Twist of Fate

Rating:
Summary: Forced, stilted, ultimately a disappointment
Review: Putney is one of those "if I see it, I'll buy it" authors - she consistently produces compelling, involving stories about people you care for.

Unfortunately, Twist of Fate falls far short of the high standard she has set in the past - especially its predecessor, "The Spiral Path".

Most jarring is the switching of viewpoints without warning. You're reading a scene told from, say, Val's point of view while conversing with Kendra, then all of a sudden you're reading what Kendra is thinking. I had to backtrack to figure out what was going on.

Then there are the events that apparently occur simply because the Romance 101 textbook says so - Val and Rob's first romantic encounter seemed to come out of the blue, with no real buildup or tension, for example. A case of "It's time for things to get hot so let's put these people in the sack". Frankly, the relationship didn't seem to develop naturally at all.

And there's the fact that the entire novel is a treatise against the death penalty, very thinly veiled as a novel. Putney could find far better and more effective forums for her activism. At the very least, the topic deserves something better written and more compelling. I simply didn't care enough about the characters.

Rating:
Summary: Forced, stilted, ultimately a disappointment
Review: Putney is one of those "if I see it, I'll buy it" authors - she consistently produces compelling, involving stories about people you care for.

Unfortunately, Twist of Fate falls far short of the high standard she has set in the past - especially its predecessor, "The Spiral Path".

Most jarring is the switching of viewpoints without warning. You're reading a scene told from, say, Val's point of view while conversing with Kendra, then all of a sudden you're reading what Kendra is thinking. I had to backtrack to figure out what was going on.

Then there are the events that apparently occur simply because the Romance 101 textbook says so - Val and Rob's first romantic encounter seemed to come out of the blue, with no real buildup or tension, for example. A case of "It's time for things to get hot so let's put these people in the sack". Frankly, the relationship didn't seem to develop naturally at all.

And there's the fact that the entire novel is a treatise against the death penalty, very thinly veiled as a novel. Putney could find far better and more effective forums for her activism. At the very least, the topic deserves something better written and more compelling. I simply didn't care enough about the characters.

Rating:
Summary: One of this author's best!
Review: Val Covington gets tired of the fast paced corporate life, so she turns her back on her law firm to open her own office. Idealistically, she dreams of helping the downtrodden, taking on hopeless cases, and having a slower paced life.

Two out of three is better than nothing. Her life becomes even more fast paced after openig her office in a newly renovated church. It is not long before she has taken on a case at the behast of her assistant, one that may be her first case and first defeat in private practice. She has the challenge to get her assistant's former lover off of death row where he was sent after a false conviction. Helping her untangle the legal snares that trapped an innocent man is her new lover, Rob Smith, a man haunted with his own secrets. As they fight the legal system and the clock, Val and Rob find something wonderful in their own hearts.

***** This is Ms Putney's best contemporary book in a while. The story is complex and touching with detailed characterization.

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore

Rating:
Summary: A preachy polemic, not a romance novel
Review: Val Covington, a workaholic city lawyer, decides to break away from her corporate law fim and start her own practice; a windfall from her actor friend Raine Marlowe allows her to decide that she will take on pro bono clients. In leasing her first premises, she meets good-looking Rob Smith, ostensibly a carpenter, and they start an affair. But Rob is not the carpenter he appears; he's a former Marine and former owner of his own computer business, gone into hiding after a family tragedy. They start to work together when Rob offers his investigative skills to help Val in her quest to prove a man on death row innocent of the murder of a cop.

The romance in this book is very flat. Val and Rob have sex - wham bam - and then they have sex again, and again, and then Rob is suddenly talking moving in and even marriage. Wait a minute... where's the wooing? Where's the heartfelt discussions? Where, for heaven's sake, is the *romance* which Putney includes in spades in other novels? Val apparently has a problem with commitment, but this is told to us - in fact, we're beaten over the head with it - rather than it being shown. And a two-year-old could have worked out why she has this problem; yet it seems to come as a massive discovery to both Val and Rob. Well... duh! I felt like saying.

Sorry - there was really no romance in this book worth talking about. At least, not between the two main characters. The love story which does provide some interest, however, is that between Kendra, Val's assistant, and the man on death row, Daniel, the father of Kendra's now-adult son.

As for the preachy part, this book is a polemic against the death penalty. Now, I should have no problem at all about that, since I am vehemently opposed to capital punishment and find it abhorrent. Putney should have been preaching to the converted here. And yet I felt patronised, lectured to and bored by this part of the book. Sure, all her arguments resonate with me - but that's not why I buy a Mary Jo Putney romance novel. I did find the plot itself, as regards the attempt to prove Daniel's innocence, interesting but, again, I didn't buy a crime/detective novel. I thought I was buying a romance novel.

I have now read three contemporary novels and one novella by Putney, and in every case they failed to live up to the standard set by her historical romances. Put this next to Thunder and Roses, or The Rake, or The Wild Child, and it pales drastically by comparison. Dull characters, next to the vibrance of Nicholas or Reginald or Clare. Preachy plot, next to her emotional, heartrending plotline about the effect of alcoholism in The Rake.

This was a huge disappointment. And, since I see that Putney now appears to be venturing into paranormal in her latest novel, I am not sure that she will be on my auto-buy list any more either. Such a shame, when about a year ago I'd have rated her as one of my top three favourite authors.

wmr-uk

Rating:
Summary: Makes a Statement
Review: Val Covington, is a corporate lawyer in one of the more prestigious law firms in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Working the fast track and establishing herself as one of the hottest lawyers in the firm she'd finally been offered a partnership but disenchantment with the corporate type of law she was practicing was leading her to explore other options. Val wants to step back from the boardrooms and do more pro bono work. When a close friend points her in the direction of available office space in a restored church, the seeds that had been planted for some time of going into private practice blossom. Not only is the space ideal but there is a bonus of a handsome, rugged looking landlord who looks like just the type of guy she's attracted to.

Rob Smith, landlord, ex-marine, and many other hidden talents turns out to have investigative experience so that their paths become entwined both romantically and professionally, but the road to romance is filled with many pitfalls and a lot of baggage that make the romance quite secondary.

Offering her paralegal assistant the opportunity to come and work with, and for her Kendra Brooks agrees on the condition that Val would represent her former lover and the father of her child, sitting on death row. This being a last ditch effort to save him from execution, Kendra swears that Daniel Monroe was unjustly tried and convicted for a murder that he didn't commit. She should know, because at the time it was committed, he was with her.

While Ms. Putney's previous novels held me enthralled with adventure and romance, I felt that her purpose with this was more towards taking a stand against capital punishment than providing a romantic novel. While there was a romance going on, based primarily in Rob's mind - it took longer for it to click in Val's. I found there to be more emotional feeling in some of the secondary characterizations than in the lead couple. It is definitely a compelling read that gives the reader something to think about as to where they would stand on capital punishment, but as far as putting you in the mood for romance, it falls short for the love and passion that I've generally attributed to Ms. Putney's former books. Would I recommend it? Yes, it is a very good, compelling, and thought provoking read, but if you are looking for truly romantic love story, go and find any of her `Fallen Angel series'.

Rating:
Summary: Makes a Statement
Review: Val Covington, is a corporate lawyer in one of the more prestigious law firms in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Working the fast track and establishing herself as one of the hottest lawyers in the firm she'd finally been offered a partnership but disenchantment with the corporate type of law she was practicing was leading her to explore other options. Val wants to step back from the boardrooms and do more pro bono work. When a close friend points her in the direction of available office space in a restored church, the seeds that had been planted for some time of going into private practice blossom. Not only is the space ideal but there is a bonus of a handsome, rugged looking landlord who looks like just the type of guy she's attracted to.

Rob Smith, landlord, ex-marine, and many other hidden talents turns out to have investigative experience so that their paths become entwined both romantically and professionally, but the road to romance is filled with many pitfalls and a lot of baggage that make the romance quite secondary.

Offering her paralegal assistant the opportunity to come and work with, and for her Kendra Brooks agrees on the condition that Val would represent her former lover and the father of her child, sitting on death row. This being a last ditch effort to save him from execution, Kendra swears that Daniel Monroe was unjustly tried and convicted for a murder that he didn't commit. She should know, because at the time it was committed, he was with her.

While Ms. Putney's previous novels held me enthralled with adventure and romance, I felt that her purpose with this was more towards taking a stand against capital punishment than providing a romantic novel. While there was a romance going on, based primarily in Rob's mind - it took longer for it to click in Val's. I found there to be more emotional feeling in some of the secondary characterizations than in the lead couple. It is definitely a compelling read that gives the reader something to think about as to where they would stand on capital punishment, but as far as putting you in the mood for romance, it falls short for the love and passion that I've generally attributed to Ms. Putney's former books. Would I recommend it? Yes, it is a very good, compelling, and thought provoking read, but if you are looking for truly romantic love story, go and find any of her 'Fallen Angel series'.