Publishers Weekly
10/02/2023
Bestseller Putney (Once a Laird) is writing for her longtime fans these days, setting up expected story pins and bowling them down cleanly, albeit from very short range. In this series-starting Regency paranormal, she adds some supernatural conceits: her heroine foresees the future and her hero has preternaturally strong intuition. In other words, every plot development is articulated in advance and there’s no waiting around for an act or two to fire Chekhov’s gun. The story kicks off when Home Office agent Bran Tremayne is identified as the lost heir to a Cornwall barony. His reluctant homecoming is beset by family resentments, smugglers, and possible French agents. Merryn Penrose literally stumbles into his life as an amnesiac fleeing brutal kidnappers—and sparking undeniable feelings. The couple’s dynamic has an outdated vibe (“He was strong and she was weak, in some ways little more than a child”) and, while the story’s outline is more suspenseful than cozy, simple characterizations and (literal) predictability make this a comfort read, not a page-turner. This is old-school fluff, designed to go down easy. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Silver Lady
“Putney launches an exciting new historical romance series set in 19th-century Cornwall…Recommended for readers who like some fantasy in their historical romance and appreciate stories with chosen family and strong women.” –Library Journal
Praise for Mary Jo Putney
“In her own signature style, paying impeccable attention to period details, Putney continues to vindicate the honor of scoundrels in this fifth entry of the stunning “Rogues Redeemed” series. Fans of historicals will root for our brave, intelligent heroine and the hero who stands beside her.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on Once Dishonored
“A thrilling, romantic tale.” —BookPage, Top Pick, Once a Soldier
“A beautifully rendered romance…Exquisitely developed characters, a stunning setting, and the perfect amount of history and engineering detail to make this an excellent start to what promises to be another of Putney’s insightful, riveting series.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for Once a Soldier
“The intelligently plotted and impeccably researched Once a Scoundrel, third in the Rogues Redeemed series, proves once again why RITA® Award–winning Putney’s books are the literary equivalent of catnip to historical romance fans. Not only does she perfectly calibrate the ratio of high-stakes action to high-octane sexual chemistry, but her willingness to eschew the familiar Regency landscape in favor of something new and different is commendable.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Love and danger breathtakingly intertwine in Once a Spy…Readers will root for this couple and their hard-won wisdom and open hearts. Putney’s depiction of the days surrounding the Battle of Waterloo is thrilling and adds just the right amount of historical detail to this superlative romance.” —BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“With this fourth installment in the Rogues Redeemed series, Putney continues to offer a fascinating historical perspective combined with a tender love story that slowly moves from friendship to desire to love, making this an excellent addition to any collection.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on Once a Spy
Library Journal
09/01/2023
Putney (The Marriage Spell) launches an exciting new historical romance series set in 19th-century Cornwall. Bran had a rough start in life after being cast out as a young child by his birth father because of his gift of intuition; however, he found a wonderful new family when he was taken in by Lord and Lady Tremayne. Many years later, circumstances require that Bran face his birth parents, but he doesn't expect to also encounter and rescue a compelling and beautiful lady in the woods. That lady, Merryn, struggles to overcome her mystical stupor and amnesia to escape her captors and is grateful for Bran's assistance. Bran and Merryn are instantly drawn to each other and find that Merryn's extraordinary gifts have put her in the middle of a plot by the French and some dangerous smugglers. They must work together using their gifts, which only makes their bond and passion stronger. VERDICT Recommended for readers who like some fantasy in their historical romance and appreciate stories with chosen family and strong women.—Bridgette Whitt
FEBRUARY 2024 - AudioFile
In this first installment in the Dangerous Gift historical romance series, narrator Beverley Crick invokes a sense of wonder and enchantment with her nuanced performance. At the start of the nineteenth century, Bran is abandoned at birth. Decades later, his birth father finds him and informs him that he is a member of the British nobility. Bran agrees to travel to Cornwall to accept his inheritance because he feels a strong intuitive pull. In the Cornish countryside, he encounters Merryn, a woman who is fleeing her captor and suffering from amnesia. Will their instant bond survive the treacherous path ahead? Crick expertly navigates dialects and uses a soft coaxing tone for Bran's adoptive mother, a deferential tone for the estate staff. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-09-22
Two gifted people are drawn to each other along the coast of an alternate Cornwall in 1803.
Bran Tremayne has a gift—he has “perceptions and talents beyond what most people possess.” And in his world, this sort of gift is not well understood and is even hated by many people, including Bran's father, who abandoned him as a child. He was lucky to be adopted by a family that takes in gifted children and helps them thrive. Now, as an adult, he and his brother are working for the Home Office, using their gifts of intuition to assist their country in the pause between wars with France, when he’s surprised to find out he might be the remaining heir to the Penhaligon estate in Cornwall. He has no interest in joining the aristocracy or claiming his inheritance, but his gift tells him he should go because there’s something important he must see. When he arrives, it isn’t long before a random woman literally stumbles into his life and fulfills his intuition. She doesn’t remember anything about her life when they first meet, but it’s clear she also has a gift, and that there’s some sort of strange attraction between them. As she recovers her name and more memories of her life, her gift and Bran’s tell them both that serious danger is on the horizon, but that can't entirely distract them from their connection. Putney begins a new series with this book and, unfortunately, it has a slow start and remains uneven throughout. The idea of “gifts” initially adds an intriguing and slightly paranormal twist to a classic historical romance, but that begins to lose its charm as the story continues and every plot point hangs on them, leaving little room for the characters to develop well enough for readers to understand why they’re so attracted to each other. The book is agreeable enough and has a slightly old-fashioned appeal, but this isn't one that will attract new fans.
An unpromising start to a new series from a well-known author.
