Unlocked [Kindle Edition]

Courtney Milan (Author)

Book Description

From New York Times bestselling author Courtney Milan...

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...

Unlocked is a novella of 28,000 words (about 111 pages).

Editorial Reviews

Review

“By far one of the best heroes this reviewer has ever read... Milan’s talent for writing multidimensional characters and vibrant settings is put to excellent use.”

 - RT Book Reviews

About the Author

Courtney Milan’s debut novel was published in 2010 to instant critical acclaim. Now a New York Times and a USA Today bestseller, her books have also received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Her second book was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010. She has been a RITA® finalist and an RT Reviewer’s Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance.

Courtney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a medium-sized dog, and an attack cat. Before she started writing historical romance, she experimented with various occupations: computer programming, dog-training, scientificating... Having given up on being able to do any of those things, she’s taken to heart the axiom that those who can’t do, teach. When she’s not reading (lots), writing (lots), or sleeping (not enough), she can be found in the vicinity of a classroom.

Product Details

• File Size: 280 KB
• Print Length: 181 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1477584722
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Courtney Milan (May 26, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0052YFNFQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,942 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #52 in Books > Romance > Anthologies
  • #52 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Collections & Anthologies

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 166 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an anthem for any girl who ever was picked on, belittled or teased. May 28, 2011

By Jane Litte VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

Lady Elaine Warren entered her first season, flush with excitement and brimming with vitality. Evan Carlton, the young Earl of Westfield, was drawn to this vitality. Yearned to feel it. But because he was callous and immature, the popular Evan Carlton began to poke at Elaine, making fun of her at nearly every party until she became the butt of every joke in the season, until the vitality of Lady Elaine's spirit was damped out.

Evan, recognizing his wrongdoing but afraid of his consequences and unsure of how to react, flees England and doesn't return for 10 years. Upon his re-entrance into society, Evan is a changed man but society has not changed with him. Instead, it is the same people, with the same prejudices, making the same jokes that he had started 10 years ago, including the one about Lady Elaine. Unmarried and a wallflower, Lady Elaine looks at Evan Carlton defiantly refusing to allow him to diminish her one iota. She has spent the last 10 years trying to survive society and protecting her mother, a brilliant thinker in a time when brilliance in women is deemed nothing short of madness.

Evan's feelings of longing toward Lady Elaine haven't changed and he attempts to set right the wrongs he did to Lady Elaine. The more time he spends with her, the more he attempts to make reparations, the deeper in love he falls even knowing that he does not deserve Lady Elaine's affections and that he may never win her heart.

This story is like an anthem for every girl who has ever been mocked, criticized or made fun of. Lady Elaine's pain, her courage, and her ultimate triumph is painful and poignant. And Evan is just as sympathetic even though he was the instigator of a deep wrong against Elaine. There is so much emotion that pours out of this novella that I felt like my throat was tight the entire time. It is a magnificently constructed story that gives a real romance within a confined space of about 100 pages but I never felt like I was shorted in any way. I've had problems connecting with Milan's characters in the past, but this story resonated with me. I know I will be re-reading this story regularly.

119 of 135 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Does a 19-year-old guy need 10 years to grow up? May 30, 2011

By Old Latin teacher TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

To begin with, I must say I really appreciate Courtney Milan's writing ability and have enjoyed her previous novels very much. For some reason, this novella is not my favorite work of hers and it's probably because of those 10 years of suffering of the heroine here.

10 years is a decade. 10 years is one tenth of a century. 10 years is the time it takes for a newborn to grow enough to enter 5th Grade at school. And it shouldn't take 10 years for hero Evan to face up to his big mistake. Evan's cousin Diana, his partner-in-crime in the belittling of heroine Elaine, spends these 10 years marrying and producing babies and still continues to mock Elaine, no mellowing with motherhood for Diana here. And our heroine, Elaine: What can I say? She spends these 10 years allowing herself and her mother to be mocked and belittled. She might as well have posted a KICK ME sign on her back.

Go back these 10 years and we have 19-year-old Evan liking Elaine but she doesn't pay much attention to him, so he does the equivalent of pulling her pigtails and calling her carrot-top. (No, she doesn't have orange hair. That's just for saying something.) All his friends and dear cousin Diana take up the clarion call and mock Elaine too. Ashamed of what he is doing to poor Elaine, Evan runs off to climb mountains in Europe for 10 years. His friends and Diana stay behind and continue to make Elaine's life a living hell for those 10 years. Elaine rolls over and plays doormat for 10 years.

Then Evan returns, ten years later. He's ashamed and wants to make amends. He apologizes and starts to defend Elaine and her mother against the mockery of the ton. All of a sudden Elaine loves him. Oh, please. How???? For me, Milan needed to expand more on the relationship of H and h from the time of his return up to the time of their declarations of love for each other. I couldn't quite feel the reason for the love. All of a sudden it's just there. I realize that part of the problem is the short novella length, but some of the many pages spent on the H/h love scene could have been pages better spent, IMO, in showing me how they got to that stage in their relationship.

The idea of this novella is good. Milan writes very nicely. If that 10-year period had been 2, or maybe even 3, I would have liked this story so much more. (Did I by any chance overmention anything about 10 years in this review?)

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlocked May 30, 2011

By A. Schreiner TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

Do you remember when you were young and a kid would pick on you or tease you and your parents would say - oh, that's just because deep down, he or she really likes you? This is Lady Elaine's life - except she has to endure it as an adult, in the eyes of the ton. Elaine has quite a laugh - some say it sounds like a horse with a pig's snort and they have nicknamed her Lady Equine. Evan Carlton, the Earl of Westfield pretty much knew he was in love with Elaine the first time he met her. But he was immature, and didn't want anyone to know he was in love, so he made fun of her. He teased her and he made her feel small, and embarrassed. After awhile, his entire group of friends would turn and say hurtful things to Elaine, Evan felt bad. Really bad. He fled England to travel abroad. He became a mountaineer and learned the true value of friendship.

Ten years later, he is back in England, and at a house party, in the presence of Elaine. Now he wants to make amends, but he has much ground to cover. A mere apology is not going to make all those hurtful years go away. The teasing is actually still occurring from many in the ton, and Evan can't believe he was ever a part of it. So he decides to become friends with her. And it is a wonderful journey to read.

Unlocked is a novella by Courtney Milan that is an amazing read. It affected me so much, I just want to read it over and over again. Elaine immediately cringes inward when she sees Evan at the party. She lives her life always planning how to stay out of everyone's way. Wearing pale, muted dresses or she takes notice in the décor so it doesn't look like she wants to dance. But once the teasing starts, she uses laugher as her defense.

I also find it very intriguing that her mother is a social outcast. Extremely intelligent in mathematics and science, she is slow in other parts of her life. She doesn't get sarcasm. She thinks if people are laughing they are happy, not laughing at her. So not only is Elaine the butt of jokes, but her mother even more so. And Elaine gets embarrassed for her mother. And her mother is not there to understand the insults both of them receive. It is this constant circle that exhausts Elaine to no end.

For as much pain as Evan has caused, there is still attraction. But when Evan starts to make amends, the trust is so slow to build. Elaine wants to be embraced, but in the back of her mind, she thinks he is just setting her up for ridicule in the next few minutes. I love how hard he has to work to get to a place where a romance can develop. This is a pretty short story and about halfway through we jump ahead nine months - which makes their basis for a friendship and eventual romance very believable.

Unlocked show us such exquisite pain from both the hero and the heroine. It is a really beautiful story of acceptance, forgiveness and of course, love.

More About the Author

Courtney Milan's debut novel was published in 2010. Since then, she's been a New York Times and a USA Today bestseller, and her books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist. She's been a RITA finalist and an RT Reviewer's Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance. Her second book was chosen as a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2010.

Courtney lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, a medium-sized dog, and an attack cat. Before she started writing historical romance, she experimented with various occupations: computer programming, dog-training, scientificating.... But her favorite job is the one she's now doing full time--writing romance.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

(What's this?)

#28 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#30 in Books > Romance > Historical

#28 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#30 in Books > Romance > Historical