Silver lady is an interesting mix of historical romance, mystery and paranormal tones. Bran and Merryns story of love had me smiling and excited for the ending. A different book than usual from the author but still good.
3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this e-ARC in return for my honest review. I am glad to have requested for this as it turned out to be an enjoyable one!

I liked how the author has provided details, nicely incorporated it into the story without feeling overwhelmed. It was smooth flowing and with the right pace, truly engaging for me that I finished it in record time! FYI, I tend to read very slow especially on my mobile lah...

Not forgetting that it is about gifted people that is so interesting! Well, I love everything magical as such this novel kinda piqued my interest and with historical romance in it, it's so up my alley. Bran and Merryn have definitely picked me up from my reading slump and now I am looking forward to my next read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This is a story set in Regency England, with characters who are "gifted" -- as in, more intuitive than the norm. Humans being what they are, "normal" people shun the gifted because it marks them as different.

Bran is one of those: his wealthy father threw him out when he started showing signs of being gifted, and the gifted Tremaynes welcomed him as one of their own (they have their own legitimate children, but the found ones are just as loved). He is gifted in investigating and solving mysteries.

When his biological father, Lord Penhaligon, sends for him due explaining that his heirs have all died and that he is his only remaining one, Bran is intuitively pulled to accept. On the way to the Penhaligon estate, a young woman with severely addled wits jumps out onto the road, running from a couple she names the Crow and the Starling. Bran takes her under his wing, hiding her in the bower house where he has requested to stay so he is not always in his hateful father's presence. There, he slowly gets the pretty girl to trust him, then to manage a few words, and then, with his visiting Tremayne sister's help, to heal her intellect to full. The girl's name is Merryn, and she is also gifted: she can see the future.

Ensues a quest to find out who kidnapped her and why, which is Bran's talent. It turns out that the Crow is her uncle, who wanted to get rich using her. The Starling was his mistress, and gifted, as she was the one putting a damper on Merryn's wits to make her malleable.

In the meantime, there's also trouble brewing politically, as the port in Plymouth, which IIRC is under Lord Penhaligon's authority, seems to be in league with France who might be preparing to go to war against England soon enough. Bran's on the case there too.

It's an interesting premise, but a bit too slow for my taste (lots of filler content), and while Bran and Merryn's relationship is sweet and he waits for her to regain her wits to be fully cognizant when she consents to sex, I didn't really feel much chemistry between them. The book feels like it's confused between political intrigue and the (very very very light) fantasy with intuition moving the plot instead of concrete whodunit discoveries. I think I would have rather the gifts not be part of this book, to be honest. Or maybe stakes. I don't normally care whether magic has repercussions, but here it was underwhelming yet was the only thing driving the book forward.

All in all, decent, but a bit too humdrum and reliant on magic to move the story to my taste.

A sensual book highlighting the idea that some of us (humans) have “special” gifts. If you’ve ever known someone who can tell what you’re thinking ahead of time or has tremendous intuition, you’ll appreciate this tale. It’s a pretty quick light romance novel wrapped in the fantasy of “gifts”. To some extent, I felt the gifts were similar to modern day ideas like ESP, perception, etc. I enjoyed it and was intrigued by the Silver Lady herself. May we all shine a bit like her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced review copy.

"Gifted people are just better at some things than most others are. Better at sensing emotions, perhaps. Better at persuasion, or maybe better at finding lost objects. Perhaps good at telling if someone is lying or telling the truth. Small gifts, but often useful."

If you mistakenly thought this was ordinary historical fiction, you're in for a delightful surprise. Mary Jo Putney has done something wonderful in this book! It's a magical mix of romance with historical fiction - and a sprinkle of magical gifts.

I adore Bran. "I don't lie without a very good reason. And never to family." Swoon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensigton books for the e-arc.

I think I have read everything Mary Jo Putney has published under that name. This falls to the lighter end of the scale. Th Rake is one of my favourite historical romances and I know that everything cannot be as good. I do remain hopeful that the level of excellence seen in The Rake will be seen again. Sadly, I think that the publishing genre has moved on from that style of historical.

Coming back to Silver Lady - I enjoy the type of magic seen. I always have concerns with the world-building when a mgic veneer is put over a historical period - then I remind myself that the historical regency period of romances is already a fantasy. Merryn is a bit of a cypher - being amnesiac does that - and Bran is lovely. The romance part of the plot is delayed by the amnesiac plot (which means consent is dealt with in a more modern way than would have been seen a couple decades ago - ie it explicitly exists).

