From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

Unlocked (Turner, #1.5)

Courtney Milan

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

May 29, 2011 Juliana Philippa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hr-hero-aristocrat-lord-titled, ebook-digital-copy, romance-novella-or-novella-ish, 0-own-as-an-ebook, hr-hero-popular-social-outgoing, 2011-jun-reads, hr-so-quote-worthy, novella, romance-series, 0-own-as-kindle-ebook

[4.25 stars After writing the review below, I decided to change my mind again and am increasing the rating from 4 to 4.5. Upon third reading, changed rating to 4.25 stars]

Read this in 2011 and gave it 3.5 stars, but after reading Book 1 in this series, Unveiled , I decided to try it again, especially since I couldn't remember any of it. Am so glad I did, because I enjoyed it much more this time around. Loved the main characters, had great secondary ones, numerous sigh- and quote-worthy portio [4.25 stars After writing the review below, I decided to change my mind again and am increasing the rating from 4 to 4.5. Upon third reading, changed rating to 4.25 stars]

Read this in 2011 and gave it 3.5 stars, but after reading Book 1 in this series, Unveiled , I decided to try it again, especially since I couldn't remember any of it. Am so glad I did, because I enjoyed it much more this time around. Loved the main characters, had great secondary ones, numerous sigh- and quote-worthy portions, and was really surprisingly tender and emotional. The hero really did socially torture the heroine, and you feel her pain and her strength, very vividly. You also feel his sorrow and guilt, and how much he wants to try and make up for what he did.

I would probably give it 4.5 or maybe even 5 stars if it wasn't for one super little thing, but that really made me feel like we were missing out. We start the book at a country house party in July 1840, where Evan Carlton, Earl of Westfield, has come back after 10 years away from England, and essentially tries to make up for the way he made Lady Elaine Warren's life miserable 10 years ago. All lovely, won't go into details, but then about halfway through we skip to 9 months down the line where they've basically formed a type of friendship, and I really, REALLY wish we had been given snapshots of how that occurred.

It's very believable, so it didn't take away from the authenticity of their connection, but it did make me feel like there was this big chunk missing, like someone had come and deleted the whole mid-section of the book. Yes it's a novella, but it's already such a short novella that a few interactions over the course of those 9 months could definitely still have been included. It's so fun to watch Evan and Elaine together; I wanted more!

Bottom Line. Definitely read, and although yes, it is part of a series, it definitely does not have to be read in order. Elaine and one of the other characters make brief appearances in Unveiled, but that's it.

Quote. So many great ones, so I had to choose a few:

There was a savagery to his smile, and a darkness in his eyes when he watched her. He was in love with her. And it hurt him.
—
He was nothing but a deep abyss of want, and only she could fill him. He didn't want to turn at the sound of her voice. If he simply stared into the hydrangea for long enough ... then he would be a coward. He turned to face the woman who could bring him to his knees.
—
"I'll be you friend in daylight. I'll treat you as a comrade in every gas-lit ballroom. But alone, under moonlight, I'll not pretend that I want you for anything but mine."

...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2011 Kimberly marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebooks

May 05, 2012 Nadine in NY Jones marked it as to-read

Shelves: 4-aoc-to-read, romance, 123-read-next, second-chance-romance

Aug 24, 2017 Yani rated it it was ok

Dec 17, 2021 Shabz rated it really liked it

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls