Best Mary Jo Putney Books

The best books by Mary Jo Putney — 5 titles spanning Romance, Fantasy, averaging 3.74 BLT stars.

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Mary Jo Putney has spent decades perfecting a particular blend that few romance writers manage convincingly: genuine emotional depth paired with just enough supernatural menace to keep things interesting. Her Lost Lords series delivers the Regency romance formula but with characters whose wounds feel earned rather than decorative — protagonists shaped by real trauma navigating intimacy with convincing reluctance. When she leans into the fantastical, as in The Marriage Spell and Stolen Magic, the magic isn't window dressing; it's woven into the emotional stakes, raising the cost of love in ways that feel meaningful. Her prose is warm but unsparing, quick to name what hurts. Readers who find pure Regency romance a bit bloodless, or pure fantasy romance too plot-light, will find Putney's blend satisfying — she takes both halves seriously enough to make the combination work.

Mary Jo Putney's highest-rated book in our collection is Never Less Than a Lady (3.89 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Mary Jo Putney

  1. 1
    Never Less Than a Lady cover

    Never Less Than a Lady

    The Lost Lords • Book 2

    by Mary Jo Putney

    ★ 3.89 BLT Score (5.6K ratings)
    ★ 3.95 Goodreads (5.6K)
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  2. 2
    The China Bride cover

    The China Bride

    The Bride Trilogy • Book 2

    by Mary Jo Putney

    ★ 3.89 BLT Score (2.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.84 Goodreads (2.3K)
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  3. 3
    Stolen Magic cover

    Stolen Magic

    Guardians • Book 2

    by M.J. Putney, Mary Jo Putney

    ★ 3.70 BLT Score (1.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.82 Goodreads (1.3K)
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  4. 4
    The Marriage Spell cover

    The Marriage Spell

    Stone Saints • Book 1

    by Mary Jo Putney

    ★ 3.66 BLT Score (1.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.73 Goodreads (1.4K)
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  5. 5
    Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love cover

    Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love

    Guardians #3.6 - The Demon Dancer

    by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham, Jacqueline Carey, Lisa Tuttle, Linnea Sinclair, Mary Jo Putney, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Yasmine Galenorn, Diana Gabaldon, Jo Beverley, Carrie Vaughn, M.L.N. Hanover, Cecelia Holland, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Robin Hobb, Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Jim Butcher

    ★ 3.57 BLT Score (4.3K ratings)
    ★ 3.76 Goodreads (4.3K)
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Browse Related Lists

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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →