I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Dearly Beloved by Mary Jo Putney is a re-issue of her 1990 stand-alone novel and has been given a gorgeous new cover. The story is definitely old school and parts of it will not transfer well to todays audience so you need to keep that in mind while reading it. Gervaise Brandelin first meets Diana Lindsay when he drunkenly stumbles in to her bedroom in an inn on the island of Mull and thinking she is the barmaid he had made arrangements with … gets amorous … her screams awaken the inn and her mad vicar father insists they marry on the spot. This being Scotland it happens and angry and resentful Gervaise rapes the drugged and bewildered Diana who is then abandoned by both her new husband and her father. Almost a decade later they meet at a gathering of cyprians, where Gervaise is completely bewitched by the beautiful young courtesan whom he does not recognize as his abandoned wife. A potent stew of passion, deceit, betrayal and a decidedly evil villain create a story that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime. Medium Steam. Publishing Date June 25. 2019 #NetGalley #DearlyBeloved #MaryJoPutney #KensingtonPress #OldSchoolRomance

Wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but I really did enjoy it. A bit deeper emotionally then some other historical romances I've read - characters were strong and interesting. Good book!

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. I read a huge amount, and mostly books are averagely good, then you read a historical by a really good writer and you really appreciate how skilled they are. This is a re-issue of one of Mary Jo Putney’s backlist, which I had read many years ago, and had forgotten I had it.

I loved this highly emotional and angst ridden tale. Gee awe is a tormented young man, who has done something he is very ashamed of in his life, with an amoral mother who died young and an indifferent father. He is at an inn in Scotland, where he makes an arrangement with one of the barmaids, and drunk, goes to the wrong room, where he mistakes a young girl for the barmaid. They are discovered by her rabid clergyman of a father and forced to marry. Gervase refuses to see her again, and makes a financial settlement on her and refuses to see her again.

9 years later, Gervase has returned from India, and works as a spymaster for the government. He is in London with his cousin who convinces him to visit a courtesan’s reception. There he is transfixed by the impossibly beautiful Diana Lindsay, who has travelled to London from the countryside, driven by an irresistible compulsion to become a courtesan in order to have a relationship with a man.

Diana has an eight year old son, and a companion Edith. She lives quietly in the country, until, one day she discovers an older woman collapsed in the snow. Madeline is a former courtesan who has come back to the country believing she is about to die. Diana takes her in and is inspired by her life to become a courtesan herself. Driven by her intuition she know that she must do this to seek her future.

She is equally smitten by Gervase, and she becomes his mistress. They have an intense attraction to each other, but they are both wary of this in different ways. Gervase doesn’t want to love Diana, as he is afraid that he will be hurt by her, as his mother hurt him. Diana is wary of letting Gervase’s will and desires dominate their relationship without love. Diana is also holding back a huge secret.

This is so beautifully handled by the author. The damaged and aloof Gervase, slowly being brought to emotional life by his feelings for Diana, and also her son Geoffrey. Diana being awoken to passion and falling in love with Gervase. The horrible events at the beginning of the book, and how they are redeemed throughout the story is beautifully done. This is also not a story with a flawed and damaged hero and a perfectly good heroine. Diana is also flawed, and angry, though she doesn’t realise this until her secrets are revealed. They way the Mary Jo Putney shows how they grow as people and recognise their flaws and missteps is excellent. The whole tone of the book is bittersweet, and there is a great sense of urgency because of the subplot of the cruel bonapartist spy Comte Vesul. The subplot and secondary romance for Madeline is also a bonus treat.

I know that some people will find this triggering and difficult to read, but I completely loved it, it was bittersweet, hugely romantic, angsty and powerful, with a believable villain, and difficult and passionate love story and a great cast of supporting characters.

Outstanding, and highly recommended.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Also posted on Goodreads

