Unclaimed by Courtney Milan

 November 3, 2011

A plethora of words!
http://www.courtneymilan.com

Why a plethora of words you ask?  We are talking about a book here aren’t we?  Words are in books for Pete sake!  Every one knows that!  Well, let me tell you, there are words and then there are words.  And, in Unclaimed by Courtney Milan they are in the hands of a master wordsmith.  Courtney Milan is a phenomenal writer.  When I read one of her books, I am always amazed by the way she makes her words flow together.  She does not make for a lazy read.  No skipping passages with Ms. Milan - you might miss something.  Lovely writing.

Did I love this book? Yes!  Would I recommend this book? You betcha!  Is it perfect?  Are you being silly?  There are some bumps in the road, at least for me there were.  Let's explore some of the ups and downs in this tale, shall we?

The up side.  And, let me tell you there was plenty of up.  Unclaimed is a strong character driven book.  Mark (hero) and Jessica (heroine) are well-developed people with plenty of angst in their backgrounds.  They both carry a pretty heavy load and I needed a drink after I was finished reading this story.  Anyway, Jessica is a courtesan - a real courtesan.  She's had some pretty hard knocks in her fall from the infamous Romanceland Vicar Daughterville.  And, this fall shaped the image she has of herself.  When we first encounter her, we are introduced to a very desperate woman.  She's needs money and she needs it now!  As luck would have it, her evil ex-protector offers her some money if she can seduce the virgin-writer-turned-star, Sir Mark. 

Enter the t-o-o good to be true, super-duper, wiser than wise, Sir Mark.  You remember the amazing Turner brothers, don't you?  Able to leap tall buildings, etc. etc.  Sir Mark has written a book on male chastity and has acquired quite a fan club in the process.  He is mobbed everywhere he goes, much as I would imagine George Clooney might be.  Although, I can't see people hanging on Mr. Clooney's every word the way they did for Sir Mark.  Anyway, Jessica and Mark meet. And, that's because if they didn't there wouldn't be any story, now would there?

One of the fascinating things I found in this story was that even though Jessica was the courtesan, she had a naivete about her.  Then there was Mark-the-virgin; a virgin who is wise to the ways of the world, or at least his perception of the world.   So, it was an interesting reverse, reverse, reverse story.  A fallen woman, she’s been around, she's a courtesan-seems like a virgin-not-virgin heroine.  He's a real virgin with scads of street smarts and intuitive powers that go beyond mere mortals.  One of my favorite scenes in this book was when Jessica stands up to Mark; explaining to him in very strong terms how flawed his "right woman" perception is.  Loved it!

Folks, there is just a whole lot going on in this story!  This is one not to miss!

There is also an engrossing take on how the public views celebrities.  How truth becomes twisted and is sometimes lost in the hubbub.  I also found the chastity club to be rather amusing with all their secret hand signals, and also a little sad at times.

Downside.  This may be a tad bit weird, but Mark was t-o-o perfect.  He was so perfect at times I just wanted to shout, "Quit being so understanding!"  Mark had too much podium pontification moments for me, almost leaving the romance behind it its wake. I also thought that Jessica had one too many, "Get out of my house" moments.  The last one especially had me scratching my head and asking, "Was that really necessary?"  It also seemed to me, that a lot of the loose ends were tied up just a little too neatly at the end of the story.

Overall, I loved this book, the writing was magnifico.  I'm looking forward to the next in the series, Unraveled, which is Smites story.  It is my understanding that it is going to be self-published, which will be interesting.  I also understand it's to be out in November 2011, which would be now.  However, I wasn't able to find it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble...so, I guess I'll have to keep an eye out.

Time/Place: Victorian England
Sensuality Rating: Hot