Rating: 
Summary: Great if you enjoyed the rest of the "Bride" series...
Review: ...because you get to meet everyone again, years later, happy--Troth, Kyle, references to Meriel and Dominic, not to mention former Putney characters Stephen and Rosalind, Michael and Catherine, and a few others that pop up out of the blue.
But this book, despite the strong appeal of Alex, has WAY TOO DANG MUCH going on. I honestly think that if two or three or four elements had been cut out (oh, let's say the set up for murder, the revenge subplot, and the jilted soldier suitor for starters), this wouldn't have felt so herky jerky. This is an intense tale with too much distracting from the healing of a broken pair, thrown together by fate.
I enjoyed it, but if you aren't a Putney fan, don't start here.
Rating: 
Summary: A little dry, but still good.
Review: I agree with other reviewers who discussed the lack of written emotion in this novel. In fact, I considered it as I read it and noticed that as the novel progresses, so to the characters and the emotions. Alexandra Warren first meets Gavin Elliot while she is a slave in the East. She was captured by pirates, seperated from her daughter, and sold into slavery. Gavin Elliot lost is wife and child and has spent his life on the sea making a name for himself in the shipping industry and meets Alex just when he is about to make some very large changes in his life. From the moment they meet their lives are changed forever and they are thrust into an adventure more rich than any I have read about before. From freeing Alex from slavery to arriving in England there is never a dull moment.However, from the beginning of this book it is obvious that both will have to overcome tremendous obstacles, emotionally and physically in order to make their relationship work. Due to their circumstances they are required to do things in a more backward fashion than one is used to reading about. Therefore, the book progresses slower and more delicately...but no less enjoyable. All in all, THE BARTERED BRIDE is a novel filled with adventure, history, and a lesson in the gift of learning to love and trust, even when you did not think it possible. No couple deserved a "Happily Ever After" more than Alexandra and Gavin.
Rating: 
Summary: Going back to what was!
Review: I am usually a huge fan of Mary Jo Putney but this particular book left me wanting more. One of the issues is that the first chapter is actually near the end of the story. This sort of tells you what things are leading up to. This for some reason really annoyed me. Another issue was that while the book was unabridged by tape 5 I found myself skipping parts that seemed to have no bearing on the story as I thought it was dragging on and on and not going anywhere fast. In this story you learn about Alex who was taken prisoner (along with her daughter) while sailing home from Australia to England. Along comes Gavin 6 months later and sees Alex up for auction at a slave market in the East Indies. He tries to buy her but the Sultan know what he wants and makes him win her instead, yes the last item in the game is easy to figure out is going to happen. Then they find her daughter and eventually get married along the way there is fires, murders, dishonesty, brutal rapes, unexpected inheritance, deception, an almost hanging etc... I still recommend the book but I wouldn't put it on my top 10.
Rating:
Summary: Sad but heartfelt love story!!
Review: I am with those that do not like to start out going backwards when I read - I prefer to read beginning to end. However in spite of that fact Putney creates a truly emotional read with her story of Gavin & Alex. When Alex is captured and enslaved early in the story you truly wonder how she will come out of it not permently scarred. How fortunate she is that Gavin Elliot comes along and becomes her protector and rescuer - He truly is the kind of man women are all looking for. I mean he has only even had one woman in his life - unique to these stories for sure. It will take much patience and trust between this couple to ever find true happiness though. And their horrors do not end with the islands of the East - when they return to London they still have demons to fight. Of course when a couple fears they have lost each other for good that is when they realize the love they have long felt. This is truly a wonderful love story!!
Rating:
Summary: Not Your Usual Romance Novel:
Review: I enjoyed this story. It was intense and unusual; the plot kept changing with the setting. I could never tell what would happen next, as is often the case in many "cookie-cutter" romance novels. The setting was different, the plot was original/creative(to say the least!) and the story was unpredictable up until the last few pages. It has gone in my "keeper" pile!
Rating:
Summary: Going back to what was!
Review: I opened the book and read the Prologue entitled The End Game dated Autumn 1835 Place The Tower of London Gavin Elliott is being held for trial, he is accused (falsely, of course) of killing his wife Alexandra. Then we go to Book 1 of the previous year.. 1834 and I threw the book on the table...
I cannot tell you how much I dislike reading this kind of story.
Why do I want to re-live history? Why not let the trial prove he was falsely blamed for this.
I enjoy Putney's stories and this series especially, but I cannot abide reading past history.
Will I read it eventually? That I cannot tell you right now.
I just absolutely wish that writers would NOT write a story this way..
