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The Lost Lords #6
Not Quite a Wife
Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
James, Lord Kirkland, owns a shipping fleet, half a London gaming house, and is a ruthlessly effective spymaster. He is seldom self-indulgent...except when it comes to the gentle, indomitable beauty who was once his wife.
Laurel Herbert gave James her heart as an innocent young girl--until she saw him perform an act of shocking violence before her very eyes. That night she left her husband, and he let her go without a word of protest.
James, Lord Kirkland, owns a shipping fleet, half a London gaming house, and is a ruthlessly effective spymaster. He is seldom self-indulgent...except when it comes to the gentle, indomitable beauty who was once his wife.
Laurel Herbert gave James her heart as an innocent young girl--until she saw him perform an act of shocking violence before her very eyes. That night she left her husband, and he let her go without a word of protest.
Now, ten years later, a chance encounter turns passionate, with consequences that cannot be ignored. But as they try to rebuild what was broken, they must face common enemies and a very uncommon love...
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
503 people are currently reading
1785 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jo Putney
167 books2,261 followersShe writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.
Mary Jo Putney was born on 1946 in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.
While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.
Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.
Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.
Mary Jo Putney was born on 1946 in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.
While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.
Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.
A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.
Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 366 reviews
August 13, 2016
as a big fan of mary jo, i'm saddened to report that i think this book is a real stinker. an assasin comes to your home to murder your husband - and since you're in the room, he'll murder you too. the assasin ends up dead by your husband's hand. so what do you do? why you LEAVE your husband because he's a "killer". she's a nitwit. sorry, mary jo!
September 6, 2016
I ended up giving this a C- at AAR (so 2.5 stars) - which killed me because - MJP! -but the book was a disappointment :(
This, the sixth book in Ms Putney’s Lost Lords series tells the story of a couple who have been estranged for over a decade. I’m a sucker for a good second-chance romance, so this book seemed as though it would be right up my alley – and while it did tick a few of my favourite boxes, there are some really big flaws that I found it impossible to ignore, and which kept pulling me out of the story.
James, Lord Kirkland, and his wife Laurel fell in love at first sight and were married in their teens. They parted after only a year of marriage and have lived separate lives for over a decade when they are unexpectedly reunited. On a visit to Bristol, Kirkland is beset by a malaria attack, and, in his weakened state, is set upon by thieves. Bruised, battered and bloody, he is found in the street and taken to the local infirmary, which is run by Daniel Herbert – a former friend – and his sister, Laurel, who is known by everyone as Miss Herbert, having kept the fact of her marriage a secret. Needless to say, she is not only stunned to see her husband injured, she is astonished at seeing him at all, given they have not had anything to do with each other for such a long time.
Later that night, having treated Kirkland’s physical injuries and given him something to lower his fever, an accidental touch ignites something long denied in both of them, and they indulge in a completely unexpected act of passion. The next morning, Laurel’s hopes that Kirkland will remember nothing of their lovemaking are realised, and she sends him on his way as soon as his manservant arrives to assist him.
Laurel’s life since she left her husband has been filled with work. She assists her brother – a doctor – at the infirmary they have established, and also runs a refuge for women escaping abusive relationships called Zion House. She enjoys her work and her life – although Kirkland’s reappearance has awaked something in her she had thought long since buried. But her work at the infirmary and the refuge keep her very busy – so busy, in fact, that she doesn’t immediately realise that her body clock is off. But when she does notice, she knows that there is only one possible explanation.
Even though she knows that, once born, Kirkland will have the right to take the child away from her should he so wish, Laurel has no thoughts of concealing her pregnancy. When he is informed of it, James rushes immediately to Bristol, suggesting to Laurel that they should try to find a way to live together amicably for the sake of the child. They agree to a compromise that will see Laurel spending most of her time in Bristol and visiting London occasionally; and Kirkland asks her to spend a month in London with him straightaway. The fact that there has actually been a Lady Kirkland for the last decade is bound to cause rather a stir and James wants to start to introduce her to society. Because Laurel left him very shortly after their extended honeymoon, nobody knew of the marriage except immediate family.
James and Laurel make a good start to their reconciliation. They have never really fallen out of love, and get along very well, which is actually one of those flaws I mentioned. Even though they are both feeling their way and tiptoeing around each other to start with, they get along so well, it’s difficult to understand why they weren’t able to work out their differences before this.
Another flaw is that Laurel’s reasons for running out on James are – to my mind – flimsy at best, and there is just no reason for their separation to have lasted for so long. Laurel explains that she left so precipitately because she’d seen Kirkland kill a man with his bare hands, and had suddenly realised that she didn’t really know the man she’d married. She left without hearing James’ side of the story, which is that the man he killed had broken into their house and was a known assassin. We’re never told the reason for the break-in, and to my way of thinking, finding a known assassin creeping around your house in the dead of night is reason enough to act first and ask questions later. But Laurel persists in thinking of James as a murderer. And later, when he is forced to commit a violent act in order to save the life of a woman and her child at the refuge, she still sees him as a murderer.
I realise that Laurel is a religious woman, and later in the story she does admit to the fact that she has come to see that James has acted in the only way possible, and that she needs to adjust her mindset – but for the couple to have parted over this with no explanation on either side makes no sense. And that being the case, it’s an OPD – Obvious Plot Device. These always make me suspect that perhaps the author is trying to put a square peg into a round hole – they can find no other way to make their story work, so they put in an OPD and hope the readers won’t notice.
Sorry, but I noticed.
Then there’s the fact that Kirkland just lets Laurel leave him and doesn’t make any attempt to explain, stop her or seek her out. Yes, the author says something to the effect that his Presbyterian sensibilities mean he sees her desertion as a just punishment for his actions…but again, it really doesn’t wash.
There is an interesting sub-plot concerning a young black woman whom Laurel rescues from an illegal slaver, a sweet secondary romance, and we meet all the other Lost Lords and their wives. But the scene in which Laurel offers the other women the chance to question her as to the reasons for the estrangement features some incredibly creaky dialogue – of the “let’s fill in the blanks for anyone who hasn’t read the other books” variety.
I’ve read and enjoyed a number of books by this author, and it kills me to say this, but I’m afraid this one is a big disappointment. The flaws in the storytelling I’ve mentioned are never far from the surface and because of that, the story doesn’t flow at all well. The central characters are likeable, but overly passive, and Laurel is a little too self-righteous for my tastes. If you’re following the series, then you might want to read this for completeness, but it’s not one of Ms Putney’s best books.
This, the sixth book in Ms Putney’s Lost Lords series tells the story of a couple who have been estranged for over a decade. I’m a sucker for a good second-chance romance, so this book seemed as though it would be right up my alley – and while it did tick a few of my favourite boxes, there are some really big flaws that I found it impossible to ignore, and which kept pulling me out of the story.
James, Lord Kirkland, and his wife Laurel fell in love at first sight and were married in their teens. They parted after only a year of marriage and have lived separate lives for over a decade when they are unexpectedly reunited. On a visit to Bristol, Kirkland is beset by a malaria attack, and, in his weakened state, is set upon by thieves. Bruised, battered and bloody, he is found in the street and taken to the local infirmary, which is run by Daniel Herbert – a former friend – and his sister, Laurel, who is known by everyone as Miss Herbert, having kept the fact of her marriage a secret. Needless to say, she is not only stunned to see her husband injured, she is astonished at seeing him at all, given they have not had anything to do with each other for such a long time.
Later that night, having treated Kirkland’s physical injuries and given him something to lower his fever, an accidental touch ignites something long denied in both of them, and they indulge in a completely unexpected act of passion. The next morning, Laurel’s hopes that Kirkland will remember nothing of their lovemaking are realised, and she sends him on his way as soon as his manservant arrives to assist him.
