This was a complimentary copy from netgalley - thank you

I love Mary Jo Putney's work and was thrilled to have the chance to read this

This is a great holiday read

Couldn't put this down - the epilepsy thread was an interesting addition - making this not the usual historical romance

A great read

A story of true love brought together by fate and difficult circumstances.

Diana Lindsay is raising her son alone in the country with only a single maid as her sole friend and companion when a woman from London happens upon her cottage during a blizzard. Diana has only known of country life and is intrigued when she hears this woman tales from London.

Deciding that fate has brought her new friend and the opportunity to go to London, Diana jumps at the chance to find love in London.

Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn has not lived the life of a saint, but over the years he has worked had to redeem himself in his work and life choices. When he happens upon Miss Lindsay a a party, the immediate pull of attraction feels to right to be wrong… almost as if he know her from before.

Both harbouring many secrets and even more hurt, can these two reach past that to find love and redemption in each other?

I enjoyed Mary Jo Putney’s writing and found the characters very compelling. I felt their hurt and their joys. This book dealt with some very mature themes. I was concerned when these themes were introduced, but I feel like it was handled well and integral to the plot.

This was a hot and dramatic read, that had me on the edge of my seat and melting in my chair at times. I recommend this book.

I was so confused while reading, Dearly Beloved. Plus a little disgusted in about 3 spots while reading. I usually like Ms. Putney's books so I stuck it out to see if it got any better. I hope her next book is better.

TW: Rape, child-abuse

A challenging book, that's the first thought that popped into my mind. Dearly Beloved is a novel in the vein of bodice-rippers, and I found it terribly difficult to read beyond the first chapter. Yet, I persevered, only to have my growing hopes dashed once again.

Please can authors not use the redemption of rapists - child rapists, at that - as a plot point? From what I've gathered this book was originally written in 1990 and that is where it should have stayed.

Gervase, our anti-hero starts the story with making plans with a barmaid. He instead, drunkenly stumbles into the bedroom of a fast asleep 15 year old, who he assumes was planning to trap him with the help of her belligerent, overbearing, violent, and abusive father. A forced marriage leads to a quick rape, and Gervase (to his horror) realises that his child-wife is perhaps "simple" as in not completely sane. This part made me feel so upset, I had to put the book aside for a few hours.

I returned to the introduction of Mrs. Diana Lindsay, a young woman with an epileptic child. Diana has a heart of gold and despite the warnings of those around her, she decides to help Madeline, a former courtesan at the end of her life with no where to go. With Diana's help, Madeline does make a recovery and then somehow ends up inspiring Diana to also become a courtesan.

Diana spends months learning the art of being a courtesan, and her unparalleled beauty means she will surely be a rousing success and she is because she manages to attract the attention of the one man she wants - I don't know why!

A very melodramatic, problematic, and heavy read. If you're into angst you'll love it. The redeeming quality for me? The excellent writing.

So, this is a re release from the 90s. Just... no. There’s rape, and a lot of it. And then the heroine falls in love with her rapist. It’s totally crazy. I do not recommend and can’t imagine why they bought this out of the vault.

3.5 stars

I think this book was originally written in 1990. Like many popular author it's useful for older books to be republished in ebook form. The second hand price of the originals become prohibitive and if someone is interesting in reading an authors back catalog this becomes a very cost effective option. Having said that I think it is a story of its time.

Like other reviewers I had great difficulty with the prologue. The author gave reasons for the action but to me the sounded like the author was desperately trying to redeem her anti hero.

The surprise is the heroine's action. I thought the hero meeting the heroine was just fated but it was pleasing to find out that she was very much her own woman who had decided to grab at life.

The writing is good but it's not a comfortable story so I'm conflicted about recommending it. I would suggest a person looks up some of the reviews that include spoilers to understand the prologues content.

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

Review cannot be posted on Amazon until release date:
https://amzn.to/2QiKcIF

5 stars
Regency historical romance with a classic redemption plot, first published 1990, reissued 2004 and 2019

The prologue of this Regency romance novel occurs in a small, country inn located in Scotland. A wild-eyed, pistol-wielding cleric, named Hamilton, catches intoxicated, 23-year-old Gervase Brandelin, who is sole heir to a fabulously wealthy British viscount, in the midst of compromising the cleric's 15-year-old daughter, Mary Hamilton. When Hamilton melodramatically discovers Gervase in Mary’s room, which Gervase has drunkenly mistaken for his own room and Mary for a lusty barmaid with whom he has made an assignation, Mr. Hamilton rouses the entire inn with his bellowed accusation that Gervase has seduced his daughter. It is not only the man's pistol, but the code of honor Gervase has been raised in that prompts him to surrender to the cleric's demand that Gervase marry his daughter: "A clergyman was by definition a gentleman, and the nubile daughters of the upper classes were sacrosanct." The cleric marries them on the spot since marriage could be instantly achieved in Scotland at that time, unlike in England. Because Gervase is both mentally impaired due to being drunk and filled with righteous fury at what he decides is a heinous extortion plot of Mr. Hamilton that he believes Mary has colluded in, as well as the fact that her own father calls her a "slut," Gervase viciously accuses her of being a whore. He then proceeds to, as a self-admitted revenge on Mary, "claim a husband's rights." When he realizes in the process that she is a virgin, guilt and self-disgust sober up Gervase fast, and he mentally defines the angry consummation of his marriage as rape, though he does not admit that out loud to the sobbing Mary. Gervase also links in his mind the rape of his wife to another, unnamed traumatic event in his life that occurred in 10 years ago, which he also clearly blames himself for, even though he was a child of 13 at the time. He considers both events unforgivable transgressions on his part, making him beyond redemption. In a state of rage and betrayal, toward himself as much as his unwanted wife, Gervase tells Mary to contact his lawyer, whom Gervase says he will order to support her amply the rest of her life. However, Gervase proclaims, he never wants to see her again. Since he has already taken a commission to serve in the British army, Gervase immediately abandons his presumably despicable, and possibly simple-minded, young wife and sails to India to join his regiment.

The main story begins around seven years later. We are introduced to the heroine of this novel, 23-year-old Diana Lindsay. She is living as a "Mrs." in a small village in a remote corner of Yorkshire, at her commodious home, High Tor Cottage, near the village of Cleveden, but no mention is made as to whether her husband is dead or alive--or if she has never been married at all and is faking the "Mrs." because she has a child. A pivotal and compelling female relationship is established when Diana rescues a beautiful woman named Madeline Gainford from a blinding blizzard. Though Madeline is only in her early 30's, she has come home to Cleveden, the village of her birth, to die from an "alien growth" in the form of a lump in one of her breasts which she assumes is terminal cancer. Her sister, who lives in Cleveden, has refused to take her in, and Madeline has nowhere else to go to die with dignity. But even so, Madeline confesses to Diana, with great bravery and honesty, that she has been a renowned courtesan in London for many years, so that Diana can deny Madeline hospitality if that sordid fact repels her. Madeline is therefore extremely grateful when Diana, clearly understanding the threat to her own reputation of taking in a prostitute, willingly offers friendship and shelter to Maddy anyway. She mentions as her example Jesus’ acceptance of Mary Magdalene and further states, "We are all outcasts here," referring to herself, her five-year-old, epileptic son, Geoffrey, and her friend and maidservant, Edith, a middle-aged, plainspoken and loyal countrywoman.

Diana and Maddy soon become close friends, and due to Diana's assiduous care and affection, Maddy completely recovers her health. Over time, Maddy confides in Diana all the colorful details of Maddy's life as a courtesan. At first Diana is somewhat shocked, then later grows accepting, and finally, intrigued. To the point that, in spite of living a quiet, safe and prosperous life, which is in her son's best interest, Diana makes a huge decision to drastically alter her circumstances, follow in Maddy’s footsteps and become a courtesan herself. This massive turnaround is due to the promptings of her very strong intuition. She states to Maddy, "I am all emotion and instinct, and they are what rule my life." She explains that she does not know why there are some things she *must* do any more than she knows why the wind blows. For that reason, she is compelled to follow the promptings of her intuition which insists that "her only hope for a complete, happy life" is to be found "in London, pursing the life of a fallen woman." Maddy informs Diana that she certainly has the stunning beauty, sweet nature and high intelligence to qualify her for a massively successful career as a highly paid, top-level courtesan. And though Diana is currently almost 24, a bit old to launch a courtesan career, fortunately she only looks about 17. Diana learns from Maddy that a big benefit of being a courtesan is that she will not solely be valued for her beauty. Unlike the poorly educated matrons of the aristocracy, whose husbands treat them as if they are mindless fools, aristocratic men actually talk politics with their courtesan mistresses, and Diana will be encouraged to educate herself and use her mind to the fullest.

Diana is attracted to that part of the courtesan lifestyle, but she also fully understands the massive social stigma attached to becoming a prostitute, even if a sophisticated, elegant, and very highly compensated one. Her son Geoffrey will be an outcast even more than he already is due to being epileptic if his mother becomes a woman of easy virtue. Diana's intuition blares far louder, however, than pragmatic logic, and she doggedly persists in pursuing her eccentric goal. Over the course of six months, Maddy carefully and completely trains Diana in everything she needs to know to be a successful courtesan, including self defense with a knife.

A year after Diana and Maddy meet, they arrive in London to launch Diana as a courtesan. They live, along with Geoffrey and Edith, in a beautiful mansion gifted to Maddy by her most recent lover, whom she abandoned when she assumed she was going to die, and Diana enrolls Geoffrey in a private day school.

It is eight years after the events in the prologue and Gervase is now 31. He returned to England two years ago when he inherited the title of viscount upon his father's death. In India, he tried to "expiate his sins" by fulfilling his duty to his country with diligent, honorable service, first in the military and then as a spymaster for the British government. He has avoided thinking about his disastrous, legally binding marriage, but the cause of it has strongly affected his behavior. He has avoided ever again losing control over himself by refusing to drink to excess and closing himself off from all strong emotion, other than physical passion with a long-time, complacent mistress in India. He does periodically check in with his lawyer, and has learned through him that his wife is currently alive and well. The mysterious, traumatic event which occurred when he was 13 years old continues to prey on his mind, though no details about it are yet given as to what it was.

At a party held at the home of a famous courtesan whom Maddy knows, Diana encounters Gervase. She recognizes him immediately, but the reader does not learn through her thoughts how or why (though there have been enough strong hints so far, that the author clearly assumes readers will figure out how she knows Gervase). Gervase does not recognize her. He only sees a gorgeous, charismatic woman, and the attraction between them is immediate and intense. Gervase impetuously asks her to become his mistress, even though he had not been in the market for a mistress before encountering her, but Diana refuses to instantly agree, even though she informs Maddy that the same intuition that led her to London to become a courtesan is now announcing that Gervase is her "fate." She is determined that Gervase must court her before she gives in to him, and if they form a relationship, he must be an attentive, respectful and considerate lover.

Readers who enjoy strong friendships between women in novels will greatly enjoy the warm and wonderful, BFF connection between Diana and Maddy. Maddy is a fascinating character, and there is an enjoyable secondary romance between Maddy and her former lover. The relationship between Diana and her adorable son is also very well done. The approach to dealing with his seizures in the Regency era is fascinating and historically accurate.

There is a spy-vs-spy subplot with an evil villain who is a French spy. It feeds into and supports the trajectory of the main romance plot seamlessly, and the way that this subplot is resolved by Diana's well-foreshadowed, extremely brave actions is quite well done.

Diana's choice of a career as a courtesan is very much out of keeping with expected behavior for a lady of her station who is not in desperate financial straits and, as such, is an unusual plot choice for a Regency romance that some readers may find a refreshing change within this genre. In addition, the intuition that prompts Diana’s extraordinary choice provides a slight paranormal twist to the story that is a unique motivator for her actions.

Regarding the central plot, the romance itself, this novel was written early in Ms. Putney's career, in 1990, and reflects a classic type of historical romance of that era, a "redemption plot" in which there is a "dark and dangerous" (D&D) hero with a traumatic childhood. Such novels, to be successful, must have a powerful and believable growth arc for the hero, which is only possible through earning forgiveness from the one(s) he has wronged and, most importantly, forgiveness from himself. Though this novel is not, per se, Christian fiction, it contains frequent mentions of God, and certainly, a major focus of Christianity is the concept of forgiveness and redemption through repentance and reparation. However, these principled ideals are not limited to Christianity and exist as universal, ethical themes among honorable people everywhere. As such, they are a crucial factor in the way that all historical-romance redemption plots play out, including this one.

It is, of course, quite anachronistic for Gervase to instantly recognize and admit to himself after raping his wife that nonconsensual, forced consummation of his marriage is rape. Rape is not mentioned in the 10 Commandments, and I find it hard to imagine that a man like Gervase, at that point in history, would have defined the nonconsensual consummation of marriage as rape, because there was no such thing as married rape. The marital rape exemption was not abolished in England and Wales until 1991, and it was not until 1993 that marital rape became a crime in all 50 states in the USA. However, the genre of historical romance has been, since its inception in the early 1970's, filled with anachronistic, modern sensibilities in the attitudes of its heroes and heroines, and true fans of the genre, therefore, have never considered this to interfere with a "willing suspension of disbelief" which allows them to fully enjoy the relationship between the romantic protagonists. For that reason, I have no quarrel with Gervase having a very modern conscience. In fact, for a plot like this to work, that type of conscience is essential to the first step of redemption, admission of guilt.

Another issue with a romance-novel, redemption plot, in general, is that romance readers tend to either love it or hate it. They are rarely lukewarm toward redemption. This is because, in order to create a redemption plot, the hero (or in much rarer cases, the heroine) has to commit a major sin to admit, repent, and make restitution for. One is not redeemed from a peccadillo. It must be a huge, moral infraction. Unfortunately for the success of a particular redemption romance, some romance readers consider two major sins of heroes to be unforgivable: striking the heroine or raping her. Many of these same readers also cannot accept as sympathetic, believable or admirable a heroine who, over the course of a redemption novel, forgives the hero for his "unforgivable" sin of either striking or raping her. Such readers will therefore probably not enjoy or approve of this book and may grade it down in their reviews for being the very thing it is. On the other hand, readers who approve of redemption plots, especially if the author writes a particular redemption plot convincingly and with great artistry, as does the very talented Ms. Putney with this story, will very likely greatly enjoy this book. My approach to this review is to rate this novel based on the principle that redemption plots are a viable and acceptable trope in the historical romance genre, and I am grading this book's success based on how well the author has created this specific redemption romance.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Redemption Romance Plot: 4 stars
Spy Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars

I have read other Mary Jo Putney stories and absolutely adored them, but this one just left me cold. The actions of the hero, Gervase Brandelin, the Viscount St. Aubyn, at the beginning of the book were appalling and inexcusable. Since when is raping a young girl ever an option? And why wouldn't he ever think that a pregnancy could happen? Throughout the story the heroine, Diana Lindsay, makes sure that she's protected against pregnancy so it's certainly discussed within the context of the story. I had figured out the twist early in the book about the heroine, but there was a shocking twist in Gervase's character that I didn't see coming. Shocking doesn't always mean a good thing.

This was a long book and Ms. Putney is a excellent storyteller. It's the only reason why I stuck with this book until the end. There are serious issues in the story that the author used to flesh out the plot more, but they were minor compared to the secrets of the hero/heroine.

I will certainly read more of Ms. Putney's books, but I just can't recommend this one.

This book is bad. Really bad. I almost never one star books. The lowest I usually give is three stars. But this book has issues from start to where I stopped reading. The book starts from the point of view of a man who somehow was the male protagonist. I will not use his name A) because I can't remember how to spell it and B) because he is awful. It starts with him getting drunk, which is manageable, but then he goes and rapes a young woman. And he's somehow able to become the protagonist? Also, there's no content warning before this that the book contains a graphic rape scene. At that point, the only reason I kept reading was because I assumed the main character was the victim and I hoped the book might be about her recovering. But the book goes on and that is clearly not the case. She decides to upend her nice life in Yorkshire because she wants to become a courtesan, which women generally didn't do unless necessary. Once I found out that she was going to try to get back with rape dude, this book was a big fat no. Do not recommend, do not read.
Another thing I want to mention. Something I've noticed reading romance novels is the varying levels of consent involved, often on the part of the women. Contemporary books (from what I've read) don't tend to have too much of an issue save for when characters are drunk. But in historical, I've found many books that are sorely lacking. Consent is enthusiastic, ongoing, and freely given. Books are often missing one or more of these, especially early in relationships with the main couple. There's also a trend of the male characters sleeping with courtesans, etc before meeting the heroine. While that was common at the time, there is still some consent missing (freely given), and that has rubbed me the wrong way. I've been thinking about it for a while, and decided to add it to this review, since it was so problematic in this nature.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Kensington Books and Zebra Romance.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Two people who have suffered meet again in an untimely manner. Past will cross paths as they seek to move on despite themselves. It is a story of finding love amidst unforeseen circumstances and in the end taking a chance.

It was a typically regency novel with a background of a noble and a female of lower status falling for each other. It was an alright read.

I've got very mixed feelings when it comes to this book. On the one hand, there were long passages of it that I really enjoyed reading and I loved the dynamic and the feelings of the protagonists towards each other. On the other hand, well, right at the beginning, drunk and furious or not, the hero commits an, in my eyes, unpardonable crime. Considering the fact that this situation left him with a very young wife who he never wanted to see again - a promise that he keeps till ...well. Leaving his young wife behind, never looking back - nope, even considering the circumstances this was unforgivable and absolutely not acceptable.

When we meet the heroine, Diana Lindsay, she is raising her young son alone in the countryside, longing to see more of the world. Why she thinks that her idea of a, let's say, working vacation as a courtesan in London is an even remotely acceptable idea,...? I have no idea because it really doesn't make sense especially as she has her son to consider who already has to deal with his bouts of epilepsy which is not easy in our days and was even more difficult in those times. I really liked Geoffrey, he was a very strong character and to see how he dealt with his illness was amazing.

Okay, at least our hero and our heroine meet each other that way and fall in love. That would be nice if the circumstances were different. Oh, well, even that might have worked if we don't look at the time in which it is set and ...right. Soooo...why the heroine doesn't want to make a commitment and thinks that it is necessary for him to feel unsure about her feelings in order to be able to acknowledge his own... nope. It didn't really make sense in my eyes.

Despite their deficiencies, I really liked all of these characters (yes, even Gervase, our hero had redeeming qualities if you got to know him) but the whole story felt constructed and a bit off. There were just too many different topics to deal with. There were different kinds of abuse and rape, there were epilepsy and madness, spies and traitors, homosexuality and ...the list goes on.
No, even though I really love the other books by Mary Jo Putney that I've read and I've read quite a few already, this one is not one that I'd recommend.

Someone decided it would be a good idea to re-release Mary Jo Putney’s debut novel, Dearly Beloved. They were wrong. It was not a good idea. This book should be put in the archives and only brought out as a bad example. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is dark and full of spoilers.

Content warning – rape, sexual assault, internalized misogyny, verbal and emotional abuse

Here is the plot, with spoilers. Gervase Brandelin, Viscount St. Aubyn is at an inn in Scotland. He drinks too much. He thinks he is going to an assignation with a bar maid (who had invited him) but ends up in bed with a young woman named Mary. Mary’s father bursts in on them and forces them to get married. Gervase then rapes his new wife, who is terrified. He decides she is probably a simpleton rather than a whore, but abandons her anyway, leaving her with directions to apply to his banker for an annual income and a threat that if she ever comes to London or tries to contact him, he will rescind his financial support. He feels bad about the whole thing, so he runs away to India. Years later, the most beautiful, innocent looking woman in the whole of England, Diana Lindsey, is raising her son out in the country. She decided to go to London to be a courtesan, because she is bored and wants her son to be around more people. Her friend the retired courtesan introduces her to the courtesan scene. On Diana’s first night out, she meets Gervase and they are instantly attracted to one another despite the fact that his face is the one she sees in her nightmares, and he thinks she’s a whore. Diana is Mary, her father had drugged her and she had no idea what was happening that night at the inn. Diana enters into a sexual relationship with her husband/rapist/father of her child without telling him that he is any of those things. He is randomly sneering and suspicious of her because he thinks she is a whore and distrusts all women. When he finds out that she is his wife/victim/mother of his secret child, it confirms that she was the deceitful whore he had always suspected. They have more than one altercation in which no matter what Diana does or says, Gervase is angry and verbally abusive. Another man tries to rape and murder Diana and Gervase suddenly realizes he does trust and love her after all. Diana’s love was so pure it fixed everything.

Gervase Brandelin is emotionally and verbally abusive. The normalization of his behavior is awful. The message that the Diana’s love and gentleness could overcome Gervase’s scorn for women and turn him into a gentle and trusting partner is gross and dangerous. Gervase thinks of, or calls, Diana a whore a lot. I didn’t count, but it happened A LOT. He lashes out at Diana at the merest hint that she is untrustworthy. Why does he lash out? Because he is in pain – his mother sexually abused him, and he carries terrible burden of guilt he feels for raping his teenaged wife. Over and over again, his pain is used to excuse his behavior. When Diana gets angry at him, as any normal human would, not only does Gervase use her anger as a weapon against her, she views her anger as evidence that she herself is not perfect. Everything Gervase does should be considered a red flag and a deal breaker.

This is one of the books people who don’t read romance are talking about when they are surprised by consent in romance. Dearly Beloved was originally published in 1990. I read it sometime between 1990 – 1992, when I was in college. It was not my favorite book, and I wasn’t a fan of rape as a plot device, but I don’t think I recognized how deeply problematic it is. The idea that a woman would fall in love with and cure a man who was so deeply wounded that he lashed out in anger seemed normal to me. It seemed reasonable to believe that if you just loved them enough and never gave them reason to distrust you, it would fix their emotional hole and they would return your love and trust. A lot of women believe this. A lot of women find this story-line romantic. The book is full of so much angst and pain, but we also see how happy they can be together if Gervase would just accept that Diana truly is a paragon.

This book is founded on the idea that Gervase is a good person despite that little spot of rape and abandonment and all the emotional and verbal abuse. Diana (and the author) accept as true that Diana’s deception and the anger that she has held on to, are comparable to Gervase raping her, abandoning her, attempting to control her, and his constant jealousy and suspicion. The rotten cherry on top of this fetid sundae is the reason that Diana forgave Gervase – her pregnancy cured her anger.

I hated you until I began to feel my child move inside me. It was such a wondrous thing that there was no more room for hatred.”

She opened her eyes. “And to hold my son in my arms . . . it was a miracle. I decided then that any man who could father so sweet a baby couldn’t be all bad. Yes, you’d behaved wickedly, but that didn’t make you a wicked man.”

All kinds of women have found themselves pregnant after being raped, and I’m sure they have felt many different ways about the resulting pregnancy and child. But this, this is bad. So far this book has made the abusive hero a forgivable rapist, conflated protecting one’s boundaries with violently violating another person’s boundaries, conveyed the innocence of an infant to it’s father. None of these messages are ok. None of them.

Romance is a part of pop culture, and pop culture will always reflect who we are – good and bad. Dearly Beloved won a RITA for best debut novel, and it is on many people’s classics of the genre list. Even in 1990, this book should not have won an award, nor should it have been well regarded. It was and it will probably be loved and defended by people who read it now. I am grateful that I have evolved and no longer find misogyny romantic. The genre has evolved and I am so grateful that I have so many options when it comes to romance without rapist heroes or abusive heroes.

This is a book from 1990 re-published in 2019, but it starts with some attitudes best left in 1990. The book opens with the protagonist raping the heroine as a 14-year-old girl with the idea that he becomes “redeemed”. Nothing lovable about that. Not even bothering with a spoiler alert because you should know what you’re getting