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Thunder & Roses (Fallen Angels #1)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 1,489 ratings · 68 reviews

PASSION'S BARGAIN

They called him the Demon Earl. They said he could do anything. Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Nicholas Davies was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside.

Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Clare Morgan to ask the Demon Earl to help save her village. Unwilling to involve himself in the problems o...more

Paperback, 382 pages

Published May 1st 1993 by Topaz

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Jan 09, 2013 Juliana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, best-romance-books, 2002-reads, 2002-dec-reads, 2010-reads, 2010-jan-reads, 0-own-in-dead-tree-form, 0-reviewed, 0-to-reread, 5-stars, hr-hero-gypsy, hr-hero-nobility, hr-class-difference, hr-childhood-history, hr-hero-aristocrat-lord-titled, hr-hero-arrogant-autocratic, hr-hero-black-sheep-rebel-outcast, hr-hero-difficult-childhood, hr-hero-rake-rogue, hr-hero-rough-haunted-tortured, hr-hero-very-bad-boy, hr-hero-without-family, hr-heroine-good-girl, hr-heroine-without-family, hr-light-mystery-subplot, hr-opposites-enemies-attract, hr-heroine-bookish-smart, hr-heroine-commoner, hr-heroine-companion-nurse-teacher, hr-heroine-shy-quiet-wallflower, hr-heroine-works-or-has-profession, hr-race-difference, hr-sizzling-chemistry, best-romance-heroes-ever, best-romance-heroines-ever, all-time-favorite-romances, 4-to-5-stars, favorite-books-of-all-time

I first read this book in 2002 so obviously did not remember a single thing about it. This proved to be good for me, because I was able to enjoy it as if it was the first time! The plot is very implausible and the machinations that cause Clare to have to live with Nicholas are so for-the-book's-sake-and-nothing-else, but the question is: did this at all impact my enjoyment of the book? No. Did I care one iota? No. Why? Because the story and characters are fantastic so who cares how improbable it...more I first read this book in 2002 so obviously did not remember a single thing about it. This proved to be good for me, because I was able to enjoy it as if it was the first time! The plot is very implausible and the machinations that cause Clare to have to live with Nicholas are so for-the-book's-sake-and-nothing-else, but the question is: did this at all impact my enjoyment of the book? No. Did I care one iota? No. Why? Because the story and characters are fantastic so who cares how improbable it all is!

Let's face it, most all these historical romances are utterly and completely ridiculous: husbands coming back from the dead; long-lost heirs and heiresses; forged wills; bad-but-actually-good pirates and crime lords; kidnapped children and heroines; murdering psychopaths always on the loose (apparently England has a disproportionate number of crazies); frequent cases of amnesia and/or mistaken identity; an unbelievable lack of the ability to communicate or clear up Big Misunderstandings (they desperately need to learn the "when you did ____, it made me feel ____" statement); thousands of hero-material noblemen running around England and almost every single one of them drop-dead-gorgeous, in their late 20s / early 30s, single, and of course just waiting for that one special woman who will completely transform their lives and their hearts when they fall in love with her; heroines we (almost always) love and can relate to, who just happen to often be wallflowers, plain janes, poor relations, unusual or odd, bluestockings, bullied by some dastardly person(s), running from some dastardly secret(s), etc.; man whores (a.k.a rakes and rogues) who for some reason all become perfect and 100%-faithful husbands once they meet said heroines; widows who in dramatically large numbers are still virgins so that when the love of their life comes along he can luckily be the first (and only) one she does the mattress dance with; romances between governesses / companions / maids / street urchins / secretaries and the lord of the house; good characters whom we're rooting for always managing to stay alive while the bad ones we hate always die or are in some way dramatically publicly humiliated and ostracized; oh, and of course, the most unlikely thing of all: **always**, without fail, a HEA ending.

Yeah ... sorry, what part of any of that sounded remotely realistic? None! ... Which is why we read them :-).(less)

29 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2011 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: used, author-mary-jo-putney, first-in-series, historical-romance, starts-with-q-thru-t, secret-santa-picked-it-for-me-2010, review-needed, series-fallen-angels-putney, 2011-reads, 4-stars, reviewed-by-me

Thunder and Roses is the first book in the Fallen Angels series, and was my first full length read by author Mary Jo Putney.

Those of us who are fans of historical romance know that over the past decade, the genre has been flooded with so many books that it’s hard to find anything unique, and in fact, there are many times you can predict exactly which naive but curious little chit will be ruined by what scandalous event that will take place at precisely the stroke of midnight – or shortly therea...more
Thunder and Roses is the first book in the Fallen Angels series, and was my first full length read by author Mary Jo Putney.