2.5 Stars
This book is a re release from 1990 & I first read it many years ago
A sheltered life in the countryside has left Diana Lindsay restless to see the wider world, for both herself and the son she is raising alone. Bound by the sins of his youth, Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn, has spent his adulthood seeking redemption through service to England. Now a spymaster, he can allow nothing to distract him from his duty.
The authors books are a must read for me & I think I’ve read all of them whilst this book was well written I found it to be over long & the pace dragged at times so much so that I found myself skipping pages. I probably enjoyed the book when I first read it but this time round it just didn’t 'do it' for me, the book would have been better to have been left on the shelf. I didn’t connect with Gervase or Diana, in fact I didn’t like them at all. If the intention of re releasing this book was to find new followers of the author then it’s missed its mark
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Oh dear God. I wish I had known this was a reissue before I requested an ARC from NetGalley. I may have enjoyed this book if I had read it when it came out in 1990 but the romance genre and what readers find romantic has changed a LOT since then. The writing is flowery, the story breaks the bounds of belief suspension, and the book starts off with the "hero" raping the heroine and veers into child abuse. With so many recent good books by Ms. Putney, what editor thought that re-releasing this book was a good idea? It's bound to turn new readers away from ever trying her books again.
Diana Lindsay is still young and very beautiful. She struggles to make ends meet and keep her son in food. When she rescues a courtesan from a blizzard, she realizes that there may be a way to make ends meet and immediately becomes a protege, knowing that giving up her body will lead her son to a better life.
Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn, knows that he is a monster. That is why he tries to contain his base urges to the members of the demimonde, women who know how to handle the darkness inside him. On the night that Diana makes her "debut," Gervase decides to claim her as his own...
I would have rated this one star if I didn't reserve it for DNFs.

One and a half stars
This book comes out June 25th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Dearly Beloved by Mary Jo Putney reminded me of an old fashion bodice ripper as opposed to a newer-age historical romance. The book had it all, an evil spy, secrets to save Britain, a spymaster who has learned to trust no one, an innocent woman, and loads of secrets. The book was originally published in 2004, but has a spruced up cover. The book has some difficult topics that could be offsetting to others including rape, and incest.

Keeping secrets while might start out as innocuous, almost always turn into huge problems difficult to overcome. Diana Lindsay has lived out in the country for many years with her son and a companion/helper, Edith. Together they have forged a family. Then another woman showed up who shared her story and helped Diana become a courtesan.

Diana’s first night out as a courtesan, she meets Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn. He immediately wants her for his own and the plot deepens. Diana does not immediately choose him and always prevents him from them being exclusive (even though they both are). That’s when the plot starts thickening and twisting.

Mary Jo Putney slowly lets information leak that foreshadowed some of what was to come and as with a good novel, you both looked forward to the truth being set free and horror at what was to come. The book’s storyline was not my favorite. I am not a fan of rape and incest stories, but I needed to read where the book was going to go. I found myself both liking and disliking the characters as their stories unfolded. Mary Mo Putney is a great author, but I am not a fan of this particular novel, Dearly Beloved.

Not your typical historical romance ,with unusual characters and an engrossing storyline. Lots of twists along the way but a happy ending.

This was one of those books that you have a hate/love relationship with. Parts drive you crazy because they make no sense and other parts are an enjoyable read. Overall it was well written, you just can't think about it too much. It is not the best book I have read by this author., Hence the 3 star rating.

I'm sorry to inform you dear reader that this book was .... infuriating.

On the surface you see a young woman forced by circumstance to become a courtesan to support herself and her young son, then this dashing spy master comes along and adventure happens, cut to their happily ever after.

That is NOT this book. Originally published in 1990, the book seems to ignore the tone of 2019, this is the #MeToo era. A book about a woman who is forced to marry her rapist, have her rapists' child, and then become a prostitute to support themselves because they were abandoned by said rapist, AND THEN "fall in love" with her "reformed" rapist- who treats her like untrustworthy garbage- is not just tone deaf, but insulting.

.A sheltered life in the countryside has left Diana Lindsay restless to see the wider world, for both herself and the son she is raising alone. She cannot marry, but perhaps as a courtesan she will find love and protection despite her painful past. Gathering her courage, she moves to London—and finds herself the city’s most desired woman, as admired for her charm as for her beauty. But it is one man who captivates her—handsome, haunted, and harboring a secret as deep as her own . . .

Bound by the sins of his youth, Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn, has spent his adulthood seeking redemption through service to England. Now a spymaster, he can allow nothing to distract him from his duty. But when he meets Diana, his burdens seem to lift. Though she can never truly be his alone, or can she, their genuine love fills him with hope, until a treacherous deceit—and a deadly enemy—threatens to tear them
apart forever.

This re-release in digital format of a Mary Jo Putney classic was refreshing. I loved her earlier works and had been disappointed in her newer recent books. Full of intrigue, spies and sexual tension this is one of the better books I have read recently by this author.
Ms. Putney's books have always included a lot of historical detail so that did not bother me. Rape no matter the circumstances is never a desirable aspect to any story though. I am glad it received only the brief mention that it did. That being said it was a major aspect to the full story.
I was a little confused by the change of names for the heroine though and wondered if this story was going off on a different tangent.
I would give this book 4 of 5 stars for storyline and character development.
It is a good re-write and re-release.
I received a complimentary digital ARC to read.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I have tried more than one Mary Jo Putney and have decided to not keep trying. I do not find her stories all that interesting and I cannot understand on this one why bring this back for publication again when it did not get great reviews the first time and isn't getting any better reviews this time. I personally do not care for stories of women that are raped and then want the rapist to love them and Putney always has a very dark side to her stories. Not my taste and I would definitely not recommend this to anyone. If I could rate it a half star I would.

