FINAL DECISION: A good story grounded in interesting historical facts, but I thought the characters were too calm and lacked passion that I wanted especially in their relationship.

THE STORY: Gabriel Hawkins was born to be a British Navy man until he makes a decision which leads to his dismissal from the navy and his admiral grandfather disowning him. Gabriel has made a life for himself on the seas when he is asked to help negotiate the release of a British lady who is being held for ransom by a Barbary pirate. Lady Aurora Lawrence is a scandal to her family. She has eschewed marriage to travel with her cousin around the world writing novels. Rory and Gabriel have to undertake a dangerous voyage which might gain Rory her freedom.

OPINION: I liked the heroine who is intelligent and reasoned throughout the story. The hero is honorable and tries to use his intelligence to solve the dilemma in the story. There is a lot of historical information in this book which was interesting and is what kept me reading the story to see what else I could learn.

My problem with this story is that everything is just too civilized. No problem that Rory is constantly threatened to be sold into the slavery of the harem. Rory casually offers her virginity for sale in order to make up the price of her ransom. I didn't feel the emotion or reality of the situation. The characters just never felt three dimensional but rather as mere pawns moved about the story. Although both main characters have problems and even tragedy in their lives, they don't seem to have emotional depth in the story. I never got to feel that I knew these characters.

And I was disappointed with that.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a second romance here as well.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ONCE A SCOUNDREL is the third book in the Rogues Redeemed series. This book is a standalone but there are some overlapping characters from both the Rogues Redeemed series and the Lost Lords series. A new reader won't miss anything by starting here.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley to help prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I always enjoy reading a book by Mary Jo Putney, and this was no different. I could not put it down. She has created wonderful characters. The secondary romance plot fits in perfectly and does not take anything away from the main characters.

When I saw this was a Mary Jo Putney book I just had to read it. Now, I have to admit that I should have read the description more carefully and I really didn’t care for any of the characters. It took me three days to read the book because I kept putting it down and only reluctantly picked it up again. I won’t say much about the story itself in this review because if you read the book blurb, you pretty much know the story. What I’ll talk about is the characters and why I did/didn’t like them.

My least favorite character in the book is Rory’s father. He’s only mentioned a couple of times – but – well – he supposedly loves her. If he loves her, how can he NOT at least make an effort to come up with the ransom to save her? He doesn’t even look at options or speak to friends – nothing – just decides he can’t come up with the money and she’s in trouble she made and he washes his hands of it. Say what! His wife can come up with half the ransom by selling her jewels and borrowing from friends – yet he cannot contribute anything. He had enough money to come up with a dowry for Constance at the end, but he couldn’t contribute to his daughter’s ransom. Then, at the end he hugs Rory, welcomes her home and all is right with the world. No way!

My next least favorite is Gabriel’s grandfather. Supposedly he was redeemed at the end – but not to me. He sent his grandson into the Royal Navy at twelve years of age and at eighteen, his grandfather disowned him, kicked him out of his house and told him that it would have been better if he had died in battle. Then, when Gabriel is captured and enslaved by Barbary Pirates, he refuses to pay a very modest ransom to save him. Fast forward twelve years when Gabriel has managed to rescue Rory and they are engaged – she wants Gabriel to mend his relationship with his grandfather. So – what is one of the first thing the old reprobate says? “I suppose that only a scandalous girl would accept you.” Later, “I couldn’t bear that you threw that away to save the life of a young man who was a nobody.” Then he proceeds to tell Gabriel that he is welcome because he is now the heir to the barony as his two cousins have died. Grandfather is much older and frailer now and this is supposed to redeem him. I don’t think so. I have to wonder what kind of reception Gabriel and Rory would have gotten if the two cousins hadn’t died and if Gabriel wasn’t now the heir.

Rory, Constance, Gabriel and Jason – I liked all of them okay, but they all seemed so blasé about the possibility of Rory and Constance ending up in a harem. There wasn’t any late night plotting sessions about how to best Gurkan and save Malek’s family without risking Rory and Constance. Nothing. I can assure you that if someone I loved was in that kind of danger, I would NOT be quite so laid back as they were.

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"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

As Mary Jo Putney writes in her afterward to "Once a Scoundrel”, the premise of this book (a young English woman and her cousin are captured and enslaved by Barbary pirates), is not quite as outlandish as it may seem. Regardless, it was fun to set sail with Gabriel Hawkins and his crew to rescue them. The middle eastern setting is unusual, and while the plot has its share of predictability, it is still a delightful tale with the expected happy ending.

Jo Putney writes a wonderful swashbuckling historical romance with Once a Scoundrel. Gabriel Hawkes left the navy in disgrace and piloted his own ship in the Mediterranean where he escaped captivity by Barbary Pirates. Now he has been hired to rescue Lady Aurora from slavery with the same pirates. Lady Aurora will not leave without fellow captives so Captain Hawkes makes a deal with the devil, the leading Barbary Pirate. Can they survive this deal? Romance is in the air but Lady Aurora is an earl's daughter. Tune in to the the story to find out.

I found this book difficult to like. The fact of this young Earl's daughter traveling to dangerous places, with her cousin; placed them in extreme danger, where her family was worried sick, she also caused many people to be put in jeopardy; all due to her selfish desires! I did not care for comparing our GOD, as the same one Muslims worshipped! What a falsehood that is! I have read parts of the Koran, and know this is an absolute falsehood! I am sorry I forced myself to waste time reading it! I like this Author very much; however, this is not my favorite book.
I do not recommend!

After his grandfather tosses him out, Gabriel Vance changes his last name to Hawkins and heads out to sea. He is the captain of his own ship (and his own destiny) when he's approached to help rescue Lady Aurora "Roarin' Rory" Lawrence, from Barbary pirates. She's an adventurer in her own right but she might need a little help to get out of this one.
Putney adds a lot of elements to this book, adventure, storms, kidnapping, a B plot love story. But all of that tends to overshadow the main love story. This is a good book but not one of my faves.

Three stars
This book came out September 25
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Mary Jo Putney is the author of a series of books called Rogues Redeemed. The main male characters are all men who were sentenced to die after a night locked away. They were able to escape, but promised each other that they were maintain contact and try to redeem themselves in the future. They also agreed to help each other unconditionally if called on. Once a Scoundrel is the next book in the series.

Gabriel Hawkins is a man who had to carve out his own destiny. Denied his heritage and career, he takes on dangerous jobs on his own ship with bravery and cunning. Gabriel has agreed to help save a lady who is about to be sold into a harem or will be sold for ransom. He has been given part of the money (all the family could afford) and is off on a mission to a place he never wanted to go again.

“Rory” Lawrence is not married and has been off on adventures with her cousin Constance. She has avoided the customary, ordinary life of a victorian upper crust woman. She has seen India and gone places that have excited and thrilled her, but captured by a pirate and waiting to be ransomed by her family was not the adventure she was hoping for. “Rory” is scared and terrified while trying to maintain her hopefulness. Her cousin Constance and her crew were depending on her to help save them as well.

Gabriel and Rory were certain they were for each other, knowing that the chances of them finding their HEA was slim...together they forge a bond and both work to have that happen. The newest book in the Rogues Redeemed series called Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo Putney was a great read.

This is one of those books I absolutely loved despite it not being remotely representative of the title. There is nothing whatsoever scoundrelly about the hero in this story; on the contrary, he may be the nicest, most gentlemanly hero I’ve ever read in a historical romance. With a title like Once A Scoundrel, I was fully anticipating a reformed-rake story, but Gabriel Hawkins doesn’t have even a touch of the rake about him. Indeed, when confronted by the almost-naked heroine on their first meeting, he heroically keeps his eyes on her face. With intentions that were never less than honourable, he was a hero to die for.

Lady Aurora ‘Rory’ Lawrence is unconventional to say the least. The pampered - not to say spoiled - daughter of an earl, she declined to settle down into marriage with any of the gentlemen who offered during her Season and instead took off on a series of adventures around the world with her cousin and best friend, Constance. Visiting India, Egypt and Greece, they were on their way home to England when their ship was captured by Barbary pirates and Rory and Constance taken to Algiers, an exorbitant ransom demanded for their release.

Commissioned to negotiate their return, Gabriel has to use every bit of his guile, cunning and contacts gained in years of sailing the seas. From Algiers to Constantinople, this is a swashbuckler of a story, with bloodthirsty corsairs, treachery, and two love stories - Constance gets her own happy ending, too.

I loved Rory and Constance together too; their friendship was beautifully written and the idea of them writing Lady Adventurer novels on their travels was absolutely wonderful. Neither of them were prepared to sit about and wait for rescue, either, taking matters into their own hands when the crunch moment came.

In short, this is an absolutely fabulous Regency romance. Just don’t expect it to be remotely representative of the title.

A delightful story that takes the reader far and wide! Lady Aurora Lawrence has been captured by pirates and is being held as a slave. Her frantic mother contacts Gabriel, Lord Kirkwood, to try to rescue her. Gabriel had been captured by the Barbary Pirates once himself and agrees to find her. But with shock he recognizes the pirate holding Rory is the same one that held him years ago.
Demanding a large sum of money for her rescue or she will be sold in an auction, Gabriel realizes the pirate needs money badly.
Of course as Gabriel and Rory meet, there is definitely and attraction. This adventure takes them on a journey to far lands in Turkey and things do not seem to turn out well. Can He get her out of this situation and can they make it back home?
A good story that is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. Prepare yourself for a fast paced journey that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can!

Once a Scoundrel by Mary Jo Putney is book 6 in the Rogues Redeemed series. This is the story of Gabriel Hawkins and Aurora 'Rory ' Lawrence. I have read the previous books, but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Rory was taken hostage by pirates when she was sailing. It appears that she will be sold if her family doesn't come forward with a ransom. Gabriel is sent to rescue Rory who not so long ago was in a similar situations. But when he sees her, he knows that he must save her. Gabriel learns why Malek took Rory to save his own family, Gabriel offers to help in exchange for Rory safety. This put them on an adventurer that leads them to love.

An outcast on the high seas . . .

The son of a proud naval dynasty, Gabriel Hawkins was born to command the sea, until he leaves the Royal Navy in disgrace and is disowned by his family. As captain of his own ship, he’s earned his living in ways both legal and illegal, and his experience makes him the best choice to ransom an aristocratic beauty captured by Barbary pirates.

Having avoided the traps of convention and marriage, Lady Aurora Lawrence is horrified by the prospect of spending her life as a harem slave. Her only hope of escape is a quiet, steely captain who has a history with her captor—and who will do anything to free Rory. Together they undertake a dangerous mission through troubled waters—and encounter another kind of danger as attraction burns hot within the close confines of his ship. But even if they endure the perils of the sea and enemy lands, can their love survive a return to England, where the distance between a disgraced captain and an earl’s daughter is wider than the ocean?

My Thoughts:

This series as a whole has been a disappointment to me as a reader. I wanted to like them but just had problems with the scenarios in each one.
This one included a heroine that is likely to be sold into a harem. RED FLAG! I don't care for the whole human bondage plot.
This is book #3 and the first one was the only one that I could honestly give more than 3.5 stars to. If you like pirates and harems you'll like this book, but it just wasn't the read I hoped for.
I gave this book 3.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline. The characters were somewhat more interesting and would have bumped the rating up if the plot were one that I liked.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book by invitation. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

This was a pretty good read from one of my favorite authors. The story line was different in retrospect from the others. The locale was in a harem and pirates galore. I think the characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. You can't go wrong in reading Ms Putney's exciting new book and can be read as a stand alone.
Gabriel Hawkins loves the sea and being it's captain. He once was in the British Royal Navy, now commands his own ship. Sometimes his booty is legal and other times not. But now he has a new title to his name: rescuer of damsels in distress.
Lady Aurora Lawrence avoids anything that pertains to marriage. She is not taking to being a harem slave one bit. Her only help is Gabriel who seems different from other men she has met. He knows it won't be easy to get her away from his captors, but he deal with the devil to make sure it happens.
Rory and Gabe travel the high seas and enemy land to complete a mission of grave importance.
Now if they can survive the perils of this, they can return to England. But will their love survive as well?
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I enjoyed the story even though there were parts that I didn't care for. Overall, the story was engaging and I wanted to keep reading to find out how they got out of this!

