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…
Praise for unlocked
“An anthem for every girl who has ever been mocked, criticized or made fun of.”
—Jane at Dear Author
“Courtney Milan rocks the novella format. HARD. This story is emotional, wrenching, beautiful, touching, and incredibly rich.”
—Sarah at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Brilliant! This novella about forgiveness will put readers’ hearts through the wringer…Milan’s talent for writing multidimensional characters and vibrant settings is put to excellent use in this story that will surprise and delight.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4½ star, TOP Pick!
“I just want to read it over and over again.… A really beautiful story of acceptance, forgiveness and of course, love.”
—Mandi at Smexy Books
“Unlocked is a fast read and a compelling one…. Lady Elaine is a hauntingly relatable heroine. Any woman who has ever been bullied and teased can step right into her skin.”
—Mala at Perfect Romance
“I’m ready for the next book!”
—Michelle R at Red Adept Reviews
Awards
- All About Romance’s Best Romance Short Story of 2011
- Four weeks on the New York Times ebook list, reaching #6, and two weeks on the combined ebook/print list.
- Three weeks on the USA Today list, reaching #36.
- Red Adept Reviews Indie Award Winner in Romance
All of my books get code names as I write them. The code-name I used for Unlocked was…Unlocked. I know. Imaginative. But I had been thinking of it as Unlocked ever since I decided to write a novella about Lady Elaine Warren. Usually I know what the book is going to be about before I ever even start thinking about a title, but here I knew the title first.
In fact, my original impulse was to pair Lady Elaine Warren (barely appearing in Unveiled) with Lord Rawlings (also barely appearing in Unveiled)—there, it seemed as if Lord Rawlings had a bit of an unrequited crush on Elaine, and Elaine was a little bit snobbish in response. I tried to write that book and it didn’t make a good story. I then thought about the people who teased Elaine in the first place, and my first reaction was…I can’t make that work. So I did.