Once a Spy

July 22, 2019
Putney’s exciting fourth Rogues Redeemed Regency series (after Once a Scoundrel) contrasts harsh trauma with sweet domesticity. Suzanne Duval is living in a London boardinghouse when Col. Simon Duval, a cousin of her late husband, arrives at her home. Simon learned from a friend that Suzanne was recently rescued from a harem in Turkey and might need his help. He’s dismayed to discover her reduced circumstances and offers Suzanne a marriage of companionship, asserting that he no longer wants physical intimacy. Suzanne agrees to marry Simon, believing that the abuses she suffered in the harem have likewise destroyed all her intimate desires. When Simon learns that his cousin, Lucas Mandeville, previously believed to be dead, was possibly spotted in Belgium, the newlyweds travel there to search for him. Soon they’re caught up in spying, Napoleon’s return sparks renewed warfare, and Simon is torn between duty and the happiness he has discovered with Suzanne. Putney’s dramatic historical is filled with scintillating romance and tense danger.

Starred review from October 1, 2019

Col. Simon Duval has returned to England after years serving as a British Intelligence Officer and is trying to piece together a new life. Unsure of what the future holds, but looking for some sort of connection, Simon seeks out his cousin's widow, Suzanne Duval, the Comtesse de Chambron. He finds her working as a seamstress, still recovering from her own harrowing and devastating past. Neither Simon nor Suzanne see a future with love factored in, but Simon convinces Suzanne that companionship without the trappings of lust is a worthy endeavor and proposes marriage. As Suzanne assists with Simon's quest to find his presumed dead friend, passion grows, and both are unsure of what this means for their current arrangement. When Napoleon escapes Elba, however, both Simon and Suzanne are thrust back into the intrigue of an impending war and must determine if the scars of the past will prevent the possibilities of the future. VERDICT With this fourth installment in the "Rogues Redeemed" series, Putney continues to offer a fascinating historical perspective combined with a tender love story that slowly moves from friendship to desire to love, making this an excellent addition to any collection.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
What does a soldier do when the war is over? For Simon Duval, who had served as a spy for the British government, now that Napoleon has abdicated, it's time to return home to England. While in London, Simon manages to track down Suzanne Duval, his late cousin's wife, and is shocked to discover that she is now working as a seamstress. Proposing marriage to Suzanne as a means of helping her financially is out of the question due to Suzanne's past experiences with men. But what about a marriage of friendship? However, just as Simon and Suzanne are settling into their new lives together, their marriage of friendship is tested on several fronts as the couple becomes caught up in the turmoil surrounding Napoleon's escape from Elba, Simon's search for a long-lost relative, and their growing desire for one another. RITA Award-winning Putney is known for her sublime romances that are expertly steeped in history, and Once a Spy, the latest flawlessly plotted and finely crafted addition to her Rogues Redeemed series, is no exception.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)