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The Bargain (Regency #1)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 1,199 ratings · 129 reviews

Mismatched lovers and unexpected attraction catch fire in this timeless novel by the New York Times bestselling author and legend in historical romance Mary Jo Putney. . .

Forced to wed to keep her inheritance, independent Lady Jocelyn Kendal finds an outrageous solution: she proposes marriage to Major David Lancaster, an officer dying from his Waterloo wounds. In return f...more

ebook, 352 pages

Published April 1st 2011 by Zebra Books (first published 1988)

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Aug 23, 2012 Patacaisse rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un vrai coup de coeur pour ce roman très bien documenté. De plus, j’ai beaucoup aimé la plume de l’auteure.

L’héroïne, Jocelyn, est un personnage antipathique. Elle semble froide, égoïste et manipulatrice.
Face à elle, un héros qui pense mourir très prochainement d’une lésion aux vertèbres due à des éclats d’obus. David est courageux, a le sens de l’humour, est tendre. Bref, Swoooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Jocelyn décide d’épouser David pour pouvoir garder son héritage et comme celui-ci ne devrait pas fai...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Yellow Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this book!!! It is written in a good prose, the action was written smoothly and eloquently the plot was interesting and I kept rooting for Jocelyn and David to finally get together. The novel was relatively clean and I liked that, few sex scenes, the heroine did not suffer a lot Thank God!! I hate when the authors make the heroine weak and helpless.

Jocelyn was strong,independent, maybe a bit to emotionally involved with the Duke, which made her miss her own feelings for David....more

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Aug 20, 2012 Elodie Diebolt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un mot tout d’abord sur la couverture que je trouve absolument superbe et qui donne le ton du roman et qui m’a donné envie de le lire. La quatrième de couverture avait attisé ma curiosité puisque les mariages de convenances sont plutôt monnaie courante dans la noblesse et dans ce genre de roman mais j’était curieuse de voir comment l’auteure allait mener son intrigue. Cette romance historique dispose de tout les ingrédient qu’il me fallait pour me donner envie de me plonger dans sa lecture.

Nous...more Un mot tout d’abord sur la couverture que je trouve absolument superbe et qui donne le ton du roman et qui m’a donné envie de le lire. La quatrième de couverture avait attisé ma curiosité puisque les mariages de convenances sont plutôt monnaie courante dans la noblesse et dans ce genre de roman mais j’était curieuse de voir comment l’auteure allait mener son intrigue. Cette romance historique dispose de tout les ingrédient qu’il me fallait pour me donner envie de me plonger dans sa lecture.

Nous sommes à Londres, alors que Lady Jocelyn apprend une clause du testament de son père qui stipule qu’elle doit se marier avant ses 25 ans si elle veut pouvoir disposer de son héritage. L’une de ses tantes, Elvira, rode comme un rapace autour de sa fortune tandis que l’autre, Laura, est une amie fidèle et pleine de conseils avisés. Loin de se soucier des convenances, Jocelyn fera fi des bonnes manières et trouvera un officier, David, gravement blessé lors de la bataille de Waterloo pour l’épouser tout en sachant que ces jours sont comptés en raison de ses blessures. Mais tout n’est pas aussi simple et il se pourrait bien qu’elle tombe dans son propre piège.

Je l’avoue, j’ai toujours eu un faible pour les héroïnes qui n’en font qu’à leurs tête et qui se fichent des convenances. Avec Jocelyn, j’ai été séduite pas son caractère bien trempé et sa répartie. Loin d’être hautaines et prétentieuse de part sa fortune, c’est une jeune femme toujours prête à aider les plus démunis et chacun de ses actes est d’une profonde gentillesse et bienveillance. J’ai découvert la femme blessé et remplie de peur qui se cachait sous sa carapace et elle m’a beaucoup touché. Elle s’occupe énormément du bien être et du bonheur des autres sans se soucier du sien. David m’a énormément plu. Combatif et persévérant là où d’autres auraient certainement baissé les bras, j’ai admiré sa force et son courage mais aussi sa patience et sa gentillesse. J’avais hâte à chaque page de le retrouver et de voir ce qui allait lui arriver. J’ai découvert un homme tendre et aimant qui a su rester humble et honnête avec ses proches et ses amis. David a également une jeune soeur prénommé Sally et si au premier abord je l’ai trouvé un peu trop agressive, j’ai adoré suivre son évolution et son histoire. Sans oublier l’excellent Ian qui m’a surprise et Richard qui était juste adorable.

