Unclaimed

I wasn't interested in Mark. At all.

Until the first pages of this book.

I didn't really like the first Turner, something was really off, so I will definitely admit revisiting this was a) hoping for CMM (CM magic, obvs) again, via smart discussions and flawed characters in tough situations. I was looking for the hero who simply loves the woman for all that she is, not for her being different, and those heroes seeing all she is besides. Ever noticed how her heroes listen? They think. So do her heroines, and there's one particular point in this book after a big conflict where Jessica shows up to Mark after he is devastated, and she made me cry.

So when I set out to read this book, I was simultaneously dreading it and pinning my hopes on show more it.

I haven't read much in the past week. I haven't wanted to. I stayed up with this book much past my bedtime and woke up reaching for it--and hopefully that says what this review doesn't. 4.25 show less

Milan's work enchants me, since they're all stories about how people must acknowledge and overcome the flaws within themselves in order to become part of a couple. That they are grounded as well, in historical injustices and social movements, just makes them all the better. These succeed where most rom com movies fail, because they recapture that delight Pride and Prejudice so universally invokes. The characters are not kept apart by trivial and contrived plot devices, but only by personal baggage. It gives the characters greater depth and it makes the happy ending feel like something properly fought for.

Personal copy

Alright, lots of thoughts, lots of feelings. Ultimately, I really liked Unclaimed! But I have some think-y thoughts and that's all they are, really.

I'll start with what I enjoyed: Mark is an advocate for men's chastity. He wrote a book about his beliefs that became wildly popular - to the point where The QUEEN herself ordered a special leather-bound copy made, and scores other men have formed an unsanctioned club in the book's honor (complete with armbands, secret hand signals and wonky writings by fervent fans). Other reviewers have pointed out how, essentially, Mark accidentally inspired a bunch of men to become proud incels (but more like voluntarily celibate, I suppose lol). To be clear, Mark does not support these men or how they show more have interpreted his writings. This storyline was so fascinating to me because it feels like SUCH A THING that is real.

I was constantly vacillating between feeling sorry for and rolling my eyes at Mark for not realizing how his book would inspire a bunch of misogynists (I roll my eyes in a good way lol his ignorance was so well-written). like OF COURSE these men were always going to find a way to exploit Mark's message. And although he became more and more unsettled by the behavior of these men, he did very little to curb these zealots. I don't know, MARK, maybe you should have attempted to stay ahead of things a bit? He even thinks to himself early on, "why was it that men had to take every good principle and turn it into some sort of a club?" Also the more Mark emphasized how it is women who suffer while unchaste men always seem to land on their feet; it starts to feel a little bit patronizing (again, the ignorance was so accurate).

Mark's whole chosen chastity situation reminded me of the Josh Hartnett film, 40 Days and 40 Nights in that the longer the MMC holds tightly to his chastity pledge, after meeting someone they fancy, the more ridiculous and harmful this pledge becomes (especially since these are not life-long pledges. In Hartnett's case it is only for 40 days and in Mark's case until marriage). like come on and just Live! Love! Fuck! But this knowledge - that you recognize you no longer have use for previous constraints you placed upon yourself, that having sex is not the issue - arrives after unnecessary hardship. I appreciate that Milan showed this change with Mark; it was slow but natural. It was an enjoyable frustration, reading Mark's ideas being misconstrued so terribly AND that his book and ideas deserved some strong pushback especially from himself. And I suppose he doesn't really push back on his published thoughts enough, but alas his growth worked for me.

What didn't work for me as much was Jessica's portrayal of a self-loathing courtesan. So much of her story is about how sad and depressed she is due to her work as a courtesan and her status as a fallen woman, that she cannot recall a time when she derived any pleasure from sex. . . these are just tired ideas about sex workers. In some bonus content at the back of the book, Milan wrote how she wanted to explore the virgin-man and courtesan-woman dynamic and I agree it is a compelling concept! I actually think a better version of this dynamic is Jenny Nordbak's Her Filthy Rockstar. But Nordbak is a former sex worker, so it is not a surprise she would write sex workers who enjoy sex, their careers and like themselves as they are. Jessica's self-loathing was often in contrast to Mark's love of himself: Mark often thinks and says aloud, "Hey, I like myself!" That repeated contrast became disheartening after a while.

