan

    Courtney Milan lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, an exuberant dog, and an attack cat. Before she started writing historical romance, Courtney experimented with various occupations, none of which stuck. Now, when she's not reading (lots), writing (lots), or sleeping (not enough), she can be found in the vicinity of a classroom. You can learn more about Courtney at http://www.courtneymilan.com.

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    Reviews for Unclaimed

    4/5

    18 ratings20 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Sir Mark Turner is famous because of the book he wrote promoting male chastity. Jessica Farleigh is a courtesan who is hired to seduce Mark; she'll get enough money to be able to retire and his reputation will be ruined. I read the first book in the series and enjoyed it a lot. Mark was one of the secondary characters and he's a likable guy, not at all the prig that the blurb makes him sound like. I did have my doubts about this story but decided to give it a try as I like Ms. Milan's writing. Her plots are usually more complicated than they might appear from the blurb, and I'm quite happy to say that was also the case here.As Mark makes clear repeatedly, he may be chaste but he's not a saint. He's actually quite frustrated by others' views of his character. He is a nice man though not a patsy. He has his own morality and it works for him. I was afraid Jessica was going to be the 'fallen woman who is redeemed' trope which I'm not crazy about. In this case, there's a lot more to her; she's intelligent for one thing besides being beautiful. She finds her own way past her previous life, and I was truly surprised by how she goes about it.This book was written before #MeToo but, while a historical, Mark's views are in line with that movement. I don't mean the story is too modern, not at all, but it was refreshing to see respect for women treated as a normal way to act as well as to apportion responsibility equally. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
    • 3/5
      Mark Turner wrote a practical guide to chastity for men, and has become a celebrity as a result. All hail him as a righteous model of a gentleman. But moral perfection creates as many enemies as friends, and one of these enemies hires a courtesan to ruin Mark's reputation. Jessica tries her hardest, but when her ploys fail, she's left with one last, most deadly weapon of seduction--her real self.

      This is a real gem of the regency romance genre. I rated it three stars simply because the writing is so plain and dips into purple cliches for the sex scenes (no worse and no better than any other published romances), but the characters and basic underlying themes set it far above others of its kind. It is both frank and thoughtful about sexual morality, agency, and self-image. Each of the characters is allowed to be both right and wrong, for reasons that make sense for their character.

      I really look forward to the next book in this series, even if the covers are so lurid I have to read the books in secret!
    • 5/5
      If your life hasn't been a little ruined by Courtney Milan, then what are you even doing with your time?
    • 5/5
      I can't believe how far behind I had gotten on my reviews. I read this book like a month ago. Anyway, I love Courtney Milan and all her novels. She writes steamy romance that makes me feel smart to read it. She uses good vocabulary and doesn't assume her reader is to stupid to follow the story line.

      I loved both Jessica and Mark, so much. They are both such strong characters you can't help but feel like you need to choose sides and it might not be the one you would expect. I love how Mark isn't the usual hero, he doesn't succumb to the heroines charms just because she shows up at his door practically naked. I loved how he could see right through her and even as she was a temptation he treated her kindly and with respect.

      The plot moved relatively quickly although it was a long book for most of it lacking a certain something. I will continue to read everything this author writes. I adore her.
    • 2/5
      Interesting idea: a virgin hero. I liked Sir Mark, but not the heroine. The whole book was just way too talky/thinky.
    • 4/5
      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.

