Sometimes a Rogue

June 10, 2013
Prolific Regency romance author Putney’s fifth Lost Lords installment (after No Longer a Gentleman) shows off her expert storytelling skills. Sarah Clarke-Townsend is with her heavily pregnant twin sister, Mariah, the Duchess of Ashton, when the two are set upon by a band of kidnappers. Sarah pretends to be Mariah in order to protect her, claiming to have given birth and left the baby with a wet nurse. Sarah remains stalwart as the kidnappers whisk her to the coast of Ireland, while Mariah’s husband hires Bow Street Runner Rob Carmichael to bring her back safely. When Rob finally catches up with Sarah, he is deeply impressed by her tenacity as they make a harrowing trek home. The two are soon wondering whether mutual admiration and desire are enough to build a relationship upon. Readers will especially love Sarah, a beautiful and resilient damsel in distress.

September 1, 2013
Bravely standing in for her very pregnant twin sister, the Duchess of Ashton, Sarah Clarke-Townsend is abducted by Irish agitators; being rescued by Rob Carmichael sets in motion a series of events that will change both their lives forever. When an early morning carriage ride turns first into surprise early labor and then into an attack by political miscreants determined to abduct the Duchess of Ashton, Sarah saves her sister's life by taking her place in the hands of the villains. Lucky for her, the duke's friend Rob Carmichael, a Bow Street Runner, is just coming for a spontaneous visit and offers to track her down and bring her home. Following her trail is a challenge, rescuing her even more of one, but they manage to escape, fleeing across Ireland with her captors on their heels. Reaching a port city in dramatic fashion, they just barely make it to a boat and on the water in front of their pursuers before braving a wild storm in their path to England. Blown off course, the two wind up on the shores of Rob's family's estate, and there are a few surprises waiting for him there. Trying to protect Sarah's reputation, Rob claims her as his fiancee, confusing an explosive attraction the two feel and which they have resisted mainly because of their misaligned social situations. Regency favorite Putney brings her signature style and wit to this novel, the fifth in her Lost Lords series. Mixing suspense, adventure and romantic complexity with well-developed characters and a clever, twisting storyline, the end product is smart, fun, sexy and tender. At first kept apart by insurmountable barriers, Rob and Sarah still bond through their intense shared experiences. When the external barriers begin to erode, other conflicts arise, and the dashing, irrepressible heroine and gallant, fearless hero must find their way to happy-ever-after. Both elegant and swashbuckling, romantic and rollicking--an entertaining, satisfying romance.

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Starred review from August 1, 2013

Not about to leave her pregnant twin, Mariah, Duchess of Ashton, to the mercies of the two thugs who arrived at the isolated chapel where the sisters stopped when Mariah went into labor, Sarah Clarke-Townsend passes herself off as the duchess and ends up kidnapped and whisked off to Ireland in Mariah's stead. Fortunately, Rob Carmichael, an intrepid, canny Bow Street Runner with a rejected aristocratic past, is soon hot on their trail. Though Rob quickly rescues Sarah, avoiding the relentless villains and getting back to England are not so easy. Complications multiply as inheritance issues, duplicity, social status, Irish nationalism, and at least one wickedly insane villain spice up the action for all concerned. VERDICT Witty humor, deep character development, thrilling sexual edginess, and a remarkable pair of protagonists combine in this exhilarating addition to Putney's addictive and exquisitely written series. Putney (No Longer a Gentleman) lives in the Baltimore area.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2013
Sarah Clarke-Townsend would do anything for her twin sister, Mariah, the Duchess of Ashton. So when a very pregnant and very cranky Mariah pleads with Sarah to accompany her on an early morning carriage ride, Sarah reluctantly agrees. Everything is going without a hitch until the two women arrive at a long-abandoned church on the Ashton estate, and Mariah realizes that it's time to give birth. Sending their groom off for help, Sarah tries to make Mariah as comfortable as possible when matters suddenly go from bad to worse. A band of dangerous men suddenly turns up with plans on kidnapping the duchess. After safely hiding Mariah away, Sarah presents herself as the duchess and lets the men take her instead. Fortunately for Sarah, the Duke of Ashton's good friend Rob Carmichael has just arrived for a visit, and finding people is Rob's professional specialty. Composed of equal measures of dangerous intrigue and potent passion, Putney's fifth elegantly written installment in her Lost Lords series delivers captivating characters, an impeccably realized Regency setting, and a thrilling plot rich in action and adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)