Those of us who are fans of historical romance know that over the past decade, the genre has been flooded with so many books that it’s hard to find anything unique, and in fact, there are many times you can predict exactly which naive but curious little chit will be ruined by what scandalous event that will take place at precisely the stroke of midnight – or shortly thereafter because the rake/rogue/libertine is almost always late. Well, you get the idea. Fortunately, while there was some predictability to Thunder and Roses, Ms. Putney also gave us plenty of unique events and characters so that I found this story fresh and out of the ordinary. Skinny dipping with penguins in an English estate pond in the springtime? You’re not going to find that in many historical romance novels.

This story begins when Clare, a Methodist school teacher from the village, comes to Nicholas and asks for help improving the dismal lives of his tenants, but Nicholas, bitter from years of rejection and a horrible betrayal, could care less about what they need. He doesn’t want to be there, doesn’t want to deal with anything, let alone someone else’s problems, but Clare won’t be dissuaded. So what’s a heartless rake to do? He makes her an offer he’s certain she’ll refuse: Come live with him for 90 days, and he’ll do whatever Clare thinks is needed to make the village and the lives of its inhabitants better. And while sex isn’t part of the bargain, she has to pretend to be his Mistress and allow him one kiss per day at a time and place of his choosing.

Clare knows that to accept Nicholas’ terms will ruin her reputation, but the people need help and she has enough faith in her friends and the other villagers to believe that they’ll never scorn or judge her once she explains the situation, so, much to Nicholas’ dismay, she accepts his ruinous offer, certain that she can’t be seduced by his kisses.

There were many things that I found entertaining about this story, but I’m not going to go into details other than to say it was interesting to see what life in an English coal mine was like and to learn about the hazards of the job and the technological advances that made the mines a much safer place to work.

Overall, despite one painfully obvious and less than climatic event at the end of the story, I really enjoyed Thunder and Roses. Thank you again, Mshj, for the recommendation!

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Apr 03, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, historical, era-regency-pre-victorian, made-me-cry, witty-i-am-not, zzauthor-putney-mj

I really enjoyed this book, but it was also a very strange, eccentric story. There were penguins in Regency Wales. There was weird gypsy mating dances. There was dueling fought with whips. There was Indiana Jones-esque escaping from burning buildings. There was naked billiards. There was Christian dogma. There were mine scenes that made me think of times when people fell down shafts in Little House on the Prairie.

Did I mention there was skinny dipping with penguins?

Anyway, it was a very interes...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Krista (One Love) (Critical) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, fave-rom-hero, fave-rom-heroine, fave-romance, historical-romance, mjp, own-ab

Started off slow, but grew on me.

First of all, great characters. Loved both Clare and Nicholas. I loved that Clare didn't look down on Nicholas like the rest of the town did, and loved that Clare put Nicholas and her love for him first, even if she didn't really realize it at the time.

The plot itself...not crazy-exciting, but entertaining with all the Fallen Angel side characters, like Michael, who (though I love him) I wanted to knock over the head with a vase. The dialogue was appealing and...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Lisa Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lisa Kay by: Dhestiny

Shelves: genre-romance-historical, theme-indecent-proposal, genre-romance-regency, animal-penguins-in-story, xyzcover-flower, authors-p, authors-m, zzcover-blue-green

cute baby animals - The Best Way to Ruffle Feathers

This almost made 4½ stars except for the ending. I must have read it before; I saw the twists and conclusions coming a mile away. (view spoiler) Learned more about mining than I was in the mood for, but it was incredibly realistic and obviously well researched...more

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Aug 14, 2008 LJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: female_author, historical, england, romance, regency_1811-20, 1800s

THUNDER AND ROSES - Ex
Putney, Mary Jo - First in Fallen Angels series

They called him the Demon Earl. They said he could do anything. Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Nicholas Davies was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside.

Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Clare Morgan to ask the Demon Earl to help save her village. Unwilling to involve himself in the problems of others, Nicholas sets an impossible price on his aid --- only if Clare...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2007 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance lovers and people who like well-drawn characters.

A lot of Regency-set historical romances have similar plot premises. There's invariably a rogueish rake of a hero and a supposedly intelligent heroine who likes to help others and be a martyr. And there seems to be a trend in the books I've been reading where the rake has a group of friends who are all confirmed bachellors with ridiculous nicknames.

