This Wicked Gift

A Carhart Series Novella

By: Courtney Milan

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Lavinia Spencer is too poor to be anything but practical. But when her younger brother lands himself in trouble, she has no choice but to do the unthinkable. She accepts the help of the dishonorable man that she's always wanted, even knowing that it might mean her ruination.

©2009 Courtney Milan (P)2014 Courtney Milan

What a delightful "gift"!

I thoroughly enjoyed this short but heartfelt novella. A Courtney Milan + Rosalyn Landor combination is always an instant purchase, and they did not disappoint. This merry tale of longing from afar, recognizing the true meaning of love is tied up nicely with a big red bow. Totally worth the credit!

I am in full agreement!

I have to agree with the other reviews on this book. It truly was a pleasant surprise to hear about a couple that was not rich , powerful, or beautiful. The hero was a hard worker and determined just like the heron. There was a well laid out story and the HEA comes at the right time in an unexpected way. Rosalyn Landor does her usual wonderful job with bout the male and female voices. All in all this was a great short novella from Courtney Milan. Well worth the listen.

Sometimes you're in the mood for a quickie listen

I really enjoy historical romances and I was looking for a short story (novella). This was exactly was I was looking for, a short and sizzling hot story that mostly centers in the romance of our hero and heroine. It's fast paced due to how short it is but it's intense and complete. I also liked the fact that these were normal people. No dukes, count, king, nothing.., Just two people falling in love and struggling with poverty, temptation and the different life struggles. It also has a mild Christmas theme that I enjoyed.

A good story can only get even better with good narration. Rosalyn Landor is my favorite historical romance narrator and she did an excellent job with this story as always. Her male voices and accents are impeccable. She adds so much emotion to her characters that you can really live the story. Highly recommended for historical romance fans who are in the mood for a quickie... Listen.

Sweetly average

Setting: London 1822
Genre: Romance
This is an uncomplicated novella, which is a prequel to a series. I haven't read any of the series so I don't know how well it fits.
Lavinia Spencer works in her family's lending library. William White is a clerk who has a subscription. For a year he has come in for books on financial management, and to lust after Lavinia. Lavinia has been sighing over William for the past year. When he has occasion to take the relationship further, he does not hesitate to take it. The story is a sweet little journey, with side trips up a couple of sub-plots, to a nice HEA.
Narration was wonderful because Roslyn Landor.

Pretty good for a novella

Sweet story....likeable characters. Good for a freeby. Roz Landor can make an ok story good.

The Hero Brought this Down

I applaud the author for trying something different with her main characters in this novella. They live in a Dickensian London where the poor struggle daily and the rich exist only to grind them down further. I think Milan's strength as a Regency writer are that her characters are different from the usual and she makes them come alive for you. Unfortunately here the "hero" is a man I can't respect, as he blackmails the (virgin) heroine to have sex with him. I don't think it matters what was going on in her head, that was his intention and he follows through, which is about as low as a man can go in my eyes.

After that I expected to see a story of redemption, which could have been great. However, this hero is severely depressed and spends the first 90% of the book telling himself what a blackguard he is and how he deserves all the nasty things that are happening to him. It was very hard not to agree with that estimation. Add in the fact that the couple decided to have sex before they've spoken more than two sentences to each other, and there were just too many obstacles in my mind to overcome.

I recommend that you don't bother with this story unless you're a genuine fan of the author. For a great novella by her with less-than-typical MCs that really works try A Kiss for Midwinter instead.