Laurel’s life since she left her husband has been filled with work. She assists her brother – a doctor – at the infirmary they have established, and also runs a refuge for women escaping abusive relationships called Zion House. She enjoys her work and her life – although Kirkland’s reappearance has awaked something in her she had thought long since buried. But her work at the infirmary and the refuge keep her very busy – so busy, in fact, that she doesn’t immediately realise that her body clock is off. But when she does notice, she knows that there is only one possible explanation.
Even though she knows that, once born, Kirkland will have the right to take the child away from her should he so wish, Laurel has no thoughts of concealing her pregnancy. When he is informed of it, James rushes immediately to Bristol, suggesting to Laurel that they should try to find a way to live together amicably for the sake of the child. They agree to a compromise that will see Laurel spending most of her time in Bristol and visiting London occasionally; and Kirkland asks her to spend a month in London with him straightaway. The fact that there has actually been a Lady Kirkland for the last decade is bound to cause rather a stir and James wants to start to introduce her to society. Because Laurel left him very shortly after their extended honeymoon, nobody knew of the marriage except immediate family.
James and Laurel make a good start to their reconciliation. They have never really fallen out of love, and get along very well, which is actually one of those flaws I mentioned. Even though they are both feeling their way and tiptoeing around each other to start with, they get along so well, it’s difficult to understand why they weren’t able to work out their differences before this.
Another flaw is that Laurel’s reasons for running out on James are – to my mind – flimsy at best, and there is just no reason for their separation to have lasted for so long. Laurel explains that she left so precipitately because she’d seen Kirkland kill a man with his bare hands, and had suddenly realised that she didn’t really know the man she’d married. She left without hearing James’ side of the story, which is that the man he killed had broken into their house and was a known assassin. We’re never told the reason for the break-in, and to my way of thinking, finding a known assassin creeping around your house in the dead of night is reason enough to act first and ask questions later. But Laurel persists in thinking of James as a murderer. And later, when he is forced to commit a violent act in order to save the life of a woman and her child at the refuge, she still sees him as a murderer.
I realise that Laurel is a religious woman, and later in the story she does admit to the fact that she has come to see that James has acted in the only way possible, and that she needs to adjust her mindset – but for the couple to have parted over this with no explanation on either side makes no sense. And that being the case, it’s an OPD – Obvious Plot Device. These always make me suspect that perhaps the author is trying to put a square peg into a round hole – they can find no other way to make their story work, so they put in an OPD and hope the readers won’t notice.
Sorry, but I noticed.
Then there’s the fact that Kirkland just lets Laurel leave him and doesn’t make any attempt to explain, stop her or seek her out. Yes, the author says something to the effect that his Presbyterian sensibilities mean he sees her desertion as a just punishment for his actions…but again, it really doesn’t wash.
There is an interesting sub-plot concerning a young black woman whom Laurel rescues from an illegal slaver, a sweet secondary romance, and we meet all the other Lost Lords and their wives. But the scene in which Laurel offers the other women the chance to question her as to the reasons for the estrangement features some incredibly creaky dialogue – of the “let’s fill in the blanks for anyone who hasn’t read the other books” variety.
I’ve read and enjoyed a number of books by this author, and it kills me to say this, but I’m afraid this one is a big disappointment. The flaws in the storytelling I’ve mentioned are never far from the surface and because of that, the story doesn’t flow at all well. The central characters are likeable, but overly passive, and Laurel is a little too self-righteous for my tastes. If you’re following the series, then you might want to read this for completeness, but it’s not one of Ms Putney’s best books.
May 5, 2015
A pesar de pertenecer a una saga, se puede leer totalmente independiente. En algún momento de la novela, parecen como secundarios los protagonistas de las publicaciones anteriores, pero de la mayoría yo ya no me acuerdo así que no tiene mayor importancia y no te pierdes nada.
Es una historia de las de antes, de reencuentros y a pesar de que ha habido alguna que otra cosa que no ha terminado de convencerme, disfruto de la pluma de esta autora. Se centra principalmente en la relación entre ellos, aunque da algún que otro detalle sobre temas candentes en la época (como el comercio de esclavos)y hay aventuras, pero el eje principal de la trama es la recuperación de un matrimonio roto.
Reseña completa: http://masromance.blogspot.com.es/201...
Es una historia de las de antes, de reencuentros y a pesar de que ha habido alguna que otra cosa que no ha terminado de convencerme, disfruto de la pluma de esta autora. Se centra principalmente en la relación entre ellos, aunque da algún que otro detalle sobre temas candentes en la época (como el comercio de esclavos)y hay aventuras, pero el eje principal de la trama es la recuperación de un matrimonio roto.
Reseña completa: http://masromance.blogspot.com.es/201...
October 24, 2021
Got to 33% in & DNF this re-read.
James & Laurel were estranged for duration of 10 yrs after
they wed. (James shot and killed an intruder-with cause).
They met again after James had a malaria fever relapse &
was attacked and robbed in an alley. Her brother the
surgeon/ minister (what a combo!), for the short-term,
attended patients out of town. She restored the H to health.
Laurel's judgmental nature wore on me. Her estranged
parents came across as worse than her attitude. James
seemed OK & not top-lofty even though he was an earl
and spy for the Crown.
Ms Putney was/ is more capable than this story indicated.
James & Laurel were estranged for duration of 10 yrs after
they wed. (James shot and killed an intruder-with cause).
They met again after James had a malaria fever relapse &
was attacked and robbed in an alley. Her brother the
surgeon/ minister (what a combo!), for the short-term,
attended patients out of town. She restored the H to health.
Laurel's judgmental nature wore on me. Her estranged
parents came across as worse than her attitude. James
seemed OK & not top-lofty even though he was an earl
and spy for the Crown.
Ms Putney was/ is more capable than this story indicated.
November 8, 2021
Expectations are heaven or hell in life, that’s something I’ve learned both in my everyday routine and professionally (I used to be an equities analyst!). If they are better than you hoped, wow; if you were right, ok!; if worst what you expected, hell! Mary Jo Putney’s latest book Not Quite a Wife was kind of a ok for me. I didn’t expect much from quickly browsing reviews; could it be a worthless experience? However, it was a Mary Jo Putney, and I missed reading her books to just a few hours of great entertainment! So I decided to face it and see for myself if it was worth it after all. Indeed, this was not the best of The Lost Lords series, but I enjoyed it.
Ms. Putney writes superbly and the plot was well built. I am attracted to themes of lovers reunited, and the couple of protagonists - James, Lord Kirkland and Laurel Herbert, his estranged wife for the last ten years - if not the perfect couple were believable, and they fit well together. I liked them, although I didn’t feel the reason why she abandoned the marriage really should lead to such a strong reaction. Ok, they were young, so almost anything should be forgiven. But it was a good read.
It’s a romance; the suspense, involving the rescue of a slaved girl – slavery was already banned in Britain at the time – even if somewhat predictable as it develops was well put together. However, the suspense was more a backdrop to the issues relating to their personal relationship. Even if in the end it picks up, and ends driving most of the story. I thought that was all right, as it pushed towards the solution they were seeking.
Ms. Putney writes superbly and the plot was well built. I am attracted to themes of lovers reunited, and the couple of protagonists - James, Lord Kirkland and Laurel Herbert, his estranged wife for the last ten years - if not the perfect couple were believable, and they fit well together. I liked them, although I didn’t feel the reason why she abandoned the marriage really should lead to such a strong reaction. Ok, they were young, so almost anything should be forgiven. But it was a good read.
It’s a romance; the suspense, involving the rescue of a slaved girl – slavery was already banned in Britain at the time – even if somewhat predictable as it develops was well put together. However, the suspense was more a backdrop to the issues relating to their personal relationship. Even if in the end it picks up, and ends driving most of the story. I thought that was all right, as it pushed towards the solution they were seeking.
August 23, 2021
I give this a 3.5. I enjoyed the book, but expected Kirkland story to be a more interesting read than it was.
May 18, 2014
This sixth book in Mary Jo Putney's "Lost Lords" series is different from the previous books as I recall. They all, of course, follow the men who were sent to a school for troubled boys in their childhood, who forged very strong bonds of friendship, loyalty and other virtues.
The author gives notes after the Epilogue which detail some factual events &/or social concerns of the time; these notes are short but helpful.
One thing, not included in the notes, that struck me about the heroine and her brother was their serious application of early Methodism's social values to serve the less fortunate and those who were victims of domestic violence. Most of us have forgotten that before such church movements (stemming from the Great Awakening) took on these problems in society, there was NO such thing as social work, as we know it today.
Laurel was barely eighteen when she married twenty-one year-old James, Lord Kirkland. Her strongly held religious views about violence did not allow her to view her husband [a spy for England in the Napoleonic wars] as other than shocking when she saw him react as an assassin approached him in their home; she had a one-dimensional view that could not be compromised. I think she overreacted, but I cannot put myself into the place of a gently-raised naive teen two hundred years ago, before women even read newpaper accounts of war and other violent acts, much less television and movies we take for granted.
James and Laurel were separated for ten years, divorce not being an option either could or would pursue. Their accidental meeting proved "fateful" and the story proceeds from there. James was a very interesting hero whom I liked immensely. He also became a vivid three-dimensional character as the novel moved forward. This is a tale of two people who want to work on their marriage, to call to mind the vows they took as young people, and there are encounters with domestic violence in the community, with the illegal but lucrative slave trade and rescues and efforts for justice by the members of the Lost Lords and their households.
I found a lot of food for thought as I read what I thought would be just another Regency Romance, and I salute the author for her portrayal of Laurel and James, her drawing forth of their growth in character, without being what many would call "preachy." For those who wonder, the only scenes in this book of intimacy (and they are few) are within the bonds of marriage.
The author gives notes after the Epilogue which detail some factual events &/or social concerns of the time; these notes are short but helpful.
One thing, not included in the notes, that struck me about the heroine and her brother was their serious application of early Methodism's social values to serve the less fortunate and those who were victims of domestic violence. Most of us have forgotten that before such church movements (stemming from the Great Awakening) took on these problems in society, there was NO such thing as social work, as we know it today.
Laurel was barely eighteen when she married twenty-one year-old James, Lord Kirkland. Her strongly held religious views about violence did not allow her to view her husband [a spy for England in the Napoleonic wars] as other than shocking when she saw him react as an assassin approached him in their home; she had a one-dimensional view that could not be compromised. I think she overreacted, but I cannot put myself into the place of a gently-raised naive teen two hundred years ago, before women even read newpaper accounts of war and other violent acts, much less television and movies we take for granted.
James and Laurel were separated for ten years, divorce not being an option either could or would pursue. Their accidental meeting proved "fateful" and the story proceeds from there. James was a very interesting hero whom I liked immensely. He also became a vivid three-dimensional character as the novel moved forward. This is a tale of two people who want to work on their marriage, to call to mind the vows they took as young people, and there are encounters with domestic violence in the community, with the illegal but lucrative slave trade and rescues and efforts for justice by the members of the Lost Lords and their households.
I found a lot of food for thought as I read what I thought would be just another Regency Romance, and I salute the author for her portrayal of Laurel and James, her drawing forth of their growth in character, without being what many would call "preachy." For those who wonder, the only scenes in this book of intimacy (and they are few) are within the bonds of marriage.
December 16, 2025
3'5 Estrellitas, pero me ha dejado con un regusto amargo respecto a los libros anteriores, que confieso, me parecieron mucho mejores. Y es que, ocurre algo al principio de la trama que desencadenará toda la historia, que no me he creído para nada, es decir, tras un ataque de fiebres de paludismo nadie podría hacer eso y tener un resultado tan satisfactorio.
Vamos a la historia, "Una esposa singular" es el sexto libro de la serie Lores Perdidos, de Mary Jo Putney. Por desgracia, hay un séptimo libro en la serie para terminarla y a las editoriales españolas se les olvidó publicarla. En fin, ¿quién se iba a dar cuenta si quedaba un libro para acabar la serie?
Éste es el libro de James, lord Kirkland, el jefe de espías de todos los protagonistas de ésta serie. James es ése personaje serio y oscuro que siempre ha estado sumergido en su trabajo y pareciera que no ha tenido vida, pero sí la tuvo. Hace diez años, James conoció a Laurel, la hermana pequeña de su amigo de la escuela, Daniel. James y Laurel se conocieron muy jóvenes, se enamoraron y se casaron, pero menos de un año después, Laurel abandonó a James al verlo matar a un hombre ¿quién era ese monstruo violento con el que se había casado?
En esos diez años, Laurel ha estado en Bristol, trabajando como enfermera en la clínica de su hermano y dirigiendo un hogar para mujeres y niños maltratados. Una noche, unos estibadores del puerto le llevan a Laurel a un caballero herido e inconsciente ardiendo de fiebre, y ese caballero resulta ser James Kirkland, el marido al que abandonó.
Así es como se encuentran y también el comienzo de una segunda oportunidad, cuando James convenza a Laurel de ir con él a Londres y convertirse en una auténtica condesa.
¿Dónde está aquí el conflicto o la aventura del libro? Pues respecto a los anteriores, aquí hay muy poca. "Una esposa singular" sigue una estructura muy lineal y carente de giros argumentales. El único conflicto en él es la trama en que Laurel salva a Violet, una esclava jamaicana, de manos de un peligroso capitán esclavista, y que va a ser el punto de conflicto y aventura del libro.
Realmente lo interesante de ésta novela ha sido el romance y la segunda oportunidad del libro, que confieso, es lo que más me ha gustado. Los protagonistas se enamoraron muy jóvenes, pero la llama entre ellos nunca se apagó y me maravilla que en la vida de uno y otro no haya habido cabida para nadie más, ni para rehacer su vida. A mí me ha convencido y es lo que más me ha gustado.
A falta del séptimo y último libro, que es la historia de Daniel Herbert, el hermano de Laurel, puedo dar por concluída la serie de los Lores Perdidos, que me ha gustado mucho. Es una serie con unos personajes brillantes y llenos de aventuras, donde siempre están sucediendo cosas. La guinda de la serie fue el spin off, los Calaveras Redimidos, de la cual, Titania publicó los tres primeros, y los siguientes ahí han quedado, en en limbo.
Vamos a la historia, "Una esposa singular" es el sexto libro de la serie Lores Perdidos, de Mary Jo Putney. Por desgracia, hay un séptimo libro en la serie para terminarla y a las editoriales españolas se les olvidó publicarla. En fin, ¿quién se iba a dar cuenta si quedaba un libro para acabar la serie?
Éste es el libro de James, lord Kirkland, el jefe de espías de todos los protagonistas de ésta serie. James es ése personaje serio y oscuro que siempre ha estado sumergido en su trabajo y pareciera que no ha tenido vida, pero sí la tuvo. Hace diez años, James conoció a Laurel, la hermana pequeña de su amigo de la escuela, Daniel. James y Laurel se conocieron muy jóvenes, se enamoraron y se casaron, pero menos de un año después, Laurel abandonó a James al verlo matar a un hombre ¿quién era ese monstruo violento con el que se había casado?
