Ash Turner has waited a lifetime to seek revenge on the man who ruined his family—and now the time for justice has arrived. At Parford Manor, he intends to take his place as the rightful heir to the dukedom and settle an old score with the current duke once and for all. But instead he finds himself drawn to a tempting beauty who has the power to undo all his dreams of vengeance….

Lady Margaret knows she should despise the man who's stolen her fortune and her father's legacy—the man she's been ordered to spy on in the guise of a nurse. Yet the more she learns about the new duke, the less she can resist his smoldering appeal. Soon Margaret and Ash find themselves torn between old loyalties—and the tantalizing promise of passion….

Title: UNVEILED
Author: Courtney Milan
Series: Turner, book 1
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: HQN Books
Year of release: 2011, January 25
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
So this was how it felt to be a conquering hero.

Memorable Scenes:
- The fighting lesson with Ash as the sparring partner > awesome scene
- The almost kiss at Margaret's father's door > senual sparks were flying off that scene
- the scene in the closet, against the wall > the emotionality and urgent despair of this scene is was what made it memorable, even more than the 'against the wall' part

Ash Turner is bent on revenge on the man who ruined his family and their future. He’s determined and stubborn, sharp and sincere. But he’s also ruthless yet selfless, decisive and loyal.

Anna Margaret Dalrymple is posing as Margaret Lowell, the current Duke's (and her father) nurse, in order to find out what Ash has in store for her family. She’s smart, tempestuous, devoted to her loved ones and resilient.

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop on Margaret's identity the whole time and was also wondering what Ash's reaction was going to be. The way everything panned out was pleasantly surprising, including Ash's reaction although that shouldn't have been a surprise with the depth of his characterization.

Though subtle and slow the romance is intense and sensual. Nothing explicit happens in the first part of the book though the attraction and chemistry between Ash and Margaret jumps off the pages. I was waiting with bated breath for that first real kiss between them. From that first kiss onwards the love scenes were intense and beautifully written. They were sensual, intense and delectable without ever turning crude or very explicit.

Because of the emotional intensity and the intriguing plotline, which were both written so well, I didn't even miss the physical encounters in the first part, which I normally do when reading romance novels where they are missing.

Ms Milan balanced plot, romance and emotions perfectly in UNVEILED. It’s my first encounter with Courtney Milan's writing and it definitely left me wanting to read more. High on intensity yet crisp and clean with a humorous note to it, I found myself almost entranced by this book and Milan's writing.

UNVEILED is an awesomely well written character-driven historical that was so mesmerizing I could not stop reading this book! From beginning to end I was kept enthralled by both romance and plot. This was a delightful and brilliant historical romance that is totally deserving of its place on my keepers shelf.

Favorite Quotes:
Women laid their hearts at the feet of men like him–a man so ruthlessly intense as to take one’s breath away, and cheerful enough to make one laugh while he did it.

Margaret had always thought a man seduced a woman by making her aware of his charms: his body, his wealth, his kisses. How naïve she had been.
Ash Turner seduced her with the promise of her own self. […] that if she simply screwed her eyes tightly shut, she would be important again. And that desire was more alluring than any promise of wealth, more irresistible than any number of heated kisses pressed against her lips.

He was going to kiss her. She could feel it in the greedy hunger of her lips, tilting up to his. She could feel it in the clamorous beat of her heart, yearning for that completion.

Her lips found his and a stab of exquisite desire shot through him. Finally. Endlessly. This was what he had been waiting for, all this time. Not a stolen embrace, to be wrested from her in the dark of night. A gift, freely given. One that he would keep forever in some small part of his soul.

He’d broken her to pieces, and with one smile he’d knit her back together again.

Defiance. He swallowed. It wasn’t enough for him–not anymore. He wanted to be more than her defiance. He wanted to be her strength, her amusement. He wanted to be her lover. He wanted to be her every wicked desire and her safe haven, all at once.