This is amazon's description for Dearly Beloved, a.k.a. 'even good authors like Putney occasionally lose their minds:'
In 1799 Scotland, Gervase Brandelin, the victim of a sexually abusive mother, is livid when forced to wed Mary Hamilton, a deranged clergyman's innocent daughter whom he has unwittingly compromised, and promptly rapes her following the ceremony. After years of separation, they meet again, but Gervase does not recognize his wife. Instead, he knows her as Diana Lindsay, whom he believes to be an accomplished courtesan and whom he woos to become his mistress. Through the tender courtship and through Gervase's kindness to the epileptic son conceived in the brutality of their wedding night, the pair experiences unsullied love for the first time and discovers the joys of family. Gervase's involvement in the super-secret espionage service working to undermine Napoleon adds spice and atmosphere.
!!!!! What?! What?! I thought the one thing that you can rely on in Putney's books is that the heroes are super-decent people, messes or not. Apparently not. I confess to giggling through that appalling description because every word made it ridiculously more gothic and insane.
And now I want to get my hands on this book even though I know it's going to annoy the hell out of me and I am going to hate all the characters - the hero for being scum and heroine for being OK with it. Stop me.
Also, this amazon review made me LOL forever in its...I don't even know:
Some very sensitive issues were dealt with in the book and I found them done tastefully. At first I thought I wouldn't like Gervase for what he did but it clearly shows readers that people who over imbibe in alcohol can do things they will regret later. An excellent lesson. As for the incest, it happens, so deal with it. It isn't like something the hero orchestrated himself.
STOP ME, OH FLIST. STOP ME!
In 1799 Scotland, Gervase Brandelin, the victim of a sexually abusive mother, is livid when forced to wed Mary Hamilton, a deranged clergyman's innocent daughter whom he has unwittingly compromised, and promptly rapes her following the ceremony. After years of separation, they meet again, but Gervase does not recognize his wife. Instead, he knows her as Diana Lindsay, whom he believes to be an accomplished courtesan and whom he woos to become his mistress. Through the tender courtship and through Gervase's kindness to the epileptic son conceived in the brutality of their wedding night, the pair experiences unsullied love for the first time and discovers the joys of family. Gervase's involvement in the super-secret espionage service working to undermine Napoleon adds spice and atmosphere.
!!!!! What?! What?! I thought the one thing that you can rely on in Putney's books is that the heroes are super-decent people, messes or not. Apparently not. I confess to giggling through that appalling description because every word made it ridiculously more gothic and insane.
And now I want to get my hands on this book even though I know it's going to annoy the hell out of me and I am going to hate all the characters - the hero for being scum and heroine for being OK with it. Stop me.
Also, this amazon review made me LOL forever in its...I don't even know:
Some very sensitive issues were dealt with in the book and I found them done tastefully. At first I thought I wouldn't like Gervase for what he did but it clearly shows readers that people who over imbibe in alcohol can do things they will regret later. An excellent lesson. As for the incest, it happens, so deal with it. It isn't like something the hero orchestrated himself.
STOP ME, OH FLIST. STOP ME!