Shattered Rainbows (Paperback)

This is not a comfort read; few of Mary Jo Putney's books are, in my opinion. SHATTERED RAINBOWS is particularly heartbreaking and angst-ridden, a book about wrong choices, regrets and repentance. If you are looking for a light read, do not pick this book up.

I loved the first half of the book. Unfortunately, I found the last part of the book to be too conventional - with the wicked villain, the abduction of the heroine, the near-death experience of the hero and heroine. I have found this a growing theme in Mary Jo Putney's book (with the heroine now often dragged off to some tower!), and find that irritating. That ending is why I assigned this otherwise marvellous book four stars, and not five. I know that she can write unconventional endings, and I wish that she would write more of those.

Read this book to find out if Michael can learn to trust a woman, given his unhappy history, and to find out how he repairs his relationships with his friends and his elder brother. You will find Catherine fascinating as well. But again, this book is not a comfort read (unless your idea of comfort is very different from mine).

The first part of the book was superb, the middle part very good, but I lost interest when the villain was revealed on the island. Which is why the book rates 4.3 instead of the higher grade I would have assigned it (closer to THUNDER AND ROSES) based on the first two parts.

Some small warnings: the hero and heroine are perfect fits for angst-ridden romance, some of the requisite scenes of brotherly reconciliation seem a little forced, and, considering the novel-manner in which the relationship between hero and heroine builds, the action-packed conclusion seemed surprisingly conventional. This is also the nth book in a series about boyhood friends who grow up to be "Fallen Angels," so there are a few in-jokes scattered throughout.

Overall, this should be considered a highly recommended romance.

In this book's prologue we discover how he survived the Peninsular war, recovering in a Spanish field hospital when he hadn't been expected to live. We know, from Thunder and Roses, that this was the stage in his life when he wanted to die rather than fulfil his promise to his former mistress, Nicholas's dead first wife. Then we are in Brussels a year later: he is back in the army since Bonaparte is again on the march. He takes lodgings with Catherine, married to a cavalry officer; although he is very attracted to her and it's clear that her marriage is unhappy, he has no intention of straying beyond propriety. He acted dishonourably once, and it led him on a path in which he betrayed his best friend and almost killed him (Thunder and Roses), so Michael is determined never to love unwisely again.

Then Catherine saves his life after Waterloo, leaving him with a debt he knows he can never repay, and so when the following year she comes to him asking that he masquerade as her missing husband so that she can claim an inheritance he agrees.

While I don't find the portion of the book dealing with their stay on Skoal as gripping as the first half, overall this is a very well-written tale of romance, betrayal, honour and the importance of life. Michael is a compelling hero, and Catherine a courageous, determined heroine.

Cameo appearances to look out for include Lucien and Michael's brother Stephen - in a scene which will make you want to read One Perfect Rose, Stephen's own book - and Nicholas. I was disappointed with the small role played by Nicholas, however, since I had hoped this book would pick up Michael's story where Thunder and Roses left off. The Fallen Angels series is, after all, as much about a group of very close friends as it is a collection of individual love stories.