Do you believe in intuition, not the every day variety, but the kind that borders on fantasy? In my 50 year nursing career I frequently "knew" when a patient would crash even though there was no indication. I would have the necessary equipment gathered ahead of time, just in .case. More often than not, my intuition was spot on. What if a person's natural intuition could be cultivated into something more? That is the premise of this series. Set in the early 1800's, Rhys and Gwyn Tremayne are gifted with extra sensory perception along with their natural children and their tribe of adopted "gifted" children who have been turned out by their families because of their gifts. Among them are Bam (from book 1) and Cade. They have been with the Tremaynes since they were small children as part of the family. Cade has a close bond in particular with Tamsyn, Rhys and Gwyn's natural daughter, a gifted healer. They have grown up as brother and sister, but Cade has erected a wall to cover his true feelings for Tamsyn, not brotherly at all. During an assignment in France, gone very, very wrong Cade is captured and brain washed by a sadistic, gifted enemy. With help from other local gifteds, Tamsyn frees Cade, but he needs her special gifts to become whole once again. I am purposely leaving a lot out since to fill in the holes would give too much of the story away. I highly recommend that you read it for yourself. There is a common thread (pun intended) between these first two books. It seems that when one of the Tremayne Tribe finds their true love, they can find them anywhere by following a thread. For Bam it was a silver thread for his lady, for Tamsyn it was golden for her lord. I can't wait to see what the next one is!

This is the story of Tamsyn and Cade, foster siblings with special gifts, and who are suppressing their love for each other, who are sent to France to extract the English ambassador and his household just before the Napoleonic Wars reignited.

I’ve read quite a few Mary Jo Putney books in the past and was really looking forward to this one. However, I was a little disappointed.

This had the potential to be a really great story. Exciting plot, dastardly villains, great supporting cast, fun use of magical powers to get the characters out of scrapes.

But I found the writing style a little distracting. There was alot of “telling” and not much “showing”. And I’m pretty sure we got a description of every meal they ate. I felt as if we didn’t get enough of the main characters’ thoughts and feelings to make their relationship really sing.

Terrific second book in the Dangerous Gifts series. The Earl and Countess of Tremayne and their natural and foster children are blessed with certain "gifts." Those abilities make them valuable assets to the Home Office. On the eve of the resumption of the war, the oldest foster son, Cade, and the oldest daughter, Tamsyn, go to Paris to escort the Ambassador back to England. The mission is dangerous, but Cade is more concerned with keeping his unsiblinglike feelings for Tamsyn under wraps.

The action in this book was fast-paced and intense, keeping me glued to the pages. Cade and Tamsyn must ensure that the ambassador and his people get safely out of France before the French government can stop them. The trip to Calais from Paris is mostly uneventful, except for the feeling of being watched. Trouble rears in Calais when French troops try to prevent them from leaving. Unfortunately, Cade is captured, necessitating Tamsyn effecting a rescue. Unexpected developments make this an extremely complicated process, which, though successful, has unintended consequences. Their work for the Home Office continues when they uncover a plot that could devastate Britain's naval capabilities. The resolution of this plot was a nail-biter as they raced to prevent disaster.

I enjoyed the development of Cade and Tamsyn's relationship. They have shared a special connection since Cade arrived in the family. As he grew older, Cade realized the truth about his feelings for Tamsyn but buried them deep. For a long time, Tamsyn looked at her feelings for Cade as a more intense connection than she felt with the others, ignoring any hint that it could be more. However, the events of this mission bring those feelings to the surface, and they must face them. I ached for them as they tried to resolve their love with the possible consequences to their larger family. The resolution of their dilemma is well done and believable.

One of the most fascinating things about this book is the idea of the "gifts" and how their use. Each sibling has something unique that sets them apart. Their parents have worked hard to train them to use and appreciate those gifts properly. The ability to combine their powers intrigued me, as did the emergence of new skills when they did so. I loved how they always had each other's backs, even when far apart.

