Once a Rebel

By: Mary Jo Putney

Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

A rogue redeemed

As Washington burns, Callista Brooke is trapped in the battle between her native England and her adopted homeland. She is on the verge of losing everything, including her life, when a handsome Englishman cuts through the violent crowd to claim that she is his. Callie falls into her protector's arms, recognizing that he is no stranger but the boy she'd once loved a lifetime ago.

Lord George Gordon Audley had been Callie's best friend, and it was to Gordon she turned in desperation to avoid a loathsome arranged marriage. But the repercussions of his gallant attempt to rescue her sent Callie packing to Jamaica and Gordon on a one-way trip to the penal colony of Australia.

Against all odds, Gordon survived. Finding Callie is like reclaiming his tarnished soul, and, once again, he vows to do whatever is necessary to protect her and those she loves. But the innocent friendship they shared as children has become a dangerous passion that may save or destroy them when they challenge the aristocratic society that exiled them both.

©2017 Mary Jo Putney (P)2017 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Putney's multifaceted and well-developed characters add depth to this romance, which is complete with the trials of war and the promise of future series installments." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Putney's endearing characters and warm-hearted stories never fail to inspire and delight." (Sabrina Jeffries)

overall a great book to listen too

This was my first time to listen to an audible book. it is not my first preference in reading but it was so nice to be able to listen and get my work/chores done at the same time. The book was nice . The narrator did a great job reading it.

Once a Rebel

Great sequel to once a Soldier. A lot of Early American History is cover with war.hate and Family and love

Well Done.

Good story. Sound romantic relationships, good factoids of American history, demonstrates why she continues to be a top novelist in this genre. I’ve got read her books off and on for more than 40 years and they just kept getting better. Also, so Pleased that she has Beverly Crick doing the narration. She is terrific. She makes the story take-off and fly. Male and female, multiple family members and friends, each individual is distinct and there’s never any confusion as to who is speaking.
A pleasure to listen. Will make you smile too.

Beautiful romance

While this was not my favorite book in the series, I still loved listening. The characters are rich and relatable - thanks in part to Beverly A Crick's narration. She's an amazing linguist, doing English, Jamaican and American with ease. This story has it all, love/romance, loyalty, adventure and justice for the bad guy. Yeppers....this is definitely a repeat listen for me.

Historically woven, richly told story.

One can't help but feel the anguish as evil hunts the innocent, yet share the joy as fate intervenes and the intricate story unfolds.

loved it

This was a good story and kept the series moving. l love thia narrator also

Narrator lacks range and depth.

Narrator has no intonation for character voices and no feeling when telling the story. She simply uses a more nasally voice vs a breathy feminine voice to differentiate male from female. It was painful. The story was ok not the author's best.

Some good, some meh

Picked this up for a couple of reasons. One because it is book 2 of this series and second, it fits in with a couple of challenges.

The story follows Callie and Gordon. The two had been childhood besties. Things happen and they are ripped apart by their evil dads. Years pass and Callie is now a widow living in America where war is coming. Gordon escaped death and is now a spy for England. He is hired by an aristocrat to find their family member in America. No shocker here, but Callie and Gordon are reunited. Could there be love? Or has it been to long?

Been a looooong time since I've done this format of review....I am feeling meh today, so I shall divide and conquer.

The Good
- Loved Callie and Gordon. They were good characters and their chemistry was instant even when they couldn't see it themselves.
- I loved our side characters especially Callie's stepdaughter and her beau. I hope we get at least a short story!
- There was insta-lust of course, but I am glad the love took forever. Lots of wounds and years to get by.
- The twist at the end got me good! Did NOT see that coming.
- The narrator was fantastic.

The Bad and the Ugly
- The historical name dropping was annoying. Yes, Callie...I get it. Your lawyer is the famous Francis Scott Key. Mention it one more time I shall scream.
- The quick resolutions made the drama seem not so dramatic. All that build-up...sighs.
- How did those fathers not get in trouble??? I am not happy they pretty much got away with everything. Grrr
- I felt like we really didn't get to see Callie make up with her siblings. There needed to be more there. We spent too much time in America.

Conclusion
I did enjoy this. Some good, some meh. I felt like we needed more resolution on things. We spent too much time in America dealing with that. I WANT MORE! More redemption, please. But I liked the characters and I could be biased. I shall stamp this with 3 stars.

ok romance

good historical info. voice of narrator too American but not obnoxious. Romance was G rated.

One of the best adventure romance

One of the best adventure romance series I’ve read. I’ve loved them both so far looking forward the rest of the series. You will laugh and cry. Very historic I love the history in it real persons. 5 star for sure. Mary Jo is an awesome writer and Beverly does an amazing job narrating!