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Once a Soldier  By  cover art

Once a Soldier

By: Mary Jo Putney
Narrated by: Beverley A. Crick
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Publisher's summary

As heir to a title and great wealth, Will Masterson should have stayed home and tended his responsibilities. Instead he went to war. Now, after perilous years fighting the French, he intends his current mission to be his last. But all his plans are forgotten when he arrives in the small mountain stronghold of San Gabriel and meets her.

Knowing herself to be too tall, strong, and unconventional to appeal to a man, Athena Markham has always gloried in her independence. But for the first time in her life, she finds a man who might be her match. Two of a kind, too brave for their own good, Athena and Will vow to do whatever it takes to vanquish San Gabriel's enemies. For neither will back down from death, and only together can they find happiness and a love deeper than any they'd dared imagine.

©2016 Mary Jo Putney, Inc. (P)2016 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Once a Soldier

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mediocre book made worse by narrator

I'm on chapter 20 of this 36-chapter book and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to stick it out.
The plot, so far, appears to be non-existent. British soldier meets British woman in small (fictional) kingdom near Portugal (apparently about the size of your average county) where he and she organize the populous to rebuild damage done by French soldiers during war. The story is veeeeerrrrrryyyyy slow-moving.

Much information is provided about how to rebuild a bridge or repair a flour mill or restore destroyed vineyards or excavate a cave-in but I have yet to figure out if there is any plot beyond "will they or won't they eventually get together?" (It's a romance! Duh!!) There was definite potential but the book badly needs an editor.

Meanwhile we also watch the H & H fall in love with about as much passion as a pair of turtles nibbling on a lettuce leaf because the narrator pretty much delivers only one "pitch" and it isn't "passionate."

Ms. Crick has some very nice accents but only about 3 voices so that all dialogue quickly gets quite confusing if you aren't paying 100% attention to hear the "he said" and "she said". That problem is compounded by the fact that her voices are so far up her nose that it's a wonder she can breathe. Her voices are so strongly nasal that I was distracted by it about 75% of the time. It's also part of the reason there is so little emotional diversity delivered.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get through this.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

I’ve been on a Regency Romance kick for a while now because I’ve wanted a true romance w/out all the sex scenes of other romance novels as well as one that didn’t delve into god & faith overly much. So I was pleased to find this book that was set in the same time period but well outside the typical drawing rooms & balls of most regency novels. The setting is a Catholic country so there is some mention of religion but it is more cultural than personal & I find that acceptable reading material.

The narrator was good except for 1 word that she mispronounced horribly, lol. 1 character’s name was Joaquin & she repeatedly said, Joe-a-qwin instead of Wah-keen! Her Spanish accent was fine but she really messed up this guys name, lol. 🤣🤣🤣

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Adventure and Romance

A good yarn. Likeable characters, the story moves along at a good pace, interesting location and time period. What's not to like?
The narrator was very good at distinguishing the characters. She is also good at accents and male and female roles. My one very small complaint is her pronunciation of "Joaquin" as "Jo-a-kween." It's not necessary to have read the previous books in the series, but it adds to the fun.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not your typical regency

I liked this. It's certainly not your average Regency romance. It's set in a mythical small kingdom between Spain and Portugal following the abdication of Napoleon. I liked the way the book started. It sets up the characters for this series, I believe.

The characters are great. Will and Athena aren't two young kids and they approach their relationship in an adult manner - thought out and practical. The upcoming threat of attack adds to the tension. Maybe too much but it's what sets this book apart. I like the dialogue very much.

I love the narration. Great job by Beverly Crick. I like that characters from the previous series, like Will himself, make appearances. I'm looking forward to the subsequent books in this new series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Worth it. Seriously

This was a great story. It was a little hard to catch everyone’s name in the beginning but I got it after a relisten to the first ten minutes. Narrator was mid. Had to listen at 1.2 and it was still slow with super long poorly timed gaps. Clearly turning a page and not editing. Like fr?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent war time romance. Excellent series!

Love this series and all of the characters. They show best of people in the worst of situation’s. Humor, friendship, sensual romance, trials and triumphant- this book has it all. B.Crick continues with wonderful narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story.

This was enjoyable to listen to and fun to imagine the scenery and plot. I will listen to the next book in the year series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, Great Narrator!

I loved this narrator! I am definitely going to look for more stories she has narrated. This book is one of the best titles I’ve listened to that are included with the membership.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • KT
  • 07-06-23

Ok, a bit long, not much romance

I've read a few books by this author and enjoyed them. Unfortunately, this time, I got a little bored. The topics roamed all over the place. There were some intriguing moments, but the story rambled on so much that the enthusiasm is lost once the connections or
climax fizzled rather than exploded. The love affair was Luke warm at best.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sigh

Such a good story. War, love, battles, bravery, laughter, joy…. Everything that makes a story good. Stories that make me smile at the end - I give five stars. 😊

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