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Fallen Angels #3
Petals in the Storm
REISSUE of THE CONTROVERSIAL COUNTESS
A cool master of sensuality, Rafe Whitbourne, Duke of Candover, earned his rakish reputation in the silken boudoirs of England's aristocracy, never giving away his hand or his heart.
Then a vital mission for a friend takes him to Paris to work with Countess Magda Janos, "the most beautiful spy in Europe." To his shock, the smoky-eyed temptress is no countess, but the deceitful tart who betrayed him a dozen years before—the only woman he had ever loved, and the only woman he had ever despised.
Margot Ashton wants nothing more than to forget her turbulent past and the mesmerizing man who had cruelly wronged her. But patriotism binds the two together in a shadowland of intrigue, where a dangerous plot may plunge a continent into war...and a whirlwind of passion sweeps them into a shattering love that cannot be denied.
A cool master of sensuality, Rafe Whitbourne, Duke of Candover, earned his rakish reputation in the silken boudoirs of England's aristocracy, never giving away his hand or his heart.
Then a vital mission for a friend takes him to Paris to work with Countess Magda Janos, "the most beautiful spy in Europe." To his shock, the smoky-eyed temptress is no countess, but the deceitful tart who betrayed him a dozen years before—the only woman he had ever loved, and the only woman he had ever despised.
Margot Ashton wants nothing more than to forget her turbulent past and the mesmerizing man who had cruelly wronged her. But patriotism binds the two together in a shadowland of intrigue, where a dangerous plot may plunge a continent into war...and a whirlwind of passion sweeps them into a shattering love that cannot be denied.
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
300 people are currently reading
1153 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jo Putney
167 books2,255 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 145 reviews
April 13, 2009
I had plenty of warnings, but I was still rather stunned at how underwhelmed I was by this book. But I perservered because I really wanted to follow the series in sequence. Unfortunately, it took up my entire weekend because I could not force myself to sit down and read this in long stretches. Not that it was horrible, mind you, but because it seemed like in terms of the romance, nothing was happening.
Rafe, Duke of Candover, made a life-alteringly bad jump to conclusion when he was 21, and it cost him the love of his life, Margot Ashton. After being accused of infidelity, Margot went with her father to Paris where they both were killed. However, Rafe is surprised when he journeys to Paris twelve years later to find that the spy he is to work with is no other than Margot. As they work together, the two veer from friendship to animosity to passion to respect... at least, that's what the author wants us to believe. I personally didn't feel anything between the two of them. And therein lies the problem. Although the historical details of post-Waterloo Paris are meticulously explained, they completely overshadow any romance that may have lurked in the pages. We're told that they still love each other and want each other, but it's not broken down in a way that draws this reader in. And, frankly, it's hard to like either Margot/Maggie or Rafe. There's nothing endearing or redeeming about either of them.
This book is actually a rewrite of a Regency by Ms. Putney, and you can really tell that the romantic and sexual tension were written in as side notes to the historical aspect of the story. The interesting interactions of the major political leaders at the time (Wellington, Castlereagh, Marshal Blucher, etc.) are the only thing that kept me turning the page. C-
Rafe, Duke of Candover, made a life-alteringly bad jump to conclusion when he was 21, and it cost him the love of his life, Margot Ashton. After being accused of infidelity, Margot went with her father to Paris where they both were killed. However, Rafe is surprised when he journeys to Paris twelve years later to find that the spy he is to work with is no other than Margot. As they work together, the two veer from friendship to animosity to passion to respect... at least, that's what the author wants us to believe. I personally didn't feel anything between the two of them. And therein lies the problem. Although the historical details of post-Waterloo Paris are meticulously explained, they completely overshadow any romance that may have lurked in the pages. We're told that they still love each other and want each other, but it's not broken down in a way that draws this reader in. And, frankly, it's hard to like either Margot/Maggie or Rafe. There's nothing endearing or redeeming about either of them.
This book is actually a rewrite of a Regency by Ms. Putney, and you can really tell that the romantic and sexual tension were written in as side notes to the historical aspect of the story. The interesting interactions of the major political leaders at the time (Wellington, Castlereagh, Marshal Blucher, etc.) are the only thing that kept me turning the page. C-
March 9, 2017
En realidad es 3.5
October 31, 2025
3'5 ⭐
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2025/...
Novela de estilo clásico: entorno a las guerras napoleónicas y espías por doquier, algo muy de moda hace veinte años.
No es lo mejor que he leído de la autora, pero me ha gustado, sobre todo esa parte histórica tan presente que sé, al mismo tiempo, que frena ahora a muchas lectoras
Margot me ha encantado, y más a medida que iba sabiendo de su fortaleza.-.. Rafe se hace de querer al final, pero cuesta.
Una relación convincente de reencuentros con una trama que, pese a que al malo se le ve venir de lejos, me ha entretenido
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2025/...
Novela de estilo clásico: entorno a las guerras napoleónicas y espías por doquier, algo muy de moda hace veinte años.
No es lo mejor que he leído de la autora, pero me ha gustado, sobre todo esa parte histórica tan presente que sé, al mismo tiempo, que frena ahora a muchas lectoras
Margot me ha encantado, y más a medida que iba sabiendo de su fortaleza.-.. Rafe se hace de querer al final, pero cuesta.
Una relación convincente de reencuentros con una trama que, pese a que al malo se le ve venir de lejos, me ha entretenido
February 5, 2021
I am now through book 3 in the series for my challenge. Thus far each book has not been as good as the prior one - 5 to 4 to 3 stars. Hopefully that turns around.
Second chance stories are not to my taste. It was both their faults in this case, and Putney did a rather good job redeeming them in a short amount of time at the end after all the intrigue.
Second chance stories are not to my taste. It was both their faults in this case, and Putney did a rather good job redeeming them in a short amount of time at the end after all the intrigue.
June 2, 2011
While I managed to finish this book, I just didn't enjoy it as much as The Bargain. The hero and heroine are trying to hurt each other even as they fight their feelings for each other and struggle with the memories of their past romance. The way they hurt one another in the past was a series of traumatic events for the heroine that I just couldn't believe anyone would be able to get past it. I wanted to like this book more, but as it stands, it just gets an "OK" from me.
Favorite passage:
Maggie glanced away, not wanting to deal with what lay beneath [Robin's] teasing tone. "Before I return to England, I'm going to acquire an entire wardrobe of gowns that come up to my throat. It's tedious to have men always talking to one's chest rather than one's face."
Favorite passage:
Maggie glanced away, not wanting to deal with what lay beneath [Robin's] teasing tone. "Before I return to England, I'm going to acquire an entire wardrobe of gowns that come up to my throat. It's tedious to have men always talking to one's chest rather than one's face."
July 27, 2009
Oh MJP. I always love your characters. Your villains are often pretty good too.
In this case, I thought the story was a bit one-sided. I felt like Rafe was given the larger responsibility for his falling out with Maggie, but then when it came time for them to heal, he was the one in charge there as well. Maggie is supposedly this strong, independent woman. Yes, she has a past, and that past hurts, and she has to come to accept it. But the fact that she never once told Rafe that he was wrong about her, even after Rafe came back, shows a streak of foolish pride that I never felt was resolved.
I did, as always, love the writing, and the story is incredible. The villain was actually fairly well done, though as is usually the case for me, I could have read a full trilogy just with this plot! Nefarious spy-villain? Yes please! There were some interesting twists and surprises too. I enjoyed it, and will likely re-read it so I can work out some of my issues in my head, mainly the one which follows:
*********************SPOILERS***********************
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I was a bit miffed at the Maggie/Robin relationship. It was complicated, and I don't feel like it was as obvious that she didn't love him. For a while I thought she really did. And then Robin's reaction at the end when he tells Rafe that Maggie loves RAFE, not Robin, I had to double check to make sure Robin has his own book - which he does. Hopefully it will make more sense in future books when I can see the characters after the fact.
Maybe it was just that Maggie spent so much time desiring Rafe, but always treated Robin with an affection that seemed more like love to me. I am eagerly awaiting Robin's book, because I like him. :)
In this case, I thought the story was a bit one-sided. I felt like Rafe was given the larger responsibility for his falling out with Maggie, but then when it came time for them to heal, he was the one in charge there as well. Maggie is supposedly this strong, independent woman. Yes, she has a past, and that past hurts, and she has to come to accept it. But the fact that she never once told Rafe that he was wrong about her, even after Rafe came back, shows a streak of foolish pride that I never felt was resolved.
I did, as always, love the writing, and the story is incredible. The villain was actually fairly well done, though as is usually the case for me, I could have read a full trilogy just with this plot! Nefarious spy-villain? Yes please! There were some interesting twists and surprises too. I enjoyed it, and will likely re-read it so I can work out some of my issues in my head, mainly the one which follows:
*********************SPOILERS***********************
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I was a bit miffed at the Maggie/Robin relationship. It was complicated, and I don't feel like it was as obvious that she didn't love him. For a while I thought she really did. And then Robin's reaction at the end when he tells Rafe that Maggie loves RAFE, not Robin, I had to double check to make sure Robin has his own book - which he does. Hopefully it will make more sense in future books when I can see the characters after the fact.
Maybe it was just that Maggie spent so much time desiring Rafe, but always treated Robin with an affection that seemed more like love to me. I am eagerly awaiting Robin's book, because I like him. :)
March 16, 2016
The spy plot was actually pretty good! The romance plot was really not. Decent enough setup, but the dude was terrible, they had no chemistry, and everything was suuuuuper rapey all the time. Rapey backstory, persistent rape threats, multiple attempted rapes, and even the 'hero' at one point was like hey, rape! That's a thing I can do! The spy plot really was good, though, and I liked the side characters, and the romance was pasted on anyway so it was easy to skip in favor of figuring out who is trying to kill Napoleon today. 2.5 stars, I guess.
November 26, 2018
3/5
Puede que un 2,5.
El libro no está mal pero me aburrió tanta trama de espías e historias políticas, de ahí que no le ponga mucha nota.
La pareja no está mal pero el que de verdad me ha interesado y he visto que el libro 4 trata de él es Robin, así que voy a leerme los próximos dos por lo menos.
Puede que un 2,5.
El libro no está mal pero me aburrió tanta trama de espías e historias políticas, de ahí que no le ponga mucha nota.
La pareja no está mal pero el que de verdad me ha interesado y he visto que el libro 4 trata de él es Robin, así que voy a leerme los próximos dos por lo menos.
September 6, 2016
Author: Mary Jo Putney
First published: 1989, 2011
Originally published: as The Controversial Countess, 1989
Length: 5664 locations
Setting: 1815 - during the discussions of The Treaty of Paris after Napoleon's second abdication.
Sex: A part of who they are. She was gang raped in the past. And she has used sexual allure as part of her spy arsenal.
Heroine: She is a spy and has a longterm lover (Robert).
Series: Book 2 or 3 of 7
Includes: Excerpts from Thunder & Roses, Dancing on the Wind and One Perfect Rose by M J Putney.
Note: There is a reference to Lady Jocelyn Kendal and Major David Lancaster at the beginning of the book. Their story is told in The Bargain.
A book about love v hate, forging forgiveness and finding Truth.
Includes interesting bits of trivia regarding Napoleons looting of art making an interestingly drawn Historical World.
I liked it, mostly, but struggled with the characters. Maybe because it's a "re-write" - it looses some of it's strength in revision and trying to update our contemporary expectations of characters. (20 years ago we were still fighting our way from the Bodice Rippers into a Romantic Feminism.)
But it is a book with a story that stays, so it's not all bad.
The Fallen Angels:
Book 1 Thunder & Roses - first release May 1993 - Nicholas Davies and Clare Morgan
Book 2* Petals in the Storm - first release Dec 1993 (The Controversial Countess) - Rafe Whitbourne and Margot Ashton
Book 3* Dancing on the Wind - first release Oct 1994 - Lucien Fairchild and Kit Travers
Book 4 Angel Rogue - first release April 1995 - Robert Andreville and Maxima Collins
Book 5 Shattered Rainbows - first release Feb 1996 - Michael Kenyon and Catherine Melbourne
Book 6 River Of Fire - first release Nov 1996 - Kenneth Wilding and Rebecca Seaton
Book 7 One Perfect Rose - April 2010 - Stephen Kenyon and Rosalind Jordan
Loosely connected to The Fallen Angels:
The Rake (revised from The Rake and the Reformer) - 1998 - Reginald Davenport and Alys Weston
The Bargain (revised from The Would-Be Widow) - 1999 - Lady Jocelyn Kendal and Major David Lancaster
References:
Author's website: http://www.maryjoputney.com/
* Books 2 and 3 have one ordering based on the author's web page and publishing history, but state on the books another order. They should stand alone, making order irrelevant.
-CR-
First published: 1989, 2011
Originally published: as The Controversial Countess, 1989
Length: 5664 locations
Setting: 1815 - during the discussions of The Treaty of Paris after Napoleon's second abdication.
Sex: A part of who they are. She was gang raped in the past. And she has used sexual allure as part of her spy arsenal.
Heroine: She is a spy and has a longterm lover (Robert).
Series: Book 2 or 3 of 7
Includes: Excerpts from Thunder & Roses, Dancing on the Wind and One Perfect Rose by M J Putney.
Note: There is a reference to Lady Jocelyn Kendal and Major David Lancaster at the beginning of the book. Their story is told in The Bargain.
A book about love v hate, forging forgiveness and finding Truth.
Includes interesting bits of trivia regarding Napoleons looting of art making an interestingly drawn Historical World.
I liked it, mostly, but struggled with the characters. Maybe because it's a "re-write" - it looses some of it's strength in revision and trying to update our contemporary expectations of characters. (20 years ago we were still fighting our way from the Bodice Rippers into a Romantic Feminism.)
But it is a book with a story that stays, so it's not all bad.
The Fallen Angels:
Book 1 Thunder & Roses - first release May 1993 - Nicholas Davies and Clare Morgan
Book 2* Petals in the Storm - first release Dec 1993 (The Controversial Countess) - Rafe Whitbourne and Margot Ashton
Book 3* Dancing on the Wind - first release Oct 1994 - Lucien Fairchild and Kit Travers
Book 4 Angel Rogue - first release April 1995 - Robert Andreville and Maxima Collins
Book 5 Shattered Rainbows - first release Feb 1996 - Michael Kenyon and Catherine Melbourne
Book 6 River Of Fire - first release Nov 1996 - Kenneth Wilding and Rebecca Seaton
Book 7 One Perfect Rose - April 2010 - Stephen Kenyon and Rosalind Jordan
Loosely connected to The Fallen Angels:
The Rake (revised from The Rake and the Reformer) - 1998 - Reginald Davenport and Alys Weston
The Bargain (revised from The Would-Be Widow) - 1999 - Lady Jocelyn Kendal and Major David Lancaster
References:
Author's website: http://www.maryjoputney.com/
* Books 2 and 3 have one ordering based on the author's web page and publishing history, but state on the books another order. They should stand alone, making order irrelevant.
-CR-
August 12, 2014
Rafe, Duke of Candover, is sent to find out who is plotting against the movers and shakers at the peace talk in France where he meets the mysterious spy Countess Janos. Turns out she is his sweetheart who he thought betrayed him. Maggie has completely reinvented herself but she still can't shake her attraction to Rafe.
After reading the first book in this series I couldn't wait to crack this one open. The beginning though was a bit slow and not as sharp and snappy-like as I know MJP's writing can be. Though Maggie/Margot was a tortured soul I didn't really think Rafe was deeply enough portrayed throughout the book. In general, we got to know Maggie well and Rafe not so much except that he wants her so bad he considers the R word for a second. Maybe he is just a typical male and not much else but I expected him to have more depth.
The secondary characters were great, I especially liked the side-romance of Maggie's friend and the Prussian soldier, even more than I liked Maggie and Rafe's progression. Also, Maggie's friend and ex-lover had a good story-arc. But I did get the suspects in the plot mixed up sometimes since they weren't distinct enough and had sort of similar names.
All in all, I enjoyed it but didn't love it so three stars.
After reading the first book in this series I couldn't wait to crack this one open. The beginning though was a bit slow and not as sharp and snappy-like as I know MJP's writing can be. Though Maggie/Margot was a tortured soul I didn't really think Rafe was deeply enough portrayed throughout the book. In general, we got to know Maggie well and Rafe not so much except that he wants her so bad he considers the R word for a second. Maybe he is just a typical male and not much else but I expected him to have more depth.
The secondary characters were great, I especially liked the side-romance of Maggie's friend and the Prussian soldier, even more than I liked Maggie and Rafe's progression. Also, Maggie's friend and ex-lover had a good story-arc. But I did get the suspects in the plot mixed up sometimes since they weren't distinct enough and had sort of similar names.
All in all, I enjoyed it but didn't love it so three stars.
May 12, 2024
Audiobook. Reread.
Set in France after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, this is a second chance (not my favorite) plot heavy spy story. I loved the FMC, an experienced woman thirty years old, a spy with a built in network of other female spies. She's amazing. Rafe, the MMC, is unfortunately ridiculously bland compared to her. Not only that, he's also a jackass who caused their initial separation because of his idiocy. But, this is MJP and if there's one thing she's good at it is plotting and the plot keeps this one going despite the lackluster romance.
I recall this one being the weakest of the Fallen Angels but worth reading because it introduced my boo bear Robin the MC of the next book Angel Rogue.
Narration was decent. For fans of Joanna Bourne.
⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
Tropes
Second chance
Spies
CW: attempted SA, domestic violence, mentions of a gang r*pe. This is not a light hearted read.
Set in France after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, this is a second chance (not my favorite) plot heavy spy story. I loved the FMC, an experienced woman thirty years old, a spy with a built in network of other female spies. She's amazing. Rafe, the MMC, is unfortunately ridiculously bland compared to her. Not only that, he's also a jackass who caused their initial separation because of his idiocy. But, this is MJP and if there's one thing she's good at it is plotting and the plot keeps this one going despite the lackluster romance.
I recall this one being the weakest of the Fallen Angels but worth reading because it introduced my boo bear Robin the MC of the next book Angel Rogue.
Narration was decent. For fans of Joanna Bourne.
⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
Tropes
Second chance
Spies
CW: attempted SA, domestic violence, mentions of a gang r*pe. This is not a light hearted read.
November 1, 2020
In a Mary Jo Putney phase and am currently finding her writing very soothing and simply elegant to read. Particularly liked this earlier work of hers that is very much a traditional Regency. It’s about a lady spy who has to work with her former lover to discover an assassination plot in France. Give points to Margot who is incredibly charming and a very competent spy. I feel like I have to cheer a heroine on when she can be herself without being punished for it because it’s so rare. Rafe’s love for Margot is so sweet, I really felt his passion for her whenever he would recollect the past.
January 25, 2016
I hate Rafe. That's all I could say about this book. I didn't mind him in the other books of this series, but I absolutely loathed him. His thoughts are petty, rape-y, and just plain creepy, and I couldn't get any further than about half. I skimmed the end to figure out who was responsible for the assassination plot just because I wanted to know. It was almost painful for me to read Rafe's thoughts, especially because he was an ass to her the decade before that. He deserves absolutely nothing.
November 6, 2013
I am giving it 5 big dazzling stars!
It would be a rare thing for me to find a book of Mary Jo putney that I didn't like reading, but this one especially made me so happy. I loved it!! mostly, because I have been wanting to read Rafe's story for quite a while now. Ever since he was mentioned in the 'The Bargin' by Mary Jo putney, I was intrigued by his story from the start, and honestly it quite lived up to my expectation.
This is the 2nd book in the fallen angel series featuring Duke of Candover. Rafael Whitbourne is a dashing rake, known for his countless affairs with married/ widowed women. He lost his one true love when he was young due to a horrible misunderstanding. She leaves London with her father and after some time is believed to be dead. 13 loveless years later the duke find his one true love again... Under very unusual circumstances. The story is very intriguing and revolves around Rafe and Margot/Maggie, while they work together as spies to uncover the assassination plots after Waterloo. It's quite an interesting story with a lot of even more interesting characters. I especially loved the side story of Madame Helene Sorel and Colonel Von Fehrenbach. It was nice to see 2 people who lost important things and people to war, to forget their hatred and love each other. I was happy to see their story come to a happy end. Another person I absolutely adored would be Lord Robert Anderville or better known as Robin Anderson. I can't wait to read his story.
There was never a dull moment here, and I love that in the books I read. It kept me guessing about the plot and kept me at the edge of my seat to find out how Rafe and Margot's story was going to turn out after all the hurts of their past. I was not disappointed with the way it all played out at the end.
Mary Jo putney is an excellent writer and I would def recommend this book to people whole love historical romances with bit of history and lots of action.
Happy reading everyone
April 8, 2020
This is a spy thriller masquerading as a regency romance. I don't like spy thrillers in general and I didn't like this book.
I disliked the hero, Rafe, too. He is too thick-headed, seeing only what he wants to see. He destroyed his life and his beloved's life because of his unfounded jealousy, like Othello. All his conclusions are consistently wrong throughout the novel, on the personal front as well as in his spying affairs, and his intuition is non-existent. He is the worst possible spy. His actions damage everyone around him. That he is also a rich English duke makes his inadequacies seem even worse.
The heroine, Margot, is better. At least, I understand her reasoning and sympathize with her actions. The only thing I don't understand is how she could continue loving Rafe after what he had done to her. But that's romance for you.
I disliked the hero, Rafe, too. He is too thick-headed, seeing only what he wants to see. He destroyed his life and his beloved's life because of his unfounded jealousy, like Othello. All his conclusions are consistently wrong throughout the novel, on the personal front as well as in his spying affairs, and his intuition is non-existent. He is the worst possible spy. His actions damage everyone around him. That he is also a rich English duke makes his inadequacies seem even worse.
The heroine, Margot, is better. At least, I understand her reasoning and sympathize with her actions. The only thing I don't understand is how she could continue loving Rafe after what he had done to her. But that's romance for you.
November 21, 2012
Plus points for historical research and unusual plot devices. A hefty dose of minus points for a misogynistic fool of a male protagonist.
"He cannot be a lying, spying villain! We went to Eton together!" -> and here we see the entire ethos of the Tory Party.
"He cannot be a lying, spying villain! We went to Eton together!" -> and here we see the entire ethos of the Tory Party.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2021
His dark brows lifted. "Is that an oblique comment on rigid souls like me? Remember that flowers bend before a storm, yet still they are torn apart, their petals scattered to the four winds."
"Don't push the analogy too far, your grace," she said dryly. "I may look like an overblown rose, but I have survived fiercer storms than you will ever know of."
February 5, 2020
Re-read Dec/19 - 4 stars (original: 5?)
Rafe is known for his bedroom conquests and for keeping his cool. He never gives his heart away, having learned his lesson on that when he was quite young. He is asked by one of his friends to go to Paris and see if he can learn anything about a plot to cause disruption in peace talks. His contact is to be a countess, Magda. But when he meets Magda, Rafe realizes that she is the woman who broke his heart years before, and who he thought was dead.
Maggie was the loved only child of an army man, and when Rafe turned on her, they traveled abroad. When her father is killed, Maggie decides to reinvent herself, and becomes a spy for England, pretending to be from many different countries. This is her last job before she retires, but she doesn't count on meeting Rafe again. It brings up all the old feelings, both good and bad, and may be starting new ones.
There are nefarious plans afoot, though, so Rafe and Maggie need to put aside their vitriol and work together to stop something bad from happening.
This is not the book that I thought it was. When I decided to re-read it, I thought that I was reading Lucien and Kit's story. Instead, I get Rafe's story, which I believe that I liked almost as much when I last read it 20 years ago. (It really hurts to say that. I can't be old enough to have been an adult when I read a book 20 years ago.)
I know that my reading tastes have changed in the last 20 years, but I have still really enjoyed re-reading books I liked then. This one...fell kind of flat. My biggest issue is that there wasn't even a misunderstanding that tore Rafe and Maggie apart the first time. It was basically that they didn't know each other and then didn't talk it out. Rafe heard something from someone he did not like or trust and believed it, dashed off to accuse Maggie, and when she didn't deny it, was done with her. For her part, Maggie didn't say "hey, you know what, we don't know each other that well, we haven't been seeing each other for that long, you're being kind of an ass with accusations, but let me set you straight on a couple of things." *punches him in the dick* "How DARE you accuse me of doing that!!??" And then walk away, with Rafe either walking away too or running after her and they have an adult conversation. I mean, I don't know if there would have been a story after that, but at least it wouldn't have been the stupid "man believes something someone else says about a person he loves/woman is too proud to refute accusations" trope.
And then when Rafe meets Maggie again, he doesn't ask her her story. He doesn't try to figure out her story, he just leaps to conclusions and decides that he wants her as his mistress, because that's obviously all that she's good for now. (Dude, you're there on a mission! For your friend! To stop evil from taking over the world! Maybe get your mind off your hurt feelings and judge-y mcjudgerton judgments for a second.)
Maggie was pretty good for most of the book, and then she turned into someone who needed help opening her fan and believing how horrible she was. Fortunately she overcame that in the end, but it was still disappointing to have her disappear into the historical "little woman" trope.
Overall, I did enjoy this, although Rafe got on my nerves quite a bit. It just wasn't as good as I remembered it being.
Rafe is known for his bedroom conquests and for keeping his cool. He never gives his heart away, having learned his lesson on that when he was quite young. He is asked by one of his friends to go to Paris and see if he can learn anything about a plot to cause disruption in peace talks. His contact is to be a countess, Magda. But when he meets Magda, Rafe realizes that she is the woman who broke his heart years before, and who he thought was dead.
Maggie was the loved only child of an army man, and when Rafe turned on her, they traveled abroad. When her father is killed, Maggie decides to reinvent herself, and becomes a spy for England, pretending to be from many different countries. This is her last job before she retires, but she doesn't count on meeting Rafe again. It brings up all the old feelings, both good and bad, and may be starting new ones.
There are nefarious plans afoot, though, so Rafe and Maggie need to put aside their vitriol and work together to stop something bad from happening.
This is not the book that I thought it was. When I decided to re-read it, I thought that I was reading Lucien and Kit's story. Instead, I get Rafe's story, which I believe that I liked almost as much when I last read it 20 years ago. (It really hurts to say that. I can't be old enough to have been an adult when I read a book 20 years ago.)
I know that my reading tastes have changed in the last 20 years, but I have still really enjoyed re-reading books I liked then. This one...fell kind of flat. My biggest issue is that there wasn't even a misunderstanding that tore Rafe and Maggie apart the first time. It was basically that they didn't know each other and then didn't talk it out. Rafe heard something from someone he did not like or trust and believed it, dashed off to accuse Maggie, and when she didn't deny it, was done with her. For her part, Maggie didn't say "hey, you know what, we don't know each other that well, we haven't been seeing each other for that long, you're being kind of an ass with accusations, but let me set you straight on a couple of things." *punches him in the dick* "How DARE you accuse me of doing that!!??" And then walk away, with Rafe either walking away too or running after her and they have an adult conversation. I mean, I don't know if there would have been a story after that, but at least it wouldn't have been the stupid "man believes something someone else says about a person he loves/woman is too proud to refute accusations" trope.
And then when Rafe meets Maggie again, he doesn't ask her her story. He doesn't try to figure out her story, he just leaps to conclusions and decides that he wants her as his mistress, because that's obviously all that she's good for now. (Dude, you're there on a mission! For your friend! To stop evil from taking over the world! Maybe get your mind off your hurt feelings and judge-y mcjudgerton judgments for a second.)
Maggie was pretty good for most of the book, and then she turned into someone who needed help opening her fan and believing how horrible she was. Fortunately she overcame that in the end, but it was still disappointing to have her disappear into the historical "little woman" trope.
Overall, I did enjoy this, although Rafe got on my nerves quite a bit. It just wasn't as good as I remembered it being.
April 8, 2013
So much fun! Mainly because it uses one of my favorite set-ups. Long-ago lovers who meet again. At 21, Rafe Candover was madly in love with, and engaged to, Margot Ashton, who was all of 18. But he found out she cheated (pssst, not a spoiler, since this is a romance novel - he was set up), and when he confronted her about it, she threw the engagement ring in his face without defending herself and that was that. He loved her enough to beg her to marry him anyway once a few days passed, but by that point she was gone to France, to be killed there a short time after. And Rafe went on to being an unhappy person who slept around, as one does in those sorts of books. And now it's 13 years later, post Waterloo, and Rafe's friend Lucien, who is a spymaster of some sorts and for whom Rafe does occasional work, has asked him to travel to Paris to help to convince one of the lady spies to keep working and also help uncover a plot against Wellington. Rafe does so and...surprise surprise...the spy is his long-lost love Margot, who is actually alive. Angst! Anger! Betrayals! Hot make outs! Awesomeness! I really like this book and Rafe and Margot (though it really was one of these 'if you'd just talked, idiots!' situations) and the angst (Rafe believes she doesn't love or want him any more, and that of course she cheated on him) is delicious.
February 25, 2012
This has never been one of my favorites not because it isn't good because it is. It's just that the 2nd chance at love theme here is so so painful that I have a problem with it. Otherwise of course it is well written and intricately plotted. I also enjoyed the smaller regency it came from The Controversial Countess which I also own. In fact I did not find it quite as wrenching.
May 25, 2016
While this was a good read, it was also painful to read, as we found out what happened to Maggie after Rafe's actions. Maggie was a strong woman and needed to beat Rafe over the head a couple of times. :-)
November 21, 2016
2.75
Grade: C
Grade: C
July 10, 2021
Great book! Enjoying this writer’s work, and anxious to read more. Love the characters and the writing style of Mary Jo Putney.
May 20, 2024
This romance book did not sit well with me. I couldn’t wait to skim through the whole book just to get to the end.
October 24, 2021
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Petals in the Storm is the third book in Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels series, which follows a group of four best friends who all attended school together and became collectively known as the Fallen Angels. This book features Rafe, the Duke of Candover, who found Margot, the love of his life, at the age of twenty-one, but allowing his arrogance and jealousy to get in the way, he lost her. Now thirteen years later, he’s never found another woman who makes him feel the way she did, but believing she betrayed him, he still harbors some ill feelings toward her. Rafe is traveling to Paris in the days following Napoleon’s second defeat at Waterloo, so his friend and spymaster, Lucien, asks him to check into rumors of an assassination plot against a high-ranking official taking part in the peace talks. Rafe is to rendezvous with the Countess Magda Janos, a woman known as “the most beautiful spy in Europe.” When they meet, Rafe is shocked to discover that the Countess is really his Margot, because he’d heard that she was killed in a riot years ago. Although neither is pleased to be working with the other, their patriotism outweighs their personal feelings. Together they face dangers as they try to figure out who might be engineering the plot and who the intended victim is, which leaves them in a race against time to stop it. Along the way, they discover that their attraction for one another still burns brightly and they eventually succumb to passion. But when all is said and done, it still might not be enough to mend the wounds of the past.
After seeing the distance between his own parents, Rafe knew that he wanted a different sort of marriage, one built on love and passion. He fell hard and fast for Margot at the beginning of her come-out season, but since her father wanted her to experience a full season before a betrothal, they had a quiet understanding that was kept under wraps. Then an old school chum of Rafe’s made drunken claims of having relieved Margot of her virginity at a party, which the hotheaded young duke believed. When he confronted her, she simply threw her engagement ring at him and stormed off, leaving Rafe even more convinced of her betrayal. Not long after, she traveled to the Continent with her father, and there were later reports of their demise at the hands of rioters. The grief he felt at her loss helped to temper some of his anger toward her, but in the ensuing years, he’s never loved anyone else the way he loved her. When he meets Countess Janos in Paris, he’s shocked to find out the lady spy is actually Margot. The bad feelings are stirred up again, but he also finds that he still desires her like no other. However, he’s willing to set aside their personal differences to investigate the assassination plot, and as they do so, their old passions flare. Rafe soon finds his love for Margot reignited, but he believes that she’s in love with someone else, which nearly leads him to let her get away again.
Rafe was an OK hero, but I didn’t fall for him the same way I did for the heroes of the first two books of the series or the way I wanted to. The biggest issue I had with him was the way he treated Maggie all those years ago. He believed a man who wasn’t even a close friend over the woman he supposedly loved to distraction and he didn’t really fight for that love when she rightfully got angry at him. Admittedly he was rather young and naive at the time, but now that he’s older and a bit wiser, he eventually realizes the error of his ways and offers Maggie a heartfelt apology, which did help. However, it took Maggie’s friend, Robin, relating her entire traumatic history since coming to France to Rafe before he finally understands who she is now and how he contributed to that trauma with his sordid accusations. Another small issue I had is a moment where his lust flares and he briefly wonders if he might be capable of rape in order to finally have Maggie. Again, the next day, when Maggie is actually attacked by a mob and he rescues her, he realizes what a stupid thought that was, but him having had it at all was problematic for me. I don’t want it to sound like Rafe was all bad, though, because he did have his good points, too. He bravely helps to unravel and stop the assassination plot even though he isn’t an experienced spy. When Robin tells him of Maggie’s past, he’s properly guilt-ridden and tries to make amends. When they do make love, he’s tender with her, and when she tries to push him away again, this time, he fights for her. So there was enough good in him that I didn’t dislike him, but the eyebrow raising parts kept me from fully falling for him.
At nineteen, Margot was madly in love with Rafe and thought they’d soon be married, so his accusations of infidelity deeply wounded her. Her father, who was a military man, took the heartbroken girl to the Continent with him, where they were viciously attacked by a mob of French soldiers. Reports of their deaths reached England, but in reality, Margot had been saved by Robin who gave her a reason to keep living by training her to be a spy. The two lived together undercover for years and eventually became lovers, but three years earlier Maggie called off the physical part of their relationship, knowing that she didn’t truly love him and was only using him for comfort. However, they’ve remained close friends and co-conspirators in spycraft. Unlike many female spies who took powerful men as lovers in order to get sensitive information, Maggie has meticulously developed a network of women—prostitutes, maids, and such—who are in positions to overhear things or find incriminating papers to funnel this information to her. She’s grown content with her life, until Rafe shows up, disrupting her carefully ordered world. She reluctantly agrees to work with him for the good of their country and the peace talks, but she has no intention of falling for him or letting him hurt her again. Despite her best intention, though, her love for him is stirred up once more, but when he behaves in a rather cold and controlled manner, she believes that he doesn’t love her back. I admired Maggie for being such a strong woman in the face of trauma and many challenging circumstances. She’s reinvented herself as a master spy who can flawlessly take on a number of different personas and has empowered women in a society that didn’t particularly value them. My only issue with Maggie is that she’s now the second heroine I’ve read in close proximity who had her heart locked up tight due to past hurts, and as a result, I didn’t relate to her as well as I wanted. She fights her feelings for Rafe right up until the final pages of the book, which made her quick turnaround at the end not entirely believable to me.
Overall, Petals in the Storm was a good read, but I didn’t end up liking it quite as well as the first two books of the series. On the upside, I can tell that Ms. Putney did her homework well, and as usual, she’s crafted a tightly plotted story of passion and intrigue. The pace is a bit slower as the investigation develops, but once things heat up, it really take off with some good action and suspense. The romance is nice as well, but perhaps because of my individual issues with Rafe and Maggie’s characters, I didn’t feel quite as connected to them or feel the emotional connection between them as strongly as I’d have preferred. After giving it some thought, I realized that Rafe and Maggie were perhaps a little too much alike in their temperaments, so it didn’t entirely feel like they balanced each other out. They’re both really stubborn, prideful people who let these qualities take them down an undesirable path. They do reconcile by the end and both acknowledge their faults, but it still left me with some doubts about whether they’d be able to keep themselves in check in the future. Although I mostly liked Rafe and Maggie together, there was some small part of me that felt like she and Robin were a better match because he seems to have a calming influence on her, while Rafe stirs up her passions and not always in a good way. However, Robin’s destiny lies in a different direction as he becomes the hero of the next Fallen Angels book, Angel Rogue. The only other two series characters who appear in this book are Lucien (Dancing on the Wind) who is running the spy operation from England, and Nicholas (Thunder and Roses) who has a very quick visit with Rafe and Lucien before Rafe leaves for Paris. Even though Petals in the Storm didn’t reach the heights of perfection for me, I’m very intrigued by Robin and look forward to seeing him get his HEA, so I hope to pick up his book soon.
Petals in the Storm is the third book in Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels series, which follows a group of four best friends who all attended school together and became collectively known as the Fallen Angels. This book features Rafe, the Duke of Candover, who found Margot, the love of his life, at the age of twenty-one, but allowing his arrogance and jealousy to get in the way, he lost her. Now thirteen years later, he’s never found another woman who makes him feel the way she did, but believing she betrayed him, he still harbors some ill feelings toward her. Rafe is traveling to Paris in the days following Napoleon’s second defeat at Waterloo, so his friend and spymaster, Lucien, asks him to check into rumors of an assassination plot against a high-ranking official taking part in the peace talks. Rafe is to rendezvous with the Countess Magda Janos, a woman known as “the most beautiful spy in Europe.” When they meet, Rafe is shocked to discover that the Countess is really his Margot, because he’d heard that she was killed in a riot years ago. Although neither is pleased to be working with the other, their patriotism outweighs their personal feelings. Together they face dangers as they try to figure out who might be engineering the plot and who the intended victim is, which leaves them in a race against time to stop it. Along the way, they discover that their attraction for one another still burns brightly and they eventually succumb to passion. But when all is said and done, it still might not be enough to mend the wounds of the past.
After seeing the distance between his own parents, Rafe knew that he wanted a different sort of marriage, one built on love and passion. He fell hard and fast for Margot at the beginning of her come-out season, but since her father wanted her to experience a full season before a betrothal, they had a quiet understanding that was kept under wraps. Then an old school chum of Rafe’s made drunken claims of having relieved Margot of her virginity at a party, which the hotheaded young duke believed. When he confronted her, she simply threw her engagement ring at him and stormed off, leaving Rafe even more convinced of her betrayal. Not long after, she traveled to the Continent with her father, and there were later reports of their demise at the hands of rioters. The grief he felt at her loss helped to temper some of his anger toward her, but in the ensuing years, he’s never loved anyone else the way he loved her. When he meets Countess Janos in Paris, he’s shocked to find out the lady spy is actually Margot. The bad feelings are stirred up again, but he also finds that he still desires her like no other. However, he’s willing to set aside their personal differences to investigate the assassination plot, and as they do so, their old passions flare. Rafe soon finds his love for Margot reignited, but he believes that she’s in love with someone else, which nearly leads him to let her get away again.
Rafe was an OK hero, but I didn’t fall for him the same way I did for the heroes of the first two books of the series or the way I wanted to. The biggest issue I had with him was the way he treated Maggie all those years ago. He believed a man who wasn’t even a close friend over the woman he supposedly loved to distraction and he didn’t really fight for that love when she rightfully got angry at him. Admittedly he was rather young and naive at the time, but now that he’s older and a bit wiser, he eventually realizes the error of his ways and offers Maggie a heartfelt apology, which did help. However, it took Maggie’s friend, Robin, relating her entire traumatic history since coming to France to Rafe before he finally understands who she is now and how he contributed to that trauma with his sordid accusations. Another small issue I had is a moment where his lust flares and he briefly wonders if he might be capable of rape in order to finally have Maggie. Again, the next day, when Maggie is actually attacked by a mob and he rescues her, he realizes what a stupid thought that was, but him having had it at all was problematic for me. I don’t want it to sound like Rafe was all bad, though, because he did have his good points, too. He bravely helps to unravel and stop the assassination plot even though he isn’t an experienced spy. When Robin tells him of Maggie’s past, he’s properly guilt-ridden and tries to make amends. When they do make love, he’s tender with her, and when she tries to push him away again, this time, he fights for her. So there was enough good in him that I didn’t dislike him, but the eyebrow raising parts kept me from fully falling for him.
At nineteen, Margot was madly in love with Rafe and thought they’d soon be married, so his accusations of infidelity deeply wounded her. Her father, who was a military man, took the heartbroken girl to the Continent with him, where they were viciously attacked by a mob of French soldiers. Reports of their deaths reached England, but in reality, Margot had been saved by Robin who gave her a reason to keep living by training her to be a spy. The two lived together undercover for years and eventually became lovers, but three years earlier Maggie called off the physical part of their relationship, knowing that she didn’t truly love him and was only using him for comfort. However, they’ve remained close friends and co-conspirators in spycraft. Unlike many female spies who took powerful men as lovers in order to get sensitive information, Maggie has meticulously developed a network of women—prostitutes, maids, and such—who are in positions to overhear things or find incriminating papers to funnel this information to her. She’s grown content with her life, until Rafe shows up, disrupting her carefully ordered world. She reluctantly agrees to work with him for the good of their country and the peace talks, but she has no intention of falling for him or letting him hurt her again. Despite her best intention, though, her love for him is stirred up once more, but when he behaves in a rather cold and controlled manner, she believes that he doesn’t love her back. I admired Maggie for being such a strong woman in the face of trauma and many challenging circumstances. She’s reinvented herself as a master spy who can flawlessly take on a number of different personas and has empowered women in a society that didn’t particularly value them. My only issue with Maggie is that she’s now the second heroine I’ve read in close proximity who had her heart locked up tight due to past hurts, and as a result, I didn’t relate to her as well as I wanted. She fights her feelings for Rafe right up until the final pages of the book, which made her quick turnaround at the end not entirely believable to me.
Overall, Petals in the Storm was a good read, but I didn’t end up liking it quite as well as the first two books of the series. On the upside, I can tell that Ms. Putney did her homework well, and as usual, she’s crafted a tightly plotted story of passion and intrigue. The pace is a bit slower as the investigation develops, but once things heat up, it really take off with some good action and suspense. The romance is nice as well, but perhaps because of my individual issues with Rafe and Maggie’s characters, I didn’t feel quite as connected to them or feel the emotional connection between them as strongly as I’d have preferred. After giving it some thought, I realized that Rafe and Maggie were perhaps a little too much alike in their temperaments, so it didn’t entirely feel like they balanced each other out. They’re both really stubborn, prideful people who let these qualities take them down an undesirable path. They do reconcile by the end and both acknowledge their faults, but it still left me with some doubts about whether they’d be able to keep themselves in check in the future. Although I mostly liked Rafe and Maggie together, there was some small part of me that felt like she and Robin were a better match because he seems to have a calming influence on her, while Rafe stirs up her passions and not always in a good way. However, Robin’s destiny lies in a different direction as he becomes the hero of the next Fallen Angels book, Angel Rogue. The only other two series characters who appear in this book are Lucien (Dancing on the Wind) who is running the spy operation from England, and Nicholas (Thunder and Roses) who has a very quick visit with Rafe and Lucien before Rafe leaves for Paris. Even though Petals in the Storm didn’t reach the heights of perfection for me, I’m very intrigued by Robin and look forward to seeing him get his HEA, so I hope to pick up his book soon.
August 30, 2020
El primer libro de la colección consiguió un pedazo de 7, sorprendiéndome muy gratamente. Me gustaron tanto los personajes, como el argumento, la forma de narrar y cómo se desarrollaba todo. Además, encontré muy interesante el cuento del gitano que se va a vivir con los payos… me gustó mucho. Aquí tenemos al segundo ángel caído de Eton, en este caso Rafe, veamos a ver de quién se enamora este hombretón.
La historia de Rafe y Margot es un drama, ahora bien, como todo drama literario, lo es porque ellos lo permitieron. Él por tonto, por creer las palabras de un necio borracho y acusar antes de saber, y ella por orgullosa que prefirió perderle a pedirle excusas y a contarle la verdad. Pero bueno, lo peor es que en la vida real también hay mucha gente así, y por eso nos va cómo nos va, que siempre hay más lágrimas que sonrisas.
La historia de ambos es bonita, lo que ocurre es que todo ese argumento de investigaciones, intento de asesinato, problemas diplomáticos y todo eso, pues a mí mucho lo que se dice mucho, pues no me interesa, y el argumento gira en torno a eso más páginas que en lo que se refiere a los dos, y me cansa.
“Reconociendo que amarte me aterra, debo arriesgarme, porque incluso el dolor es preferible al vacío que he conocido estos doce últimos años. –La miró con expresión apremiante-: Después del disturbio de la Place du Carrousel me dijiste que la única emoción más fuerte que el miedo es la pasión. Pero estás equivocada. --Con infinita ternura le echó hacia atrás un mechón que le había caído en la mejilla-. No es la pasión, es el amor el que es más fuerte que el miedo. Te amo, y creo que tú también me amas, al menos un poco, sino no habrías compartido mi cama. Existe amor... dale la oportunidad de sanar las heridas del pasado.”
En comparación con el primero este languidece mucho. La historia entre ambos es preciosa, me ha encantado Rafe y Margot es un amor, pero… menos de la mitad del libro es realmente la historia de amor, todo lo demás queda empañado por Francia, Inglaterra, la guerra y el espionaje, y eso hace que sea mucho menos interesante, sobre todo comparándolo con el anterior, y teniendo en cuenta el buen argumento que había entre ellos y su amor. Una pena, de haberlo desarrollado de otra manera sería una maravilla.
La historia de Rafe y Margot es un drama, ahora bien, como todo drama literario, lo es porque ellos lo permitieron. Él por tonto, por creer las palabras de un necio borracho y acusar antes de saber, y ella por orgullosa que prefirió perderle a pedirle excusas y a contarle la verdad. Pero bueno, lo peor es que en la vida real también hay mucha gente así, y por eso nos va cómo nos va, que siempre hay más lágrimas que sonrisas.
La historia de ambos es bonita, lo que ocurre es que todo ese argumento de investigaciones, intento de asesinato, problemas diplomáticos y todo eso, pues a mí mucho lo que se dice mucho, pues no me interesa, y el argumento gira en torno a eso más páginas que en lo que se refiere a los dos, y me cansa.
“Reconociendo que amarte me aterra, debo arriesgarme, porque incluso el dolor es preferible al vacío que he conocido estos doce últimos años. –La miró con expresión apremiante-: Después del disturbio de la Place du Carrousel me dijiste que la única emoción más fuerte que el miedo es la pasión. Pero estás equivocada. --Con infinita ternura le echó hacia atrás un mechón que le había caído en la mejilla-. No es la pasión, es el amor el que es más fuerte que el miedo. Te amo, y creo que tú también me amas, al menos un poco, sino no habrías compartido mi cama. Existe amor... dale la oportunidad de sanar las heridas del pasado.”
En comparación con el primero este languidece mucho. La historia entre ambos es preciosa, me ha encantado Rafe y Margot es un amor, pero… menos de la mitad del libro es realmente la historia de amor, todo lo demás queda empañado por Francia, Inglaterra, la guerra y el espionaje, y eso hace que sea mucho menos interesante, sobre todo comparándolo con el anterior, y teniendo en cuenta el buen argumento que había entre ellos y su amor. Una pena, de haberlo desarrollado de otra manera sería una maravilla.
September 10, 2019
I picked up the first book in this series because it was free, and I really enjoyed it. I bought the second and mostly liked it, although a few things annoyed me. Sadly for this book (number 3) I didn't enjoy it at all. There were too many negatives to this one.
For a start, the point of view kept changing with no warning. It happened a little in the previous books but this one was worse. I like multiple viewpoints but prefer them clearly defined which didn't happen here.
Also, although I liked Rafe in his brief appearances in previous books, I thoroughly disliked him in his own book. He spent the entire book believing the worst of Maggie and judging her on that without ever bothering to check if it was true. At one point he considered whether or not he'd be capable of raping her... and preferred not to think about it because he feared the answer, which made him even harder to like.
Lastly, I found the book quite dull. There was far too much about the political situation in France and not enough about the couple. In a romance, the relationship should be the main focus of a story (although you can have plenty happening in the background). Here it almost seemed like the couple were incidental. I ended up skipping whole paragraphs because I just didn't care about the politics of it all.
Overall, I just couldn't like this one. I'll read the next one and hope it gets the series back on track.
For a start, the point of view kept changing with no warning. It happened a little in the previous books but this one was worse. I like multiple viewpoints but prefer them clearly defined which didn't happen here.
Also, although I liked Rafe in his brief appearances in previous books, I thoroughly disliked him in his own book. He spent the entire book believing the worst of Maggie and judging her on that without ever bothering to check if it was true. At one point he considered whether or not he'd be capable of raping her... and preferred not to think about it because he feared the answer, which made him even harder to like.
Lastly, I found the book quite dull. There was far too much about the political situation in France and not enough about the couple. In a romance, the relationship should be the main focus of a story (although you can have plenty happening in the background). Here it almost seemed like the couple were incidental. I ended up skipping whole paragraphs because I just didn't care about the politics of it all.
Overall, I just couldn't like this one. I'll read the next one and hope it gets the series back on track.
December 17, 2019
2.5 stars
I have a terrible inability that I can’t abandon a series halfway. Even if it’s just a Romance series and almost all these books can be read standalone but I just can’t seem to give up. So I’m stuck with this series. So far books #2 and #3 have been underwhelming in a series that started off with so much promise.
I really like how well researched these books are! Putney has put in lots of efforts to make these books as historically accurate as possible. That’s very good value for me. She has also made the spy and intrigue part of the book somewhat interesting enough to not hurl my Kindle at the wall. However, the actual Romance bit? Underwhelming. She could have handled that way better. She writes some kickass heroines but somehow at the sight of dashing heroes they seem to melt into meaningless puddles and I just can’t even...
I’ll read the entire series and bitch some more about it, I guess.
I have a terrible inability that I can’t abandon a series halfway. Even if it’s just a Romance series and almost all these books can be read standalone but I just can’t seem to give up. So I’m stuck with this series. So far books #2 and #3 have been underwhelming in a series that started off with so much promise.
I really like how well researched these books are! Putney has put in lots of efforts to make these books as historically accurate as possible. That’s very good value for me. She has also made the spy and intrigue part of the book somewhat interesting enough to not hurl my Kindle at the wall. However, the actual Romance bit? Underwhelming. She could have handled that way better. She writes some kickass heroines but somehow at the sight of dashing heroes they seem to melt into meaningless puddles and I just can’t even...
I’ll read the entire series and bitch some more about it, I guess.
January 17, 2014
This is the first book of Ms. Putney's that I have read, but it certainly will NOT be the last. Descriptively, her writing is exceptional. It pushed me right into the story, relating to the characters as if I were living amongst them. The heroine is strong and feisty and the hero is equally strong and feisty. They met long before this story took place, and their history was written from an error on both of their parts due to their youthfulness. When they met again it was during a turbulent time after the Napoleonic Wars but while intrigue, political tensions and danger were still running high. Amidst all of that Rafe and Margot managed to rekindle their passion and finally admit to their love for each other. This was an excellent story that kept my interest and made me sigh at the end. Highly recommended!
February 19, 2016
This was the story of Duke Rafe Whitbourne and Margot Ashton.
When he was 21 years old Rafe becomes engaged to 18 year old Margot.
Then a Lord lies, is believed, destroying the engagement.
Margot's life then becomes a living Hell for years, but she manages to survive.
Much later Duke Rafe Whitbourne and Margot Ashton meet again, as spies for the British government.
What follows is an entertaining tale of peace talks, death plots, unfaithful men and women, a hungry cat, etc.
I thought it was an ambitious book to write as there were so many different people in it.
All of them were a lot more than cardboard characters.
She could write a long series of books, just about the other people in this book.
I enjoyed it all the way through, even the rather rushed ending.
At least it seemed rushed to me.
When he was 21 years old Rafe becomes engaged to 18 year old Margot.
Then a Lord lies, is believed, destroying the engagement.
Margot's life then becomes a living Hell for years, but she manages to survive.
Much later Duke Rafe Whitbourne and Margot Ashton meet again, as spies for the British government.
What follows is an entertaining tale of peace talks, death plots, unfaithful men and women, a hungry cat, etc.
I thought it was an ambitious book to write as there were so many different people in it.
All of them were a lot more than cardboard characters.
She could write a long series of books, just about the other people in this book.
I enjoyed it all the way through, even the rather rushed ending.
At least it seemed rushed to me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews