Member Reviews

Bran Tremayne is drawn to Cornwall to face his noble family. Bran was thrown away due to his magical gifts. He was lucky enough to be fostered by Rhys and Gwen Tremayne. While in Cornwall, Bran is drawn to the woods and finds a mysterious woman in the woods.

Merryn Penrose has magical abilities that can help her uncle. She is kidnapped from her home and mind-blocked in order to be controlled. Finally she is able to get away and finds Bran.

They both have a magical connection which helps foil a plan to disrupt the festivities at the Navy Yard.

This is a historical romance with some magical aspect along with a found family. I liked the fact that Bran had his foster family to rely on along with meet his noble family. He could find love with Merryn.

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I really enjoyed Bran and Merryn's story! I just loved watching these two come together and work together to solve the mystery of what happened to Merryn.

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Silver Lady is the first book in the Dangerous Gifts series.

Rhys and Gwyn Tremayne have been rescuing children in London for years. Bran Tremayne and his companion Cade were lucky enough to have been found by them and welcomed into their family. The children they rescue all have special gifts that have made them unwanted by "normal" people. Bran works for the Home Office which is a perfect fit for his gift of being able sense the truth and solving problems. Bran gets a visit from Matthew Davey, a solicitor looking for an heir that has a dragon tattoo his shoulder. When Davey sees the tattoo, he is sure Bran is the rightful missing heir.

Davey introduces Bran to his disagreeable father. Unfortunately, Bran remembers when his father got rid of him when he was three. He is not really interested in forming a relationship with this man. But being there enables him to investigate a potential problem in the area.

Bran spends time with his mother and sister in order to get to know them better. But he also finds a young woman who emerges from the woods, who doesn't know who she is and struggles to speak. Bran will be drawn to her as he begins to care for her and feels as if she is important to his journey.

This was a mysterious story about the gifts some people have. I enjoyed the story and the different abilities they each had and used for good. I liked the characters which were very strong minded. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

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Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

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I received Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney from NetGalley and I am glad I did. Bran and Chase are gifted and were abandoned by their family's at a young age. Found on the streets by their adoptive parents, The Tremayne family, they grew up in a loving home. Silver Lady focuses on Bran. His special gift is seeing silver threads and silver glows when he senses danger. These special gifts send him back to Cornwall and his estranged family. He is not sure why he is being pulled back to Cornwall, thinking it has something to do with his work at the National Office, he follows his estranged families attorney back to Cornwall. Little does Bran know that not only will he save his country but he will also meet the lady of his dreams.

Bran and Merryn's love story is sweet, tender and loving. It doesn't have the throws of passion as a lot of romance novels do but it shouldn't because that is not who Bran and Merryn are. Over the course of their adventure and getting to know each other, their love blossoms. Bran, Merryn's hero, and Merryn who is Bran's strong, passionate match work in amazing ways.

I have never read a book by Mary Jo Putney and I was glad I was given the opportunity to read Silver Lady. It had me from the first page and it was hard to put down. I can't wait for the next book in the series and hope Brans brother Cade and his sister Tamsyn have the happy ending Bran found. In the meantime, I will pick up one of Mary Jo Putney's other series and dive in.

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I requested this book and forgot everything about it, so it felt like I went in blind. I did remember that it would be a historical romance but forgot that there was a little paranormal weaved in.

Bran Tremayne is visited by a lawyer claiming that his birth family is looking for him. His sense of duty has him traveling to Cornwall. He doesn't really want anything to do with the man who abandoned him but once there he senses trouble brewing in the area. His job as a special agent to the Home Office keeps him there to learn more and the woman he encountered who has amnesia.

Bran feels the need to protect the woman, who he later learns is named Merryn. The bond they feel is strong as they begin to spend time together and her abilities grow stronger the longer she is away from the people who kidnapped her and blocked her mind.

As they learn more about the threat will their growing love survive the coming danger?

Thank you so much to the author and Kensington and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

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Read an ARC version from NetGalley. Decent story, surprised the MJP is moving into a bit of supernatural in her regency romances, but I enjoyed it for a bit of light Saturday reading.

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This was my first Mary Jo Putney book and a bit of a letdown. I wasn't aware that there was a magical powers element/alt reality to this historical romance before I started reading. I double checked that this was the first of the series because it felt like I was dropped into the middle of a larger storyline I didn't understand. I could've used some more context in the beginning. I'm currently at the halfway point and ready to abandon the read.

I don't feel much connection between the lead characters despite being put in compromising situations. I may continue the read at a later time, but for now other ARCs are calling.

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3.25/5 stars
1.5/5 spice

Paranormal and historical romance come together in this suspenseful story.

Tropes:
Strangers to friends to lovers
Protective hero
Damsel in distress
Amnesia
"Gifted" supernatural powers
Forced proximity
Fated/soulmates
Dual POV

Overall, I really enjoyed the paranormal aspect of this story. You don't see it often in a historical romance setting, and it was fascinating to see incorporated in the plot. However, I did feel that with the length of the book, too much time was spent on the "gifts" of each character instead of moving the story along. And with so many characters being "gifted," it diminished the uniqueness of the gifts that Merryn and Bran had. That's how it felt like to me, although it wasn't a big deal. It just seemed that every character introduced would somehow magically be gifted. Meh. But other than that, I really enjoyed the rest of the plot. I would still recommend this book for fans of paranormal romance with the damsel in distress.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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This book kept me interested throughout the story with great characters, some action and adventure, history and romance. I think that was the best part of the book, it had so many interesting elements. The main characters in the story had a “gift”, not something that usually interests me, but it was used for good in the story to solve crimes. 4 stars.

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Being gifted with powers, Bran finds himself called to Cornwall. Merryn, in a confused state after escaping being kidnapped, finds Bran. Together with their “gifts” they must find the danger they both feel towards the British fleet. Can they deny their mutual attraction till the danger is past? I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington for my honest review.

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This was an entertaining, well-written historical romance. It was fun, charming and kept me reading. I enjoyed this historical romance and will look for more books by this author.

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Set predominntly in 1803 on the English south coast, Silver Lady is a wonderful introduction to Mary Jo Putney’s new series. The story is fast paced with plenty of twists along the way. There is a beautifully balanced mix of history, romance, mystery and magic, which kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The romance between Bran and Merryn bregins as soon as they meet. The emotional and physical connection between these two is very apparent and I was completely drawn into their story. Meanwhile, the secondary plot involves French spies, a fortune in gold and plans to use Merryn’s unusual powers for nefarious gains. The characters are all well drawn and there’s a good mix of people to love and those you’d rather you had never encountered. I loved this story and am looking forward to finding out more about Bran’s Tremmayne siblings.

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Bran works for the Home Office as an investigator. He discovers that his birth family is searching for him, and he gets a feeling in his gut that he needs to go to them. Girl doesn't know who she is or where she came from, but she knows she needs to escape from "Crow" and "Starling" in order to survive. When Bran connects with Girl, the pieces of the mystery start to fall into place. Will they solve the mystery in time? Will Girl be able to reclaim her past? Will they find love?

The author creates a world that has paranormal elements, but it is not the main part of the story. Bran is an investigator who uses his paranormal powers to aid him in his job, but he doesn't rely solely on them. He has every right to be angry at his family for throwing him away as a child. He is right to love his adopted family. I thought he was a good character with an excellent backstory. Girl gets a lot of characters development because she starts out with no memories and has to regain everything during the course of the story. Her paranormal powers are cool and make sense as the story progresses. I liked the side characters, even Bran's family. The bad guy is over the top but fits the story nicely.

Silver Lady is an historical romance set in 1802 in London, This is a paranormal romance. This is a quiet story that doesn't have any big exciting moments. If you are for a well written story that reads smoothly, give this a try. I will read more from this author in the future.

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3 1/2 stars. Mary Jo Putney has been around a long time as a regency romance writer and I love her books. This is the first time anything I've read by her with a paranormal twist (well other than one story where there was a psychic twin connection). This is a quick read and fast-paced. The romance is sweet. She ties in historical events with her storytelling very well.

I thought she could have developed the paranormal abilities and the effects that had on society a bit more. It felt a little shallow. The love happened very quickly. It is explained as those with gifts often make a connection deeply and fast. I just didn't feel the romance worked as well as some of her other books in the past but then I think she is one of the best romance writers out there so my expectation for her are very high. It was good, just not as good as I thought it would be.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

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There was a lot I enjoyed in this book that ended up pushing me from 3 stars to 4. I loved the quote non-specific “magical powers” and how they were sort of overlapping. It made the fantasy aspect of the book shine, in my opinion. The general atmosphere is broody and interesting, and the mystery and intrigue pulls you along. The romance for me wasn’t great, I don’t in general enjoy this type of fated instalove, though I’ll give the author points for not leaving Merryn absolutely helpless to her “savior.” Thank you to NetGallry and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

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I wanted to read this book because it reminded me of the Raven and Sinclair books that I love. It was similar being full of intrigue action and adventure but the special power's are more vague and less well defined. Otherwise i liked it very much although the romance is a fate/instalove type thing rather than a gradual build up with dates and balls etc so this might put off some I didn't mind it as the action kept my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Sweet romance with a bit of a mystery and a paranormal twist to it. It gave me Poldark vibes which I definitely liked. I"m going to be on the look out for the next in the series so I can see what happens with the rest of the Tremayne family.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 28 November 2023

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- 3.75 stars - I was surprised but pleased to see that Putney is wading back into the historical-fantasy-romance pool with this book, as she did years ago with THE MARRIAGE SPELL and the Guardians trilogy. “Wading” is apt; this is more the shallow end of the pool, adding a light overlay of psychic gifts over a familiar historical-romance world. Beyond the fantasy element, there’s a bit of a mystery, as well as both amnesia and lost heir tropes.

SILVER LADY takes place in early-19th-century Britain as we know it, but in this fictional version, some people are “gifted” with one or more talents we today would call psychic powers or ESP. Those with gifts are often treated with fear or disdain; the hero, Branok Tremayne, was essentially discarded by his father, Lord Penhaligon, at a very young age. Fortunately for Bran, he was found and adopted by Lord and Lady Tremayne, whose blended family of gifted children (both fosters and children by birth) became a source of comfort and strength. But all that is backstory. The novel essentially begins with Bran’s discovery that he is Lord Penhaligon’s only remaining son and heir, a fact which brings neither of them any pleasure.

We know much less about our heroine to begin with, for her mind has been more or less erased or subdued by a woman she knows only as the Starling. Even her own name has been stripped from her. Her story begins with her escape from the Starling and the sinister Crow, and her eventual rescue at Bran’s hands. As her memory slowly returns, it becomes evident that her captors had some nefarious plan afoot that involved her. Just what that plan is, and whether Bran and his Silver Lady can stop it, comprises one strand of the novel’s plot; the remaining strands are Bran’s status as heir and the romance between Bran and the heroine.

The two main characters and their romance are appealing, but they have less depth, passion, and angst than their counterparts in the Fallen Angels series or some of the Lost Lords books. In fact, the writing overall isn’t nearly as rich, immersive, and compelling as in Putney’s earlier books. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading SILVER LADY, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes next. For one thing, Bran has several siblings who deserve romances of their own.

A final note: For history buffs, the book references the disastrous explosion of HMS Amphion in Plymouth in 1796, with over a hundred visitors and sailors’ relatives aboard. The book takes place in 1803, so the disaster would have been relatively fresh in the locals’ minds.

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