Si les personnages ont su me toucher et être attachants, la plume et le style de l’auteure ne sont pas en reste. En effet, la plume de Mary Jo Putney est à la fois fluide et entraînante, les pages défilent à toute allure sans que l’on éprouve le moindre ennui ou là moindre lassitude. Elle a su me tenir en haleine jusqu’au bout et je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de continuer à lire jusqu’à ce que je le termine. Le vocabulaire est riche et pourtant très agréable et simple de compréhension. J’ai beaucoup aimé cette romance pas comme les autres parce qu’elle a ce je ne sais quoi qui a su me séduire et m’emporter de la première à la dernière page.

Que dire de plus si ce n’est que je suis conquise par ma lecture? Je vous recommande vivement ce roman qui m’a fait passé un excellent moment de lecture, me détendre et me séduire.(less)

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Apr 27, 2012 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, historical, romance

First off: HOLY POV SWITCHING BATMAN. I almost put down this book several times as the author switches viewpoint characters mid scene (mid paragraph??) several times in the course of a chapter. And not just between the heroine and hero, but roughly six different viewpoint characters.

I picked this up as a library borrow book based on the reviews on Goodreads from the potential selection of ebooks. As per the above, the author's handling of the view point storytelling was irksome. Additionally, th...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Twiggy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Enjoyable with well drawn characters.

Lady Jocelyn stands to be disinherited from most of her patrimony if she does not marry prior to her 25th birthday.

Her parents went through a public and terrible divorce and this has impacted upon Jocelyn's view of herself and marriage and she has never met a man that she trusts enough to marry and she is afraid of the consequences of love or passion. As her birthday approaches, she considers a variety of different options, whilst secretly thinking that she...more Enjoyable with well drawn characters.

Lady Jocelyn stands to be disinherited from most of her patrimony if she does not marry prior to her 25th birthday.

Her parents went through a public and terrible divorce and this has impacted upon Jocelyn's view of herself and marriage and she has never met a man that she trusts enough to marry and she is afraid of the consequences of love or passion. As her birthday approaches, she considers a variety of different options, whilst secretly thinking that she is attracted tothe Duke of Cardeman, who has not come up to scratch and is unlikely to consider marriage.

She goes to visit a wounded friend in the Duke of York hospital and is introduced to Magor David Lancaster, who is desperately anxious about his sister given his impending death and is also known to her aunt. On the spur of the moment, Jocelyn suggests that they marry to their mutual benefit in that she will keep her inheritance and set up an annuity for his sister.

David agrees and they go through the service.

What is really good about the book is that both david and Jocelyn are inherently decent people. Jocelyn takes David into her home for final care and when his sister manages to find a doctor who gives a second opinion and operates to save David's life, it is clear that Jocelyn is simply relieved that Daid will be spared.
Mutual respect and friendship blossoms between the main protagonists and David finds himself in love with Jocelyn.

Jocelyn however is still trapped by her fears and is very cautious and continues with plans for an annulment.

A gentle wooing occurs and David's surprise inheritance of his father's title gives him confidence to think he can win her.

Of course everything work out well in the end.

There is a secondary romance between the sister and the doctor which is also quite sweet.

This was a gentle romance, which was focused on character and light on sex. All the characters were very likeable and there was a mature quality to the romance.

I liked this a lot. (less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Sonia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1800s, england, historical, romance, series, soldier, marriage-of-convenience, book-1

This was one of those books that I chose based mainly on the beautiful cover it has. Plus, when I read the idea behind the story, I thought it would be interesting as to how it would be developed.
Well to start off, the idea is that Lady Jocelyn must marry before her 25th birthday in order to inherit, so she meets Major David Lancaster who seems to be at death's door. They marry and he obviously makes a miraculous recovery, leaving them both to figure out where their relationship will go.
Through...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Rose May rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: d-plus

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney (revised from The Would-be Widow)

I guess, you guess, she guesses… this book was a guessing game (and not the fun kind) for our hero, heroine and the reader. The heroine spends half the book guessing – its actually noticeable the number of things she discerns just by guessing. Where is the meaningful conversation? The reader, meanwhile, spend...more Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney (revised from The Would-be Widow)

I guess, you guess, she guesses… this book was a guessing game (and not the fun kind) for our hero, heroine and the reader. The heroine spends half the book guessing – its actually noticeable the number of things she discerns just by guessing. Where is the meaningful conversation? The reader, meanwhile, spends most of the book guessing at the heroine’s vast mood swings and temper tantrums (which she claims she doesn’t have often – clearly someone’s been lying to the poor chit).

