Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney is the latest installment of her Lost Lords series about “maverick childhood friends with a flair for defying convention”.  Nowhere Near Respectable is neither better nor worse than the previous two books but readers who want to follow the friends’ adventures to love will enjoy this addition.

Kiri, the heroine, is half Hindu/half British, and is the sister of Lost Lord, Adam (featured in Loving a Lost Lord), who falls in love with another Lost Lord, Mac.  Kiri often channels her “warrior ancestresses” in her actions, one of which is dashing out of a house party at night after hearing bigoted comments made by her potential future mother-in-law.  This leads to Kiri being captured by smugglers and subsequently rescued by Mac, the fun-loving, charismatic Lost Lord.  I thought Kiri was refreshingly honest in both her desire and love for Mac, without the reluctance and push-and-pull so common in romance novel heroines.  Kiri was no lady, as she says often in the novel, and this is illustrated in both her desire to help bust a French spy ring and in her romantic relationship with Mac.

Our hero is Damian “Mac” Mackenzie, a fun-loving reprobate who owns and operates a popular gaming hall in London.  Mac’s carefree façade is a ruse he uses to help Kirkland, another Lost Lord, keep England and her monarchy safe.  Mac is the bastard brother of yet another Lost Lord, Will Masterson, and the close fraternal bond between the two is a lovely addition to the story.  Mac feels he is “nowhere near respectable” enough for Kiri, both in birth and in profession but he is powerless to resist his desire and love for her.

Mac is more reluctant that Kiri to have a physical relationship but both are sexually self-aware adults, which I found refreshing, especially in a historical romance novel.  For example, at one point Mac’s conscience won’t allow him to continue having sex with Kiri and she tries to pressure him but he says, “imagine that our genders were reversed.  If you were male and I was female and you were pressuring me to lie with you even though it was against my conscience and honor—what would you call that?” There is an emotional honesty to Mac and Kiri’s physical and emotional relationship that I liked.  Of course, Putney’s writing style is flowery and euphemistic but that didn’t detract from the intimacy.

The plot to force Kiri and Mac together is the weakest part of the story, in my opinion.  Kiri has a strong olfactory sense and is the only one who can identify French spies who are plotting to kill the British royal family.  This seemed very contrived but obviously necessary in order to keep Kiri and Mac together so their relationship could develop.  The plot is full of horse chases, carriage accidents, injuries, and the requisite villainous mastermind.  While neither the plot nor outcome is revolutionary, Putney is an accomplished writer who keeps the plot tight and fast so the read isn’t a total bore.

Overall, Nowhere Near Respectable is a good installment in Putney’s Lost Lords series but it likely will be easily forgotten once read. 

~ Janine