Mary Jo Putney is known for writing beautifully crafted, deeply emotional historical romances with a dash of adventure. Once A Soldier is the first in her new Rogues Redeemed series about a dashing group of soldiers and spies…As heir to a title and great wealth, Will Masterson should have stayed home and tended his responsibilities. Instead he went to war. Now, after perilous years fighting the French, he intends his current mission to be his last. But all his plans are forgotten when he arrives in the small mountain stronghold of San Gabriel and meets her. Knowing herself to be too tall, strong, and unconventional to appeal to a man, Athena Markham has always gloried in her independence. But for the first time in her life, she finds a man who might be her match. Two of a kind, too brave for their own good, Athena and Will vow to do whatever it takes to vanquish San Gabriel’s enemies. For neither will back down from death, and only together can they find happiness and a love deeper than any they’d dared imagine.

Publishers Weekly recently praised this first book in the series for its “multifaceted and well-developed characters [who] add depth to this romance, which is complete with the trials of war and the promise of future series installments.” And to guarantee that promise of additional Rogues Redeemed installments, Kensington offers not just an excerpt from Once a Soldier, but also—for the first time ever—a sneak peek at the first chapter of the second book in the series, Once a Rebel, coming out in October 2017.