Fortunately for me, Mary Jo Putney's Fallen Angels series was one of the first with the whole rakes club thing, and a wonderful gift for storytelling...more A lot of Regency-set historical romances have similar plot premises. There's invariably a rogueish rake of a hero and a supposedly intelligent heroine who likes to help others and be a martyr. And there seems to be a trend in the books I've been reading where the rake has a group of friends who are all confirmed bachellors with ridiculous nicknames.

Fortunately for me, Mary Jo Putney's Fallen Angels series was one of the first with the whole rakes club thing, and a wonderful gift for storytelling and highly relatable characters makes it so that I believe in these people and can see them as something other than archetypes.

I really loved the main characters. Nicholas is a strong, forceful man, but he isn't an arrogant jerk and he is that rare breed of romance hero that has a sense of humor. He mistrusts people, because lots of bad things have happened, but I bought his emotional struggles and he wasn't really an idiot about them. Clare is also anb interesting character. I loved that she struggled with her faith, and didn't just give lip service to the whole "Oh, I really want him to kiss me, but it simply isn't right" hand-wringing that often happens in this sort of story. I really felt Clare's angst about whether or not she should let Nicholas seduce her was justified.

As for the secondary characters, well, it's obvious that Nicholas's friends are sequel-bait, but Putney did a good job of giving each of the three men his own distinct personality. I really want to see what she does with them in the rest of the series, especially with the intense, war-scarred Michael and the shrewd Lucien, who plays the dilitante well but has hidden depths.

My quibbles are fairly minor. The suspense subplot was kind of cheesy, and the villain practically wore a sign on his back reading "I am the villain! Ph34r me!" There were also a couple of moments near the end where, to bring off a climax, Clare went haring off into danger. But aside from that, I really did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it.
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Sep 18, 2012 Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

The plot was totally ridiculous - Nicholas the 'Gypsy' Earl blackmails Clare the innocent school teacher daughter of a preacher into spending 3 months with him - risking ruining her reputation. She agrees to this ridiculous proposal for the sake of her impoverished welsh village community as his part of the bargain is to improve the villagers lot.
The result is somewhat predictable but still an enjoyable read if you manage to overlook the inconsistancies.
Oh ..and I loved the penguins!!

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Nov 17, 2012 Ewa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: heroine-tstl, hero-jerk, regency, so-much-angst, did-not-finish

I really like this trope in which H/h are forced to live together for some time, so I was truly looking forward to reading this story. I actually pushed it up in my queue of to-read books.

Let's start with this quote:
"She must concentrate on surviving the next three months with her dignity and reputation intact."
You know her virginity is as good as gone, right?

Not even 24 hours pass by when she's feeling "as if she were made of wax that could be molded into any form he desired". And that was a...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Limau Nipis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, e-books-save-trees, historical-romance

I am revising my 3 stars rating for One Perfect Rose to 2 stars (also in the Fallen Angel series), since I found the first book in the Fallen Angels series, Thunder & Roses as much pleasurable.

Nicholas is what they called the Gypsy Earl, and Clare is the school head mistress who made a bargain with the earl himself. 3 months of living with him, and he will help the villagers for exchange.

The chemistry between the 2 main characters are strong, and we were introduced to the other Fallen Angels...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-challenge, ebook-kindle, historical-romance

I thoroughly enjoyed this start to the Fallen Angels series. Mary Jo Putney has a wonderful ability to make implausible storyline plausible and she has done so here. Nicholas, Earl of Aberdare is home and Clare goes to his home to request his help fixing some problems in the village. He at first refuses and then agrees if she will give up her reputation and live with him for 3 months. He agrees not to seduce her but he does require a kiss once a day. He is shocked when she agrees. They then emba...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Zumbagirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, amazing-dialogue, childhood-tragedy, emotionally-scarred, exotic-pet, forgiveness, friends-to-lovers, friendship, hero-adores-heroine, i-ve-loved-you-forever, opposite-side-of-the-tracks, revenge, secrets, sweet-and-steamy-romance, unlikely-husband, indecent-proposal

