Once a Spy

by Mary Jo Putney

Overview

Love and survival in the shadow of Waterloo . . .
 
Wearied by his years as a British intelligence officer, Simon Duval resigns his commission after Napoleon’s abdication. Hoping to find new meaning in his life, he returns to England, where he discovers his cousin’s widow, Suzanne Duval, the Comtesse de Chambron. Working as a seamstress, living in reduced circumstances, Suzanne has had a life as complicated as Simon’s. While both believe they are beyond love, their sympathetic bond leads him to propose a marriage of companionship, and Suzanne accepts.
 
She didn't want or expect a true marriage, but as Suzanne joins Simon in a search for his long missing foster brother, warmth and caring begin to heal both their scars—and a powerful passion sparks between them. Then news from France threatens to disrupt their happiness. Napoleon has escaped from Elba and Wellington personally asks Simon to help prevent another devastating war. Only this time, Simon does not go into danger alone. He and Suzanne will face deadly peril together, and pray that love will carry them through . . .
 
Praise for the Rogues Redeemed series
 
“Deftly balances fascinating historical detail, adventure, and menace with a passionate romance.”
—Library Journal
 
“Though suspense and adventure drive this story forward, the love at its center sets it apart.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Impeccably written.”
—Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420148138
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	09/24/2019
Series:	Rogues Redeemed , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	391
Sales rank:	9,542
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mary Jo Putney is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has written over sixty novels and novellas. A ten-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won the honor twice and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. In 2013 she was awarded the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.  Though most of her books have been historical romance, she has also published contemporary romances, historical fantasy, and young adult paranormal historicals. She lives in Maryland with her nearest and dearest, both two and four-footed. Visit her at maryjoputney.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/01/2019

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

Library Journal

07/22/2019

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. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-09-04
Our man in Waterloo proposes a marriage of convenience and ends up with much more.

Suzanne Duval may be the Comtesse de Chambron but nevertheless, she's making ends meet with piecework in a boardinghouse when Col. Simon Duval comes to find her. Simon, her late husband's second cousin, has returned from his service as a spy in the Napoleonic wars and has sought her out to propose marriage. Suzanne and Simon met years ago and had a "teasing friendship," so it's no surprise that they take quick interest in one another. But Suzanne, whom readers of the Rogues Redeemed series (Once a Scoundrel, 2018, etc.) will recognize from previous volumes, is traumatized by the abuse she suffered in a harem for many years. Simon, who understands the "death of desire," proposes a marriage solely of companionship, and Suzanne accepts. As they begin their adventure-filled marriage together, traveling the Continent in the brief lull of the Napoleonic wars, Simon's lust begins to reignite, and Suzanne is unsure whether she will be able to reciprocate his passion. But just as she begins to become more comfortable with Simon, Napoleon comes back from his exile, and soon the newlyweds are en route to a little town called Waterloo. As ever, Putney's characters find themselves in mortal peril more than once as their love slowly blooms. Unfortunately, this developing romance is often undermined by several subplots, copious historical detail, and cameos from earlier entries in the series, and it's burdened with a lot of unnecessary exposition. Readers who will be uncomfortable reading about a heroine struggling with PTSD-like symptoms related to sexual assault may need to skip this one. Suzanne does find her way toward healing and enjoying sex, and although this happens more quickly than some might expect, Simon's tenderness with her makes it more believable. Fans of the series will likely enjoy this new entry, but it will be hit or miss for other historical romance readers.

An uneven Napoleonic tale that's equal parts adventure and romance.

Kirkus Reviews