Showing posts with label Rogues Redeemed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rogues Redeemed. Show all posts

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Once a Spy by Mary Jo Putney

Once a Spy by Mary Jo PutneyIf you've read previous books in the Rogues Redeemed series, you will remember Simon Duval, the man who has helped our other heroes find love. In "Once a Scoundrel," Susan Duval, widow of Simon's cousin, helps the heroine escape a harem, the same harem where she was held for years. It's sort of understandable that she's not real keen on sex at this point. But when Simon suggests they marry for companionship, Susan is read to do it. Shunned by the other French emigres, Susan is not sure about the marriage at first but then she meets his friends and realizes that not everyone is as close-minded. She decides that, if Simon is not serious about wanting intimacy, she's in. So they marry and Simon soon realizes that his desire is not as lost as he thought.
The two work through her issues even as they also have to deal with going to Brussels, even knowing that Napoleon has escaped and England may once again be on the brink of war. They are looking for Simon's cousin, Lucas, who disappeared from a war camp and now may be wandering the countryside as a Franciscan monk.
This is a typical Putney novel, generally fast, fun, and fluffy. There are some heavy themes in this book that aren't exactly treated lightly but they are sort of skimmed over. Readers will again experience an unusual bent into religion, something that happened at the end of the Lost Lords series. I say unusual because it doesn't happen in every Putney book but shows up unexpectedly here and there and I was surprised there wasn't anything about it in the author's note, why was this book different? This time it was a little less preachy and more in the line of miraculous. I don't mind it if it's used consistently in a series but am sort of bemused that we have several fairly straight-forward novels and then one with overt magical realism. It will be interesting to see if future books in the series continue this trend, especially if Lucas gets his own HEA.

Three stars
This book came out September 24th
Follows Once a Scoundrel
Followed by Once Dishonored
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo Putney

Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo PutneyAfter his grandfather tosses him out, Gabriel Vance changes his last name to Hawkins and heads out to sea. He is the captain of his own ship (and his own destiny) when he's approached to help rescue Lady Aurora "Roarin' Rory" Lawrence, from Barbary pirates. She's an adventurer in her own right but she might need a little help to get out of this one.
Putney adds a lot of elements to this book, adventure, storms, kidnapping, a B plot love story. But all of that tends to overshadow the main love story. This is a good book but not one of my faves.

Three stars
This book came out September 25
Followed by Once a Spy
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Monday, June 20, 2016

Once a Soldier by Mary Jo Putney

We've met Will Masterson on the Lost Lord series.his brother Mac got married in "Nowhere Near Respectable" and we know from these stories that Will was once married and mourned the loss of his wife. In the beginning of this book, he is saving the lives of people who were thrown off a bridge wile trying to flee the French. He was deemed an enemy and sentenced to death. The latter part happened while he was unconscious and he wakes up in a prison cell with (presumably) the rest of the heroes in this series.
Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed, #1)Of course, they manage to break out (otherwise that would be a short book) and go their separate ways, but not before creating a plan to stay in touch. This episode is the last in a series that causes Will to realize that he's ready to get out of the army. But just as he's ready to take off, one of the men from the breakout shows up asking him to return a small army unit to the country of San Gabriel. It seems the whole unit is not ready to go and they need an officer-type to be in charge. Will figures, why not?
When he gets to San Gabriel, he meets Athena Markham, an English subject like himself. She's in San Gabriel helping the princess rule the country, keeping it together since the king and prince have been taken by the French. Everyone is very relieved that the war is over but they are suspicious that the calm might not last for long since San Gabriel is a lovely valley country with (apparently) no strong men there to help rule the country.
I generally liked both Will and Athena. The story lumbered a bit in places but was overall fairly enjoyable.

This book comes out June 28
Three and a half stars