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Never Less Than A Lady
Never Less Than A Lady
Never Less Than A Lady
Ebook367 pages5 hours

Never Less Than A Lady

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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The sequel to Loving a Lost Lord. “Intensely emotional, lushly sensual . . . expertly spiced with intrigue, and infused with a wickedly subtle wit.”—Booklist

New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney continues her stunning Lost Lords series with this stirring, sensual story of a rebellious nobleman drawn to a lovely widow with a shocking past.

As the sole remaining heir to the Earl of Daventry, Alexander Randall knows his duty: find a wife and sire a son of his own. The perfect bride for a man in his position would be a biddable young girl of good breeding. But the woman who haunts his imagination is Julia Bancroft—a village midwife with a dark secret that thrusts her into Randall’s protection. 

Within the space of a day, Julia has been abducted by her first husband’s cronies, rescued, and proposed to by a man she scarcely knows. Stranger still is her urge to say yes. A union with Alexander Randall could benefit them both, but Julia doubts she can ever trust her heart again, or the fervent desire Randall ignites. Yet perhaps only a Lost Lord can show a woman like Julia everything a true marriage can be . . .

Praise for Loving a Lost Lord

“Intoxicating, romantic and utterly ravishing. . .”—Eloisa James

“Entrancing characters and a superb plotline.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Will leave readers smiling, breathless, and anxiously awaiting the next adventure.”—Library Journal (starred review)
LanguageEnglish
PublisherZebra Books
Release dateMay 1, 2010
ISBN9781420119091
Author

Mary Jo Putney

Mary Jo Putney was born 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 became a ten-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, has published over forty books, and was the recipient of the 2013 RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Reviews for Never Less Than A Lady

Rating: 3.9508197622950822 out of 5 stars
4/5

122 ratings8 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love the way current romance novels deal with real issues, and this novel is no exception. Julia is kidnapped because she murdered her abusive husband, and his father wants justice. Putney does not shy away from the worst humanity has to offer, and that dead man is one of the worst. As you learn all about his depravity (which was, somewhat unfortunately, shrugged off as insanity), you are amazed that the people in his life are still standing and functioning. The OTP are not quite a LAFS trop, but close, and yet their chemistry is amazing... especially given that the heroine is fighting to overcome abuse and fear. I really liked the characters and how they handled pretty much every situation. My only nitpick was the insanity plea for the abusive scumbucket, but then again, they also credited his pampered upbringing with not providing consequences for his abusiveness.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a pretty good book. The main female character's background made it more action-packed than some Regency romances, but as I read it I wondered if maybe I'm losing my taste for Regency romances, which isn't such a great sign.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Putney is always enjoyable, and this one is no exception. Two emotionally and physically damaged people find each other and build a marriage, while coming to terms with their pasts and their tormenters.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolute favorite thing in this book: the H/h relationship! Let me tell you, what a relief to finally come across a couple that actually converse with each other about their issues and doubts, not just assume what the other party is feeling and so causing melodramatic miscommunication SNAFUs to occur. The author has created something special in this book, a mature and healing relationship between two extremely scarred individuals that I could legitimately see lasting for life.I adored Ms. Putney’s hero and heroine. She wasn't afraid to use some dark material like domestic abuse and parental/familial neglect to build her character’s personalities and outlook on life. As a result, I felt like they were better-rounded and mature going into their romance than many other romantic leads I can think of. The emotional content of the overall novel was also helped by these characters and their harsh pasts. All that misery just made me want a happy ending for our two all the more. The mutual healing they accomplished for each other had me in tears more than once.I liked how the author approached the sexy times. When the book started out as a relationship negotiation and the whole “I reserve the right to touch you every day until you say stop” thing came up, I rolled my eyes thinking we were about to embark on a seduction-athon. That trap would have completely killed the story for me. Yet, the author infused her sexy stuff with the same emotional weight as her overall story. PTSD themes and healing were very much present which gave these scenes added weight and made them more than just fluffy candy for romance readers. This was definitely a great introduction to Mary Jo Putney. I've heard her name before; I don’t think you can read historical romance without hearing it at least once. Yet, I’d never gotten around to her books before. So I’m lucky this was my first as it’s a fantastic one. The romance is beautiful in all its emotional glory. Characters who are well-rounded, mature, and very much adults inhabit this stunning story of love and healing. Highly, highly recommended for lovers of historical romance novels, especially of the Regency period! This is an example I wish more strived for.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyed this romance. Very interesting heroine. I have to say that I remember very little about it after reading it only a couple of year ago but Putney always has complex characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 rounded up. This was a little predictable and the characters were a bit daft about their feelings, but overall it was fun and I liked the characters and where they ended up. It had several aspects that gave it some interest and kept it from being run of the mill.

    *Just as a heads up, some serious physical/sexual/emotional abuse is discussed a decent amount, though from a previous time before the start of the book. And some regular violence from villains happens on page.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story was wonderful even though this was the second time reading it
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It probably says something that the only part of this book I remembered since the last time I read it (over 6 years ago) is the heroine's ex-husband's bastard child. Who is just delightful, actually.

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Never Less Than A Lady - Mary Jo Putney

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