En esos diez años, Laurel ha estado en Bristol, trabajando como enfermera en la clínica de su hermano y dirigiendo un hogar para mujeres y niños maltratados. Una noche, unos estibadores del puerto le llevan a Laurel a un caballero herido e inconsciente ardiendo de fiebre, y ese caballero resulta ser James Kirkland, el marido al que abandonó.
Así es como se encuentran y también el comienzo de una segunda oportunidad, cuando James convenza a Laurel de ir con él a Londres y convertirse en una auténtica condesa.
¿Dónde está aquí el conflicto o la aventura del libro? Pues respecto a los anteriores, aquí hay muy poca. "Una esposa singular" sigue una estructura muy lineal y carente de giros argumentales. El único conflicto en él es la trama en que Laurel salva a Violet, una esclava jamaicana, de manos de un peligroso capitán esclavista, y que va a ser el punto de conflicto y aventura del libro.
Realmente lo interesante de ésta novela ha sido el romance y la segunda oportunidad del libro, que confieso, es lo que más me ha gustado. Los protagonistas se enamoraron muy jóvenes, pero la llama entre ellos nunca se apagó y me maravilla que en la vida de uno y otro no haya habido cabida para nadie más, ni para rehacer su vida. A mí me ha convencido y es lo que más me ha gustado.
A falta del séptimo y último libro, que es la historia de Daniel Herbert, el hermano de Laurel, puedo dar por concluída la serie de los Lores Perdidos, que me ha gustado mucho. Es una serie con unos personajes brillantes y llenos de aventuras, donde siempre están sucediendo cosas. La guinda de la serie fue el spin off, los Calaveras Redimidos, de la cual, Titania publicó los tres primeros, y los siguientes ahí han quedado, en en limbo.
July 25, 2014
My copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
Author: Mary Jo Putney
First published: 2014
Length: 4040 locations
Setting: Bristol and London, ~1814.
Sex: Infrequent, reasonably explicit.
Hero: Master Spy.
Heroine: Sister to a friend, works as a nurse, runs a refuge for battered women.
Includes: Excerpt from Not Always a Saint.
I've recently read another book where the couple had a long separation before reconciling. Their marriage died a long death but they were adult and mature when considering the next steps.
"Not Quite a Wife" isn't that.
The marriage died suddenly and pointlessly. Laurel was a child having a tantrum that she continued for years. Kirkland supported her, respected her and she was and continues to be a bitch.
He did one thing wrong so she decided he was basically evil.
He left her alone, as requested, so she could get on with her life.
In the years of their separation she did not grow. She chose a new life. She endeavoured to make a difference. But she did not emotionally grow, did not learn to accept and forgive.
I struggled, constantly, to keep going with "Not Quite A Wife". Maybe Laurel'll get better? There's a glimmer here and there, and then *bang* she's going to continue manipulating the situation with Kirkland so she gets everything she wants and he gets nothing.
Because he's evil.
And she's a tantrum throwing child.
I didn't like it.
I've read the other Lost Lords and rated them ~3 gr stars. But Kirkland's story? Nope. Unattractive heroine who he should have simply divorced and tried again. Stilted dialogue that was disappointing in such an experienced author. Ham-fisted history on slaving and religious elements. Shoe-horning all the other MCs into the story to bring closure and tie up loose ends....
It didn't work.
Lost Lords:
Book 1 Loving A Lost Lord - Adam Ashton and Mariah Clarke
Book 2 Never Less Than a Lady - Major Alexander Randall and Julia Bancroft
Book 3 Nowhere Near Respectable - Damian (Mac) Mackenzie and Lady Kiri Lawford
Book 4 No Longer a Gentleman - Grey Sommers, Lord Wyndham and Cassie Fox
Book 5 Sometimes a Rogue - Rob Carmichael and Sarah Clarke-Townsend
Book 6 Not Quite a Wife - James, Lord Kirkland and Laurel Herbert
Book 7 Not Always a Saint - Daniel Herbert
References:
Author's w'site: http://www.maryjoputney.com/
(ISBN 978-1-4201-2716-4)
-CR-
Author: Mary Jo Putney
First published: 2014
Length: 4040 locations
Setting: Bristol and London, ~1814.
Sex: Infrequent, reasonably explicit.
Hero: Master Spy.
Heroine: Sister to a friend, works as a nurse, runs a refuge for battered women.
Includes: Excerpt from Not Always a Saint.
I've recently read another book where the couple had a long separation before reconciling. Their marriage died a long death but they were adult and mature when considering the next steps.
"Not Quite a Wife" isn't that.
The marriage died suddenly and pointlessly. Laurel was a child having a tantrum that she continued for years. Kirkland supported her, respected her and she was and continues to be a bitch.
He did one thing wrong so she decided he was basically evil.
He left her alone, as requested, so she could get on with her life.
In the years of their separation she did not grow. She chose a new life. She endeavoured to make a difference. But she did not emotionally grow, did not learn to accept and forgive.
I struggled, constantly, to keep going with "Not Quite A Wife". Maybe Laurel'll get better? There's a glimmer here and there, and then *bang* she's going to continue manipulating the situation with Kirkland so she gets everything she wants and he gets nothing.
Because he's evil.
And she's a tantrum throwing child.
I didn't like it.
I've read the other Lost Lords and rated them ~3 gr stars. But Kirkland's story? Nope. Unattractive heroine who he should have simply divorced and tried again. Stilted dialogue that was disappointing in such an experienced author. Ham-fisted history on slaving and religious elements. Shoe-horning all the other MCs into the story to bring closure and tie up loose ends....
It didn't work.
Lost Lords:
Book 1 Loving A Lost Lord - Adam Ashton and Mariah Clarke
Book 2 Never Less Than a Lady - Major Alexander Randall and Julia Bancroft
Book 3 Nowhere Near Respectable - Damian (Mac) Mackenzie and Lady Kiri Lawford
Book 4 No Longer a Gentleman - Grey Sommers, Lord Wyndham and Cassie Fox
Book 5 Sometimes a Rogue - Rob Carmichael and Sarah Clarke-Townsend
Book 6 Not Quite a Wife - James, Lord Kirkland and Laurel Herbert
Book 7 Not Always a Saint - Daniel Herbert
References:
Author's w'site: http://www.maryjoputney.com/
(ISBN 978-1-4201-2716-4)
-CR-
May 29, 2014
I wanted to like this more. I really did. Some of the author's books have a place of pride on my keeper shelf: One Perfect Rose, The Rake and the Reformer (original, not the remix), The Best Husband Money Can Buy.
This latest effort though didn't make the cut. I bought into the idea of the couple marrying too young, before they knew one each other well, but the heroine's actions at the end of the novel made me roll my eyes and want to toss it. Maybe it's just me, because other readers liked it.
This latest effort though didn't make the cut. I bought into the idea of the couple marrying too young, before they knew one each other well, but the heroine's actions at the end of the novel made me roll my eyes and want to toss it. Maybe it's just me, because other readers liked it.
August 24, 2014
It was okay. I didn't really like the heroine at all. The reason she left her husband was silly especially for that day and age. I'd like to think that if my husband killed an intruder in our house I would at least give him a hearing and stand by him since we have children to protect and there is no reason for a stranger to be in our house late at night if he didn't have evil intentions. She gave up on her for better or worse pretty quickly.
He was at fault too for not insisting she listen to his reasons.
So they decide to try again to have a marriage and she responds the exact same way when he kills a bad guy in front of her again. Even after spending years working with abused women she is upset when her husband kills the drunk abusive husband of a terrorized woman who has said that he will sell his child probably to a whore house.