Lady Jocelyn Kendal marries Major David Lancaster, a man on his deathbed and wasting away, having been seriously injured in the war. Their marriage is clearly one of convenience, each with a very good reason. Jocelyn’s father put a stipend in his will that Jocelyn must marry before her twenty-fifth birthday to continue to receive her vast inheritance. David is worried about who will take care of his governess sister Sally once he kicks the can. Jocelyn promises 500 pounds a year to his sister in exchange for his marriage to her to satisfy the will. She is planning to become the Duke of Candover’s mistress after David dies – since she believes herself in love with him (or not? It was hard to tell) and he won’t offer marriage. David, however, makes a miraculous recovery after the marriage. Oh she-bang, what to do? I’m sure you can imagine.

This book had a lot of potential to be fun – man-and-wife love stories are really fun. However this book was so bungled up with Jocelyn’s strange, erratic, nonsensical behavior that the love couldn’t really blossom. I felt a lot of love on David’s part, and at one point I almost got lost in the story until Jocelyn pulled me back out of it again with yet another one of her antics. David was a really sweet guy even if he, for some reason, fell in love with Jocelyn (poor taste, man). He was loveable, sensitive, and soulful and a very unique hero in that Putney didn’t make a huge deal over his masculinity (especially since he starts the book as an invalid). However Jocelyn’s spoiled, bratty, impulsive attitude really ruined the book for me and with no substantial plot to make up for it, this book sunk lower and lower in my esteem. There were a few redeeming male characters like Richard or Ian, but all the females were irrational and flat which was very irritating.

Finally, Putney does one of the things I most hate in romance novels *****SPOILER ALERT*****- reinforces the idea that money and title are necessary for a happy ending. Partway through the book, David inherits and becomes Lord Presteyne after his three older, evil half-brothers all die. Why is it that the man must be titled for the story to end satisfactorily? Why was David as a war hero, as a Major, not enough? Oh, woe is me. This is one of my biggest buttons and historical writers push it frequently, and with glee. *****END OF SPOILER ALERT*****

“Sexy”ness rating: Mildly hot, lacking the spice of passion, but the wang does make an appearance.

Overall Rating: D+

Bottom Line: Boring, flat characters, an uninteresting storyline and a hysterical heroine make this book really not worth your while.(less)

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May 04, 2011 Belinda Kroll rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, historical, romance, united-kingdom, regency

I can always count on Mary Jo Putney for an entertaining read. In this book, Jocelyn has a deadline to marry by the time she turns 25, or she won't get her inheritance. Her father made the stipulation upon his death because he knew Jocelyn would never turn to marriage willingly. Something in her past just made the whole idea an inconvenience at best, repulsive at worst.

Well, now that the wars with Napoleon are over, Jocelyn comes up with a brilliant, if ethically amoral, idea. Marry a dying majo...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library

This was the first book I've read by Mary Jo Putney and apparently some of the characters here recur in other books. That's always a fun thing to follow with authors.

Jocelyn is an aristocrat who is in for a rude awakening when her seemingly supportive and doting father dies. She accepts losing her ancestral estate but is devastated to learn that if she doesn't marry by the age of 25 she will lose her London home and part of her inheritance to the latest lord in the line and his nasty wife.

David...more

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May 30, 2011 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-novels, 2011-goal-50

I picked up this book because another author recommended Mary Jo Putney (although a different book) and when looking through synopsis of her books I just loved the premise of this one. From the back of the book...