When Caden “Cade” Tremayne, an agent for the crown and the eldest of Rhys & Gwen Tremayne’s foster children was informed of his new mission, he knew that this was going to be a mission unlike any before. He is “gifted” and has a strong sense of foreboding and feels anger directed at him specifically. But with England and France on the brink of war, it is imperative to get the English ambassador and him family out of Paris as quickly as possible. He is delighted to learn that his foster sister Lady Tamsyn will be his partner, as they have a close bond and work extremely well together. They set out and both feel the gathering danger, but it isn’t until they are almost ready to board a ship back to England that the danger he had sensed is manifested. Cade is captured by a French agent who is also gifted, and his mind is blocked causing him to forget who and what he is, but Tamsyn manages to mentally connect with him and promises to save him. He believes that she is his wife and when they are finally reunited and his mind is cleared, he is horrified to realize that now Tamsyn knows his secret. A secret that could either be downfall of the “Tribe of Tremayne” or one that could bond them in ways they never imagined.

Lady Tamsyn “Tam” Tremayne is the eldest child and heir to the Tremayne earldom, she is also powerfully gifted and an agent for the home office. Her gift is primarily healing of the mind and body, but she also has a strong gift of intuition. She too senses danger in the upcoming mission and great change, but nothing prepares her for Cade’s secret. She isn’t sure if she can accept the change, but soon knows her heart is with Cade and hopes she will not have to choose between him and her family. But before she can worry about that, she senses that their mission is far from over, they need to get back to England in one piece and thwart Napoleon’s plans!

WARNING: The rest of this review might be a little “Spoilerish” and is definitely opinionated.

I will be honest, this book was not for me, I LOVED the first book but this one… I could not get past the brother/sister thing – I grew up in a family that took in foster children and adopted children, for me they were (and still are) my brothers and sisters – the idea of romantic love between two people who have been raised as brother and sister since they were very young children, is repulsive to me – maybe if they hadn’t met until they were young adults, I could get past it, but the story is clear, they met as very young children and have always considered each other as siblings – in fact most of the book they call each other brother/sister – I just can’t pretend that I am all right with that. That said, yes, I am aware that I have a personal bias – so, please make up your own mind, there are lots of rave reviews for this book and I will not deny that it is an interesting story with very likable characters. And the author makes a good attempt to explain that Cade never really considered her as a sister and always loved her (it just didn’t matter to me – it still felt wrong) the gifted part of the story is good and if they hadn’t been siblings, I probably would have enjoyed it. This is the second book in the series, and I would strongly recommend reading this series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney is a third person dual-POV speculative historical Regency romance exploring a taboo romance between two foster siblings. Cade is the foster child of the Tremayne family and his foster sister, Tamsyn, is the oldest blood child and heir to the earldom. Like all other Tremayne family members, they have special gifts akin to psychic powers. When the pair are sent on a mission in France to assist in the war effort against Napoleon, the feelings they’ve been burying for years will finally come forward.

I’m all for literature exploring taboo topics because it is a safe way for people to explore topics and ideas that they wouldn’t necessarily want in their own lives but they do have some curiosity about. Foster siblings entering a romantic relationship will definitely be a hardline for some people especially given that the two have been raised as siblings since Tamsyn was four and Cade was about six. For those that want to explore these kinds of relationships in fiction, I felt that the power dynamic was fairly balanced. Tamsyn and Cade are both the eldest of all the siblings and Tamsyn being the heir to the earldom and Cade the illegitimate son of a smuggler does put Tamsyn in a more advantageous position in society and in the house while it’s Cade’s feelings coming to light that make them start their relationship.

The psychic powers felt similar to me to the powers featured in Sense8. While there isn’t that exact same sort of set-up, the entire family is able to connect in their minds via Tamsyn and feel each other’s emotions as well as have brief conversations. I loved Sense8 and was really sad to see it canceled, so a potential interpretation of the ideas but in a Regency setting is something I am interested in. There are also other abilities, such as Tamsyn being able to get a good read on animals. The speculative elements are on the lighter side, which is why I wouldn’t call this a full-blown fantasy romance, but they do play a role in getting the romance going.