And it was predictable. You would have had to be an idiot not to realize as soon as Violet shows up that Laurel, the heroine, was going to end up killing someone to save her.
I've read all the other books and wished I could have remembered everyone's stories when they all showed up at the end of the book. I did drop my jaw a bit when all the women started fessing up to killing people. Seemed too trust too soon.
I used to really love MJP but I think I'm just reading them now out of old loyalty and hope.
He was at fault too for not insisting she listen to his reasons.
So they decide to try again to have a marriage and she responds the exact same way when he kills a bad guy in front of her again. Even after spending years working with abused women she is upset when her husband kills the drunk abusive husband of a terrorized woman who has said that he will sell his child probably to a whore house.
And it was predictable. You would have had to be an idiot not to realize as soon as Violet shows up that Laurel, the heroine, was going to end up killing someone to save her.
I've read all the other books and wished I could have remembered everyone's stories when they all showed up at the end of the book. I did drop my jaw a bit when all the women started fessing up to killing people. Seemed too trust too soon.
I used to really love MJP but I think I'm just reading them now out of old loyalty and hope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2021
I'm going to be honest with myself. I don't really see myself finishing this book, and I'm just going to call it a DNF already. The first sex scene was like...lackluster & the heroine is already annoying me.
I would try harder to continue reading it, but I only have an uncomfortable chair or my bed to read in in my dorm room, so we're good :)
(Not to mention the other lackluster reviews... While reading this book back in September, I was questioning myself if it had just been too long since I read a romance that the book was just not vibing, or if the fault lay in the book itself. And now, I can say with confidence that it's the book's fault, not mine :))
I actually miss home :/
I would try harder to continue reading it, but I only have an uncomfortable chair or my bed to read in in my dorm room, so we're good :)
(Not to mention the other lackluster reviews... While reading this book back in September, I was questioning myself if it had just been too long since I read a romance that the book was just not vibing, or if the fault lay in the book itself. And now, I can say with confidence that it's the book's fault, not mine :))
I actually miss home :/
November 26, 2014
What a profound disappointment. This book was both trite and woodenly written. The premise was beyond ludicrous, the "conflict" plot, wholly unnecessary, didn't start until about fifty pages were left, and there were random points of view that added absolutely nothing to the story but pages. The ending was rushed and felt glossed over and unresolved, not to mention being entirely unnecessary.
Really, though, what killed me was the fact that they're back together because Laurel has sex with Kirkland while he is so delirious with fever that he thinks he's dreaming it and doesn't realize it was real the next day. I rolled my eyes at the implausibility, but I also found myself uncomfortable with the scenario in which a clearly out of it person is having sex with someone not realizing that they are. I ask myself, if the roles were reversed would I have been upset, and 100% yes I would have.
Kirkland, an enigmatic and solid supporting character in the other books deserved better than this.
Oh, and, weirdly, this book almost felt like it could be classed as "inspirational" due tot he constant discussion of faith and sin and morality. It became distracting and, at times, made Laurel deeply unlikable. I didn't get it.
Really, though, what killed me was the fact that they're back together because Laurel has sex with Kirkland while he is so delirious with fever that he thinks he's dreaming it and doesn't realize it was real the next day. I rolled my eyes at the implausibility, but I also found myself uncomfortable with the scenario in which a clearly out of it person is having sex with someone not realizing that they are. I ask myself, if the roles were reversed would I have been upset, and 100% yes I would have.
Kirkland, an enigmatic and solid supporting character in the other books deserved better than this.
Oh, and, weirdly, this book almost felt like it could be classed as "inspirational" due tot he constant discussion of faith and sin and morality. It became distracting and, at times, made Laurel deeply unlikable. I didn't get it.
September 9, 2014
Unfortunately I didn't feel it.
Laurel was annoying, I didn't care much for her or her reasoning.
Kirkland surprised me, a spymaster, capable of killing barehanded, yet did not try to keep his wife or fight for her, even ten years later it was circumstances and not their own wishes that brought them together.
And then the whole thing almost happened again.
I was also a bit annoyed at Daniel, Laurel's brother, he was supposed to be Kirkland's best friend, yet when his sister walked away he stopped being a friend and started hating him without even knowing the reason.
I struggled to try and finish it, and even the kidnapping and what Laurel had to do in the end didn't change my mind.
I was really disappointed it.
Laurel was annoying, I didn't care much for her or her reasoning.
Kirkland surprised me, a spymaster, capable of killing barehanded, yet did not try to keep his wife or fight for her, even ten years later it was circumstances and not their own wishes that brought them together.
And then the whole thing almost happened again.
I was also a bit annoyed at Daniel, Laurel's brother, he was supposed to be Kirkland's best friend, yet when his sister walked away he stopped being a friend and started hating him without even knowing the reason.
I struggled to try and finish it, and even the kidnapping and what Laurel had to do in the end didn't change my mind.
I was really disappointed it.
February 17, 2021
Ietwat anders dan de voorgaande boeken in deze serie , iets minder avontuur maar wel meer tijd voor karakter verdieping .
May 22, 2025
Lord Kirkland s-a căsătorit în grabă cu domnişoara Laurel, dar după scurt timp ea fl părăseşte.
După 10 ani o întâmplare neaşteptată îi aduce împreună.
Acea noapte le schimbă viaţa.
Frică şi pasiune , o sfântă şi un păcătos.
După 10 ani o întâmplare neaşteptată îi aduce împreună.
Acea noapte le schimbă viaţa.
Frică şi pasiune , o sfântă şi un păcătos.
January 31, 2019
Sr deja leer. La portada no tiene nada que ver con el resto de la serie.
Segundas oportunidades. Y toca, sin profundizar mucho, el tema de la esclavitud.
Segundas oportunidades. Y toca, sin profundizar mucho, el tema de la esclavitud.
September 27, 2015
Laurel married James when they were very young and madly in love. He was her brother's best friend from the Westerfield Academy, and they met when he visited her home. After an extended honeymoon of bliss, they returned home to London. Before she could be introduced to the rest of his friends, she witnessed him kill an intruder with his bare hands, and the sudden violence frightened her so badly, she fled to live with her brother, wanting never to see her new husband again.
A decade later, James has a malarial attack in Bristol and is robbed by thugs while delirious. Good Samaritans bring him to the local infirmary and leave him in the care of the nurse on duty...Laurel. She recognizes him right away, and realizes that his fever isn't due to his injuries, so she treats him with Jesuit's bark. While hallucinating, he clutches her, reigniting the passion kept tightly banked for ten years. However, the next morning, Laurel lets James believe it was just a dream, and they part ways again, believing it to be forever.
A few weeks later, Laurel realizes she is pregnant, notifies James, and he jumps at the chance to be part of her life once again. For the sake of the baby, they agree to tell people they've reconciled, dividing their time between Bristol, where Laurel runs her brother's clinic and the connected battered women's shelter, and London, where James is a spymaster for the British government. But Laurel's traumatic memories are not easily eradicated, despite all she learns about the extenuating circumstances of that night, and she doesn't know whether she'll ever be able to put it behind her.
I've never witnessed my husband do anything violent, so I have no personal experience with which to compare, yet I groaned in frustration many times while reading because Laurel was so quick to panic and so slow to listen--a common trait among teenagers, and one I really thought she should have grown out of in the intervening years. Also, even once she knew the full story, the mitigating circumstances barely made a dent in the walls she'd built around herself.
Nonetheless, the story was absorbing, the characters felt like real people, and I stayed up way too late reading because I had to know how James was going to catch the kidnapper. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which tells Laurel's brother Daniel's story.
