He was her bitterest enemy….
sh Turner has waited a lifetime to seek revenge on
the man who ruined his family, and now
the time for justice has arrived. At Parford Manor, he intends to take his place as the rightful
heir to the dukedom, and settle an old score with the current duke once and for all. But when he
arrives, he finds himself drawn to a tempting beauty who has the power to undo all his dreams of
vengeance.…
And her dearest love
ady Margaret knows she should despise the man
who’s stolen her fortune and her father’s
legacy—the man she’s been ordered to spy on in the guise of a nurse. Yet the more she
learns about the new duke, the less she can resist his smoldering appeal. Soon Margaret and Ash
find themselves torn between old loyalties—and the tantalizing promise of passion….
Awards
- Australian Romance Readers Association, Finalist, Favourite Historical Romance
- An Amazon Best Book of 2011
- A 2012 RITA® finalist in Best Historical Romance
- A DABWAHA participant, which is basically an opportunity to embarrass myself.
Praise for unveiled
“Quietly compelling and emotionally complex… Unveiled is brilliant.”
—Booklist
“Milan hits her stride in a dark, emotionally intense romance that lures readers in… Here is a book not easily forgotten.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ star review, TOP Pick!
“This book is so good I wanted to put it in my mouth and eat it.”
—Sarah Wendell at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Unveiled is without a doubt my favorite of Ms. Milan’s books thus far and an all-time romance genre favorite that has earned a permanent spot on my keeper shelf.”
—The Season for Romance
“This book is on my favorite list for 2011 and will proudly sit upon my favorite shelf… an absolutely beautiful book.”
—Smexy Books
“She not only pushes the boundaries we readers are so familiar and comfortable with, she crosses them and sails into completely new territory, redefining what I now need in my romances for a truly great story. Courtney Milan keeps getting better and better with each book she writes.”
—Valarie Pelissero at Rakehell.com
“This is probably a book with flaws. I have no idea what they are. If you show me, I’ll dispute them. This is Courtney Milan’s best book.”
—Meoskop at It’s my Genre
“A more perfect balance of complexity, poignancy and humility is rarely found as a background for a romance novel, but Unveiled succeeds on all counts.”
—Reader to Reader Reviews
“Deliciously sensual, UNVEILED is an unforgettable historical romance that I found nearly impossible to put down… This book has an intriguing plot, charismatic characters, snappy, believable repartee, sizzling love scenes and plenty of love, making it a definite keeper.”
—Romance Junkies
“This story had everything a romance novel should have. All the characters were very vivid, extremely well-developed.… I want to let you know that you just CAN NOT pass this read.”
—Bookworm 2 Bookworm
“This is the first novel by Courtney Milan that I've had the pleasure of reading, and it won't be the last. In Unveiled, she weaves a tale that is layered and intriguing. This is definitely worth a read! ”
—The Enchanted Book
“This book is a wonderful historical romance…about two people finding love when they weren't expecting it and I enjoyed every minute of reading this one.”
—Book Binge
“Unveiled is a beautifully constructed story… There are no easy answers, and because I loved the characters so much, it made for a powerful reading experience.”
—Dirty Sexy Books
“UNVEILED is a historical romance full of brilliantly crafted dialogue and explosively sensual and provocative character chemistry.”
—Fresh Fiction
“What can I say but I loved this story… This is another delightful story from Ms Milan.”
—Eye on Romance
“Unveiled is one of those rare books where the human heart is revealed in all its complexity and the relationship between the hero and heroine develops in a believable, completely satisfying way.”
—Romance Novel News
“A beautiful story about compassion, forgiveness and, under the most difficult of circumstances, finding that one person who loves you for everything you are and everything you are not. ”
—Blithely Bookish
All of my books get code names as I write them. The code-name I used for Unveiled was Bigamy, for one very simple reason: Margaret’s father was a bigamist, and the story starts when Ash uncovers that bigamy—and thus renders Margaret a bastard, destroying her life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s this about bastards not being able to inherit, even
if they’re legitimized?
Bastards legitimized through canon law can’t inherit. It’s
different if you’re seeking legitimization through Act of
Parliament. Remember that Parliament has done a lot of things in English history, like changing the
country’s religion a few times. If it wanted to, it could declare an heir legitimate.
But would Parliament want to?
Read the book and you’ll find out! I will say that neither of our
point-of-view characters, Margaret and Ash, are particularly legally sophisticated. But there is a reason why
Ash is spending the summer before Parliament votes on a country estate, arguing with his brother, while Richard
Dalrymple is off working for votes.
Will we see Mark’s brothers again?
Yes. Mark is the hero of Unclaimed, out in
October of 2011. Smite’s book, Unraveled, was out in December of 2011.
What are Smite and Mark’s full names?
You’ll have to read their books to find out!
What happened to Mark and Smite when Ash was in India?
You’ll have to read their books to find out.
How did Ash make his fortune in India?
The details ended up getting deleted from the book—there was already
so much backstory to fit in, I couldn’t make it work. The short answer, though, is that Ash, who went
over at first to work as hired muscle for another Englishman, worked very hard to learn the local languages. He
saved his salary and began to make small side deals on his own. He got a reputation fairly quickly as being
someone who was fair, and who didn’t dismiss the people who were there as savages, and this gave him
a competitive advantage in trade.
What happened to Laurette?
He released her into the wild, where she lived a long and happy life. She
still misses Ash, though. I imagine if Ash ever went back to India and found her, their reunion would look like this.