      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 that I wasn't invested in them as a couple so much as I was curious about them as individuals.
    • 4/5
      When Courtney Milan first mentioned that one of her upcoming books was going to have a virgin hero, I was excited to see something different. The book did not let me down. Both Mark and Jessica are wonderful leads. I enjoyed not only the inversion of the typical sexual background of the hero and heroine, but of a dynamic where the hero is more typically emotionally damaged and in need of "saving" by the heroine. That's not to say that Jessica is weak; she's strong and fully capable of defeating her own enemies, which is wonderfully demonstrated at the end. But she is emotionally frozen due to past wounds, one in particular, and cut off from love and support at the beginning of the book. Mark would be the first to insist that he has his flaws, but fundamentally he likes himself. He has a supportive, loving family, he keeps his temper under control, and his morality is based on compassion rather than on abstract ideas of evil. Although it seemed like their final agreement to marry was delayed a little more than necessary, it was a pleasure to watch him and Jessica come together.
    • 4/5
      When Courtney Milan first mentioned that one of her upcoming books was going to have a virgin hero, I was excited to see something different. The book did not let me down. Both Mark and Jessica are wonderful leads. I enjoyed not only the inversion of the typical sexual background of the hero and heroine, but of a dynamic where the hero is more typically emotionally damaged and in need of "saving" by the heroine. That's not to say that Jessica is weak; she's strong and fully capable of defeating her own enemies, which is wonderfully demonstrated at the end. But she is emotionally frozen due to past wounds, one in particular, and cut off from love and support at the beginning of the book. Mark would be the first to insist that he has his flaws, but fundamentally he likes himself. He has a supportive, loving family, he keeps his temper under control, and his morality is based on compassion rather than on abstract ideas of evil. Although it seemed like their final agreement to marry was delayed a little more than necessary, it was a pleasure to watch him and Jessica come together.
    • 4/5
      I finished this today in the car ride to my sister's - I don't usually read in the car, but I couldn't put it down. I absolutely adore Milan's Turner series and this installment just builds upon its brilliantness (which seems to not be a word but it is now!). I love Mark and Jessica as well as how the rest of the Turner family got involved. Cannot wait to read the next one! Will it be Smite's turn to catch the eye of an awesome lady?
    • 3/5
      A courtesan trying to leave the life needs one last score to do so, and so she takes an assignment to seduce and thus ruin a famously celibate aristocrat. (Political rivalries.) But she ends up liking him far more than she expected, and he is preternaturally free of the condemnation that men of his social class would ordinarily push onto fallen women. Cute, and as usual for Milan there’s good banter, but my suspension of disbelief kind of snapped.
    • 2/5
      The second in the Turner Brothers series focuses on Mark and his unlikely virginity. Author of a best-selling book on chastity for men, Mark has achieved universal adulation and has sparked an entire ecosystem of tie-in books, societies, accessories, and gossip stories. Tired of fleeing from his fans, both male and female, he returns to his childhood home in Shepton Mallet, where he lived with his mentally disturbed mother until her death.

      Peace and quiet he doesn’t get. The villagers are happy to have a celebrity in their midst, but not so happy when a notorious courtesan also shows up. Jessica Farleigh is running out of patrons and funds and decides to risk all on winning a huge prize offered to whoever can seduce Mark and produce his signet ring as proof.

      The planned seduction is soon derailed when Jessica finds she likes Mark and he finds he likes her. And so begins a fairly standard romance.

      Ms Milan tries hard to get her ducks in a row but they end up seriously misaligned. The idea that a rich, handsome and throughly likeable bachelor should insist on chastity can only be explained as a religious obligation or, in this case, a psychological aberration caused by childhood traumas suffered at the hands of his increasingly psychotic mother.

      Romance authors leap at the chance to use emotional scarring to explain a reluctance to commit, but we all know what happens to folks who don’t look before they leap. This device only works if the writer is familiar with clinical psychiatry, and most authors are not.

      In Mark’s case, the lines don’t link the dots between cause and effect and his chastity comes across as a joke, especially when he proves himself a very capable lover on his first sexual outing.

      The character of Jessica was a little more satisfying, but the resolution of her dilemma over her financial needs and her affection for Mark was unrealistic and sugar-sweet.

      One other Turner brother to go, but I think I’ll pass.
    • 4/5
      4 ½ Stars

      Unclaimed is the second book in the Turner series by Courtney Milan.

      When Sir Mark Turner wrote A Gentleman’s Practical Guide to Chastity the last thing in his mind was becoming famous, he wrote it because he wanted to share his way of thinking with others, nothing else. He never expected his book to become as well-known as it did, giving him a superstar status in the ton with hundreds of followers and admires nationwide. Even Queen Victoria awarded him with a knighthood because of services to society thanks to his book. His situation is so dire that he can’t leave home without a group of people following him around. Everywhere he goes ladies and men alike follow him wanting his autograph or at least to cross some words with him. All the mothers with single daughters are trying to get him to marry one of their daughters and the press is reporting his slightest movement.
      Sir Mark can’t take it anymore and decides to escape to the country where he hopes to find the anonymity he so much misses. And how mistaken he was…

      Jessica Farleigh is a young courtesan tired of her life. A life she wants to leave behind but for that she needs money, money she doesn’t have. When her former protector and enemy of Sir Mark, offers her a substantial sum in exchange of the seduction and downfall of Sir Mark, she accepts without second thoughts. She learns of Sir Mark whereabouts and soon she is living in the same little town in the country. She thought her deed was going to be an easy one but Sir Mark is not at all what she was expecting, he is not an usual man, he is completely extraordinary. Now the seductress is taking the risk of being seduced.

      I met Sir Mark in Unveiled, book one of this series and was eagerly waiting to read his story. To be honest I was a bit worried about it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like a virgin hero, I prefer my heroes towards the rake side. But Mrs. Milan did a magnificent job with Sir Mark making him virginal and chase but at the same time he is a very real man. Sir Mark is a man of principles, owner of his action and his feelings. He may be still a virgin, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t lust, he does, as much as any other person, he just has control over his impulses. He hates the double standards of society in regards to male and female behaviors and that was one of his reasons to write his book. He has decided that when he gives himself to a woman he will do it completely and forever. *swoon* (If you are not half in love with him right there you are a cold heartless… woman).

      I wanted not to like Jessica, she is a woman who uses her body to get what she wants, making her a difficult pair for my Sir Mark. But when I started to learn more about her, her past and her circumstances I started to like her more and more until the point that I was cheering for her. Jessica is a smart, loving woman. She has done what needed to survive in an unforgiving society where the simplest mistake can ruin your life.

      The attraction and tension between these two had my reader steaming. Their relationship was not an easy one because it started with lies and deceives but at the end as with any good love story love conquers all. The dialogue between them is smart, witty and sassy making of Unclaimed and even more enjoyable read.

      I really loved seeing more of Sir Mark’s older brother, Ash and his wife Margaret (Unveiled) and how they have settled into their marriage.
      Another favorite is Sir Mark’s other brother, Smite. He is a very interesting and mysterious man and I’m dying to read his story.

      Unclaimed has everything a perfect historical romance book should have, unique characters, smart writing, well developed plot and a mix of mystery and romance with some twist and turns to spice it all. The only complaint I have is something Jessica did almost at the end; I thought adding that to the story was completely unnecessary, you will see what I’m talking about when you read the book, and I know you are going to read it because this book is so good that you have to!
      I loved Courtney Milan style in Unveiled and after reading Unclaimed she has won me over, becoming one of my favorite historical romance writers.
      Unclaimed can be read as a stand-alone but Unveiled was as good as this one, so I recommend you to read that one as well.
      The next book in this series Unraveled, will be Smite’s story, needless to say I dying to get my greedy hands on him.
    • 4/5
      More conventional than UNVEILED, but still entirely daring to allow the lovely courtesan to actually have *been* a courtesan. I missed Mark's family, and almost want to go straight back to UNRAVELED (which I just read) so I can get another taste of the Turners.
    • 4/5
      I was incredibly excited to read Mark's book and I have to say that I really liked it a lot. I'm not usually a fan of virgin heroes, but Courtney Milan has made me change my tune with this book. The main reason that this book didn't get five stars is solely because it wasn't quite as good as Unveiled. I am very much looking forward to reading about Smite.
    • 2/5
      Could not get attached to the hero or the heroine. Having accidentally read the final book in the series, I know how more or less how it ends and could not get invested in finding out specifically.
    • 4/5
      Why I read it: I received an ARC from NetGalley and I've heard wonderful things about this author. I had read the novella in this series and enjoyed it too.What it's about: (from Goodreads). 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.What worked for me: This book really was a delight to read. It had beautiful, lyrical prose and some really apt and lovely analogies (for example, regarding lust and peddlars). Sir Mark Turner is a genuinely good man. He is not weak or priggish or boring, which could perhaps be suggested by the fact that he wrote "A Gentleman's Guide to Practical Chastity". He frankly acknowledges his faults and is terribly pained by the adulation of the masses which do not. He is a man who is tempted but chooses not to act on it - Jessica is his greatest temptation yet but he does not fall. He is in control of himself. Self control may not sound all that sexy but on Mark Turner, it is. For Jessica, who has beena plaything for men for years, it is a novel experience indeed to be courted and listened to and treated as an equally important person. Stories which are all about lies and misunderstandings can frustrate me but enough information was revealed from time to time that I didn't feel that way here. Also, Mark is not by any means, an idiot, so he sees through the obvious. What I liked most about him is that he wanted to see the woman behind the mask - it was that which seduced him. Not her looks or her body - sure, she was a beautiful woman, but there were other beautiful women who didn't call to him the way she did. That right there is so romantic - the idea that a man can truly see us and love us above anyone.As much as I liked Mark, I liked Jessica also. She took responsibility for her own actions and didn't blame others for her predicament. I liked that she argued with Mark about this and the point she made was very valid. She either owns her mistakes and owns her life or she is just a pawn to be used or treasured depending on the whim of a man. I also liked that Mark took steps that she would not feel unequal to him in future and he encouraged her to shine and to 'do better' (but not in a moral way, rather to be the best she could be).What didn't: I thought the ending was a little abrupt and underdone, but then again the book was already over 400 pages, so maybe I'm just being greedy. Generally, I do like more of the happy together than less though.Of necessity, the sex scenes (which were very well done - the man pays attention!) were pretty much at the end of the book. So, it did feel, just a little bit, like I was served up 2 or 3 large desserts all at once with only a small gap in between. But really, is that a complaint? After all, I love dessert!What else: After I finished this, I immediately went and bought Unveiled (so I guess that tells you something) and I can hardly wait for Smite's book. Grade: B
    • 4/5
      Well, I liked this second installment in the Turner Series better than Unveiled, but not by much. The theme of deception is continued in this implausible story of Sir Mark Turner - an aristocratic virgin who extols the practicality of chastity and subsequently has a throng of followers that all want to follow him. Do I hear a distant voice singing "See Me... Feel Me... Touch Me... Heal Me ...?" Jessica Farleigh, a beautiful but "nice" courtesan who is out of money makes a deal with one of Sir Mark's enemies to seduce Mark so she can earn enough money to leave the courtesan business and rent a nice little cottage in the country and live a quiet life forever. She poses as a widow who just happens to live in the little country village where he is staying for a time to get away from the throngs of followers that hounded him in London. Unfortunately things don't go as planned, for she didn't count on falling in love with him - and vice versa. The book wasn't bad, but the whole "I'm not good enough for you because I'm a whore" theme grew tiresome and was dragged out to infinity. I found the entire storyline farfetched and the outrageous duel at the end fell flat. Yet I'm still interested in their brother Smite's story, so I will continue with the series, but I am not finding Milan as stellar as everyone makes her out to be.