The title is a joke. I have never hated a character as much as Gervase! A rapist, only when he is drunk and angry, is not someone you can turn into a loving person by the end of the book. That his wife/mistress Diana forgives his arrogant, controlling, cruel behavior is unbelievable. I do not recommend this book. I was given an ARC for my honest review.

I"m a big Mary Jo Putney fan and overall liked this book, and the characters. There should be a rape trigger warning on this, as the whole plot turns on an initial rape, and some may be troubled by a narrative where the rape victim grows to love that man. So...a word of caution.
I provided an honest review in exchange for a free advance reader's copy.

I purchased first this book as I was a new release from an author I knew I had to read.
Then I was graced an advance review by Netgalley and the publisher Kensington Books.
It is only when I checked in Goodreads, I learned it was a reedition of a long time ago edition, from the 90s, when I first read Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novels.
The rape trope was immediately reported by the earlier reviewers so I questioned myself if I would be able to read this book. Then I remembered the first book I read by Mrs Woodiwiss, about a young woman abducted on a boat mistaken for a prostitute, I do not remember if she had a lot of saying about what she wanted.
(After some research, I found which book it was “The Flame and The Flower”) and there was another about a young lady having her home invaded and being rape too by the hero, the soldier behind the attack.
So I decided to read it with an open mind about how it was in this time as not so long ago I read a medieval romance about a marriage of convenience and the husband had quite a dislike for his wife as he was compiled to oblige his family and when he claimed his marital’s rights, he just did it, not a moment did he tried to be kind to his wife, worth he hurt her on their first night until their relationship evolved to a love match.
So will the hero be redeemable?
So yes, it is rape from our modern point of view but in his drunken stupor and his angry haze, he saw his now-wife as a scheming whore and decided to claim what had become his by law, the girl never uttered a word. He claimed his hudband’s rights as a revenge for tricking him in this joke of a marriage. He only understood after what he did, and himself named it as a rape while this time period accorded no says to the brides, they changed hands from father to husband like any chattel and were to do what their owners decided them to.

And even if I might shock many, I do loved this book.
As my first read by Mrs Putney and despite the triggers, I was sucked by the fluidity of the story, it was clever and witty with the right amount of anger. I was not appalled by the story passed the initial stage of distaste after the prologue. Sure, I’m no psychiatrist and it probably more than borders the Stockholm syndrome but Gervase has his flaws and he committed sins but it does not make him an evil or monster as Diana rose herself from a victim to a woman who curbs her life in the way she wants it to.

Diana, I loved her from the beginning. Sure the blurb was quite shocking about her wish to become a courtesan. The first reason is the secret she harbours, then her hope at a second chance in life and maybe find love without the heavy cost she had to pay the first time.

« it wasn’t men that she wanted. It was one man, one who would love and protect her in spite of her past, one who could initiate her into the profane, earthly delights that Madeline had described. At the thought, Diana smiled wryly, knowing what a romantic fool she was. It was a sign of how much she had healed that she dared to dream again. »
Gervase, he was not a bad man to me, wrong circumstances and bad timing plus his past wounds drove him to believe the worst of his unfortunate baby-wife, it does not absolve him for the harm done but behind his wicked action there is his own pain and blameworthiness.

« Like her, Gervase had been gravely wounded by life, and he had done less healing than she had. Until she understood the origins and depths of his pain, there could be no worthwhile future for them. »

Sure the author took time to reveal what I did know from the beginning by she also distilled but of informations this or there. But the story progressed at its right pace, nothing was hurried, all perfectly timed and the side characters were incredible to like or dislike.
Madeline is really an awesome character.
I usually am not very attracted with stories about destitute women but she is a magnificent person whom has gained more from her life than it had cost her, she never lost her soul. Gervase’s cousin, Francis was also a kind and sweet allie to Diana and Geoffrey, Diana’s son was a breath of fresh air and never he was depicted as overacted.
Then the bigger threat is not the vilain but themselves and the guilt and anger they bear in their inner core that make them doubt the other and could cost them everything if they can’t overcome their pain.

