Everything is there for a reason, and she is never dozing at the wheel. There is no cruise control or autopilot with Courtney Milan’s writing. “Well written” does not begin to describe this story. I felt like I saw an important episode in their lives but I wanted more story – whereas with Unlocked, I felt like I knew those characters deeply (which may have been a function of knowing so much of their past, then their present, and then future in a short story).Ģ.
It also features a shortened emotional journey for the main characters, and those two factors combined to leave me as a reader wanting more. I wanted more of everything with the characters, more time to see them and know them better. This novella sets up an upcoming trilogy and as a result, it introduces characters at the end. It is not as solidly perfect, as contained and structurally sound and powerful as Unlocked, which is a contemporary).
There are three things I want to say about this novella.ġ. Hugo ultimately finds himself in the position of being tasked to destroy someone he has come to admire – and love. Hugo’s success as Clermont’s consigliere mean that he will leave the duke’s employ 500 pounds richer, so when the duke tells him that Serena is a disgruntled former employee, and tells Hugo to deal with her, Hugo initially pursues his standard operating procedures, but dreads learning what Serena’s actual grievance is with the duke – because knowing as much as he does about Clermont, he knows the duke has likely done something terrible to her. Hugo Marshall is an employee of the duke of Clermont, known as “the Wolf of Clermont.” He’s sort of the consigliere of the duke, and is not afraid to hurt people to achieve his ends, which most of the time line up with the duke’s needs as well. She will cause the duke trouble by refusing to hide – especially when she begins to show. The longer she sits outside the duke’s home in all sorts of lovely London weather, the more people will wonder, and talk, and speculate. Serena is determined to be heard and seen now that she’s pregnant, and decides for her own sake and the sake of the child she’s now carrying, she will sit outside the duke’s home and humiliate him – and cause more discord with the duke’s very wealthy wife, alienating the duke from the spouse and fortune he very much needs. Serena Barton was fired from her position as a governess because she was raped by the duke of Clermont, but because she didn’t fight back or shout when it happened, she holds herself partially responsible.
I have a lot to say about this novella, so let’s get the plot summary part done – which is not easy as a lot happens in a short space. Genre: Historical: European, Novella, Romance
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