Mary Jo Putney is one of those authors that knows how to write a book - with a ridiculous situation - and make it believable and endearing. The ridiculous situation is also the indecent proposal. Clare is a Methodist preacher's daughter, very devout and involved in her town. The area is supported by a local mine, which is very dangerous and many have died working there. Plus, the economy in the area is depressed, causing poverty and terrible working/living conditions. Nicholas is an earl and own...more Mary Jo Putney is one of those authors that knows how to write a book - with a ridiculous situation - and make it believable and endearing. The ridiculous situation is also the indecent proposal. Clare is a Methodist preacher's daughter, very devout and involved in her town. The area is supported by a local mine, which is very dangerous and many have died working there. Plus, the economy in the area is depressed, causing poverty and terrible working/living conditions. Nicholas is an earl and owns the land where the mine is located. He has been away traveling for four years (he was involved in a huge scandal and ran away) and the village has suffered from his neglect. And he really doesn't care one bit about it. When he returns to his home, Clare takes it upon herself to reach out to him for his aid. He is somewhat drunk at the time and makes her an offer that if she stays with him for three months, he will help rebuild the economy and improve the conditions. He also requires one kiss per day from Clare as part of his payment. Also, there's a little more history between them: Clare's dad was the man who taught Nicholas how to read, write, etc., and Nicholas admired and liked him. Clare loved her dad and greatly admired him, but was somewhat resentful of how much attention he showed others, while she was ignored.

Clare and Nicholas were strong and complicated characters with many layers. I liked them both and enjoyed watching how their relationship developed. They became friends and communicated very well, even though Nicholas' secrets were undermining things between them. Clare was just what he needed to heal from his terrible past and teach him what love and friendship really mean.

This book had a little bit of everything: swimming with penguins, Gypsy mating dances, a duel fought with whips, a murder mystery, an exploding mine - and the list goes on. But the thing that made it work for me was how Clare and Nicholas worked as a team, growing as a couple and as individuals. While there was mutual attraction and passion, that wasn't the basis for what they had - it was their friendship. Best friends + passion = happily ever after!(less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Nickie Kuhn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Putney's characters are always so vivid and lovable, and the characters in 'Thunder & Roses' were no exception. Maybe it's the two beers I've had this evening, but the ending of this book actually made me emotional. In this and the last book of hers that I read there was a clear emphasis on friendship and loyalty. I think that got to me more than the love story. The "Fallen Angels" introduced in this book all had clearly different personalities, and if I had to guess beforehand I never would...more

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May 22, 2011 Ash rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-going-to-finish

I can't say this was a horrible book, but it was a boring read and a struggle to get through.

The premise started off interesting, Putney obviously did her research and I appreciate that, but that's where my good opinion of her writing ends. There was a story somewhere in there, but she kept introducing so many other unnecessary points and characters to the plot, while going on and on describing every detail within an inch of it's life, that I was drumming my fingers just waiting for her to get b...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Denise by: Juliana

Shelves: angst, childhood-abandonment-abuse, damaged-scarred_hero, hot_hero, strong-heroine, strong-secondary-characters

I wavered between 4-5 stars, wish we had that 1/2 star, but it had too many of my favorite things to be a 4 :)
As my GR friend Juliana pointed out, it had mostly everything I love in a good HR:

1) Emotionally damaged hero
2) Bad boy / Rake
3) Gypsy
4) Strong spinster heroine who saves bad boy

It also had a good plot and lots of sexual tension. Some of the big plot issues were silly things that were very contrived just to make the book work, but it is fiction so we expect that :) My only issue is th...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library

The first in a large series where we meet several of the noble rogues with names like angels and fallen angels all good looking enough to tempt women into sinning.

First up we meet Nicholas who is also half Gypsy and now the titled land owner with plenty of scandal attached to his name. This doesn't stop the village school mistress and daughter of the late Methodist minister. Clare wants Nicholas to take an interest in the needs of the village including dangerous mining conditions on land leased...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Patricia Solla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, pbs

A very interesting historical romance. Besides seeing how a woman is treated in that era we get some insight into coal mining in that period. Also we learn a little about how Gypsies lives in that era. There's plenty of excitement throughout. The romance gets started as a young woman tries to get help from the earl who lives in the area. We go from country to society in London following along with the young woman and the earl. As the story progresses we see the earl learn about himself and his f...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Mary Jo Putney likes to combine working class and upper class surroundings. In this genre, when we talk about divided classes that is the epitome, but here I am talking about life in villages around the dukedoms. What is the agricultural importance of the place, what and how people work, how are they influenced by the lord, what laws do they have to obey, what percentage of money do they have to give, what crops are the most important and what is the change of season bringing.