"Forced to wed to keep her inheritance, independent Lady Jocelyn Kendal finds an outrageous solution: she proposes marriage to Major David Lancaster, an officer dying from his Waterloo wounds. In return for making her his wife, she will provide for his governess sister. But after the b...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Tytti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jocelyn Kendal is young woman, whose father has ordered in his will that she must marry not later than 25 years of age. Or she will lost great part of her inheritance. Time is almost here and there's no one to marry.

Major David Lancaster is on his deathbed after wounding in battle. His only concern is his sister Sally (who works as a governess) who is left alone after his death.

After Jocelyn and David meet, she proposes David and in return for making her his wife, she will provide for his sister...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Sasha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chemistry, disappointing-male-lead, historical-romance, beauty, something-to-pass-the-time, expected-more, fluff

"Do not weep for me, my lady. If you remember me at all, I would rather you did with a smile."

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Awwwwwww. I gots them warm fuzzies! ~~Do her dirty, David!~~

High Points.
The era. David. Crazy doctor. Stubborn and headstrong female. Being beautiful. Being plain and still getting the guy. Kindness. getting better. Wooing. Miracles. Love.

Low Points.
Dare I say it, boarder-lined cliche. It was especially cliche near the end and I felt it was a little rushed and it felt a bit fo...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Shelley Hoerauf rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-regency-historical, maryjo-putney, kindleebook

This is the 1st book I've read by Mary Jo Putney, I was quite pleased with it. She definitely painted a good picture of the era. The grimness of the aftermath of the battle of the Waterloo & it's effects on the soldiers that fought there was quite commendable. The portrait that she painted of the military hospital, I could picture the horror of it in my mind. The sad reality of it was,that's how things were. It was quite commendable of David 's sister Sally to find Dr Ian Kinlock & convi...more

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Mar 14, 2009 Corrine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-uk-historical, marriage-of-convenience

Lady Jocelyn Kendal is in need of a temporary husband to fulfil her father's will. Major David Lancaster is in need of financial protection for his sister, as his death seems imminent. Within minutes of meeting, they come to a suitable agreeement, but neither of them bargain on David's sister Sally and surgeon Ian Kinlock interceding. But David's health means that Jocelyn can't marry the man she intended to you, but couldn't bring up to scratch in time.

At first, I was completely prepared to dis...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Thenia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, historical-romance, series

At the first part of the book we see much of Sally, David's sister and annoying know-it-all. When at last she gets over her attitude she becomes a decent extra character. While on that first part Jocelyn is okay in general, we haven't exactly learned all that much about her.

Then she starts feeling sorry for herself because an amazing man is interested in her. Yeah, boo-freakin-hoo. Especially after her freak-out when she learns that (big shocker) he loves her (like he tried to hide it or somethi...more

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May 10, 2012 Caz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-regency, kindle, 4-5-stars, favourites

Loved it! I thought that perhaps it could have done without the secondary romance, between Sarah and the doctor, but that's a minor point. This is the first book I've read by this author, and definitely intend to read more. The characters were well-drawn, and the hero, David, is one of those somewhat unnusual regency heroes, in that he's not a wastrel or a rake, but an all-round decent chap. He's never boring and he's got a good sense of humour - he's rather lovely, really! I liked Jocelyn too;...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Janusz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beautifully written, carefully researched, but ultimately unsatisfying historical romance.

Ms Putney does her best to justify the amoral actions of Jocelyn, the heroine of the story, but not even the lame excuse of deep-seated emotional traumas can make her sympathetic.

The ending of the book is dead weight. The inner monologues and omniscient narrator tells get longer and longer, a sure sign that the threads of the story are not coming together and the author is trying to write her way out of th...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Anna Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

High-brow lady wants her inheritance but not the husband required to get it, so she marries a 'dying' soldier. Who of course doesn't die. The rest of the book is Sergeant Studly trying to woo said Ice Maiden. There were glaring issues... like when he falls into her bed in an opium-stupor, and there's 'no other place for her to sleep' in this immense house... in which she promised there'd always be a bed made up for his sister, in case she chose to stay there.

