This book was amazing. It was truly beautiful!!!! I would give it a 4.7 stars because there are some parts of the book wherein I was either confused or angry.The book features the couples Jocelyn and David and Sally and Ian . The main couple is Jocelyn and David. Sally is David's sister and Ian is David's surgeon, the surgeon who helped David walk again.It was a beautifully, well-written book. Here is what I liked about it1) Lady Jocelyn is a completely honest and good, charitable person. Here are some examples:--For each pence (British currency) she spends on her gown, she gives the EXACT amount of money to an orphanage. She does not brag about this.--She married because her Father's will stated that she marries by her 25th birthday, or else she would lose her fortune. When she proposed to David, she was completely honest about why she wanted the marriage and why she chose to marry him.--Throughout most of the book, she wanted another guy while she was married to David. She knew that before she married him and did not keep that a secret from her husband. She was not arrogant or anything about it.2) David, the book's hero, is a very nice and good person who is very understanding and patient towards his wife3) Jocelyn and David's reconciliation at the end of the book4) the book's ending5) Sally and Ian's ending6) the author's writing style7) I loved how the couple fell in love and became closer GRADUALLY throughout the book. Their romance was not rushed at all, neither were Sally and Ian's. I appreciate this more than ever.In most romance novels, the couples feel something close to lust, or more, upon first glance, then have this urgency to quickly take it to the next level. This book was not like that.Here are negative things I thought about the book1) The book portrayed Jocelyn's mother in a very negative light.2) David felt something special for Jocelyn when he first saw her. I do not believe in love at first sight. However, in David's case it made sense that upon first seeing her, he was ready to give her the moon.3) After Sally (David's sister) proposed to Ian and he accepted, she told him that she will make 500 pounds a year. I was confused as hell and angry at his repose. WHAT the hell did he mean by: "The annuity is that much?" Ian asked as he escorted her to the door. "If you'd told me you were a wealthy woman, I would have proposed earlier." What does he mean he would have proposed earlier had he known she were wealthy?? It made me angry because I wondered if that meant that he valued her because she was wealthy. However, that is not the case because he accepted the proposal before he knew of her wealth. 4) The book portrayed Jocelyn's mother in a very negative light.5) In the end, Jocelyn went to live in her husband's home. What happens to her London home that she had been living in? Is it just simply a London residence that she and David will stay in when they decide to visit London?6) Jocelyn and David both had compassion for war veterans and Jocelyn is a very kind and generous person. However, there were no mention of her donating to the Duke of York Military Hospital, the place where Jocelyn met her husband. I am surprised that there was no mention of them trying to better the hospital.
This is a lovely story. Ms Putney has given us magic as she normally does.Jocelyn must marry before her 25th birthday in order to inherit money from her father's estate. She is lusting after a duke who has no plan to ever marry, his normal conquests are experienced women. So, she comes up with a brilliant idea. She will marry a soldier who is in the hospital and near death. That way, she will appear to be an experienced woman and she feels sure she can lure her duke into a marriage.David is the man she finds to become her groom in the pretend marriage. It is evident he cannot live much longer so he is the perfect candidate.But, David comes under the care of a talented surgeon and surprisingly, he lives. Slowly but surely David recovers and Jocelyn is drawn into his recovery and in the process she learns who David truly is.At first Jocelyn appears to be a cold woman who wants what she wants, no matter who might be hurt in the process. Because of her family history, she has learned to keep herself distant from people and the world in general. In reality, she has a kind heart and a generous nature. David is an officer who was at Waterloo and he is a very strong willed person. His will is a big part of his miraculous recovery. He is a good man who almost immediately has fallen for his wife. When he realizes she has no intention having a true marriage no matter what, he begins a campaign to convince her otherwise.The plot is an interesting form of marriage in name only. There is a true courtship that follows the marriage and as the courtship progresses we get to know the true character of both Jocelyn and David.The characters are very well developed. The secondary characters are terrific. Sally is David's sister and she immediately becomes an adversary for Jocelyn. The surgeon's character reminds us of the normal medical care of the day and the very good chance that the medicine of the day ended in death more than healing.There is a wonderful texture to the story. Everyone from the heroine and hero to the servants are presented in a way that makes the reader see them as they must have been. If you like a very romantic story, then this book will bring you much enjoyment.I received this book in a contest with the hope that I would write a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
What do You think about The Bargain (1999)?
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, the author felt the need to tell 4 separate love stories (one of a loving marriage already well advance, two servants courting, the sister of the hero and her interest, and the actual hero & heroine). I don't mind a beta love story, but I minded three. All that aside, the romance between David & Jocelyn, after the marriage of convenience where David accidentially didn't die, was quite lovely. David is a likeable character, and Jocelyn also finds this to be true after getting to know him. Jocelyn was a likeable lady, but her 'deep dark secret' was not well telegraphed and I felt too little to justify all the drama she had as a result. The resolution was also far too quick and tied up in a bow, which was unfortunate as the blossoming love between David & Jocelyn in both London and the country was well done.
—Dawn
“The marriage of convenience is a time-honored tradition, though I’ve never heard of one quite like this...But everyone benefits.”Lady Jocelyn Kendal is running out of time. Her father's will gives her until she turns twenty-five to marry, or she's going to lose her inheritance. She's had her eye on a duke, but he doesn't seem to be the marrying kind - he prefers experienced widows to virginal misses. While at a visit to a military hospital, she meets Major David Lancaster, who is expected to die any day now. David's worried about his sister's welfare (currently working as a governess) once he's gone and Jocelyn can offer her an annuity to see she's never left wanting for money. So, it seems a win-win for both and the deed is done, Jocelyn will soon be a widow and she's safe to take on lovers like that elusive duke. Boy, is the protective sister ever ticked (I did not care for her reverse snobbery one whit). Edit: I did forget to mention that I was not fond of the sister's secondary storyline and romance, ended up skimming through that."Is it a new fashion for wealthy society ladies to marry dying soldiers, as one would choose a new hat? Will you be telling your friends what an amusing game you have found?" Since this is a romance, I don't think anyone will be surprised when events happen and David doesn't die and our pair seem to find themselves quite attracted to each other. Or will David let Jocelyn have an annulment so she can have her grand affair with the duke? I enjoyed this a lot, the build up on the tension between the two was nice and slow (but steamy). I can see why some readers might be put off by Jocelyn's hanging onto her infatuation for the duke a bit too long and not seeing the forest through the trees in her dishy husband, but I didn't feel that way. She was always open and up front about him with David. Ymmv.My copy borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.
—Misfit
A classic romance. The focus of this novel is on the relationship. No suspense, no mystery, just a solid story of a man and a woman finding each other. Those who dislike romances wouldn’t like it, but for those who do, it would be a pleasant journey into Regency fluff. I won’t go into the particulars of the plot here; you know what to expect, but I’ll say that the book is written well and reads fast. Both protagonists are sympathetic if not truly alive, and the mandatory happily-ever-after arrives on schedule just before the epilogue. Not bad. Despite its banality, I enjoyed it. I’ve read a couple of this writer’s books before and liked them enough to pick this one from a shelf in our Salvation Army Thrift shop. I wasn’t disappointed and I’m going to read Mary Jo Putney again.
—Olga Godim
