3/5. 1`1/28/2023.

Vibes: light magic, amnesia, found family, and a generally fluffier touch.

After being adopted off the streets as a child, the paranormally gifted Bran Tremayne returns to Cornwall on commands from the Home Office. There, he meets the amnesiac Merryn, whose past could hold the key to the mystery he's investigating. Caught between threatening forces, Merryn has no choice but to trust Bran in her efforts to recover her memories and stop a dangerous plot.

This one was very.... meh. I could see the quality of the writing (to an extent--I have my quibbles) and I can definitely see how, for a reader who really loves fluffier books, this will fit the bill. While I can definitely get down with fluff, this took it a bit far for the basic premise, and I found it tonally jarring.

Quick Takes:

--Like I said, I can see that Putney (who I've never read before) has. a very distinct style, and it's clear why she's a popular, longstanding writer. There's a uniqueness to it, and she has a strong, distinct voice. If you like a really bouncy tone, this may be for you. And I did appreciate the aspects of found family; I'm a sucker for "group of kids taken off the street by a wealthy family", and this does execute that component well.

--The way the magic is woven into the story is quite light. Essentially, the former street kids all have these supernatural gifts, which are sort of like... overblown natural talents, with a paranormal edge. I didn't mind the paranormal being on the lighter side. It's definitely something you can see more of in old school books. But she definitely could've gone a little further (and a little more adventurous) with it.

--Part of why the paranormal aspect, and the general story, didn't quite hit for me was that the lightness of the tone really doesn't gel with the plot. You've got mystery, you've got magic. And while you can definitely take a light approach there, this is just. So light! At points, I felt like the subject matter warranted a bit more intensity, a bit more depth. It reminded me of some Julia Quinn books I've read, where it's like--this is kind of dark subject matter, and I think the writing needs to reflect that?

--Because of the generally shallow tone, the leads also come off as pretty flawless. For me, this is very boring. Everyone was really... to quote a show with a stronger paranormal edge, perfectly splendid. This made it so, while I could see Bran and Merryn's chemistry, I really didn't connect with them individually, or their romance.

--A random writing note: Putney uses "!" in a lot of places it really doesn't belong, especially in Merryn's dialogue. I found that kind of distracting.

The Sex:

It's present, but damn if it isn't very, very euphemistic. And you know, I enjoy some euphemistic writers, and I can definitely enjoy it when it's a part of, say, an 80s romance that has a generally flowery style. But in 2023, when you're writing a sex scene this flowery and this euphemistic (and brief) you really might as well just skip the whole scene and keep it closed door. Like, we're not even talking, like "knot of flesh", we are talking "her most sensitive place". I wasn't into it.

Again, I can see why Putney has loyal readers. The vibe just didn't work for me, and it's a shame, because I think the concept itself is so intriguing.

Thanks to Kensington and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.