The contrivances were annoying. The...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Farrah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-reviews, e-books, my-books

I really liked The Bargain. Read it in a day if that means anything to you. Each page I read I watched the original bargain get weaker and weaker as the two truly fell in love with the other (even if the other didn’t want to recognize it). I was intrigued with Major David Lancaster’s patience for his bargained for wife once he learns he will recover and has fallen for the strong willed and independent Lady Jocelyn Kendal. I was even more intrigued with Lady Jocelyn Kendal as we watch her struggl...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 30, 2011 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-regency

This was a good solid romance novel. The setup was clever, and the characters were great. Jocelyn hovers between being a rich bitch and a broken bird. I liked that she was a complicated heroine, who had actual flaws, and that those flaws had an actual bearing on the plot.

Mary Jo Putney did a great job of ratcheting tension between the characters, the romantic tension between Jocelyn and David, the anger between Jocelyn and Sally, Jocelyn's panic at what she stands to lose... it's all great. It...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Rohan Maitzen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once again I liked this one well enough at the beginning but tired of it as it became increasingly saccharine and cliched ("tempest of love"? "oceans of pain"? srsly?). The premise was kind of interesting but also, enough with the tortured backstories! They feel so manufactured--and they are, of course, to create conflict and distance and thus delay the happy ending. I find the happy endings hard enough to take when delivered with the kind of painful sincerity we get here, but the bad writing ma...more

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Nov 06, 2009 Mishel Zabala rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The heroine of the story is Lady Jocelyn Kendal who has a deadline to meet. If she fails to marry before her twenty-five birthday she will lose her inheritance to her uncle and wicked aunt-by-marriage according to her father's will. Not that Jocelyn really needs to money...but she refuses to let her Aunt Elvira get her greedy hands on the inheritance. And Jocelyn is really only interested in one man despite the many men who have tried to woo her. But there's no way she can convince the Duke of C...more The heroine of the story is Lady Jocelyn Kendal who has a deadline to meet. If she fails to marry before her twenty-five birthday she will lose her inheritance to her uncle and wicked aunt-by-marriage according to her father's will. Not that Jocelyn really needs to money...but she refuses to let her Aunt Elvira get her greedy hands on the inheritance. And Jocelyn is really only interested in one man despite the many men who have tried to woo her. But there's no way she can convince the Duke of Canover to marry her in the 4 weeks before her birthday. Besides, he never seems interested in commitment or single women for that matter, but that doesn't stop Jocelyn's feelings for him.

While visiting a friend recuperating at the Military Hospital she realizes she may have come across the answer to her prayers. Major David Lancaster has been fatally wounded and is coming up on his last days. He isn't really afraid to die, he's more worried about his sister's well being and future. So after Jocelyn learns of this she sees an opportunity that she simply can't pass up.

The two decide to marry despite the reaction of those closest to them including David's sister Sally and Jocelyn's beloved aunt. In exchange for the marriage Jocelyn agrees to give money to Sally every year, enough to have Sally living very luxuriously. But Sally is rebellious at the idea. She cares about her brother more than anything and is determined for him to live despite this horrid arrangement. She seeks out the help of an eccentric surgeon who actually performs a very risky but successful surgery. With David no longer dieing, Jocelyn finds her marriage of convenience turning into one of inconvenience.

THE BARGAIN was sweet and impossible to put down. I haven't read the original version but I know I enjoyed this revamped story. Jocelyn is kind at heart and very strong-willed. I found her frustrtating at times though. Although she has some deeply buried emotional issues from her past, I still find it hard to accept that she just refuses to acknowledge her growing feelings for David as the marriage progresses. David is everything a proper hero should be; kind, brave, loyal, unselfish. And yet, Jocelyn only wants him as a friend or an adoptive brother! I wanted to shake her sometimes. But we all have issues so I didn't fault her for problems.

I basically enjoyed how the story flowed. There was even a secondary romance between David's sister Sally and the surgeon, Ian. It was subtle at first and even though it became a bit predictable at the end, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sally and the doctor find their HEA. I'll definitely be getting my hands on more of Putney's books soon. And I think any romance fan will enjoy THE BARGAIN =)(less)

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Feb 15, 2012 Qing rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regency, trashy-romance

I didn't like Jocelyn or Sally at first (they were so disagreeable!), glad I warmed up to them later on. Characters overall were quite well drawn and we see Richard Dalton much earlier on too! Which was interesting. He's still a bit too nice, but felt it's given him more depth overall (though I do feel like I've read the books backwards, as I've already read his happy ending).

Pace was a bit plodding but consistent, story wasn't too bad.