« She and Gervase each carried dark scars on their souls, scars only love could heal. In the language of the heart she must be the teacher, for she knew something about giving and receiving love, while Gervase could scarcely bring himself to say the word aloud. If they were to have a future together, she must fight him; she must compel him to explore his own heart, and to let her in. »

I know rape is a trigger for many persons, so I can comprehend if readers choose to avoid this story, but I was glad I did read this book.

I had a difficult time with this book due the elements of the plot. I find Mary Jo Puntney to be a very skilled writer. But, as this is a book was published many years ago and it was written in a different social/political climate, there are some things that happen in this book that I'm just not comfortable reading about any more. Consent is crucial for me to enjoy a romance. I wouldn't recommend this book.

An overall pleasant experience reading this historical romance filled with twists and turns I wasn't expecting and it was definitely worth the read. The characters were well executed and the storyline had me interested from the get-go. The only downside to reading "Dearly Beloved" was how long the read was and how it could have easily ended sooner than it original had but that didn't taken away from the read.

I have always loved Ms Putney’s books, until Dearly Beloved. The book was dark, rape was a part of the storyline more than once, and way the h & H came into each other’s lives just too coincidental. 2 stars.

Originally published in 1990, this has not aged well.

It begins with the male lead raping a young woman. He is drunk enough to think that she is the barmaid he has made a rendezvous with, and once he realizes what happened he is full of guilt and self-loathing, but that doesn't excuse it.

Well-written, with good characterizations, but I didn't much enjoy it and can't in good conscience recommend it.

First off: I really still don't know what to make of this book. This was a first for me from this author so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I don't think this was it. I very nearly threw it down after the prologue, but I hate to DNF a book so I kept plugging along though I was rather disgusted with myself for doing so. (I'll add spoilers further down if you want to know why).

Country life has left Diana Lindsey restless. Despite her tragic past, a quiet life with her son no longer appeals and Diana decides to pursue the life of a courtesan since she has no hope of marriage. In London, Diana finds herself very sought after for her great beauty and charm, but she is captivated by one man who harbors secrets just as she does.

Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn is riddled with guilt over his past sins and has sought redemption by using his talent for interpreting information as England's premiere spymaster. As such, he can't afford distractions from his duty and he definitely can't afford to need any one person. All of that changes when he meets Diana Lindsey and gets a taste of true happiness; he begins to question everything. As she is his mistress, and Gervase already has a wife, he knows he and Diana can have no permanent future but their newfound love gives him hope, even as a deadly enemy threatens to keep them apart for good.

Beware spoilers and venting ahead.

I thought this premise would just be something different and refreshing but really it was just insensible. Diana admits she's illogical and controlled by emotions and intuition, which makes her rather irresponsible if you ask me. Though a fallen woman, she could have attained respectability which might've been better for her son, but she was bent on being a courtesan. The first scenes of the prologue had me actively disliking Gervase and I couldn't really get over that, no matter how sympathetic or tragic his character became. Gervase had a total inability to trust and become close with anyone, but especially women, which was understandable after learning his character's history but since we don't learn this until about 80% of the way through the book, it just makes him seem childish and inflexible.

Super spoilers coming now if you didn't stop before.

There were nice sentiments and undertones about God's grace and forgiveness, but having those ideas juxtaposed with the victim falling in love with and forgiving her rapist, especially after he then tried to rape her again, was just a bit much for me.

This whole book had a rather dark tone, with many macabre and foreboding tidbits about how the characters would later regret their actions and I really didn't see an ending in which the main characters actually wound up together. I'm still not really thrilled with their "happy ending."

Despite all my issues with the story itself, the writing was superb and I plan to check out more works from this author in the future.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dearly Beloved is a historical romance that tackles some hard topics including rape. Diana Lindsey wants to find love. Left alone to raise her son with just one nurse in the remote hills, Diana rescues a courtesan outside her home in a blizzard. Becoming fast friends, Diana learns the wiles of being a courtesan and hatches out a plan to go to London to find a lover. The first meeting with the Viscount St. Aubyn puts Diana on path to happiness she has never felt before. With an unbelievably forgiving heart, Diana fights to get the love she wants. The topics covered in this story are pretty intense. Diana's reaction is not completely understandable or believable and yet I still enjoyed the story for its second chances and redemption qualities. Both characters have somewhat of a tortured soul and the HEA is really hard fought. The story left me somewhat torn on my feelings but I still found the pages flipping quickly for a fast-paced and smoothly written tale. My voluntary, unbiased review is base upon a review copy from Netgalley.