I am often reminded how unkind the genre is to sex workers and how sex work is treated like a trope when sex work is a political term that was coined by Carol Leigh, the "Scarlet Harlot" a sex work activist (among so many other things, RIP). There is a deficit of empathy in regard to sex workers and not just in books published over 10 years ago, this is still an issue today (and my gaia, not just books - society as a whole has this issue so I do not lay blame on romance). I've been having some excellent conversations with sex workers who read romance, about Romance's Sex Work Problem, and I hope to share insights in the near future. I love this interview from the Holly Randall Unfiltered show with Kaytlin Bailey - who speaks about how sex workers think of themselves and their work and how that contrasts with civilians' ideas about how sex workers should think about themselves. It is especially poignant that Bailey points out that the fallen woman often found freedom in the fall: Kaytlin Bailey: The History and Future of Sex Workers show less

Sir Mark Turner is famous because of the book he wrote promoting male chastity. Jessica Farleigh is a courtesan who is hired to seduce Mark; she'll get enough money to be able to retire and his reputation will be ruined.
I read the first book in the series and enjoyed it a lot. Mark was one of the secondary characters and he's a likable guy, not at all the prig that the blurb makes him sound like. I did have my doubts about this story but decided to give it a try as I like Ms. Milan's writing. Her plots are usually more complicated than they might appear from the blurb, and I'm quite happy to say that was also the case here.
As Mark makes clear repeatedly, he may be chaste but he's not a saint. He's actually quite frustrated by others' show more views of his character. He is a nice man though not a patsy. He has his own morality and it works for him.
I was afraid Jessica was going to be the 'fallen woman who is redeemed' trope which I'm not crazy about. In this case, there's a lot more to her; she's intelligent for one thing besides being beautiful. She finds her own way past her previous life, and I was truly surprised by how she goes about it.
This book was written before #MeToo but, while a historical, Mark's views are in line with that movement. I don't mean the story is too modern, not at all, but it was refreshing to see respect for women treated as a normal way to act as well as to apportion responsibility equally. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. show less

Courtney Milan interestingly reverses the typical seduction roles in this new historical romance. Courtesan Jessica sets out to seduce Mark Turner, known throughout England for his book A Gentleman's Practical Guide to Chastity. Remarkably, Sir Mark has made male chastity popular with gentlemen of all classes! If Jessica can seduce Sir Mark, thus winning a bet with former-protector George Weston, she will be able to create a new life for herself and hopefully recapture her will to live and save what is left of her soul. However, Jessica never bargained for a man of principles. Mark isn't interested in being seduced by a woman who doesn't even know him, let alone like him, independent of her self-created illusions. Although Jessica sets show more out to seduce Mark, she ends up rediscovering her own ability to be seduced. Milan deftly addresses the difference between surviving and living as well as issues of male responsibility and female independence while writing a compelling and interesting Regency-era love story.

Karen T. suggests the historical romance Unclaimed where Courtney Milan interestingly reverses the typical seduction roles. Mark Turner, known throughout England for his book A Gentleman's Practical Guide to Chastity, has actually made male chastity popular! Will courtesan Jessica be able to seduce him, or will her heart succumb? show less

4 ½ Stars

Unclaimed is the second book in the Turner series by Courtney Milan.