I wonder if the Duke of Candover is next (haha just checked,...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it-book

3.5 stars
I actually liked this book quite a lot. The premise of contracting a marriage of convenience with a dying man was intriguing and well played. The time scale seemed too compressed and there were a few unnecessary scenes, but it was quite enjoyable. I liked the antagonism between Jocelyn and Sally at the beginning. It was refreshing to see the heroine in a different, unflattering light. The secondary romance was wonderful, and though I don't generally think much of the makeover leading to...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Diluted Water rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lits

Very good, surprised me how much plot there was for a romance novel and I enjoyed it very much. My only complaints that make me rate it down to a four-star, are that the romances in the novel, while progressive at first, near the end feel a bit rushed, especially the main one- I felt like within the last three chapters, the author suddenly felt the need to rush through the book, which completely clashed with the gradual progression that had been her style until that point. Sure the ending was ha...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Zette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am someone who only likes to read clean romances and unfortunately the reviewer that said it was clean must be used to a little more spice than I am :o) I was disappointed that I had to skip over a few scenes toward the end of the book but am not letting it influence my rating since explicitness is relative to each reader's own opinion.

I thought the plot was a creative take on a marriage of convenience story. Lady Jocelyn was a little too refined for me but the author added enough glimpses of...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Tia Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: so-so-books

This was actually a pretty good story, it was well written, and the characters were not completely cookie cutter romance tripe.

There were some parts there were sooo convenient as to be laughable but over all it was a pretty decent love story.

I just wonder why romance novels always concentrate on the wealthy, titled, attractive people? I'd read a book about a balding butler and his slightly overweight scullion lover.

6 books to go to GOAL!!

I have to hit up the library again tomorrow. I started...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Lucille rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2 STARS
I liked the plot, but I hated the characters. Or should I say character. I dislike Jocelyn from the beginning up to the end. She is irredeemable. She is freaking obsessed with Candover who she hardly knows and obviously doesn't care for her and never will. She wanted to be different from her supposedly whore mother but only desires physical activities outside marriage. To me, she is a wth kind of woman. On the other hand, I liked David. He loved Jocelyn and pursued her even though she con...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Every once in awhile I pick up a romance (especially if I've been reading heavier things) to get a chance to rest. Some of them I never finish - they make me roll my eyes - and then I go right back to reading other things.

But, I have to say, I did finish this one. It was sweet - not a lot of heat, which was just fine for its tone. The story itself was a bit unusual in its morbidity at first, and the major did heal awfully rapidly, but the tension in the relationship was pretty much just right. I...more

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About Mary Jo Putney

She writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.

Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably...more She writes young adult fiction as M.J. Putney.

Mary Jo Putney was born in Upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she did various forms of design work in California and England before inertia took over in Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived very comfortably ever since.

While becoming a novelist was her ultimate fantasy, it never occurred to her that writing was an achievable goal until she acquired a computer for other purposes. When the realization hit that a computer was the ultimate writing tool, she charged merrily into her first book with an ignorance that illustrates the adage that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Fortune sometimes favors the foolish and her first book sold quickly, thereby changing her life forever, in most ways for the better. (“But why didn't anyone tell me that writing would change the way one reads?”) Like a lemming over a cliff, she gave up her freelance graphic design business to become a full-time writer as soon as possible.

Since 1987, Ms. Putney has published twenty-nine books and counting. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly. Five of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. The Spiral Path and Stolen Magic were chosen as one of Top Ten romances of their years by Booklist, published by the American Library Association.

A nine-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, she has won RITAs for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer and is on the RWA Honor Roll for bestselling authors. She has been awarded two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. Though most of her books have been historical, she has also published three contemporary romances. The Marriage Spell will be out in June 2006 in hardcover, and Stolen Magic (written as M. J. Putney) will be released in July 2006.

Ms. Putney says that not least among the blessings of a full-time writing career is that one almost never has to wear pantyhose.(less)

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“But gratitude would not have me love you as I do. Love was inspired by what you are - the good, the bad, and even the foolish, which is what you're being right now.” — 7 people liked it

“But why, she thought wryly, did a man seem more attractive as he became less available? How humbling to think one had so much in common with a cow stretching its neck through a gate for better grass.” — 6 people liked it

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