Content warning for the centering of a relationship between foster siblings and depictions of torture

I would recommend this to fans of books exploring taboo romances in historical settings and readers who prefer a lighter speculative touch for fantastical elements in their romances

This book really wasn’t my thing.
The writing style felt too dry and distant for me. The story told me about what was happening, but somehow I didn’t feel any of it. I couldn’t get into it, I couldn’t connect with the characters and I didn’t feel the chemistry.
It’s very heavy on the paranormal and the characters keep acquiring/developing more talents as the story goes along - to the point where it becomes too much and completely unbelievable.
It also ends rather abruptly; no epilogue, no set-up for the next book, nothing.

I think the plot is solid, but it needs more heart, warmth, passion.
With a little less hocus pocus and a lot more feeling this could have been a great read.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
I really enjoyed Silver Lady and had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with Tamsyn and Cade as a romantic couple; their transition from “adopted siblings” to love interests was clunky. I also hoped for more elaboration on the origins of the gifts but it left me wanting; it was treated as a “matter of fact” component of the plot; with no thorough explanation.
I did enjoy the spymaster/thriller aspect of the story, but not enough to remain engaged or have the desire to continue the series.

I also would appreciate it if historical fiction authors paid attention to etymology, because “unmentionable", was coined around 1833, while The Napoleonic Wars occurred between 1803–1815.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book is that 20 plus times a chapter we are reminded that Cade, Tamsyn and their family have "powers", "strengths" or "gifts". We get it, the book is about a family that have special powers. The whole series is like that so why do we need to be reminded so frequently. while it did take away some of my enjoyment of reading this book, I was able to finish it and like the rest of the story that was there.

Thank you Net Galley for a very different read. Cade is an orphan taken in by the Tremayne family when he was just a boy. This family has all gifted children, by birth and from outside. They have different abilities and use them as needed. Cade and his adopted sister, Tmsyne go to France to escort the ambassador and his wife home. They make it to Calais. As they are getting on the ship Cade is taken prisoner. Tam stays behind to rescue him. She gets other gifted people to help. There is a lot about the things they learn to help with their gifts. It is a fascinating story with romance in it too.

This romance is between adoptive siblings who have known each other since children. Cade and Tamsyn are both gifted persons who work for the Home Office and are sent to escort the British ambassador back to England from France. While there, Cade gets captured and Tamsyn needs to come to his rescue. We get a lot of action and fast-moving plot here, along with a controversial sort of romance. Cade has been secretly in love with Tamsyn for years, but suppressed his feelings for her. And she has seen him as a brother for all these years, until circumstances have forced her to see him in a new light. It’s interesting how they discuss the subject with each other and grapple with what it would mean for their larger family. But really, we spend a lot more time on the capture/escape plot, which is much more interesting. I enjoyed this book a lot and am curious if there will be more books in this series.

Love Mary Jo Putney, but this book wasn't my favourite. The premise was interesting but it was hard to get past the FMC and MMC being siblings, even if they were adopted. Thank you to Netgalley and Mary Jo Putney for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc, however this was not for me.
At first I thought I was struggling because I did not read the first book but the deeper I went, I realized that may not have helped anyway.

There was a lot of telling instead of showing, the writing was not there, the dialogue felt canned, and everything felt incredibly convenient. I really, really expected more.

Hmm, this book, like book 1, was a little bit of a letdown. The story focuses on Tamsyn (Daughter of the Tremaynes) and Cade (their adopted son). A journey from France to England goes wrong, and the h has to use her abilities to rescue the H. There are action scenes, romance, and some exciting parts.

#netgalley #GoldenLord

Loved this second book in the Dangerous Gifts series. Cade and Tamsyn grew up as siblings in the "Tribe of Tremayne" but are not actually related. They are sent to France by the Home Office as war is breaking out to make sure the ambassador returns safely to England. When Cade is captured Tamsyn must navigate a series of enemies and allies to rescue him. After the rescue they realize their feelings for each other and must figure out a way to tell the rest of the family of their new found love. Another great book by Mary Jo Putney.

This story was totally unexpected! Haven’t read the first in the series , I didn’t know what I was expecting, but definitely wasn’t paranormal abilities in a regency story.

