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Summary: WHY did it take me so long to discover this AWESOME author?
Review: Okay, I have to share right off the bat, this is my first Mary Jo Putney book. How this writer escaped me, I'll never know. To say she is a SUPERB writer is almost an understatement. Accosted by pirates while traveling back to London with her small daughter, Alexandra Warren finds herself sold into slavery. She immediately finds herself separated from her young daughter. Unable to accept this, or her captivity, she's passed from master to master because of her unwillingness to accept her fate. It's not long before she finds herself on the block in the market, being sold to the highest bidder. Gavin Elliott, merchant prince of the high seas, finds himself touring a foreign island with a feared Sultan. Because the Sultan is trying to court his agreement on a business venture, he's giving Gavin the red carpet treatment. While touring the market area, Gavin finds himself entranced by the woman who's up for auction. When he realizes she's a European, he feels obligated to do what he can to help her escape her fate. The only way the Sultan will allow Alexandra to be free, is for Gavin to compete against him in an ancient challenge-if the Sultan wins, he gets Gavin in service for ten years. If Gavin wins, he gets
Alexandra, and the Sultan will trace her daughter. Finding himself unable to let the beautiful Alexandra suffer, Gavin agrees. He's faced with many tough challenges-but the toughest is something he'd never dreamed of. Can he betray Alexandra's trust and grant their freedom? Alexandra is bitter and scarred, and can't imaging allowing a man to touch her and enjoying it. But she finds Gavin a beautiful person, both inside and out. A man who's good and moral, she wishes she'd met him long before. And Gavin is quickly finding himself falling for the spunky and courageous Alex...but how to gain her trust, and help her overcome her fears? Wow! I think I read the first 50 pages without even blinking-this story is that riveting. Beautifully written, Ms. Putney paints such a clear picture with her words you can actually smell the air, hear the activity that's taking place, and feel every emotion the hero and heroine go through. This is one of those stories you reserve a special spot on your keeper shelf for. I know this reviewer is going to be out glooming Ms. Putney's back list-If they're even half so good as The Bartered Bride, I know I'll be impressed.
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Summary: The Bartered Bride
Review: THE BARTERED BRIDE is worth every penny. I couldn't put it down. If you haven't read WILD CHILD and CHINA BRIDE be sure to check them out. Each book stands alone, and all are exquisitely written exciting adventures I know you won't want to miss. Mary Jo's books are some of the best ever written. If you've never read this author please start now...you are going to love her! THE BARTERED BRIDE, the final book in the bride trilogy, is going to thrill readers, as it is beautifully written, highly dramatic, and a real page-turner. Set against the exotic backdrop of the East Indies it fills the senses with sights and sounds of the Orient in the first part of the book and then moves on to England's aristocracy in l835. Gavin Elliott, an American Yankee, who has built Elliott House, is quite a businessman and adventurer who wishes to rescue a European woman sold at a slave auction on the island of Maduri when he is visiting a sultan. Alexandra Warren had been on her way home to England from Australia with her young daughter after the death of her husband when pirates struck the Dutch ship she had been on kidnapping her daughter and separating them, and then making a slave of her. It was only when she encountered Gavin in the slave market and called out to him that she had any chance of survival and of finding her beloved daughter. Since being a slave, things have happened to Alexandra that would test the heart and soul of any woman. She and Gavin have shared much together in this trying time and have become friends. Hating to seeing this beautiful, courageous woman hurting so after a shocking event Gavin marries his bartered bride and they arrive in London as intimate strangers bound with many painful hurts and deep secrets. I can attest first hand that this book holds you in its grip and never lets go.
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Summary: Exciting adventure with emotional depth
Review: When returning to England from Australia, Alexandra Warren's ship is attacked by pirates and she is separated from her daughter and sold into slavery. Her constant rebellions lead to her being resold where she is sighted by handsome American merchant Gavin Elliott. Elliott can't stand by when a 'woman of his own people' is enslaved and agrees to undertake a deadly challenge to save her... Author Mary Jo Putney writes a compelling and emotionally powerful novel filled with action and adventure. THE BARTERED BRIDE is strongest when set in Indonesia... Putney handles the emotional damage done by Alexandra's captivity and brutalization perfectly... The English component of THE BARTERED BRIDE is still fine adventure. Still, the motivations for Alexandra's kidnappers to hold her alive seems stretched. For me, this reduced the emotional impact of the adventurous ending. Minor quibbles aside, THE BARTERED BRIDE is an exciting and emotionally compelling story--and a fine addition to the Putney series of east/west romances.
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