    • 4/5
      I am really enjoying this series! I have one more to go. The Turner brothers are so different but also very similar in their goodness. A fun read!
    • 5/5
      Sir Mark Turner has unwillingly made himself into a celebrity by writing a guide book to chastity, and he absolutely hates the attention. He decides to head to the country to avoid his annoying admirers and to make up his mind if he wants to take up the position as commissioner on the Poor Laws he has been offered.Jessica Farleigh is a courtesan who desperately wants out of the business. She has been offered a lot of money to seduce Mark and ruin his stellar reputation. She follows him to the country, and uses all her wiles to tempt him, though he has no idea she is a courtesan, but thinks she is a widow. She finds the job a lot harder than she imagined it would be.I haven't read many romances where the man is the virgin and the woman is very experienced, especially in historical romances. If there is a virgin that person is almost always female. I thought Milan did a great job making Mark Turner and his reasons for celibacy believable and reasonable. It is not because he believes himself above sex or that most women are immoral. His reasons turn out to be quite admirable - the reason he outlines in his guide and his own personal reasons. But I also like the fact that he is not above lust. He very much lusts after Jessica, and even more so as he gets to know her. He doesn't act cold towards her at all. He is very honest with her, and takes time getting to know Jessica and his feelings towards her.I also liked the reasons behind Jessica no longer wanting to be a courtesan. She was forced away from her family at age 15, and has done whatever she can to survive. She doesn't look down at being a courtesan, but because of a particular incident, she wants out. I LOVED a certain scene at the end, where she is able to show just how strong she is. Couldn't give it the full five stars because of the last hurdle Mark and Jessica had to get over at the end. I didn't like their final disagreement. I thought this could have been addressed a bit earlier and not have them separate in frustration again. Thankfully it didn't last for long. This is the second book of the Turner series featuring the three Turner brothers. I enjoyed the first book very much and am looking forward to the third book - Smite's. Can't wait to get inside his head!ARC provided by NetGalley
    • 5/5
      We have all heard that old adage that the ’beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and reading this second book in Turner trilogy I can’t help but apply it on both, hero and heroine. Morality, in their case, was truly in the eyes of the beholders.It’s been five years since we last saw Mark Turner, who is now twenty eight, and very, very famous. The fame’s not so much a burden to him, although he feels that the point which he tried to convey with his book ‘A Gentleman’s Practical Guide to Chastity’, has been misconstrued and taken to the heights in which he’s not so comfortable with.The society, led by the Queen, has put him on that proverbial ‘pedestal’ and everywhere he turns he can’t help but see the displays of worship towards himself. Thinking to escape the hubbub of it all, he takes a trip to his small hometown and hopes that the memories of his youth might bring him some modicum of peace.Jessica Farleigh was a courtesan, and because she is done with all of her protectors, now in a need of money and freedom from the pain of her last ‘protector’, she risks everything and approaches him with a proposition, but not for ‘services rendered’ of the usual kind. This time he would pay her for seducing one man who stands in his way of gaining a position that he desires, Sir Mark Turner.Just when you think you figured that Courtney Milan can’t get any better, there she goes AGAIN! This is her second book in Turner series, and I’ve savored, chewed and then gobbled it up! What a wonderful world she’s created with Turner brothers! Ash was a sweetheart, but Mark was an angel, even though he wouldn’t want me to call him that. Being a virgin is not what he wants to define him, but rather being just plain ‘man’ with all his flaws is what he wants everyone to see.As for Jessica, she was such a strong and yet vulnerable woman and very torn between what she knew she had to do, and what she knew in her heart was very wrong to do. Being and accepting oneself as a ‘fallen woman’ she knew that someone as pure of heart and highly respectable as Sir Mark, was unattainable, and not even to be dreamed about. Yet she found fighting her strong feelings toward him.The society can be a ‘cruel bitch’ when it comes to love between these two, but Sir Mark didn’t give a fig and he went out of his way to show the folks of this small town, as well as Jessica, that ‘fallen women’ always had a man behind them that pushed them.In the end I recommend you read this because she continues to gift us once more with a unique plot, fast pace, passionate romance and plenty of humor. This one was an eARC, but let me assure you I will be in line at my local book store as this is a keeper all the way!If you’ve never read Courtney Milan books, I’m positive that you’ll love this story and run out and track her other books. I would. However, if you’ve read all of her books, you’ll add this one to your keeper shelf. I did. Even though she’s new to many, she’s got some very good titles under her belt already like “Proof of Seduction”, “Trial by Desire”, “Unveiled”, “Unlocked” and an anthology “The Heart of Christmas”. All of them I highly recommend and by now this author is on my ‘auto buy’. I’m not surprised with Ms. Milan’s writing any more. I’m eagerly awaiting her stories that are always honest, heartwarming and heartbreaking, but always full of witty dialogue and strong characters that will literally leave you breathless.* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*