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sharonwb's review against another edition
5.0
This is my very first Courtney Milan book and wow can she write dialog! The relationship between Ash and his brothers is almost as good as with Margaret. I enjoyed the plot and was kept guessing until the very end! This narrator was excellent which always brings the book to life. Excited to read more from this author.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, Ash and Margaret are great characters (although Margaret is definitely one of the least attractive names I can think of, when I hear that name all I picture in my head is Margaret Thatcher. There are shortened versions of Margaret she could have used, or even gone with the french Marguerite anything but Margaret). I did however find it pretty slow going in places, the MCs spend a long time ignoring each other and then there's also a lot of informations about the legal bill going through lords ect.
Margaret starts out as a complete doormat for her family to trample over, Ash tries to make her value herself which I can understand what I can't understand is why he fell for her so quickly, it's pretty much love at first sight.
Also I want to know how Ash found out about the Duke's first wife, I hope it will be revealed in the next books because not knowing is really annoying.
Spoiler
I also doubt you'd have been able to count to such precision how many votes you'd have, the characters were talking about winning or loosing by one vote. I don't think the lords were obliged to attend every parliament so you wouldn't know for sure who would be there to vote one way or another until the day of the voteMargaret starts out as a complete doormat for her family to trample over, Ash tries to make her value herself which I can understand what I can't understand is why he fell for her so quickly, it's pretty much love at first sight.
Spoiler
Margaret does stand up for herself eventually but only when she realises her family has completely screwed her overAlso I want to know how Ash found out about the Duke's first wife, I hope it will be revealed in the next books because not knowing is really annoying.
sbelasco40's review against another edition
4.0
I will be the first person to tell you that I have a prejudice against romance novels - an unfair prejudice, really, because until the last month or so, I'd never actually ready any. I guess I internalized the misogynist way people (the literary community in particular) tend to view the genre, as if they are all books about women wilting into the arms of their well-muscled and strong men. And I could really deal without the number of people who have told me I should write a romance novel to make money, as if this is something I'm inherently able to do because a) I'm a woman, and b) it's obviously a super-easy thing to do.
What Courtney Milan does with UNVEILED, though, is not easy. She takes the genre conventions of the Regency romance - a dying duke! a battle for titles! the marriage market! a woman's virtue! a mysterious and wealthy interloper! - and both inverts and subverts them to tell a story about a woman who learns to value herself even when society has cast her out. Does this newfound agency derive from her relationship with a powerful man? Well, yes. And there were moments when I rolled my eyes a little at the way this relationship develops, but then again, I am viewing all this from the POV of a 21st century woman who doesn't live in a time period where women of noble birth are basically not allowed to do anything of their own volition or because of their own desires. Also: it's not uncommon for people to evolve and change because of their romantic relationships, and in this novel, both Margaret and the handsome Ash grow because of each other.
Are there many terrible romance novels? Certainly. But in the future I won't tar them all with the same brush, because it's unfair. Milan proves, quite convincingly, that romance novels can be compelling, smart, and even feminist.
What Courtney Milan does with UNVEILED, though, is not easy. She takes the genre conventions of the Regency romance - a dying duke! a battle for titles! the marriage market! a woman's virtue! a mysterious and wealthy interloper! - and both inverts and subverts them to tell a story about a woman who learns to value herself even when society has cast her out. Does this newfound agency derive from her relationship with a powerful man? Well, yes. And there were moments when I rolled my eyes a little at the way this relationship develops, but then again, I am viewing all this from the POV of a 21st century woman who doesn't live in a time period where women of noble birth are basically not allowed to do anything of their own volition or because of their own desires. Also: it's not uncommon for people to evolve and change because of their romantic relationships, and in this novel, both Margaret and the handsome Ash grow because of each other.
Are there many terrible romance novels? Certainly. But in the future I won't tar them all with the same brush, because it's unfair. Milan proves, quite convincingly, that romance novels can be compelling, smart, and even feminist.
katdid's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars/ This was fine but I'm having a hard time now even remembering how it ended? I liked Ash and Margaret and their relationship, but wow her family are awful. I'm interested in reading the other books about Ash's brothers though.
eacolgan's review against another edition
3.0
I was really hoping to like this one more than I did. It's Courtney Milan, so it's still a good book and a much better than average romance, but I think I've been spoiled by the Brothers Sinister series, as I just didn't get into this one as much. It felt like earlier writing, or writing that could have used better editing; the plot and characters just feel better developed, more polished in the other series. I'll still read the others in this one, because I liked the characters and am curious about Ash's brothers.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
2.0
After hearing all of the fuss about Unveiled I was really excited to start reading this author, what I didn't expect was that I would hate the plotline so much that it would take the sequel and 6 months for me to finish this book.
While I adored the ending of the novel, the initial set up didn't appeal to me at all and the thought of what Ash was doing to a Margaret, a woman in her position left me cold. If she hadn't been a lady in disguise it would have been harassment pure and simple.
I'm not sure why no one else seemed to have any issues with this, but it took reading Mark's sequel for me to come back and see how this was all resolved.
While I adored the ending of the novel, the initial set up didn't appeal to me at all and the thought of what Ash was doing to a Margaret, a woman in her position left me cold. If she hadn't been a lady in disguise it would have been harassment pure and simple.
I'm not sure why no one else seemed to have any issues with this, but it took reading Mark's sequel for me to come back and see how this was all resolved.
allymarciewrites's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhhhh. Not a fan of Ash. He reeks of the early romance “I stalk because I love” trope. And I didn’t buy the romance as much as I wanted to.
mindylu32's review against another edition
5.0
This book was sooo wonderful! It was touching and funny and sexy and heartwarming! I could probably go on ad nauseam about how much I loved it but I'll spare you, LOL!! Oh and gimme a man like Ash Turner any day!
miajmu's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the PCHH podcast last week and it was all about the best romance novels. They recommended a bunch and I started with this one. It's totally silly but fun. A fast and fluffy read in which the heroine is tough and stands up for herself, virginity is not the be-all end-all, and the hero is a dyslexic duke.