Rating:  Summary: Boring and totally unrealistic Review: I'm an avid MJP reader and couldn't believe it when I started to read this book. One of the most outstanding things about MJP is that she is able to create tormented yet sympathetic and believable male characters who you cannot help but like from the start. Even if the hero doesn't believe or trust in love anymore he is always gentle and caring with the woman he gets involved with. But Gervase is a real turn-off right from the beginning. In the first chapter we see him drunken to oblivion and forced by a mad vicar to marry a 15-years-old girl whom he has unintentionally compromised. Gervase thinks he has been trapped by both-the mad vicar and the girl and brutally rapes her (MJP doesn't spare us the details) merely for vengeance. After his fit of rage he disposes her like a piece of garbage and condemns her to a life in a tiny village at the end of the world, very much like an imprisonment, determined to never see her again. Here is the first contradiction: Gervase thinks he must do the 'honourable thing' and marry the girl, yet after the ceremony he acts like the lowest of villains. Such a character would not have married in the first place, at least not after his life wasn't threatened anymore, which was the case here. MJP try to make us believe that Gervase has been haunted by the memories of that night ever since which simply isn't true. He feels uncomfortable when thinking about it, but that's all. Like Diana points out in the end, he has never done any action that would prove his regrets. As a result of the rape the girl becomes pregnant and nearly dies in childbirth. Yet she has absolutely no problems in accepting and loving her child right from the start. She even thinks her rapist can't be bad because her child is so lovely. How cheesy. Rape victims who become pregnant don't react that way, especially not if the victim is a mere child. If you want a much more realistic view on a teenager who becomes pregnant after a brutal rape read 'The house of gentle man' by Kathy Hepinstall. To make it even more unrealistic the now grown-up Diana decides to change her quiet rural life-style and go to London to become a courtesan. While it is understandable that a young woman wants to replace her sad memories and make new and pleasant ones it is absolute nonsense that she will choose her rapist to make that memories. And Gervase is not at all the haunted hero who looks out for redemption. This is their first encounter : 'The two of them might have been alone in Eden and Diana was aware of nothing but the dark man and her own fiercely beating heart. That austerely handsome face was familiar to her as her own nightmares, and in a flash of fear and awe and tremulous anticipation '.She knew beyond the shadow of doubt that this was the man she had come to London to find.' This made me nearly retch. Again I can recommend 'The house of gentle men'. Here the rape victim falls in love with her tormentor, too but she doesn't recognize him as her rapist from her past. Besides here the rapist is truly tormented by what he has done (he even tries to hang himself) and tries to make amendments. If you tackle a hot issue like rape or domestic violence you have to be very, very careful . MJP has handled that issue with such lightness as if such a crime wasn't a crime at all and doesn't affect the victims in any way. Diana seems not to have suffered at all. What makes it worse that the book is not even entertaining. The courtship of Gervase and Diana and Gervase's spy actions are boring and the villain in the piece is so cruel and bad that it is almost laughable. He is simply put in the story to make Gervase look a little better (in another novel of MJP he would be the villain of the piece). Gervase's misogyny and constant mistrust of women in general got on my nerves and his dark, dark secret is simply disgusting. Skip this book and try one of MJP other stories.
Rating:  Summary: I couldn't get through the book! Review: It is so sad when I can't get through a romance novel... I thought the setup of the story was good with the abandoned/raped wife trying to seduce her own husbnad, but somehow I couldn't get through the courting and deception part of the story when the heroine was in London being beautiful and all. I also found it odd that the hero would be so incrediblly upset and resentful of her once he found out who she really was... I didn't get that at all. I skipped along the middle of the book to get to the end of the story. I threw the book a way after I was done.
Rating:  Summary: Putney's Best! Review: Just finished re-reading it and I have to agree with fellow reviewers - it is still one of Ms Putney's best. I read it when it first came out in 1990 and reading it again still makes me wonder how she manages to put so many ingredients into it. I do agree with some of you out there that there are some unpleaseant plot twists in the book. But we have to give Ms Putney due credit for being brave enough to deal with taboo issues like homosexuality, breast cancer and epilepsy in her story. Don't forget, this book is set in the early 19th century and people DO not talk about them. Diana Lindsay is one of Ms Putney's most unforgettable characters as she is loving and warm despite her bad start with the hero, Viscount Gervase St. Aubyn. She was brave enough to find herself a lover even if it meant it had to be with her very estranged husband. No doubt readers do not care for Gervase's behavior when he finds out Diana has been witholding the truth from him all along, but they have to understand his attitude is very much shaped by his dark and horrid past. I also admire Diana's go-getting attitude after Gervase spurned her (again) and she had to "take the bull by the horns". Of course, it helps that this book has some of the most sensuous scenes Ms Putney has created. Moreover, there is a double romance between Maddy and her reunited lover, Lord Farnsworth. I would dearly love to read Geoffrey's very own book. I wonder if Ms Putney will oblige? He is certainly a character worth expanding as he has so many lovable qualities - smart, warm and loving - just like his Mom. It would also be great to see an older version of Diana and Gervase come back. All in all, Dearly Beloved remains one of Ms Putney's best, if not the best.