Caden and Tamsyn are part of a large family best known as the Tribe of Tremayne. They have grown up as sister and brother but they aren’t related by blood. Being always gifted with special abilities, both have important and dangerous jobs in the Home Office protecting others from enemies. When asked to go to Paris in the middle of chaos and a war declaration to help the British ambassador , his wife and his delegation return safely to England, Cade and Tamsyn will be risking not only their hearts, their family’s love but probably their own lives in order to complete their job.

This is a surprisingly entertaining story and one which definitely left me confused, because even if this is not my kind of book, I still want to read the first one in the series. It felt like reading a draft of a series like The Witcher.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC. This is my voluntary and honest review.

Despite reliably enjoyable writing by Mary Jo Putney, the Golden Lord just wasn’t the book for me. I liked Tam and Cade well enough, but it’s hard to get invested in the action when the members of the Tremayne Tribe are able to manifest whatever new bigger, badder gifts will help them defeat the villain.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

Putney’s *Golden Lord* is a captivating novel that combines fantasy and romance with skillful storytelling. I have not read the previous book in the series but I had no problem reading this as a stand alone. The plot is engaging and the pacing just right, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and their interactions are a highlight, adding depth to the narrative. The setting is vividly described, immersing readers in its world. Overall, I would recommend for readers of romantacy and regency romance.

This the second book in Mary Jo Putney's Dangerous Gifts series. I don't think you have to read the first book, but it's helpful for background.

Our two main characters are Cade and his adopted sister Tamsyn. They are part of the Tremayne tribe of born and adopted children that are all gifted" in that they have extrasensory abilities.

As our story begins , Cade and Tam use their abilities to use gather intelligence for England's Home Office. The task that Cade and Tam are given at the beginning of this book is to go to Paris, get the English Ambassador to France and get him home safely.

It was ok. Not her best, but ok.

Our main couple was likable and their love story believable ( he harbored a love for her forever and she is just finding out) .
But what bothered me the most was the amount of extraordinary powers these two gained through out the book. I expect my beliefs to be suspended but I felt like every time there was an obstacle, there was a new power one or both of them developed to get them out of whatever trouble they were in.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc. All opinions are my own.
Like...how powerful will the next set be? Will they be invincible?

Other than that, like I said, it wasn't her best, but i will basically read anything Mary Jo Putney Writes. I can't wait for the next one.

The Golden Lord by Mary Jo Putney is the second book in the Dangerous Gifts series. Our Golden Lord, Caden Tremayne, is the eldest foster child of the Earl and Countess Tremayne. From the moment he was rescued and brought into the Tremayne family, Cade has had a special bond with the eldest natural-born daughter, Tamsyn. Each member of the “Tribe of Tremayne” has a special gift and is loved, accepted and has a bond with the others. Not until Cade is captured by the French does Tamsyn realize that her connection to him is different from her connections to the rest of the “Tribe”. Can Tamsyn rescue Cade from the Franch and will they be able to acknowledge their romantic love for one another? How will this affect the rest of the family?

Mary Jo Putney weaves an engrossing tale of blossoming love,, danger and intrigue.

Thank you Kensington Publishing & NetGalley for this ARC!

I’d give this a 3.5, rounded up to 4⭐️

I saw in the description that these two were raised as siblings (not actually related) but loved each other, literally cracked my knuckles and said “I’m goin’ in”.

This was very lighthearted for a book whose secondary plot is about warring with France (with some kidnapping/torture in the mix). I’ll be honest, I didn’t super care for anything going on outside the romance.

One thing that drove me insane is that in the midst of all the action, the characters (Tamsyn in particular) just kept going to sleep 😭 She’d gear up to do something and then be like “well time for bed, tomorrow’s a big day!”. I genuinely felt like that happened 17 times.

Cade & Tamsyn are very sweet. My only qualm was that Putney only *tells* us that Tamsyn apparently has always loved Cade but tamped it down for years; it’s never shown, (and it even feels like a surprise for Tamsyn!)

Cute book overall!