What I will probably do is go to the further chapter and read the ending.
How can reading this now bring us to a conclusion? He already knows who framed him. Will rehashing the past make the trial come out differently? NO! So I am expected to read how he was duped and then finally back to the present read how he was acquitted of the crime. It makes me shudder to think of it.
I won't even watch movies that do this type of story. I can't say it enough time How much I dislike the type of story. So let me shut up.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely not a light read, but a wonderful, wonderful book
Review: I think that this one rates up with my top favorites of MJP's. I was a little surprised that MJP chose to start her story like she did with China Bride; giving away one of the biggest details of the story. But, in actuality, that's what got me hooked. I wanted to read it to see what happened to LEAD to Gavin's trial/execution.
I know MJP doesn't usually do stories about her previous characters' children, which is why I was excited to read this one. I was surprised when I found out that Alex was actually Amy, Catherine's daughter. I admired Amy's hardened stubbornness and will in Shattered Rainbows, and was amused by her. To my surprise, here she was. Gavin wasn't anything new, either. I found him to be a gentle, kind character in China Bride, and found myself wondering if there was going to be a story on him, as well.
I loved Gavin and Alex's relationship. She was a strong-willed slave with island eyes, and he was the captain of a tea-trading business. He was entranced from sight, and everything went from that moment. They were brought together by a very dangerous man, and his shadow seemed to haunt them throughout the story. I found it interesting how Alex had the same fears of intimacy as her mother did (although for different reasons), and the same tortured theme was reoccuring in this story, as well.
I was deeply drawn in by this story. It's well-written, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I think I like it so much because it's so different from anything you'd expect to read. I knew from the beginning that Alex would "die", and Gavin was the accused, but never had I imagined that it would be something so profoundly maddening and deeply complex. Frederica and Pierce were truly an evil pair.
I found myself gasping when I read that Gavin was saved, and my heart was still pounding by the time that I finished the book. I LOVED this book, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves complex plots.
Rating:
Summary: action-packed historical romance
Review: In 1834, American sea merchant Gavin Elliot sets sail from The East Indies for London after making his fortune in trade. He plans to reestablish his family name previously disgraced among the aristocracy. On his journey to England, Gavin stops at the island of Maduri where Sultan Kasan surprisingly orders a personal visit from the sea captain. While there, Gavin learns that English widow Alexandra Warren is held in bondage after her ship was captured by pirates. Alexandra's eight-year-old daughter is either dead or incarcerated elsewhere. Though he knows not to intercede, the honorable Gavin challenges Kasan to play Lion's Game in which his loss means two decades of servitude, but a victory frees Alexandra. Of course, Gavin has never played before while his opponent is a pro in this deadly encounter. THE BARTERED BRIDE is an exciting, action-packed historical romance that never slows down until the tale is completed. The story line is loaded with a taste of an exotic 1830's environment that provides a fresh outlook to the audience. The lead couple is a courageous duo though the odds of Gavin defeating Kasan in the Lion's Game seems greater than Douglas-Tyson and would have been kept off Vegas and White's books. Still Mary Jo Putney continues to provide a vast panorama of an intriguing bygone era by placing her romances in unique locals. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Definitely *Not* a Light, Fluffy Romance!
Review: Mary Jo Putney is never afraid to tackle more complicated issues in her historical romances (i.e. alcoholism in "The Rake" and depression in "Veils of Silk"), and she takes on some doozies in "The Bartered Bride"--slavery, rape and its aftermath.
The heroine, Alexandra Warren, is a young widow who is traveling back to England from Austrailia with her young daughter when their ship is attacked by pirates in the East Indies and Alex is sold into slavery. Six months later, Captain Gavin Elliott is visiting the island of Maduri and sees Alex being sold in the local slave market and attempts to buy her freedom. The Sultan of Maduri refuses to let him, recognizing that Gavin's concern for the English slave woman may be a way to control the independent Captain. Gavin must risk his own freedom and even his life in a series of tasks known as "The Lion Game" before the Sultan will agree to release Alex.
Gavin is about as decent a guy as you will ever find in a historical romance and Alex is a *very* strong heroine. The story is complicated and the situations heart-wrenching as Gavin tries to help Alex recover from the abuse that she endured as a slave and resume her life. This is definitely *not* light, fluffy romance, but it is different and interesting and very well-written for the most part. (The boiler-plate last minute rescue scene at the end was a bit over-dramatic for my taste, but was fun to read if a bit predicable.)
A well-written book about a complicated subject with a wonderful hero and strong heroine.
Rating:
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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