This was a pleasant light read. I will read the next book in the series.

This regency British historical romance is seriously my new obsession. This book was phenomenal. I stayed up was past my bed time to try to finish it.
I just reviewed Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney. #SilverLady #NetGalley
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Silver Lady is a historical romance with some magical realism added.

At first, I wasn't sure I would like the book. It felt disjointed, and the dialogue felt trite. However, as I got into the book and started to learn more about the characters, I did start to see where they were coming from. I enjoyed their adventures and the ways they all related to one another. I just wanted more; it was a short book for everything that happened.

When it ended, I wanted to know more about all of the characters and where they will go in the future! I really enjoyed it, and will look for future books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

Such an entrancing story! I was immediately drawn into an English historical romance at it's finest! It was so very hard to put it down.

The characters were very intriguing. The plot was smooth and written in such a manner that I felt I was right there in the middle of the story! The dual POV format is a favorite of mine. Getting that glimpse into the characters thoughts really help me to connect and better understand them as the author hopefully intended.

I adored all of the characters. The supporting members were fantastic and leaving me wanting more stories of this amazing family!

There were just a few sexy scenes. They were written in a way that it was HIGHLY glossed over any details.

Silver Lady is a soft, subtle magic system in an alternative English Regency era. The magical approach is rooted in intuition and talented gifts, and those gifts bring together the MFC and MMC. Bran is the male interest, following instincts to rescue Merryn from unscrupulous rogues.
The story paces well, and I couldn’t put it down as each page drew me in with Merryn’s restoration, discovering dangerous foul plans and promising romance.

Impressively swoon-worthy with realistic and likable characters. Reading this book made me happy. I could reread it. It has a few brief intimate scenes, and I’d caution those sensitive to the spicier side of romance to skim these moments.

All in all, one of the best romance novels I’ve read in 2023.

Bran Tremayne and his brother, Cade, were adopted by the Tremayne's when they were young boys. Both boys were thought by their families to be gifted and were sent to a baby farm to be raised because their families thought they were unnatural. Cade and Bran ran away from the farm and made it to London, where they were found and adopted by the Tremayne's. They were a family of gifted individuals who had heightened abilities in intuition, healing, persuasion, and other skills people normally had.

One day, a solicitor arrived at Tremayne House looking for Branok Penhaligon. He thought Bran was that man. Lord Penhaligon was looking for an heir to his title as his two older sons had died. He had a third son he wanted to become the next head of the family. Bran thought it was very likely he was the heir, but he wasn't interested in the title or land. He felt compelled to visit the Cornish countryside where the Penhaligon's lived. He was unsure why, but he trusted his intuition. He was correct in his need to journey there as the trip was one that ended up changing his life and many others.

I enjoyed this story. I was intrigued by the gifted Tremayne family. Bran was main character who refused to abandon his values and beliefs. Merryn's character was interesting, and her story worked into the main plot well. While it was easy to see who the "bad guys" were, that did not detract from my enjoyment. I looked forward to how they would be revealed. The side characters of Cade, Davey, Glynis, and Tamsyn were equally engaging. I would enjoy reading about them in additional novels. The author was inspired by a real naval catastrophe at the Plymouth Dock area as well as the uneasy peace between England and France at that time. Having that as part of the plot made the story interesting. I found this book enjoyable and would recommend it once it is published.

I received an e-ARC for Silver Lady and want to thank Mary Jo Putnam, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to voluntarily read and give an honest review of this book. Silver Lady will be published on November 28, 2023.

The 1st book of a series, Mary Jo Putney has brought a supernatural twist to her historical romance.
The main leads are both "gifted" which allows them to sense things normal people can't.
The hero Bran was cast-off to a baby farm when he was a child for being gifted. He was found and adopted along with his foster brother Cade by the Tremaynes.
Lord Penhaligon, Bran biological father is looking for an heir so Bran has to go back to his hometown Cornwell. Though he isn't interested in being an heir his intuition tells him that there's something waiting for him there.

The plot started off interesting, made me wonder what exactly these "gifts" are. But unfortunately no details or explanations were given until I was mid book, which was dissappointing. The heroine, though a damsel in distress is strong minded and willful. I liked her. But I didn't see any chemistry between Bran and her. She almost seemed like his younger sister if it weren't for the smutty scenes which was also mediocre. I can't picture then together and his love for her wasn't very one of a kind or passionate like he stated it was.

