Once a Spy
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4.2 • 20 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Love and survival in the shadow of Waterloo . . .
Wearied by his years as a British intelligence officer, Simon Duval resigns his commission after Napoleon’s abdication. Hoping to find new meaning in his life, he returns to England, where he discovers his cousin’s widow, Suzanne Duval, the Comtesse de Chambron. Working as a seamstress, living in reduced circumstances, Suzanne has had a life as complicated as Simon’s. While both believe they are beyond love, their sympathetic bond leads him to propose a marriage of companionship, and Suzanne accepts.
She didn't want or expect a true marriage, but as Suzanne joins Simon in a search for his long missing foster brother, warmth and caring begin to heal both their scars—and a powerful passion sparks between them. Then news from France threatens to disrupt their happiness. Napoleon has escaped from Elba and Wellington personally asks Simon to help prevent another devastating war. Only this time, Simon does not go into danger alone. He and Suzanne will face deadly peril together, and pray that love will carry them through . . .
Praise for the Rogues Redeemed series
“Deftly balances fascinating historical detail, adventure, and menace with a passionate romance.”
—Library Journal
“Though suspense and adventure drive this story forward, the love at its center sets it apart.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Impeccably written.”
—Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Putney's exciting fourth Rogues Redeemed Regency series (after Once a Scoundrel) contrasts harsh trauma with sweet domesticity. Suzanne Duval is living in a London boardinghouse when Col. Simon Duval, a cousin of her late husband, arrives at her home. Simon learned from a friend that Suzanne was recently rescued from a harem in Turkey and might need his help. He's dismayed to discover her reduced circumstances and offers Suzanne a marriage of companionship, asserting that he no longer wants physical intimacy. Suzanne agrees to marry Simon, believing that the abuses she suffered in the harem have likewise destroyed all her intimate desires. When Simon learns that his cousin, Lucas Mandeville, previously believed to be dead, was possibly spotted in Belgium, the newlyweds travel there to search for him. Soon they're caught up in spying, Napoleon's return sparks renewed warfare, and Simon is torn between duty and the happiness he has discovered with Suzanne. Putney's dramatic historical is filled with scintillating romance and tense danger.
Customer Reviews
Action, Adventure and a delightful love story
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Once A Spy by Mary Jo Putney is the fourth book in her exhilarating Rogues Redeemed Series. This book could be read as a stand-alone but it’s an excellent series so I recommend reading them all. Napoleon has been captured and is in exile on Elba when Simon Duval makes his weary way home after the war during which he served as a reconnaissance officer while in uniform and a spy while not in uniform. Suzanne Duval, Comtesse de Chambron, widow of his cousin, also suffered greatly during the war, having made it safely to England she is supporting herself as a seamstress when Simon offers her a marriage of convenience, comfort and companionship between two who understand each other better than people who have not had the experiences that they have had would. Simon’s search for a long lost missing foster brother and Suzanne’s need to see what has happened to her estate leads them to Brussels just as Napoleon escapes and the war begins again leaving them in the thick of it. The story contains much adventure and excitement but at the heart of it is the love that grows between two people who had thought that such a thing was no longer possible and their marriage of convenience becomes something more. Medium Steam. Publishing Date September 24, 2019
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