For readers' advisors: character and story doorways, as well as setting (i.e. Napoleonic War era in England). I'd almost characterize it as "Christian Fiction," given the critical importance of Laurel's faith to the story, but there are some sex scenes--albeit not terribly explicit--which you don't typically find in books labeled "Christian Fiction." It's the 6th book in the Lost Lords series, and it's best if they're read in order because the characters from all the other books show up in this one.
A decade later, James has a malarial attack in Bristol and is robbed by thugs while delirious. Good Samaritans bring him to the local infirmary and leave him in the care of the nurse on duty...Laurel. She recognizes him right away, and realizes that his fever isn't due to his injuries, so she treats him with Jesuit's bark. While hallucinating, he clutches her, reigniting the passion kept tightly banked for ten years. However, the next morning, Laurel lets James believe it was just a dream, and they part ways again, believing it to be forever.
A few weeks later, Laurel realizes she is pregnant, notifies James, and he jumps at the chance to be part of her life once again. For the sake of the baby, they agree to tell people they've reconciled, dividing their time between Bristol, where Laurel runs her brother's clinic and the connected battered women's shelter, and London, where James is a spymaster for the British government. But Laurel's traumatic memories are not easily eradicated, despite all she learns about the extenuating circumstances of that night, and she doesn't know whether she'll ever be able to put it behind her.
I've never witnessed my husband do anything violent, so I have no personal experience with which to compare, yet I groaned in frustration many times while reading because Laurel was so quick to panic and so slow to listen--a common trait among teenagers, and one I really thought she should have grown out of in the intervening years. Also, even once she knew the full story, the mitigating circumstances barely made a dent in the walls she'd built around herself.
Nonetheless, the story was absorbing, the characters felt like real people, and I stayed up way too late reading because I had to know how James was going to catch the kidnapper. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which tells Laurel's brother Daniel's story.
For readers' advisors: character and story doorways, as well as setting (i.e. Napoleonic War era in England). I'd almost characterize it as "Christian Fiction," given the critical importance of Laurel's faith to the story, but there are some sex scenes--albeit not terribly explicit--which you don't typically find in books labeled "Christian Fiction." It's the 6th book in the Lost Lords series, and it's best if they're read in order because the characters from all the other books show up in this one.
June 26, 2016
The conversations in this book are incredibly stilted, much of the dialogue just seems somewhat awkward. Especially in the scene where they host dinner and Laurel sits with the wives of her husband's friends.
The rescued mixed race lady's maid was very underdeveloped as a subplot. She seemed like a cardboard cutout and was represented rather simplistically for someone who formed a major plot point. Her secondary romance seemed like squeezing water out of rocks and you just wanted to get back to the main characters whenever she was featured prominently. As an attempt to be more inclusive of other races in historicals her inclusion just seemed a tad condescending due to the way she was characterized. It also failed as any subtle commentary on the wrongs of slavery, if that was the intent. The half Indian siblings from previous books by the author were better done by far.
Loved Laurel's brother. He was darling and his story seems like it would be of interest. Laurel was ok at the beginning. I liked how much she accomplished during the separation (which was way too lengthy). Impressive and impactful doings rather than twiddling her thumbs. She remained Interesting while in her element at the clinic or at Zion. Afterwards she seemed whiney and indecisive and like someone needed to tell her to "get over herself". The moral proselytizing was a bit much at times. She acted as judge and jury and was rather harsh in her pronouncements of fault.
Kirkland was great throughout.
The book Maybe deserves a three star rating but I lowered because I just did not enjoy it after the first half and finished for finishing's sake. Which I hate being obliged to do. But Putney is generally good and so was worth the hope of better to come in latter chapters. It never came.
Umm also...What's with this nonsensical sentence? I don't know about others but I certainly had no preconceived notions about any such unlikely thing as a highborn midwife. Much less any idea what one ought to look like-
“Lady Julia. Petite, dark haired, and serene, she looked exactly as one might expect of a high-born woman who had become a skilled and compassionate midwife.”
Now if I were asked to come up with some assumptions on the spot, I suppose I would expect this 'high society midwife' to be a more matronly, motherly buxom sort :)
On a final note, I find it hard to believe that a ship's captain (one already engaged in illegal trade who likely would rather keep below the radar) would court so unnecessarily the attention that would indubitably follow the snatching of a titled lady along with his 'property'. That's like begging for the Royal Navy to come after him. I felt this action to be incredibly unlikely even with the minimum required use of logic. I couldn't figure why the author set things up so that Laurel too was a target. I mean c'mon. The man had to dock in England in the future. He would never kick that hornets nest, even as angry as he was.
The rescued mixed race lady's maid was very underdeveloped as a subplot. She seemed like a cardboard cutout and was represented rather simplistically for someone who formed a major plot point. Her secondary romance seemed like squeezing water out of rocks and you just wanted to get back to the main characters whenever she was featured prominently. As an attempt to be more inclusive of other races in historicals her inclusion just seemed a tad condescending due to the way she was characterized. It also failed as any subtle commentary on the wrongs of slavery, if that was the intent. The half Indian siblings from previous books by the author were better done by far.
Loved Laurel's brother. He was darling and his story seems like it would be of interest. Laurel was ok at the beginning. I liked how much she accomplished during the separation (which was way too lengthy). Impressive and impactful doings rather than twiddling her thumbs. She remained Interesting while in her element at the clinic or at Zion. Afterwards she seemed whiney and indecisive and like someone needed to tell her to "get over herself". The moral proselytizing was a bit much at times. She acted as judge and jury and was rather harsh in her pronouncements of fault.
Kirkland was great throughout.
The book Maybe deserves a three star rating but I lowered because I just did not enjoy it after the first half and finished for finishing's sake. Which I hate being obliged to do. But Putney is generally good and so was worth the hope of better to come in latter chapters. It never came.
Umm also...What's with this nonsensical sentence? I don't know about others but I certainly had no preconceived notions about any such unlikely thing as a highborn midwife. Much less any idea what one ought to look like-
“Lady Julia. Petite, dark haired, and serene, she looked exactly as one might expect of a high-born woman who had become a skilled and compassionate midwife.”
Now if I were asked to come up with some assumptions on the spot, I suppose I would expect this 'high society midwife' to be a more matronly, motherly buxom sort :)
On a final note, I find it hard to believe that a ship's captain (one already engaged in illegal trade who likely would rather keep below the radar) would court so unnecessarily the attention that would indubitably follow the snatching of a titled lady along with his 'property'. That's like begging for the Royal Navy to come after him. I felt this action to be incredibly unlikely even with the minimum required use of logic. I couldn't figure why the author set things up so that Laurel too was a target. I mean c'mon. The man had to dock in England in the future. He would never kick that hornets nest, even as angry as he was.
March 26, 2015
This one---yikes!!
If only she can only get past the fact that her husband is...da da dum...a murderer who did the dastardly deed on their honeymoon. She's advised to become more physically intimate with him to help her get around this "problem" and help her reconcile their marriage. What a gigantic bowl of crazysauce!!
Let's forget about the fact that in reality her husband works for the government as a "spy" of sorts so it wasn't really murder and during the course of the story her husband kills a second man in front of her. She ends up accidentally killing a man who kidnaps her and her maid, so this romance had lots and lots of death.
I would only recommend this if you are OCD and absolutely must read every book in an entire series. Looks like the next one is about the brother of Mrs Crazysauce so who knows. It already appears to be as pushing the boundaries of "woo-hoo-goody-two-shoes" as this one did. He's going to fall in love with the abused wife of someone he shouldn't be messing with and can't have. Waahh!!!!
If only she can only get past the fact that her husband is...da da dum...a murderer who did the dastardly deed on their honeymoon. She's advised to become more physically intimate with him to help her get around this "problem" and help her reconcile their marriage. What a gigantic bowl of crazysauce!!
Let's forget about the fact that in reality her husband works for the government as a "spy" of sorts so it wasn't really murder and during the course of the story her husband kills a second man in front of her. She ends up accidentally killing a man who kidnaps her and her maid, so this romance had lots and lots of death.
I would only recommend this if you are OCD and absolutely must read every book in an entire series. Looks like the next one is about the brother of Mrs Crazysauce so who knows. It already appears to be as pushing the boundaries of "woo-hoo-goody-two-shoes" as this one did. He's going to fall in love with the abused wife of someone he shouldn't be messing with and can't have. Waahh!!!!
February 3, 2023
I’m stopping at pg 72. It pains me because it’s MJP and because the cover is so so beautiful and I want it on my shelf but this heroine is such a self-righteous, judgmental, irrational woman that I just can’t connect with her. What kind of woman judges and leaves her husband because he kills a known assassin sneaking up on him at night in his own house? That is self-defense and protecting one’s family plain and simple. I can’t bear to read about this attitude for the book, even if she does somehow finally figure it out. Or maybe she doesn’t and then I’d be even more upset. Just going to set this aside.
April 24, 2019
Oh, man. I love Mary Jo Putney. I love the Lost Lords series. And this book... was just not up to the standard set by the previous five. It was really, really not at the same level. This was an ARC, and while the technical (proofreading) editing was fine, the story-line (line and substantive editing) really needed some work. Maybe some of this will be cleaned up before the book is put into print.
A lot of Putney's books start with some action, but this one starts with our hero falling ill, getting mugged and beaten, ending up on the heroine's door, and then a passionate encounter after eleven years of separation. What the what? The story then slows considerably before continuing in odd fits and starts, culminating in a realization that would be fine in a Christian/Inspirational romance novel but seemed odd in a more mainstream book that had heretofore only infrequently (though with heavy, heavy hand) referred to the heroine's religion.
Anyway, the story - Lauren and James married young and then separated when James did something So Horrible that Lauren just couldn't stand to be with him anymore. So she left and went to Bristol with her brother (a doctor) to help him with his work. They also opened a home for abused women. When Lauren... encounters... James, she comes up pregnant. Which can happen. And they decide to reconcile. Okay. But it all seems so... forced. And somewhat boring. The middle of the book reads more like a regular Putney novel. More exploring the characters than a ton of action which is good. But...
There is exposition. Dear God. The exposition. It's like some newbie editor said, "We need to know everything about the other couples in this series, can you do a mini-recap for each and every one of them? Yeah, that's what readers want." This is not the way to entice people to read other books in the series at it cuts each character down to two dimensions from the wonderful pictures that were painted in their own stories.
And while we do get to learn more about Laurel in this middle part of the book, none of it seems to fit very well. It's like her personality traits were plucked at random from some jar and had to be wedged into the story. At least for Laurel. She's supposedly this rigid, almost Methodist, person but she is also incredibly wild in the bedroom for someone who left her husband eleven years earlier and only after their honeymoon (deciding to fall into bed with him after their absence.) She left her husband but is ready to forgive. Even when he repeats his actions, which she finds out were justified, but she still can't get over it.
And what was the point of meeting Laurel's parents? We're already hammered over the head with the fact that she wants their approval. Again, it seems that someone decided that every... single... thing... had to be explained.
If the book had started out with the scene that caused Laurel to leave her husband, then jumped to the start and proceeded chronologically from there, had excluded the rather tedious exposition, this could have been a very good book. This is still a very high 2 for me, but I just couldn't give it a three star, especially since the rest of the books in the series were so good.
A lot of Putney's books start with some action, but this one starts with our hero falling ill, getting mugged and beaten, ending up on the heroine's door, and then a passionate encounter after eleven years of separation. What the what? The story then slows considerably before continuing in odd fits and starts, culminating in a realization that would be fine in a Christian/Inspirational romance novel but seemed odd in a more mainstream book that had heretofore only infrequently (though with heavy, heavy hand) referred to the heroine's religion.
Anyway, the story - Lauren and James married young and then separated when James did something So Horrible that Lauren just couldn't stand to be with him anymore. So she left and went to Bristol with her brother (a doctor) to help him with his work. They also opened a home for abused women. When Lauren... encounters... James, she comes up pregnant. Which can happen. And they decide to reconcile. Okay. But it all seems so... forced. And somewhat boring. The middle of the book reads more like a regular Putney novel. More exploring the characters than a ton of action which is good. But...
There is exposition. Dear God. The exposition. It's like some newbie editor said, "We need to know everything about the other couples in this series, can you do a mini-recap for each and every one of them? Yeah, that's what readers want." This is not the way to entice people to read other books in the series at it cuts each character down to two dimensions from the wonderful pictures that were painted in their own stories.
And while we do get to learn more about Laurel in this middle part of the book, none of it seems to fit very well. It's like her personality traits were plucked at random from some jar and had to be wedged into the story. At least for Laurel. She's supposedly this rigid, almost Methodist, person but she is also incredibly wild in the bedroom for someone who left her husband eleven years earlier and only after their honeymoon (deciding to fall into bed with him after their absence.) She left her husband but is ready to forgive. Even when he repeats his actions, which she finds out were justified, but she still can't get over it.
And what was the point of meeting Laurel's parents? We're already hammered over the head with the fact that she wants their approval. Again, it seems that someone decided that every... single... thing... had to be explained.
If the book had started out with the scene that caused Laurel to leave her husband, then jumped to the start and proceeded chronologically from there, had excluded the rather tedious exposition, this could have been a very good book. This is still a very high 2 for me, but I just couldn't give it a three star, especially since the rest of the books in the series were so good.
May 2, 2015
No sé si alguna vez llegaré a entender por qué me quieres, pero, a partir de hoy, prometo no volver a cuestionarlo.
Al fin estoy al día con la serie :D
No sé porqué pero los últimos libros de romance histórico que leí han sido de reencuentros. No me atrae mucho el tema, pero los leo. Este en general, me faltó química. James y Laurel se conocen muy muy jóvenes, sucumben a un flechazo de amor inmediato y al otro día deciden casarse. Es demasiado pronto. Y luego por algo Laurel deja a su marido y no vuelven a verse hasta dentro de diez años.
No sentí un interés genuino por parte de Laurel de volver con su marido. Ella no lo hubiera hecho si ciertas circunstancias no la hubieran puesto en un aprieto. James la ama y él sí había estado esperando por esto, pero siempre supo que los valores de Laurel pesaban más que cualquier cosa que él pudiera haberle ofrecido. Laurel pasa todo el libro insegura de esta nueva unión, no la desea realmente, no está ahí porque quiera. James no merece esto, en mi cabeza, él siempre la amará más que ella a él.
Rescato la reunión de todos los protas, mujeres y hombres. La parte de los hombres fue bastante cursi pero la de las mujeres interesantes. Vemos ese encuentro de Sarah y Cassie, la antigua amante de su marido, y vemos que realmente entre todas no se conocen, y que Laurel no es tan extraña en ese grupete.
Por último, me encanta el detalle de la música. Piano, gente, piano. Es muy lindo. Lástima que no gire en torno a ello.
November 4, 2014
I'm sorry, but what the hell.
so we've got our 'heroine' who is estranged from her husband. ok. sounds interesting. until you find out why.
laurel left her husband, Lord Kirkland, 10 years ago in fear of her life. He reappears after he is brutally mugged during a bout of malaria. laurel nurses him back to health only to discover he intends to reconcile.
All sounds good. until the heroine starts talking. she's afraid for her life because she sees Kirkland kill someone in front of her. A rival spy and big ass dude, with a knife, breaks into their home after their honeymoon and Kirkland breaks the guy's neck. that's right. she's terrified because he protected her. But she's in the right here all moral and shit because he 'looked evil.'
but she's all golden and pure even though when he gets brought to her clinic out of his head with malaria she has sex with him, and lies about it. A lie of omission is still a lie. also. no consent was given. no consent=rape.
I'm not finishing this and I'm disgusted with it.
so we've got our 'heroine' who is estranged from her husband. ok. sounds interesting. until you find out why.
laurel left her husband, Lord Kirkland, 10 years ago in fear of her life. He reappears after he is brutally mugged during a bout of malaria. laurel nurses him back to health only to discover he intends to reconcile.
All sounds good. until the heroine starts talking. she's afraid for her life because she sees Kirkland kill someone in front of her. A rival spy and big ass dude, with a knife, breaks into their home after their honeymoon and Kirkland breaks the guy's neck. that's right. she's terrified because he protected her. But she's in the right here all moral and shit because he 'looked evil.'
but she's all golden and pure even though when he gets brought to her clinic out of his head with malaria she has sex with him, and lies about it. A lie of omission is still a lie. also. no consent was given. no consent=rape.
I'm not finishing this and I'm disgusted with it.
September 24, 2015
Finally Kirkland's story is told. His wife of one year sees him kill a man and she flees from him. He hides himself in his work and finally 10 years later they meet again. Laurel is this wonderful person who helps others, but can't seem to forgive her husband, or find out the circumstances. Turns out, not a spoiler, someone who doesn't love him/herself can't love another? Oh well. I did love seeing all the previous Lord's show up and see what has happened in their lives! So that was good. I did skim this a bit, but I did like the epilogue where we find out about the British laws on slavery. So I reread this on Sept. 22, 2015, and my feelings are still the same! Now I have reread them all, as well as the newist one about Laurel's brother. Hope that is not the end of the series, but I will not have to reread them all again, I think I will remember!!
October 27, 2015
Good read. The hero and heroine married young, madly in love, but she really didn't understand what it meant for him to be part of England's intelligence service during the Napoleonic wars. So when she sees him murder someone sneaking through their house, she freaks out, her devout near-Methodist sensibilities upended, and she runs home to Bristol to help her brother--who used to be a good friend of her husband's-- run his mission. This is why, when the hero is beaten up while in Bristol on business for his shipping company, he is brought to her at the mission. And they are face to face for the first time in 10 years. And the story takes off. It's a lovely, angsty story. I liked it a whole lot. I bet you would like it, too.
April 15, 2021
Did not like Laurel AT ALL! Kirkland deserved better than her.. She had such a high and mighty attitude that it made this book impossible to enjoy. I did give it two stars because James deserves them for not telling Laurel to shove it. I enjoyed the first few books in this series, but Sometimes A Rouge didn’t quite hit the mark... and this one was a dud.
April 21, 2021
Not quite as good as the last one. I had trouble relating to the heroine.
September 18, 2022
This is an excellent book in the series that ties together the first five books. Romance, action, friendship and family.
July 14, 2015
3 1/2 Stars
When Laurel Herbert left her husband of a year, she did it without looking back. Having witnessed her husband kill a man in front of her was just too much for the young and morally strict lady to take. Regardless of the reason, she feels there is no excuse for what he has done. Not able to return home to her parents, who basically shun her for leaving her rich and titled husband, she opens a home for wayward women and begin to give work at making their lives better. Her brother is now the local doctor and Laurel nurses for him and keeps his life and business managed.
Lord James Kirkland has spent the last ten years alone. When Laurel left him, he didn't go after her, didn't fight for his marriage because he knew he was to blame, even if killing the man was justifiable, he still allows Laurel to go without a fight. In his time alone, James has built himself quite a legacy in the shipping industry and all the while, he still makes sure that his estranged wife is financially secure, if nothing else.
One night changes everything for both Kirkland and Laurel, when Kirkland is attacked and brought to her bruised and somewhat out of it, he doesn't know where he is. Laurel is stunned to see her husband after ten years apart but still, she must tend to him like any other patient in need, since her brother is unable to. In his delirium, James dreams he has his beloved Laurel back and is making love to her, but when he awakens and finds Laurel there and no hint of the intimacy of the dream, he thinks it was all in his head.
Laurel tries to go on as if nothing happened between her and Kirkland, but when she realizes she is pregnant, the rules are about to change. When she informs Kirkland, he sees his chance back into Laurel's life, but can she get over those memories of him killing or will this still tear them apart?
NOT QUITE A WIFE by Mary Jo Putney is the 6th installment in the LOST LORDS series . I always enjoyed Kirkland in the previous books and I was eager to read his tale. I have to say though, this is not my favorite as I found Laurel's moral righteousness to be distracting and a bit much. It was a solid story and I really enjoyed Kirkland's character, finding him to be extremely generous and caring in all aspects of his life. he is probably one of my favorite characters in this series. I just found Laurel to be way too stubborn and her disapproval of James' deeds took away from the tale for me. As a fan of this series, I absolutely will continue to read it. My feelings here are you can't win them all, not every book in a series will get the same reaction. NOT QUITE A WIFE is still a good read and essential to the series.
~KIMBERLY~
When Laurel Herbert left her husband of a year, she did it without looking back. Having witnessed her husband kill a man in front of her was just too much for the young and morally strict lady to take. Regardless of the reason, she feels there is no excuse for what he has done. Not able to return home to her parents, who basically shun her for leaving her rich and titled husband, she opens a home for wayward women and begin to give work at making their lives better. Her brother is now the local doctor and Laurel nurses for him and keeps his life and business managed.
Lord James Kirkland has spent the last ten years alone. When Laurel left him, he didn't go after her, didn't fight for his marriage because he knew he was to blame, even if killing the man was justifiable, he still allows Laurel to go without a fight. In his time alone, James has built himself quite a legacy in the shipping industry and all the while, he still makes sure that his estranged wife is financially secure, if nothing else.
One night changes everything for both Kirkland and Laurel, when Kirkland is attacked and brought to her bruised and somewhat out of it, he doesn't know where he is. Laurel is stunned to see her husband after ten years apart but still, she must tend to him like any other patient in need, since her brother is unable to. In his delirium, James dreams he has his beloved Laurel back and is making love to her, but when he awakens and finds Laurel there and no hint of the intimacy of the dream, he thinks it was all in his head.
Laurel tries to go on as if nothing happened between her and Kirkland, but when she realizes she is pregnant, the rules are about to change. When she informs Kirkland, he sees his chance back into Laurel's life, but can she get over those memories of him killing or will this still tear them apart?
NOT QUITE A WIFE by Mary Jo Putney is the 6th installment in the LOST LORDS series . I always enjoyed Kirkland in the previous books and I was eager to read his tale. I have to say though, this is not my favorite as I found Laurel's moral righteousness to be distracting and a bit much. It was a solid story and I really enjoyed Kirkland's character, finding him to be extremely generous and caring in all aspects of his life. he is probably one of my favorite characters in this series. I just found Laurel to be way too stubborn and her disapproval of James' deeds took away from the tale for me. As a fan of this series, I absolutely will continue to read it. My feelings here are you can't win them all, not every book in a series will get the same reaction. NOT QUITE A WIFE is still a good read and essential to the series.
~KIMBERLY~
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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