Review of Kindle Edition of classic Regency historical romanceLord Robert Andreville (Robin) is in his early 30s and has become extremely burned out and depressed from two causes: The woman he wanted to marry, a fellow spy who for many years worked with him for the British government against Napoleon, has married another man, and after over 12 years of spy work, now that the Napoleonic wars are over, he doesn't know what to do with his life as the younger son of a noble family.He is staying with his brother, an English lord, on his brother's quiet estate in the country when he runs, literally, into Maxima Collins. While he is napping in the woods on the estate, Maxie trips and falls on top of him, exposing to Robin in the process that what to outward appearances is a small, lower-class teenage boy is, in fact, a woman.Maxie is in her mid-twenties and is the daughter of a second-son of a noble family who lived in the United States for many years and married a Mohawk woman. Maxie's father has recently died, and she believes he may have been murdered. She has left the protection of her uncle's estate--where she has been treated as an interloper by her aunt--and taken off on foot for London, determined to find out for herself what happened to her father. Being a gentleman with strong protective instincts, Robin is determined to accompany her and keep her safe, but he doesn't tell her immediately who he really is. First, because he doesn't think she will believe him since he is dressed in clothing almost as rough as Maxie's American frontier garb. Second, because he is sick of being depressed, privileged Lord Robert and wants to be someone else temporarily (and masquerading is a skill he perfected as a spy). Third, because initially this seems like it will be merely a temporary lark. The adventure soon proves to be far more than he expected. He finds himself coming alive again in the company of the most resolute, fascinating woman he's ever met--including the redoubtable woman who is his lost love.As are all MJP's stories, this one is extremely well written, historically authentic, and alive with vibrant, sympathetic characters and exciting adventure.I absolutely adore "two for the road" stories where two outsiders go on a journey together which allows them to make their own unique world together and find the acceptance and understanding with each other that no one else could ever provide. Maxie is a wonderful heroine, independent, forceful, and utterly loyal. In a fun twist on standard romance heroes, handsome Robin has a physical "flaw" of being a short man. However, he is plenty tall enough for tiny Maxie, and he knows how to fight in a way that allows him to turn the much larger size of an attacker back onto that enemy.I have a long, happy history with this book. I first read this story as The Rogue and The Runaway, a short Regency romance written in 1990, and I loved it. Then when Ms. Putney rewrote it as a much longer Regency historical romance, this particular book, in 1995, I immediately purchased it, devoured it, and loved this version, too. Recently I have been replacing my paperback keeper romances, which have become worn with much use over the years (my own re-reading and loans to friends and family) with eBook versions. This eBook is very well done. The formatting is excellent, and there are no editing errors that I noticed.I highly recommend this book both for readers newly discovering the magnificently talented Ms. Putney and for long-time fans such as myself.
Angel Rogue (Fallen Angels #4)by Mary Jo Putney THE ROGUEA master spy with the face of a fallen angel and a darkly heroic past, Lord Robert Andreville, returns to his ancestral home in Yorkshire after a dozen harrowing years spying against Napoleon. But nothing soothes his ravaged spirit until a determined young beauty sweeps into his life.THE RUNAWAYHalf Mohawk and all-American, Maxima Collins is a wary stranger in a strange land, but she will let nothing halt her journey to London to learn the truth about her father's sudden death--not even a self-appointed guardian who is all lazy charm and dangerous skill.Together they travel across England, evading pursuers and circling each other in a dance of desire, where truth is elusive and only passion is sure. Then dark secrets shatter their idyll and only love has the power to heal the past.My Review: Full course (historical) romantic mystery adventure ahead. Mary Jo Putney is one of those slow down and enjoy it novelists who write stories with h/h's that totally slip under that protective layer in your heart plants a seed and takes root through the duration of the story until you're full bloom smitten over them. The whole looking past the outside of a person to one underneath what they reveal to everyone on the outside is a good play for Angel Rogue. You can't judge a book by its cover or the color of their skin, or even the experiences their lives have put them through. There is a person on the inside that thinks and feels just like everyone else. Greed is also a downer for the family betrayals. Too many times people that are connected to your life through blood or not aren't supposed to be so villainous but just like the real world they do exist. I really loved Angel Rogue, it was a great book that touched me on a personal level. My Rating:4 StarsReviewed By:Krissy's Bookshelf Reviewshttp://kkmalott.booklikes.com/
What do You think about Angel Rogue (2006)?
I gave this book 5 stars because of how right Robin and Maxie were for each other. Their imperfections and flaws fit together like a puzzle, and they were better together than apart.The spy-ish background in this story was more satisfying to me versus a few other titles in the Fallen Angels series (which I still loved, though); Robin's background made him interesting and human. Maxie's history of being from two cultures and the wisdom it produced was beautiful-I am a sucker for intelligent heroines. I have read most of the titles from the Fallen Angel series now, and it has turned me into a Mary Jo Putney fanatic for life. I am so appreciative that she chose to spend her life as a writer and not a different career path. My reading time is enriched by her books. <3
—Renee Gordon
This is another of my favourites of the Fallen Angels series: do you like small but clever and agile heroes? That's Robin the experienced spy suffering from PTSD who can't adapt to his loving but emotionally non-expressive brother now that the Napoleonic Wars are over. He gets up and goes off before he says or does something irreversible and on the way meets a young girl hitchhiking down to London to find out what happened to her father.That's Maxima Collins, whose mother was a Mohawk (Shades of
—Estara
I enjoyed this one, although it reminded me a lot of Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase, only this time the adventuresome couple are adults and the protagonists of the story. I liked Maxie and Robin together - although I think it would have been better had "Maxie" not sounded so closely like "Maggie", since part of the story is Robin's getting over Maggie/Margot (Petals in the Storm. And that part of the book I could have done without. It kind of bothers me that Robin still had such intense feelings and longing for Maggie after they had stopped being lovers and had acted more like brother/sister for years. But I thought Maxie was a great heroine, very frank and direct and exactly what Robin needed after a lifetime of deceit and treachery. The secondary romance was a bit rushed; I didn't buy that by the end of the journey that Giles and Desdemona were in love - not like Maxie and Robin were - but I assume they got to know each other better in the time between the end of the last chapter and the epilogue. This is probably my second favorite in the series behind Dancing in the Wind. B+
—Corrine