When Sir Mark Turner wrote A Gentleman’s Practical Guide to Chastity the last thing in his mind was becoming famous, he wrote it because he wanted to share his way of thinking with others, nothing else. He never expected his book to become as well-known as it did, giving him a superstar status in the ton with hundreds of followers and admires nationwide. Even Queen Victoria awarded him with a knighthood because of services to society thanks to his book. His situation is so dire that he can’t leave home without a group of people following him around. Everywhere he goes ladies and men alike follow him wanting his autograph or at least to cross some words show more with him. All the mothers with single daughters are trying to get him to marry one of their daughters and the press is reporting his slightest movement.
Sir Mark can’t take it anymore and decides to escape to the country where he hopes to find the anonymity he so much misses. And how mistaken he was…

Jessica Farleigh is a young courtesan tired of her life. A life she wants to leave behind but for that she needs money, money she doesn’t have. When her former protector and enemy of Sir Mark, offers her a substantial sum in exchange of the seduction and downfall of Sir Mark, she accepts without second thoughts. She learns of Sir Mark whereabouts and soon she is living in the same little town in the country. She thought her deed was going to be an easy one but Sir Mark is not at all what she was expecting, he is not an usual man, he is completely extraordinary. Now the seductress is taking the risk of being seduced.

I met Sir Mark in Unveiled, book one of this series and was eagerly waiting to read his story. To be honest I was a bit worried about it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like a virgin hero, I prefer my heroes towards the rake side. But Mrs. Milan did a magnificent job with Sir Mark making him virginal and chase but at the same time he is a very real man. Sir Mark is a man of principles, owner of his action and his feelings. He may be still a virgin, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t lust, he does, as much as any other person, he just has control over his impulses. He hates the double standards of society in regards to male and female behaviors and that was one of his reasons to write his book. He has decided that when he gives himself to a woman he will do it completely and forever. *swoon* (If you are not half in love with him right there you are a cold heartless… woman).

I wanted not to like Jessica, she is a woman who uses her body to get what she wants, making her a difficult pair for my Sir Mark. But when I started to learn more about her, her past and her circumstances I started to like her more and more until the point that I was cheering for her. Jessica is a smart, loving woman. She has done what needed to survive in an unforgiving society where the simplest mistake can ruin your life.

The attraction and tension between these two had my reader steaming. Their relationship was not an easy one because it started with lies and deceives but at the end as with any good love story love conquers all. The dialogue between them is smart, witty and sassy making of Unclaimed and even more enjoyable read.

I really loved seeing more of Sir Mark’s older brother, Ash and his wife Margaret (Unveiled) and how they have settled into their marriage.
Another favorite is Sir Mark’s other brother, Smite. He is a very interesting and mysterious man and I’m dying to read his story.

Unclaimed has everything a perfect historical romance book should have, unique characters, smart writing, well developed plot and a mix of mystery and romance with some twist and turns to spice it all. The only complaint I have is something Jessica did almost at the end; I thought adding that to the story was completely unnecessary, you will see what I’m talking about when you read the book, and I know you are going to read it because this book is so good that you have to!
I loved Courtney Milan style in Unveiled and after reading Unclaimed she has won me over, becoming one of my favorite historical romance writers.
Unclaimed can be read as a stand-alone but Unveiled was as good as this one, so I recommend you to read that one as well.
The next book in this series Unraveled, will be Smite’s story, needless to say I dying to get my greedy hands on him. show less

When Courtney Milan first mentioned that one of her upcoming books was going to have a virgin hero, I was excited to see something different. The book did not let me down. Both Mark and Jessica are wonderful leads. I enjoyed not only the inversion of the typical sexual background of the hero and heroine, but of a dynamic where the hero is more typically emotionally damaged and in need of "saving" by the heroine. That's not to say that Jessica is weak; she's strong and fully capable of defeating her own enemies, which is wonderfully demonstrated at the end. But she is emotionally frozen due to past wounds, one in particular, and cut off from love and support at the beginning of the book. Mark would be the first to insist that he has his show more flaws, but fundamentally he likes himself. He has a supportive, loving family, he keeps his temper under control, and his morality is based on compassion rather than on abstract ideas of evil. Although it seemed like their final agreement to marry was delayed a little more than necessary, it was a pleasure to watch him and Jessica come together. show less