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She cannot forget the fire he ignited…
n the three years since her husband
left her, Lady Kathleen Carhart has managed to forge a fulfilling life for herself.
But when Ned Carhart unexpectedly returns, she finds her tranquility uprooted—and
her deepest secrets threatened. Though she has no intention of falling for Ned’s
charms, Kate can no longer deny the desire that still burns in her heart.
Or the promise of his love…
ed is determined to regain his wife’s
trust by using unbridled seduction. But just as Kate surrenders to Ned’s passion, her carefully
guarded past threatens to destroy her. Now Kate must place her faith in the only
man she’s ever loved, and the only one who has ever betrayed her…
- A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010.
- Readers’ Crown Finalist, Best Long Historical
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“Milan deftly incorporates realistic historical grit in her coverage of the Opium Wars, social candor in her treatment of domestic violence, and stunning emotional depth in the mesmerizing plot, and the result is an exquisitely sensual and unforgettable romance by one of the genre’s incandescent new stars.”
—Booklist, starred review (login needed)
“This complex and emotionally wrought romance…demonstrates how with trust as well as love our protagonists will come home to each other.”
“Deeply emotional love stories, which are romantic yet brimming over with sexual tension and marvelous characters… filled with enough wit and wisdom to make it a ‘keeper.’”
—RT Book Reviews, 4½ star review, TOP Pick!
“This tender, thoughtful romance is a deep examination of what responsibility and trust really mean in a partnership when desire is a complication rather than the raison d’être.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This book is a thoughtful, character driven romance with rich language. Like I said, this book is about what it means to be a hero and the answer is not brawn but brains.”
—Dear Author, ‘A’ grade review
“Courtney Milan’s writing is beautiful. The characters have depth&hellip And the ending left me smiling from ear to ear. I can’t recommend enough this book. It’s a superb love story.”
—Book Lovers, Inc., 5 books review
“Kate and Ned were simply made for one another. Their romance is compelling and both have so much emotional depth. Trial is definitely a keeper for me, and a book that I will re-read for many moons to come.”
—The Book Pushers, A review
“Milan’s writing is almost flawless and masterful as she heightens the tension between Ned and Kate by the secrets they hold from one another—Kate with her hidden friend and Ned with why he left.”
“Trial By Desire is an absolutely beautiful book… Courtney Milan…is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.”
—Mandi at Smexy Books
“Well-written, fast-paced and full of lovely word-pictures of the lush life of the Haute Ton, Trial by Desire is a keeper.”
—Donna at The Season for Romance
“Courtney has written a beautiful story with Trial by Desire… A breathtaking romance with a very special couple who both deserve a life full of happiness and joy.”
—Katiebabs at Babbling About Books and More
“I thoroughly enjoyed the fascinating plot devised by Courtney Milan. Kate and Ned are loving and vivacious characters… The pages flew past and ended far too quickly.”
“Trial by Desire will capture your heart from the very first pages and will stay with you long after the last page is read.”
All of my books get code names while I am writing them. Trial by Desire was code-named Dragon Slayer from the very beginning. Originally, it was because the book was about slaying a particular dragon. But, as it turns out, the name became rather tongue-in-cheek, as the book went on:
“In the stories,” he said, his voice a dark rasp against her skin, “in the stories, the heroine always slays the dragon and lops off his head. The villagers rejoice and build a bonfire, and darkness never again falls on the land.”
She could feel his hands at her side, warm and powerful against the heat of her skin.
“But those,” Ned continued, “are only fairy stories. In reality...”
He smiled at her in the mirror, a lopsided smile. There was something faintly wicked about that expression, as if he were about to impart to her a great secret, one that had been closely-guarded by a centuries-old society. She swayed unwittingly against him.
“In reality,” he whispered, “the dragons never die, and the big sword-wielding buffoons in unwieldy armor cannot slay them. Real heroes tame their dragons.”
Ned leaves on the
ship Peerless. Which ship Peerless do you mean? And, by the way, what is chicken?
That’s a silly
question. Ned was’t going to Bombay.
Why do some
reviews mention characters called Laura and Viscount Beeton, when no such characters appear in the book?
Some advanced reader
copies were made with an early version of the book, but I felt that aspects of that draft didn't work as well as I would have liked, and so I changed that in
revisions.
This book
is called Trial by Desire. Which definition of Trial do you mean?
Using the
Merriam-Webster definition here: 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4a, 5—pretty much all of them except 4b.
What is
Ned’s deal?
Ned
has a mild case of manic-depression.
Wait!
Isn’t that a huge spoiler?
Not really.
It’s never disclosed in the book, for one; it can’t be, as back then nobody would even have been able to diagnose it.
The symptoms are divulged fairly early on in both Proof by Seduction and Trial by Desire.
Why on
earth did you want to write a book featuring depression?
Because when I
first had the idea I had no notion of how hard it was going to be. By the time I knew how hard it was going to be, it was too
late to turn back.
