Rating: 
Summary: Very Poetic!!
Review: First of all, I would like to say that Mary Jo Putney has done well again this time. There many memorable quotes in the book... some so touching that I've written it now. The plot is not alien to most of us but the way it is written can really touch us to the core.
Rating: 
Summary: Silly plot twists damage an otherwise promising book
Review: Having read and enjoyed several other MJP books, I looked forward to this one quite a bit. It seemed to have all of the Mary Jo trademarks: an interesting, well-researched historical setting, intriguing plot, and great characters. I began to have doubts when the heroine seemed to react to her captivity by the hero in some rather unlikely ways. She moves quickly from calm determination to survive her captivity to an irrational conviction that her captor intends to torture and kill her, although she has no good reason to think so. Her despair causes her to act in a way that seemed to be convenient plot-wise, but that did not seem believable in light of what we know about her character. But what bothered me most was the silly amnesia plot device the book relies on so heavily. I read lots of romance novels, and I am willing to overlook outrageous plot twists if the story is good enough. I know that in romance novel-land, a blow to the head often induces amnesia, and a second blow to the head restores the victim's memory. But when the second "blow to the head," in this case a lightning bolt, causes the victim to remember everything before the first injury but forget everything after it, including her marriage to her captor, even I have to draw the line of credibility. On the positive side, the book is very well-researched, set in an interesting time period (the struggle for the British throne between Stephen and Matilda), and I admire MJP's attempt to stretch the genre by creating a morally ambiguous hero. I just wish MJP hadn't strained my willingness to suspend disbelief quite so much.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings...
Review: I am a Mary Jo Putney fan, and am busy collecting all her books set in the Regeny, not to mention her Silk trilogy and Bride series. Generally, I admire her inventive plotting, her very interested (and often tortured) heroes and heroines, not to mention her beautiful style of writing. Unfortunately, I also like some consistency in the way characters think and act - and for medieval romances, I have an especially high standard.I picked this book mainly because it was a medieval by Mary Jo Putney. Having read two of Jo Beverley's three medievals, I wondered what one of my favorite writers would do with the medieval period. Unfortunately, although the book is well-written and some of its characters are very intriguing, I cannot recommend this as highly as I wanted to, especially to fans of the medieval period in romance and historical fiction. It is not that the hero is inauthentic. Yes, he is harsh at times, but he is also a lot kinder than the typical noble of his day would have been [compare how Adrian treats Meriel, who claims to be a Welsh commoner caught in the Royal Forest, with the treatment meted out to serf women and slaves by noblemen in Ellis Peters's Cadfael series]. One of the problems I have with this book is the high rank given to the hero - as Earl of Shropshire. Yes, there was no earl in Shropshire, given that a great earl (the founder of Shrewsbury Abbey) had died and his descendants had committed treason. But the earls would have been styled "of Shrewsbury" not "of Shropshire" if an earl had been created from a different family. Earldoms were not usually granted under the conditions described in the book as well - even allowing for the creation for rival earls. This for me was one of the first historically inauthentic notes. I would have preferred to have seen Adrian remain a baron; it would not have lessened the force of the story, and the distance between him (a great baron) and the daughter of a minor knight would still have been considerable. The family name of the heroine is also slightly problematic for me, but this and the title issue are minor problems compared to the way Meriel behaves. I loved the beginning of the story, and the decision to have both the hero and heroine come from strongly religious backgrounds. The evolution of Meriel from a novice to the sister of a minor knight with his own small manor was indeed interesting. Right upto the point where Meriel was captured in the Royal Forest, I was with her and the hero. This is the point where things started to fall apart. I simply could not believe that Meriel would choose to claim herself as a Welsh commoner, rather than a noble lady of Norman birth. Even in this time (a period of unusual strife), noblewomen who fell into the hands of the opposing side were treated much better than were peasants. It would have been excusable for Meriel to make the mistake she did (in concealing her identity) if she had just come out of the convent. But she had been out of the convent for several years. Not only did her decision make no sense, it actually put her in greater danger. Even a wicked and brutal baron such as the villain would prefer a good ransom for a young noblewoman to the temporary pleasures of ravishing her. [Knights and squires were usually held for ransom, and not killed]. Furthermore, Meriel had plenty of time to find out whether the Earl was indeed a wicked man or not, and his actions did not seem to point to him as a wicked man, in the context of *his* times. Again, if she had been a novice just released from her vows, her inability to judge men would have made sense. The worst part was when she chose to throw herself into the river, rather than accept an honorable offer of marriage. Yes, she had been overwrought considering the fate of virgin martyrs, but the Earl was not a pagan, not of an unknown race or family. Her actions struck me as silly and self-serving, as much as her refusal to acknowledge her real identity was not only silly, but cruel to those who thought her dead. At this point, I completely lost sympathy for the heroine. The rest of the story was thus an anti-climax. It is one thing reading a story about a fairly self-centered heroine. It is quite another thing reading about a heroine who reveals herself to be anything but sensible and thoughtful of others. Frankly, I did not feel that Meriel deserved Adrian, even though I could not applaud his actions. Yes, he did not behave well, but he behaved quite well by the light of his times. And Meriel? She was simply too stupid to live.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings...
Review: I am a Mary Jo Putney fan, and am busy collecting all her books set in the Regeny, not to mention her Silk trilogy and Bride series. Generally, I admire her inventive plotting, her very interested (and often tortured) heroes and heroines, not to mention her beautiful style of writing. Unfortunately, I also like some consistency in the way characters think and act - and for medieval romances, I have an especially high standard. I picked this book mainly because it was a medieval by Mary Jo Putney. Having read two of Jo Beverley's three medievals, I wondered what one of my favorite writers would do with the medieval period. Unfortunately, although the book is well-written and some of its characters are very intriguing, I cannot recommend this as highly as I wanted to, especially to fans of the medieval period in romance and historical fiction. It is not that the hero is inauthentic. Yes, he is harsh at times, but he is also a lot kinder than the typical noble of his day would have been [compare how Adrian treats Meriel, who claims to be a Welsh commoner caught in the Royal Forest, with the treatment meted out to serf women and slaves by noblemen in Ellis Peters's Cadfael series]. One of the problems I have with this book is the high rank given to the hero - as Earl of Shropshire. Yes, there was no earl in Shropshire, given that a great earl (the founder of Shrewsbury Abbey) had died and his descendants had committed treason. But the earls would have been styled "of Shrewsbury" not "of Shropshire" if an earl had been created from a different family. Earldoms were not usually granted under the conditions described in the book as well - even allowing for the creation for rival earls. This for me was one of the first historically inauthentic notes. I would have preferred to have seen Adrian remain a baron; it would not have lessened the force of the story, and the distance between him (a great baron) and the daughter of a minor knight would still have been considerable. The family name of the heroine is also slightly problematic for me, but this and the title issue are minor problems compared to the way Meriel behaves. I loved the beginning of the story, and the decision to have both the hero and heroine come from strongly religious backgrounds. The evolution of Meriel from a novice to the sister of a minor knight with his own small manor was indeed interesting. Right upto the point where Meriel was captured in the Royal Forest, I was with her and the hero. This is the point where things started to fall apart. I simply could not believe that Meriel would choose to claim herself as a Welsh commoner, rather than a noble lady of Norman birth. Even in this time (a period of unusual strife), noblewomen who fell into the hands of the opposing side were treated much better than were peasants. It would have been excusable for Meriel to make the mistake she did (in concealing her identity) if she had just come out of the convent. But she had been out of the convent for several years. Not only did her decision make no sense, it actually put her in greater danger. Even a wicked and brutal baron such as the villain would prefer a good ransom for a young noblewoman to the temporary pleasures of ravishing her. [Knights and squires were usually held for ransom, and not killed]. Furthermore, Meriel had plenty of time to find out whether the Earl was indeed a wicked man or not, and his actions did not seem to point to him as a wicked man, in the context of *his* times. Again, if she had been a novice just released from her vows, her inability to judge men would have made sense. The worst part was when she chose to throw herself into the river, rather than accept an honorable offer of marriage. Yes, she had been overwrought considering the fate of virgin martyrs, but the Earl was not a pagan, not of an unknown race or family. Her actions struck me as silly and self-serving, as much as her refusal to acknowledge her real identity was not only silly, but cruel to those who thought her dead. At this point, I completely lost sympathy for the heroine. The rest of the story was thus an anti-climax. It is one thing reading a story about a fairly self-centered heroine. It is quite another thing reading about a heroine who reveals herself to be anything but sensible and thoughtful of others. Frankly, I did not feel that Meriel deserved Adrian, even though I could not applaud his actions. Yes, he did not behave well, but he behaved quite well by the light of his times. And Meriel? She was simply too stupid to live.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent regency romance!
Review: I found this an excellent read and I would highly recommend it to other regency romance readers.
Rating:
Summary: I Agree: MJP's Best Novel
Review: I have to join in with the other Amazon reviewers who feel that this is the best novel Putney ever wrote. Of course, I don't consider any of her novels duds. Probably the worst book she ever wrote is a "B"; I don't even know which that would be since there are so many "A"s to her credit. This is a very complex novel with an equally complex hero. You meet him at story's beginning at a monastery where he is almost a monk. However, his family has just been slaughtered so he must give up the religious life to become the earl and leader of their district. The problem is that the monastery kept all of his dark impulses in check but he now fears that they will come to the forefront in this new role. And, boy, is he right! I think this novel could have been released as mainstream fiction for its complexity. However, it also meets the basics of what's required in a romance novel. Don't let its medieval setting deter you. Putney brings that era to life wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: I Agree: MJP's Best Novel
Review: I have to join in with the other Amazon reviewers who feel that this is the best novel Putney ever wrote. Of course, I don't consider any of her novels duds. Probably the worst book she ever wrote is a "B"; I don't even know which that would be since there are so many "A"s to her credit. This is a very complex novel with an equally complex hero. You meet him at story's beginning at a monastery where he is almost a monk. However, his family has just been slaughtered so he must give up the religious life to become the earl and leader of their district. The problem is that the monastery kept all of his dark impulses in check but he now fears that they will come to the forefront in this new role. And, boy, is he right! I think this novel could have been released as mainstream fiction for its complexity. However, it also meets the basics of what's required in a romance novel. Don't let its medieval setting deter you. Putney brings that era to life wonderfully.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I love all of Mary Jo's books and this is no exception. I put off reading this book because I wasn't too interested in the storyline, but I found myself engrossed. Normally I don't enjoy stories from the time frame, but this was an exception.
Rating: 
Summary: The plot in this book disturbed me greatly.
Review: I make it a point to search out novels written by Mary Jo Putney because I find her characters intelligent, the plots compelling and her writing style sensitive and witty. This book not only disappointed me, it disturbed me. I found the obsession that Adrien had with Meriel was not romantic, only disturbing. I kept thinking that she would escape this psycho and meet the REAL hero. She didn't and it left me feeling creepy.
Rating:
Summary: A truly unforgettable mediaeval romance
Review: Like some other reviewers, I am very familiar with MJP's work through her wonderful Regency-period novels, in particular the Fallen Angels series. I was a little reluctant to read Uncommon Vows because, although I have read some books set in the middle ages (Edith Pargeter's compelling novels, for example), it's not my favourite period. Putney, again, impresses me immensely with the quality of her research. It's impressive enough when a British author's attention to detail and accuracy is good; it's amazing to see an American writer, writing for a mainly US audience, who takes such care with her research. I learned a lot about the Stephen/Matilda period I never knew! A couple of reviewers comment that Adrian ia harsh and refer to him as a 'psycho'. Clearly they know nothing about the historical period in question, and are judging him by contemporary males. Up until this century, women were only valuable as the property of men. Men could do what they liked with their wives and daughters, and women of the lower classes were fair game. Actually, Meriel was treated amazingly well as a captive, and even though Adrian's behaviour was sometimes harsh, he never - as Meriel herself recognised much later - actually hurt her. His emotions were running riot where she was concerned; he was completely unable to express his feelings or convince her that he loved her; but he never completely lost control. I found both Adrian's mental torment and Meriel's determination to resist seduction utterly convincing. Both had almost taken religious orders; naturally, their faith played a very strong role in their lives, even more than other people in a world where religion was very important. Adrian's attempts to show Meriel how kind and considerate he could be and how well they got on together were wonderful to read; and his confusion and bitterness each time he discovered that she was only looking for a chance to escape was heart-wrenching. The lead-up to Meriel's plunge from the window was so well written. My heart ached for both of them, and it almost stopped beating as she grabbed Adrian's dagger, he grabbed it back and she ran for the window. And then, afterwards, as he held her thinking she was dying, I had tears in my eyes. The amnesia element was completely credible, and - as another reviewer pointed out - Meriel's character was essentially the same. She didn't know anything about Adrian to make her afraid of him, so she allowed herself to recognise what her heart had known all along: she could love him. This is just a simply wonderful book, and I can't think why Putney hasn't written more in this time-period. She does it so well. Oh, and like another reviewer, I wondered about Richard; I was going to check this site for a sequel, until I noticed the book's publication date. I did suspect that Putney was going to give us a secondary romance, given what Adrian asked Richard to do in the end, together with what we'd been told about the widow he was to help [see - no spoilers!]. And I also wondered about Alan, Meriel's brother, who was portrayed as a likeable man. Mary Jo Putney, if you ever read these reviews, do think about revisiting Alan and Richard, please!
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