Unveiled (Zebra Historical Romance) [Paperback]

Kristina Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: Zebra Historical Romance | Publication Date: May 3, 2005

Determinedly unwed, Jane Rosemoor has turned away countless suitors because she is secretly fearful of the mysterious malady that afflicts the married women of her family. But when she crosses paths with the sinfully handsome - and insufferably arrogant - Earl of Westfield, she is rendered delirious by his kiss...and outraged by his proposal. His young ward requires a woman's influence and he himself needs an heir. It is an offer so unabashedly rude, yet so unaccountably tempting, that her only choice is to turn it down flat before the earl can seduce her into changing her mind...Hayden is stunned by Jane's refusal - after all, he's offered to rescue her from spinsterhood and make her a countess. He doesn't want romance: hard experience has taught him that love is the surest path to misery. Yet despite his best efforts, he is falling hopelessly for Jane, a situation that proves increasingly awkward - especially after one scorching encounter that neither can forget. Confronted with passion impossible to ignore, will two stubborn souls close the door on love - or unveil their hearts?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Happily, the promise so evident in Cook's debut, Unlaced [BKL N 1 04], is fulfilled. Jane Rosemoor has a very good reason for not marrying: an unspoken malady afflicts many of the women in her family after childbirth, even driving an aunt to her death. Wanting to find out more about it, she goes to stay with her cousin, Emily, who is nearing the birth of her first child and who lives in proximity to their grandmother, who suffers from the ailment. The neighboring estate is home to Hayden, Earl of Westfield, and his young ward, Madeline. Hayden needs a wife, both to have an heir and to have a woman to take charge of Madeline. However, he doesn't want to fall in love again because everyone he has ever loved has died. The dynamic between a loving woman who doesn't want to marry and a passionate hero who doesn't want to love is mesmerizing as once again Cook provides thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (May 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821777793
• ISBN-13: 978-0821777794
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,859,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a child, Kristina Cook took her nose out of a book only long enough to take a ballet class (or five) each week. Not much has changed since then, except she's added motherhood to the mix and now enjoys penning her own novels as much as reading everybody else's. Before turning her hand to historical romance, Kristina did graduate work at Columbia University and wrote grant proposals for some of New York City's top cultural institutions. After the birth of her second child, she decided to finally write that novel she'd always wanted to write. The rest, as they say, is history. Kristina lives in New York City with her husband, two daughters, a dog that's often mistaken for a pony, and one very vocal cat. Her debut novel, UNLACED, was published by Zebra books in 2004, followed by UNVEILED in 2005 and UNDRESSED in 2006. TO LOVE A SCOUNDREL will follow in June 2007.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure enjoyment!, May 31, 2005

By 

CaiS (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiled (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

Jane Rosemoor, a beautiful young woman of five and twenty years, has received many offers of marriage since her come-out. Jane has turned every one of them down - giving various reasons, but never relenting of her decision to remain unwed. Jane believes that a strange melancholy that affects women in her family will affect her as soon as she weds and begins to bear children. This melancholy has led to madness in some members of her family and she refuses to take any chances with her own sanity. Jane is firm in her commitment to remain unwed...until she meets Hayden, Earl of Westfield.

Hayden Moreland, Earl of Westfield, has determined to marry without falling in love. He believes he is cursed, having already suffered great losses in his life. He needs a wife, an heir, and guidance for the niece he has adopted. Believing that he offers Jane what no other man could, he delivers a poor excuse for a proposal - then is shocked when he is turned down.
Despite their private vows - one never to marry, the other never to love - these two strong, willful people are destined to be together.

Kristina Cook weaves a skillful story and will have you secretly cheering Hayden in his pursuit of Jane even while you applaud Jane's no-nonsense approach to spinsterhood. Unveiled is a winner!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Total Entertainment - Sexy and Amusing, May 3, 2005

By 

M. Rondeau (West Springfield, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unveiled (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

Setting - Derbyshire, England 1824 -- Miss Jane Rosemoor, at the age of five and twenty was a beautiful young woman who'd received countless offers of marriage during her many seasons in London - and she'd turned them all down! She was secretly afraid that a mysterious malady of madness and melancholy that afflicted several of the female members of her family would ultimately be her fate should she marry and bear children. She was relatively content with her decision to remain a spinster up until the moment she met the outrageously arrogant and sinfully handsome Earl of Westfield

Hayden Moreland, Earl of Westfield having lost so many people that he loved in his life had come to believe that he was cursed. Believing that if he loved, he would curse that person and they would be taken from him, he refused to allow himself to get romantically involved -- thinking as to suffer another loss would be too much to bear. He doesn't want romance, but he does need an heir and his young niece and ward needs a woman's guidance. Thinking that Jane, as a twenty-five year old spinster, would be honored (and grateful) to accept what he was offering he proposed a `badly worded' and `insulting' proposal of marriage and was shocked that she turned him down flat!

In spite of Hayden's denial of engaging his heart, and Jane's secret fear of eventual madness, the two had were bound to come to terms with an overwhelming passion and a love neither could deny.

*** I loved this totally charming tale with it's lively scripted smart and sassy dialogs between the protagonists. With vivid and amusing scenarios the pace was quick and the pages flew in this very lively romance. Both protagonists were very well developed and displayed a great deal of strength and character. Having had the pleasure of reading the authors debut novel UNLACED, this certainly proves that she is an author to watch showing a truly wonderful talent with her sexy and delectable writing style. --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, just nothing special, May 10, 2007

By 

Raithe (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiled (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

In Kristina Cook's UNVEILED, demons haunt both our hero and heroine, which is a slight deviation from the heroine-helps-hero-overcome-his-inner-demons-and-his-past storyline. Although there's that here too.

The book is more about the message than the plotting to get there; the message being: you must take a risk and overcome your fears to be truly happy.

The beautiful Jane Rosemoor, 25-26, has rejected many offers of marriage because she believes that having children will make her go insane due to a mental illness which runs in the family. Meanwhile, our tall, dark and handsome (not to mention rich) Lord Hayden Moreland, Earl of Westfield, believes he's a curse to the women he loves in his life, having lost his mother, his sister and his fiance. Still, he seeks a wife for a motherly presence for his young niece.

After an initial meeting, Hayden is intrigued by Jane, while Jane finds Hayden a "bloody arrogant fool." Following Hayden's rather insulting marriage proposal more driven by calculation than by heart, the book meanders into a series of encounters between the leading pair under the context of parties, soires, balls, and theater events.

The ending lives up to the romance genre satisfactorily. Nothing especially extraordinary here, but not bad either.