Rating:  Summary: poignant, heart wrenching and I LOVE IT!! Review: Many issues were raised here and i truly empathise with the characters. Whilst Gervase unfortunately managed to be 'harmed' by his mother, Diana (whose father felt the same unnatural 'likings' towards her), luckily escaped such physical overtures. Imagine if her father had been truly deranged, he would have 'destroyed' her, and left her more wounded compared to what Gervase did to her in that inn. Towards the end, i truly felt like strangling Gervase for spurning Diana's love. If not for Geoffrey's quick actions, Diana would have been dead...and Gervase would have thought the worst of her (thinking she'd a tiff with the Count-whom he jealously thought was Diana's lover)...but this is just my imagination..but i just hated him when he doubted Diana... Anyway, i should've blamed his mother more..and thankfully, despite his torturous past (compared to the hero Michael Connery or 'Mikhail Kanauri' in Silks and Shadows - Gervase's past incident was still minor, correct me if i'm wrong), he turned out okay.
Rating:  Summary: poignant, heart wrenching and I LOVE IT!! Review: Many issues were raised here and i truly empathise with the characters. Whilst Gervase unfortunately managed to be 'harmed' by his mother, Diana (whose father felt the same unnatural 'likings' towards her), luckily escaped such physical overtures. Imagine if her father had been truly deranged, he would have 'destroyed' her, and left her more wounded compared to what Gervase did to her in that inn. Towards the end, i truly felt like strangling Gervase for spurning Diana's love. If not for Geoffrey's quick actions, Diana would have been dead...and Gervase would have thought the worst of her (thinking she'd a tiff with the Count-whom he jealously thought was Diana's lover)...but this is just my imagination..but i just hated him when he doubted Diana... Anyway, i should've blamed his mother more..and thankfully, despite his torturous past (compared to the hero Michael Connery or 'Mikhail Kanauri' in Silks and Shadows - Gervase's past incident was still minor, correct me if i'm wrong), he turned out okay.
Rating:  Summary: Not her best, but an entertaining read Review: No MJP's best book by any means, but still a good read for a quiet winter weekend. The reaction of the hero to Diana's identity was little weird. That is what detracted from an otherwise OK book.
Rating:  Summary: Love it or hate it. There is no middle ground. Review: Personally, I loved this book. This is the first one that I read by this author, but it will surely not be the last. I know several other reviewers disagree with me, and I have to admit that this book is not for everyone, but if you like a romance that deals with serious issues, without losing the magic, this is it. Mary Jo Putney combines polemic issues like rape, homosexuality, child abuse and prostitution, with an accurate historical background, an interesting story with a few twists, and a very poignant and passionate love story. What more can you ask for? All the characters were well developed and three dimensional, and even though I didn't always agreed with the way they acted, I was able to understand the reasons, fears and inner conflicts that motivated them. I won't say anymore because I don't want to give away the book, like some reviewers have done. I just can say that in my opinion, this a very well written and enjoyable book, one that makes the Romance genre proud.
Rating:  Summary: Love it or hate it. There is no middle ground. Review: Personally, I loved this book. This was the first one that I read by this author, now I just finished reading it again and loved it even more the second time.
I know several other reviewers disagree with me, and I have to admit that this book is not for everyone, but if you like a romance that deals with serious issues, without losing the magic, this is it.
Mary Jo Putney combines polemic issues like rape, homosexuality, child abuse and prostitution, an accurate historical background, an interesting plot with a few twists, and a very poignant and passionate love story. What more can you ask for?
All the characters are well developed and three dimensional, and even though I didn't always agree with the way they acted, I was able to understand the reasons, fears and inner conflicts that motivated them. Personally, I loved Gervase and Diana, as well as Diana's son Geofrey. They became real to me, and I cared deeply for them and their happiness.
I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it, like some reviewers have done. I'll just say that in my opinion, this a very well written and enjoyable book, one that makes the Romance genre proud.
Rating:  Summary: A fantastic, sexy story! Review: The original, exciting premise of this book, an abandoned wife seducing her own husband years after the fact, is wonderful. And the sensuous scenes between them are HOT! As always, Ms. Putney has created extraordinary characters, full-blooded, fascinating, and utterly passionate. A fabulous reading experience!
Rating:  Summary: Wonderful! Review: This book is the first I read by Mary Jo Putney when it came out in 1990, and has remained my favorite of all her books. It is perhaps the most erotic romance I have ever read. Not because it contains the crude raunch reminiscent of Virginia Henley or Bertrice Small on a bad day; it doesn't. What it contains is a complete sensuality that draws in all of your senses. It also contains some of the loveliest writing in romantic fiction. Here is my all-time favorite "love line" drawn from a romance novel: "Without removing his eyes from hers, he continued, 'You are my salvation, and in your love I see the reflection of the loving God whom I never believed in.'" When was the last time you ever found a hero in the mainstream romance genre (as opposed to romances specifically targeted for Christians) who found God, the source of all true love, reflected in the love of one of His creatures? This is why I forgave a particular plot twist that I especially disliked and found completely gratuitous. So it's not a perfect novel, but it is a cut above the rest. After reading DEARLY BELOVED, try Mary Jo Putney's UNCOMMON VOWS. It is from a very different time period (DEARLY BELOVED is a Regency; UNCOMMON VOWS is a medieval), but like DEARLY BELOVED it shows characters who find God and it goes further and shows characters who take their religions seriously (in contrast to other novels that show religious characters to be fools).
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