No Longer a Gentleman

By: Mary Jo Putney

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling author, Mary Jo Putney has won two RITAs and two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards.

In No Longer a Gentleman, the gentleman in question, Grey Sommers, is conducting a bit of light espionage in France when a dalliance with a government official’s wife gets him thrown into a dungeon. Enter beguiling spy Cassie Fox, sent to free the suffering lord - and perhaps to liberate his heart.

©2012 Mary Jo Putney, Inc. (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

A Lost Lord Found

Part of the Lost Lords series, this is a well-written (and well-read) story by Mary Jo Putney. As usual, the characters are the best part. The female protagonist Cassie had a moderately sizable role in the last book of this series, definitely a supporting character there but very much a strong and viable heroine here. At the same time, Cassie isn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer or one of the 21st century kickass heroines; she is smart, resourceful, and dedicated to her craft without having to defeat hordes of enemies in hand-to-hand combat (not that she's a slouch). Wyndham, in a nod towards Monte Cristo, comes out of his desperate situation a changed man: Powerful in his own right, but definitely damaged (just as in her own way Cassie is, just in a healed-over-scars sort of way). They suit one another very well, as the people of that time-period would say.

The reading was well-done, just as all the other books in this series have been. Sometimes I wonder if it is better to have the same narrator through a series, but the Lost Lords readers, all different so far, have all been very good (thus demonstrating that it isn't always better to have all of them from the same reader).

good historicl adventure

A historical thriller /romance. This is one of 3 historical romances dealing with the same group of characters in a continuum - one is introduced to each major character in the 3 succeeding novels by Mary Jo Putney. 'No longer a Gentleman' follows the quest for a long missing colleague friend of the main characters. The action is set in France during the napoleonic wars, and the search proceeds based on clues introduced in the previous novel of ' No where near Respectable ' The main hero shows a remarkably minimal effect from years of solitary confinement! The books are well written, with interesting historical descriptions lashed however with a good dash of poetic licence. The independence of the female characters (who are in fact the main characters of each novel) would appeal to the modern feminist but like the presence of 'Indian lords' is pushing the boundaries of credibility. There is a fair amount of explicit sex which is probably unnecessary.

Overall an enjoyable light historical adventure which is enjoyable if not quite historically feasible or accurate.

The book is well read but I preferred the English accent for Lady Kieri as in the previous novels read by Mr Reynolds, to the affected 'indian' accent in this performance. A young girl,daughter of and brought up by an English aristocratic army officer , in English army camps, all be it in India, would not have had the heavy 'Indian' accent as portrayed in this performance. The English accent is far more credible for someone moving in English aristocratic society in the early 19th century.



Would enjoy another novel involving this group of friends and comrades.

Need a new narrator, but apparently, too late!

Would you listen to No Longer a Gentleman again? Why?

Yes, if I could get past the narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

The story line & characters.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator should have listened to the previous books. Kiri did not (& SHOULD not) have a strong Indian accent. She is half Englis & was raised in English military camps. But more important, she did not gave an Indian accent in the previous books!!!! Additionally, the narrator makes the main male characters sound like they are elderly. Unfortunately, the next two books have the same narrator. The publishers obviously don't read the listeners reviews. I may not finish this book or buy the next ones.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes & no. I had a hard time tolerating the narrator for any length of time.

Good book bad narrator

I enjoy Ms. Putney's books. The stories are well written and never overdone. In this case there are two very strong characters whose lives are woven together by a finely constructed story.

The story was spoiled for me by horrid narration. I'm not sexist when it comes to narrators but when a male narrator does such a bad job with female voices it takes a lot of patience for me to listen.

Finally not a virginal conquest

So lovely to read a well fleshed out regency love story without a blushing virgin. It dealt well with the concept of an independent flawed woman. Lovely read.

Not that great....

The story line had the potential there but it just didn't deliver. 17th century female spy Cassie Fox is sent into France to rescue a imprisoned English lord and return him to his family. The plot is interesting but it just fizzles out, there is no emotion, or struggles, it seem just to be a reciting of actions and that's it. No depth or development into the characters, and if you don't care about the characters then why would you care about the story. I would pass on this one.

Lost Lords Are Found

This is a great series and that’s rare. Every one of these books are solid entertainment. I love the Regency era and I love MJs books so these are a win win for me. I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this book but it always keeps me enthralled and that’s my standard of a great story.

An enjoyable and credit worthy listen

I love M.J.P's books and this one was no exception, although it took me a little while to get hooked into the story I'm glad I did. Cassie, a capable English spy, rescues the flawed but repentant handsome Lord Grey Summers who has been imprisoned in France for 10 years and they have to escape back to England, despite being hunted.

They are drawn to each other from the start of their journey and, as it continues, he hopes for a future with Cassie but she knows there's no hope as they are from different classes in Society....... or that's what she believes !!

Yes there's holes in the story and, at times I found myself thinking "mmmm 'really!" but worth the credit - I thought so.

I have enjoyed Putney's series, "The Lost Lords"

If you could sum up No Longer a Gentleman in three words, what would they be?

original, interesting, compelling

What does Steven Crossley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reading is clear and I can imagine the different characters acting and speaking. I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed all the others in this series.

Any additional comments?

Putney's book have original and interesting stories and the actions and feelings of the characters could possibly be true to life. In this book I do find it hard to believe that the main character can keep believing and not give up after that many years of captivity, but it would be possible. I like to think so anyway.

Exciting

Each installment gets better and is each quite unique. What a great series. Excellent writing and narration.