I guess that I mostly liked the story because Rory and Constance were so independent and and while they need to be saved from the harem, they also thought through ways to escape if they got the opportunity.

I have not read any of the previous rogues in this series so may check them out as I do like this type of series.

There was so much description given for the ship's cat but I kept waiting for an explanation - what kind of cat was this?? Wish that had been disclosed!

Gabriel Vance left the Royal Navy in disgrace and was disowned by his Grandfather, a British admiral. He re-invented himself as Gabriel Hawkins and captained his own merchant ship.

Lady Aurora Lawrence is the youngest of eight and a wild child. She is using an inheritance to travel. When she is captured by pirates, she demands that the ransom include herself, her cousin/companion and the crew of the ship they were on. Her father can't raise a 50,000-pound ransom, so her mother steps in and hires Gabriel.

This was a sweeping romance that was a fast-paced read. I enjoyed that the book does not take place in the drawing rooms of London. It was a breath of fresh air. I liked that Rory was an adventuress and had helped a cousin that was wronged by their grandmother.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Love the way these two strong personalities come together to save themselves and others. Packed with action, romance, and the high seas.

Lady Aurora Lawrence is horrified that she and her cousin have been kidnapped by Barbary pirates and held for an outrageous ransom in Algiers. Her father, the Earl, doesn’t have the funds to ransom her so her mother sells everything she has of value to rescue her baby. She hires Captain Gabriel Hawkins, the son of a proud naval dynasty that is he was until he left the navy in disgrace and his grandfather disowned him. Gabriel has made his living in ways both legal and illegal and is the perfect man to go and rescue Lady Aurora aka as she’s known by high society as Roaring Rory.
When Rory and Gabriel see each other for the first time, she is nearly naked and being displayed to potential buyers. There is an instant connection between them, but Rory also sees the ship’s Captain as her only chance of being rescued. Little do they know but her kidnapper Melek has to funds from her ransom to rescue his wife and two children from his horrendous cousin before it’s too late. Gabriel comes up with a solution to possibly save Rory and rescue Melek’s family. Wow what an adventure they have from Algiers to Constantinople transporting a menagerie of pygmy animals especially the pygmy hippos who need a tank of water to be transported to Constantinople to add to the ransom money. Rory and Gabriel have an instant attraction, the passion simmers just below the surface and as they travel by sea, feelings become more complex. A captivating story from Mary Jo Putney filled with adventure, romance, intrigue with a few twist and turns along the way to keep you turning the pages. 5 STARS!!! This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Once A Scoundrel is the third book in Mary Jo Putney’s Rogues Redeemed series. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I do recommend reading all the books because ... simply ... they are marvellous. Mary Jo Putney excels at writing strong heroines who are adventurous without being TSTL and in this book she gives us two such wonderful heroines. The main story is about Lady Aurora (Rory) Lawrence and Captain Gabriel Hawkins, the secondary story is about Constance Hollings, Rory’s cousin and companion and Jason Landers the first mate on Gabriel Hawkins ship. Rory and Constance were returning from Greece when their ship was captured by corsairs and now they and the crew of the ship are being held for an impossibly large ransom. Gabriel Hawkins, Captain/Owner of a very fast ship and having had some experience with the corsairs in the area where the women are being held is charged with negotiating their release.
Adventure, Evil Villains, Dashing Heroes, Intrepid Heroines, Daring Rescues, cute baby goats, and True Love ... this book has it all. More sweet than steamy. Publishing Date September 25, 2018. #OnceAScoundrel #NetGalley

This is the fair and honest review I promised to give in exchange for this ARC. This story has it all. Disowned scoundrel, hard to manage Lady who is also a writer, Barbary pirates, complicated pasts and non-stop adventure. Well written and enthralling.

Oh My word!!! Mary Jo Putney certainly know how to write her heroines! So many interesting facts in this book!! I could envision the menagerie in my head!! Those cute pygmy goats!!

The harem ladies!!!Ah EEE!!! this book had pirates, swashbuckling handsome captains, and sweet first mates!! Ladies who write adventurous romance novels!!! Loved it!!! In My opinion, we essentially get 2 1/2 romances in one book!!!

LOVED IT!!!