Courtney Milan

This cute little story actually has some meat and potatoes to it! It's also quintessentially Milan: there's a quirky lead paired with a 'straight man', and the two fall in love but only after the hero decides to remake himself before the heroine swoops in to rescue him.

As brief as the story is, it's pretty sweet. The two leads have obvious chemistry, aided by the fact that they're both fully fleshed out characters. Ginny grew up dirt poor until she ran away to her aunt for a semblance of normal life, but the trauma of her past still haunts her to this day, hence why she refuses to marry without some kind of financial security. I honestly loved this. While I am a romantic at heart and believe true love conquers all, I also live in an era where I can work and have my own money. Ginny didn't have that luxury, and so her only path to security was to marry as wealthy as she can, which she does initially, and to a man who wasn't a monster even if they didn't love each other. Good for her.

Meanwhile, Simon came from wealth but has always been a bully and a dreamer. When he discovers he can't have Ginny, he dreams and bullies his way to a prosperous existence, only to have that existence be in financial jeopardy. Still, he has enough that he plans to trick Ginny into marrying him before he loses it all. Ask for forgiveness and not for permission. That's his strategy. Unfortunately, I don't feel like he's really given time to atone for his mistakes and misdirection. He kind of just says he'll do better, and the next thing you know, he's with Ginny. It's not the end of the world. Really, the most unbelievable part is Ginny's final act Ginny spends all of her savings buying up stock to Simon's company so that he doesn't become destitute, which is a HUGE gesture to make for someone you haven't talked to in 7 years and who really is a big bully .

All in all, the story's cute. It's not particularly memorable, but it was cute and sweet and fun while it lasted. However, I don't think I'll be coming back to this one, but that's my personal preference.… (mais)

This book was really a 3.5 for me, but the reason I lowered it to a rating of 3 is because of one crucial question: would I read this again? Sadly, I will not. There's nothing that stands out as being "wrong" with this book. A cast of fascinating characters comes together to achieve a goal of setting the first transpacific telegraphic cable. The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, but it picked up around the sixth chapter, which is when I started to enjoy myself more. The conflicts were reasonable, and the plot kept me engaged. Overall, I would say this book just suffered from a case of it didn't know what it wanted to be. Is it a romance? Is it historical fiction? Is it science fiction? It's a little bit of everything which means it's a whole lot of nothing.

As I mentioned, the first few chapters are bland because our hero Grayson is trying to convince the brilliant widow Amelia Smith to flee her second proposal of marriage to a missionary with the same awful name (sorry to everyone named 'Alden' out there) and build a morse code for Chinese for him. Readers are hit over the head with how ruthless Grayson is in getting what he wants, but I was honestly tired of reading about Amelia waffling for several chapters about what she should do. For her part, Amelia is a Chinese woman taken in by English missionaries. She is constantly referred to as barbaric and forbidden to learn anything about her culture, even though she desperately wants to know who her birth mother was. At the same time, she's quirky and brilliant and very much suffers from the romance novel trope of "brilliant woman who can't make small talk to save her life" (my least favorite trope of all).

I really enjoyed reading about Amelia's journey to finding her mother as well as her learning to accept and balance the two cultures she knows. She really grows into her own and becomes such an inspiring character. However, that isn't supposed to be the focus of this book. It's supposed to be the romance. As a result, Amelia's reunion with her family felt very abrupt and her new family felt more like an afterthought than the denouement to a very climactic moment.

Similarly, Grayson is suffering from a very severe case of survivor's guilt. Three of his brothers died in the American Civil War. It's a lot of trauma and pain for both him and his surviving family members, and so he hopes that completing this transpacific cable - a project he and his brothers dreamed up - will heal their hurts. It doesn't, but what resolution we do get for Grayson is also quickly wrapped up. I mean, there is a whole chapter on it, but it doesn't feel resolved. Does he spend more time with his family now? With this new telegraphic communication, does he plan on communicating with them more frequently? It's not said. He and his parents have a good cry, and that's about it. Not saying a good cry can't be therapeutic. It just doesn't feel like that should be the only solution to Grayson's problems. In my opinion, he should make more of an effort to consistently stay in contact with his family, but there's very little promise of that.

I also felt the writing was rather stilted, especially in the beginning. Milan is repeatedly trying to make symbolism a thing, but she goes about it in such a bizarre manner. The obsession with megalodons in this book was ridiculous. They're supposed to represent these quirky desires the leads have that threaten to upset the status quo of their lives. Unfortunately, it was distracting and awkwardly inserted. Milan does this a lot in her books. Whether it's dinosaurs or stinky cheese or turnips, there's some goofy element she has to insert that is supposed to represent some lofty concept, but it just takes away from the momentum of the story, if you ask me.

Overall, while I enjoyed bits of this story, as a whole, it didn't feel cohesive to me. This is also because Grayson and Amelia spend very little time physically in the same space. I think they're a cute couple, but I would not classify this story as 'their romance'. It's more a tale about their redemptions, and they just so happen to fall in love. The novel would still be a complete novel if the romance didn't take place at all. By definition, that means it's not a romance. Don't get me wrong: there's plenty to like about this book. Just know that it's not swoonworthy or romantic in the slightest. It's a thought-provoking and emotional read, if a bit discombobulating, but it is not a romance. However, since it's still trying to be a romance, the other elements suffer because they're not as fully developed as they could be, and it's a real shame.… (mais)

If you read this novella, then you're a Milan fan (because I assume anyone reading the digital in-between stories are), and if you're a Milan fan, then you know she has a type. A lot of her heroes (and if not her heroes, then her heroines) are the goofy, offbeat, eccentric types. Usually, one half of the couple has some weird habits and can't stop talking and can't be serious to save their lives. In this novella, that mantle falls squarely on Officer Henry's shoulders. Henry literally cannot stop talking and John manages to fall in love with him anyway. That is true love right here, folks.

In all seriousness, the couple of John and Henry really are quite cute. John is stoic and single-minded, but it's because he was molded that way. A former slave with his family on the threat of being ousted from their village, he is used to keeping his head down and plodding along so that he doesn't make trouble. He's a sympathetic character who still rings true, even today 200 years after the Revolutionary War. Meanwhile, Henry is the second son of a wealthy, British aristocrat who is used to having everything handed to him except his father's love. He considers himself a screw-up, but he's honestly so adorable at it that most folks don't mind, least of all John.

Their banter (when John actually talks) is interesting, and their discussions about freedom are important and insightful. This story reveals a side of history that is rarely talked about and that should be shared more, such as the facts that there were slave-holders as far north as Rhode Island and that the phrase "all men are created equal" was written and upheld by more slave-holders. This story of a white British officer and black former slave is quite meaningful.

So, why did I only give it three stars? Because of the cheese. I'm so sick of the cheese. I get the cheese was supposed to break up all the serious talk about race and freedom and equality, but goodness gracious. I'm so sick of the cheese. Also, the climax was very boring. There's like a flash of danger, and then it's over in an instant. Not a lot of drama in this story, sad to say.

Still, I'd recommend this story for fans of Milan. I won't revisit this novella because it didn't do much for me personally, but it's still fun with a hint of danger in some parts and a bunch of silliness that some folks will undoubtedly enjoy.… (mais)

When I first picked up Unveiled, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Disguises, an unexpected ascendancy to a dukedom, star-crossed lovers... there's a certain cadence to these things. However, with Milan, every new chapter brought a surprise. That was the joy of her book: never knowing what was going to happen next.

Other things I loved were the symbolism, the pacing, the characterizations of the Dalrymple family. Margaret was fascinating and watching her growth from a spoiled princess to a depressed and discarded bastard to a loving and selfless woman was very rewarding. Her family also avoided being stereotypical. They alternated between loving and mercenary while maintaining their individuality. Even though I didn't like them, I felt bad for them, and that's infinitely more important.

The one thing I didn't care for was the hero. I know I know. How can I dislike someone as selfless and rich and handsome as Ash who clearly worships the ground Margaret walks on? The reason is simple: he didn't feel human. No matter what Margaret did or said, he was never mad at her. He always did as she asked, what everyone asked, and while he did have his faults, they were framed in a way that he felt he wasn't perfect enough. So he had to keep doing things to be accepted, especially with his brothers. Ash's relationship with his brothers often over-shadowed the love story, and it just didn't feel romantic.

If you're looking for a unique romance with great characters, I highly recommend this. It's well worth a read, despite my reservations.… (mais)