So, she combines p...more

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Jun 21, 2011 KarenF rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, own, romance

I just loved this one. It was sitting on Mt. TBR forever and I think I kept putting if off because I didn't think a spinster, religious, schoolteacher heroine was for me. But I loved Clare. Her morality and her faith (and her questioning of her faith) was just part of her. She was warm and caring and not uptight and judgmental as I had feared. And Nicholas, ah Nicholas, how could you not love the rakish, charming Gypsy Earl. He may be a little beta for some but he's my favorite kind of hero - ma...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Bekah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: indecent-proposal, 2011-reads

I love the whole indecent proposal plot scheme. In this book, Clare approaches the Demon Earl, Nicholas to help bring back jobs and life into her little village. Nicholas, a little drunk, agrees if Clare agrees to live with him in the hopes that she will one day agree to become his mistress. And oh yeah he's entitled to one kiss a day at a time and place of his choosing.

So, I found this book really quite good at the moments when Clare and Nicholas were together and other 'village matters' were n...more

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Dec 08, 2010 K. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K. by: booklover; Nicki C.

Shelves: dead-tree-books-i-still-own, 5-keepers

The only Mary Jo Putney book I'd read previous to this one was "The Bartered Bride," which if I'm truthful, I didn't "read" ... I listened to. It had some "pirate" type elements (at least a long sea journey) and ... I HATE that, so obviously it didn't inspire me to say "more please."

That said, a couple of Amazon posters DID inspire me to pick this one off of my TBR (in fact they chose it for me after taking a look at my TBR mountain here on GR! Just goes to show you, many times those who don't...more The only Mary Jo Putney book I'd read previous to this one was "The Bartered Bride," which if I'm truthful, I didn't "read" ... I listened to. It had some "pirate" type elements (at least a long sea journey) and ... I HATE that, so obviously it didn't inspire me to say "more please."

That said, a couple of Amazon posters DID inspire me to pick this one off of my TBR (in fact they chose it for me after taking a look at my TBR mountain here on GR! Just goes to show you, many times those who don't have an emotional response to picking a book for others (as we do for ourselves) can lead you down the path of a spectacular read. AND a new author obsession!

"Thunder and Roses" is an epic '90's romance without any bodice-ripper feeling left over from the '80s. It clearly is one of the many evolving 90's "best romantic story decade" historical romances the 90s has become famous for. Some of the best romances written to date (in my opinion) were written in the '90s, and I think this one is in that class. The 90's discarded the 70's and 80's notion that abusive heros were sexy and romantic and that heroines had to be obnoxiously TSTL fiesty, and gluttens for the abuse dished out by those heros.

Nicholas Davies has suffered multiple rejections over the course of his life. He's the epitomy of an example where money and title don't guarantee happiness, especially when the road to that money and title will never include acceptance. Nicholas' father, a second son who later became the heir to an earldom, initially felt free to seek his own happiness and fell in love and married his gypsy mother unbeknownst to his stick-in-the-arse father. When Nicholas' mother drops him off on the doorstep of his grandfather (after his father's death) at an early age, he feels abandoned and confused. Throughout his life he'll continue to hurt and resent his mother's decision to leave him in a "foreign world" with a man who never stops despising him and plotting ways to illegitimize his birth.

Clare Morgan grew up in a staunch Methodist community as the daughter of their minister and leader. She's always suffered (and I mean literally "suffered"!) for the life that she's been born into. Her father is not just her idol, but she shares him with the community to a point of child neglect on his part. As an adult after his death, she naturally takes on his role, but fate has played the part in putting her in an identity not her own. Throughout the book she'll grapple with feelings of inadequacy of filling her father's shoes, not to mention struggling to come into her own.

The local village is suffering a great depression after years of being subjected to the neglected and absent largest landowner (and of course employer), the "Demon Earl" - Nicholas. Town gossip in his absence hasn't helped his legacy when he returns to "deal" with his grandfather's estate upon his passing. The biggest employer keeping the town alive is the local mine, and with the deplorable working conditions going on there, the town blames a lot of their troubles on the Earl's absence. With Nicholas' return, Clare decides the only available option to save the town from poverty and death is to go to the new Earl and emplore him to intervene with his money and influence. With much reluctance, Nicholas concedes to her requests (after lapsing into coercion) ... with a "bet" if you will: He'll finance a path out of the town's economic whoas if Clare will put her respectible reputation on the line by living with him for 30 days unchaparoned. Seeing no other option, Clare marters herself and agrees to the strange "deal." Since Nicholas' only proposed the idea being certain she'd never agree and would just go away ... after her shocking (and unwanted) acceptance he sweetens it for himself by adding the caveat that Clare will also have to allow him one kiss per day. Although completely shocked by such a suggestion, and after much wheedling to try and get herself out of it, Clare eventually sees it as the only option, and captulates. Thus Putney sets the stage for a classic romance in a clash of wills that will be tested at close proximity. All kinds of opportunity to keep the storyline close to the romance I love and Putney blends in plenty of teasing "slap and tickle" with the bet to keep things interesting as they slowly build to a serious confrontation of wills and sexual tension.

Having laid out the premise, Putney delivers with epic storylines and plenty of character development. I can't think of one character in this book (and there are a LOT) that wasn't clearly drawn or "disposable," nor that unnecessarily bored me. MJP stays focused on Nicholas and Clare and with all that's happening still clearly manages to set up a series in this first book. Nicholas is the perfect blend of sensitive, brooding, manly, tortured hero. Clare is the staunch church-going woman with honest questions to herself that "Maddy" of "Flowers From the Storm" never could quite come to terms with.

The background story with the mine is so well written, I became more than a bit claustrophobic feeling when the characters journeyed into the mine ("NOOO -- Don't go down there! LOL!). The game of "kissing tag" these two engage in is peppered throughout as it builds to it's ultimate showdown between the two. The overall story is piled high, rich in adventure/intrigue/romance at every page you turn. It's definitely "living and breathing" when it comes to good, old-fashioned story-telling.

My first MJP was pretty "lack-luster." Just goes to show me that having done the footwork by piling my TBR with good recommendations, followed by letting go of the control and allowing those "in the know" to choose for me -- can certainly equal "wisdom meeting opportunity." T&R is an emotionally rich book. Any historical romance devotee shouldn't hesitate to add this classic to their personal romance knowledge base.
K.
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Sep 13, 2011 Judith rated it 2 of 5 stars

I liked the idea of the story, but couldn't really "believe" any part of the actual book. The saintly maiden is anything but. Additionally, how realistic is it that she found "God" from the feeling of fulfillment from intercourse with the brooding Gypsy hero?

Additionally, what is with the billiards theme? What is with the strip billiards game? To have the characters in this book "invent" things which are known to have been invented by others is somewhat insulting to those inventors.

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Apr 09, 2013 Dangermousie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aaangst, crushing-on-secondaries, hurt-comfort, period-romance, romance

A solid entry into the Fallen Angels series, even if not as good as some of the other books in the series.

I liked both Nicholas and Clare (and was very excited to see Michael, who is pretty much my favorite Putney hero bar none), the angst was not too much or too little, and there was a decent plot. But I mainly enjoyed it for the very gradual growth of emotional and physical intimacy between the leads.

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Oct 08, 2009 Cam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 26, 2011 Thenia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical-romance, series

Nicholas, aka the Demon Earl, and Clare make a good couple.

Clare calls Nicholas' bluff and they get together at first, but their relationship soon grows and develops. I wasn't too fond of the religious undertone of part of the story but the author's note explains the reasons for its existence.

Looking forward to reading the rest of the Fallen Angels' stories, starting with Rafe's.

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Apr 08, 2009 penelopewanders rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

One of the first (if not the first) of the Fallen Angel series, and it was a clear reminder of why I like MJ Putney so much. Despite the unlikelihood of a methodist woman falling so swiftly for the gypsy rake, the story is well-told and exciting. Ok, so I did guess the secret about Nikki's previous marriage, but it was fun having my suspicions confirmed.

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Aug 01, 2012 Kirsten Kowalewski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I always come back to Clare and Nicholas. This is probably my favorite of all the Fallen Angels books. I mean, it's obvious how things are going to work out, but it's so much fun to see things develop. Also, you can't go wrong with penguins.

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Jan 25, 2013 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

This was a good story, but just a little too long. I liked how the characters got to know one another better by taking the time to get to know one another. I'm interested in reading the rest of Putney's books.

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Feb 28, 2011 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

This was a re-read of a book I've owned for years but haven't picked up in recent memory. I'd forgotten how much I like the character development of Putney's Fallen Angel series.

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Oct 24, 2010 Kathleen Mulroy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mary Jo Putney is one of my favorite historical romance writers, and this is one of her best. Great characters, historical information, setting - it has it all!

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About Mary Jo Putney

She writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.

Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably...more She writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.

Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.

While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.

Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.

Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.(less)

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Trivia About Thunder and Roses

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Quotes from Thunder and Roses

“I believe in love

Nicholas Davies - Earl of Aberdare” — 5 people liked it

“To love and be loved is the most powerful of human needs

Clare Morgan” — 3 people liked it

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Thunder & Roses (Fallen Angels #1)

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