TEST
This Wicked Gift is, I believe, Courtney Milan’s first published work, and is an introductory novella to her Carhart books. In it, Miss Lavinia Spencer is caring for her sick father and her younger brother as well as running their family business, a circulating library. Money is incredibly tight, but Lavinia has been scrupulously saving pennies here and there, because she wants her family to have a wonderful Christmas complete with a goose, spices for mulled wine and the few other trimmings they can afford.
But the money she has worked so hard to scrape together is lost when her younger brother James uses it to buy into a fraudulent business venture – and even worse, he owes ten pounds to the man who has cheated him.
The conversation in which James confesses his predicament is overheard by one of the library’s regular customers, Mr William White, who has, unbeknownst to her, been hankering after Lavinia for the last year. William has come down in the world – an inheritance he had hoped for seems farther away than ever, and he makes a pittance working as a clerk in the offices of the curmudgeonly Marquess of Blakely. He’s tired and he’s bitter, and when he sees the chance to have something he desperately wants, the chance to have one bright memory amid the drudgery of his daily existence, he grabs it, no matter that it’s completely underhand and dishonourable. He finds out to whom James’ debt is owed, buys up the note of hand, even though it practically beggars him to do it, and then proceeds to – he thinks – blackmail Lavinia into his bed.
He has no idea that Lavinia is just as smitten with him as he is with her, or that she has other options for paying the debt. Even as he seduces her with a great deal of care and tenderness, he hates himself, telling himself that what he is doing is despicable – but he does it anyway. I’m sure this is a bone of contention for many, the hero of a romance forcing the heroine to have sex with him, but the point is that Lavinia is not coerced or forced – she wants to make love with William, and also to show him the value of those things that can’t be bought with money. The fact that he’s a despairing and bitter man who has lost his way in life – and who loathes himself so thoroughly for what he does – that it’s almost impossible not to feel sorry for him.
Lavinia is perhaps just a little too good to be true. I felt that she should at least have bawled William out about his intentions, even if the act was something she desired as much as he did. But then, she’s capable of tremendous insight, realising he’s beating himself up about it more than she ever could, and it’s her loving forgiveness that sets William back on the right path and enables him to find the decent man buried under the layers of bitterness and resentment.
There aren’t many authors who could take a story that deals with people living on the bread-line and turn it into an uplifting story, or who could make a hero out of a man who stoops to blackmail the heroine into sleeping with him, but Courtney Milan manages it. This Wicked Gift is perhaps not Ms Milan’s best novella (that honour belongs to either The Governess Affair or A Kiss For Midwinter) but it’s nonetheless extremely well-written and unusual story, and is defnintely recommended.
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Grade: B+
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 18/12/19
Publication Date: 07/2014
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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I would have enjoyed this novella more, had the heroine disclosed that she was fully consenting, rather than being blackmailed into a one-off sexual relationship. Milan has written some stellar novellas that explore consent – The Governess Affair, A Kiss for Midwinter – that I would recommend instead. Also, Mrs Martin’s Incomparable Adventure was an absolute joy!
I don’t think I’ve read this one: so that’s exciting.
I’m probably an outlier in that while I’ve enjoyed her historicals very much – she just writes well – I’ve reread the Cyclone books far more often. Holding my soul in patience for the next one: something I’m not great at.
I haven’t read Milan’s contemporary novels but I’m glad you posted this about them, as I forgot about the Cyclone series. I will give them a try. I see from her website that she expects to have a new one out soon.
Yes, I agree with you all. I don’t think I even finished her last couple of books, but this one looks like it might be a throwback to her past keepers. Frankly, I think it’s a rare author who can continue to write great books for decades. I suspect that her interest in writing romances is waning. I do home she has one more great book–at least–still in her and it gets out.
Milan was never on my auto-buy list, but I do tend to click when a story of hers sounds interesting to me. I’ve ruthlessly culled my social media feeds and tried to separate my personal feelings about opinions/advice shared by some authors from the work they produce. That’s been a very good thing & probably why I’m still willing to read this author despite her anti-AAR stance. I’ll be reading this on an airplane on Sunday.
I’ll read any author I think writes books I’d enjoy no matter what their stance on AAR or politics. I haven’t enjoyed Milan’s work for sometime but that has nothing to do with her politics or her dislike of AAR. I do love this story and I hope you enjoy it!
When I looked on Courtney Milan’s website a few minutes ago, she said she likes reading reviews at AAR. But that may have been an old posting.
I totally agree with you about a writer’s politics. When I read a book or watch a movie, I try to become immersed in the world the author or actor has created- not what the person believes in real life.
I follow Courtney Milan on Twitter and I did not get the sense that she is anti-AAR. In fact, she says very little about romance writing or any review site. She is anti-racist, a feminist, and a voice for marginalized peoples though and those views most definitely permeate all of her writings. I think they always have though from the very beginning of her publications.
More HR authors are falling off the list than getting on Caz. My HR tbr pile is diminishing!
Yep. I think the only author I’m excited about right now is Mia Vincy – I’m still reading some of my favourite authors, but it’s an ever diminishing number :(
I love Mia Vincy’s writing, but this year I also really enjoyed Evie Dunmore and Diana Biller in historical romance. Julie Anne Long is back writing historical romances too and her books are fun. I miss Meredith Duran and hope she returns as she has long been my favorite HR writer. I’m also loving historical mysteries with romances like Deanna Raybourn’s series.
Milan was supposed to have a new book out late this year. She hasn’t, to my knowledge, written anything about it and when we might actually read it. I know she is notorious for promising a book for a due date, sometimes months and months hence, and then not delivering. Anyone know anything about it?
No – I seem to recall seeing something about it, but quite honestly, I’ve been so disappointed in her most recent books that it’s off my radar and I probably won’t read it anyway. A sad state of affairs, because I used to pounce on her books as soon as they appeared.
I agree with this review and would probably give this a B or maybe B+. I gave it 4 stars back in 2014 on Goodreads. The hero’s blackmailing of the heroine for sex is a little too distasteful for me to fully enjoy in a romance. William is a bit of a cad, but he’s also victimized by others far worse. The relationship negotiation is complex, and the two main characters work through the intricacies well. I think I’ve read all of Milan’s short fiction and think she is an author who excels at this format. I did think too that in 2019, Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure was in keeping with Milan’s past writings and would recommend it for those who enjoy shorter story formats.
This sounded familiar to me so I just wanted to make sure everyone knows – this story was originally published in 2012 in the anthology The Heart of Christmas, which also has stories from Mary Balogh and Nicola Cornick. It’s still in e-release for $2.99.
On my TBR pile; can’t wait to read it!
This is a DIK for me. It’s genuinely funny, sexy, and takes risks that work beautifully. I miss this version of Ms. Milan’s work.
I found the hero’s actions too troubling for this to make DIK territory, even though they’re very well explored and explained. A B+ for a novella is still quite something from me – I’m very exacting when it comes to novellas!!
And yes, I miss the “old” CM, too.
My favorite moment was when William condemned himself for ruining Lavinia’s chances of marriage, but she pointed out that the right man wouldn’t reject her for one indiscretion in her past. I loved her maturity and self-confidence. This story was a great read… but yeah, I also miss Courtney Milan’s older work.
I think my favorite moment is when William schools Lavinia’s younger brother. It’s funny, loving, and shows him for the desperately in love hero he is.