The investigative plot in the story was not bad though, it was fairly decent. The scenes and parts where Bran was with his siblings were fun to read and I really liked their relationship. I'm looking forward to Cade's book, he was quite an intriguing character.

First of all, I love how the title and the cover fit the story and Merryn well. As I started to read this story, I had a sense of delight that this story would have its bit of magic in it like her Guardian series did (which I loved). Overall I thought this story was a very enjoyable read and I am anxious to read more about the Tremayne siblings. I am giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. One thing I would have liked to see is a bit more depth to Merryn towards the middle of the story. I felt all of the characters had great depth but hers was not as deep.

Silver Lady, by Mary Jo Putney is an excellent exploration of how difference is perceived as evil and is exploited and condemned.
Both the hero and heroine are "gifted" with unusual talents and persecuted because of that. This is a thriller, romance, and social statement set in a strong paranormal storyline. Nicely done and strongly recommended.

First time reader for this author, and unfortunately this story didn't hold my interest.

Merryn and Bran are both gifted, one can sense danger while the other has glimpses into a possible future. Bran saves Merryn from some captors attempting to take advantage of her gift, and recover her memories and the ability to speak in full sentences?

I was looking forward to the story from the description however I felt the story lacked depth. I felt nothing for the two main characters and at some parts I found myself skimming.

Perhaps people more familiar with the authors earlier works and recognizes some of the characters will find it more engaging than I did.

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

I requested this book with the hope that it would be a dramatic and spicy romance. The title, cover, and description had it all. However the first 15 chapters or so were quite dull with little to no build-up, it was mainly a dialogue between characters, and not even extraordinary or informational conversations, just normal day-to-day ones. Therefore, I found myself skimming through the chat of the characters.
Luckily, as I progressed through the book, the climax rose and it was all so wonderful. The wording was amazing, fitting for the time period and characteristics of the character. The author's choice of character development is well-written and concludes with a great story.
Not something I was expecting but overall a great read.

Silver Lady is a Regency romance with a paranormal subplot, as both lead characters are gifted. I found it an unusual read, different from the usual Regency romance, and a bit boring in some parts.

The latest from Mary Jo Putney, #SilverLady supplements the type of Regency romance she is known for with a paranormal story line. Both the H/h in the story are “gifted” with special talents: Bran is extremely intuitive and a highly skilled at investigating and solving problems. Merryn has premonitions, “seeing” things that might or will happen.

Bran was cast off by his father and left at a baby farm at a young age after his father discovered his gift. There he met his foster brother, Cade, who protected Bran until the two were able to escape. Bran and Cade were found by Lord and Lady Tremayne, who are also gifted and have rescued numerous gifted children abandoned by their families out of fear and prejudice of their different abilities. Bran and Cade became part of the Tremayne large family of natural and foster children.

Bran’s natural father, Lord Penhaligon, has recently started looking for the gifted son that he discarded because he needs an heir after his two older sons have died. Although not very interested in his birth father or a title, Bran travels Cornwall out of curiosity and a strong intuition that there is some other reason why he needs to be there.

Merryn and Bran meet when Merryn escapes from captors who want to use her gifts to enrich themselves. The pair join forces with Cade and another Tremayne sibling, Lady Tamsyn, to uncover a nefarious plot involving the Plymouth Dock and the imminent resumption of war between England and France.

This is a charming, fast-paced romance with an interesting setting and an attractive cast of primary and secondary characters. While I enjoyed, it felt more lightweight and superficial to me than other Putney books such as The Lost Lords and Rogues Redeemed series… still worth reading, but not quite up to the standard created by her previous works.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for the ARC!

A great historical romance with a hint of magic. Silver Lady has a really engaging premise with great, heroic characters with a bit of spice mixed with adventure and hijinks.

As a long time fan of Mary Jo Putney( The Lost Lords series and Rogues Redeemed sereis) I was so happy to see a book from one of my favorite authors.

However.

I can't compare THIS Mary Jo Putney with The Mary Jo Putney of old

The bones are there, but there is no depth.
One thing I loved about her books was the complete picture you got of our characters. Their why's, what made them tick, their flaws, what made them perfect for each other.

But seriously, i loved the main male character but he had no flaws. Our female lead? I could have cared less. No flaws. They were perfect for each other, true. But really, I wasn't rooting for them.

I was more interested in the side characters to tell the truth, and I feel like everything was tied up too quickly in the end.
That being said, it was a quick read. I enjoyed it. But less than I should have.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.