Reviews for The Bartered Bride (Bride Trilogy)

The average rating for The Bartered Bride (Bride Trilogy) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-04-16 00:00:00 Alice Pudda Opening Line: "The stones of the tower radiated anguish and despair." I'm a little surprised at the bad to mediocre reviews for The Bartered Bride because I absolutely loved it, getting completely drawn into the sweeping adventure. Although in saying that I'm brand new to author Mary Jo Putney and don't generally read a lot of historical romances so I can't make any real comparisons either. What I can say is that I couldn't put this book down; I loved MJP's style of writing, the depth of her characters, the original story ideas, the suspense, the exotic locations and the absence of any TSTL moments. This was a couple that actually talked to each other, so that the conflict here wasn't based on silly secrets or misunderstandings. Gavin and Alex are both adults carrying scars and they dealt with things sensibly. (i.e. they don't jump each others bones and fall in love within a matter of days) They get to know each other, they disagree, and they have issues that need time and patience to work through. And speaking of patience what a superb hero we get in in Gavin, he's just, well… such a nice guy. I fell a little bit in love with him even though I prefer my heroes more on the alpha side. And without going into detail I also have to give credit to the research into the time, it felt very authentic. I even learned me a thing or two. Alexandra Warren and her young daughter are returning from Australia after the death of her husband when their ship is attacked by pirates. Captured, separated and sold into slavery its going to be 6 months before Alex gets her first glimpse at rescue in that of Captain Elliot. American shipping merchant Gavin Elliot has built a fortune in the Far East but his adventures are coming to en end. En route to England he has one last anchor drop before he starts a new life. Whilst being shown around the (make believe) Indonesian island of Maduri by the ruling Sultan, Gavin is appalled to see a European woman being auctioned off in a slave market. Before he can buy her freedom the sultan acquires the woman for himself, (to use against Gavin as a means of blackmail and to acquire his shipping fleet.) The Sultan then offers a wager; if Gavin can beat him in "the lion's game" -a series of tests decided on by the role of the dice, the woman is his; if Gavin loses he gives up his fleet and ten years of his life in servitude. The first half of this book is just awesome, I never knew what contest the role of the dice would bring next, I definitely didn't expect "worshipping the goddess" however. And while this enters into bodice ripper territory its handled here with… can I get away with sensitivity? Yeah it's still rape no matter how you look at it but remember Gavin is a nice guy and kinda forced into it. Okay anyways, the second half of the book takes place in England and while very different its no less enthralling. We have a marriage of convenience, two strangers getting to know and trust each other, a forced lordship, a kidnapping, some surprising sex scenes and charges of murder. While others have complained about the predictability of the plot here it didn't bother me. Yeah the villains were a bit cartoonish but I found it clever how the story opens with Gavin awaiting trial in the tower of London and then makes its way back to how he got there (big surprise who he "murdered") Towards the end of the story I had forgotten all about his fate and was then on absolute pins as he walks to the hangman's noose, assured of certain death. His inner thoughts here were real and heart wrenching. I'm just so happy to have found a new author with such a huge backlist for me to discover. Adventure and romance await. Cheers. 293jb5

Review # 2 was written on 2010-08-21 00:00:00 Phillip Tolbert Oh, what's wrong with me? I should be really liking this book and I just don't. Here's the premise: book opens with hero in the Tower of London, on his way to his trial for the murder of his wife. Hmmm. Good start, I think. Flashback one year -- heroine is on a Dutch trading ship on her way back to England from Australia when their ship is taken by Indonesian pirates. She and her daughter are separated and they are sold as slaves. Oooh, I think. This is different! Hero is in the East Indies, on his last trading run before returning to England. On a royal visit he spies a European woman being sold at a slave auction and his Quaker sensabilities are outraged (Bing! first inkling I ain't gonna like it - I like my heroes with little to no morals) so he finagles a deal in which he can barter for her freedom. He is challenged by the sultan to an ancient game - roll the ivory dice 5 times and win all five challenges, one per day. The challenges are varied and most are life-or-death. A unique bond is forged between Gavin and Alexandra during the course of the 5 days and nights - she is brought to his room in a gilded cage and all of their interaction is through the bars. The final challenge is the deal-breaker, and I won't go into it here. Intriguing (and titillating, and potentially sexy) as it is, this is where the book started to lose me. The hero hasn't been with a woman since his wife died in childbirth almost ten years before. He just doesn't believe in that stuff outside the confines of marriage and the only woman he had even been with was his wife. (Bing! Bing! Strike 2 - my heroes need to be experienced). All very admirable, of course, but where does that leave me, the reader!?!? It leaves me with no love scenes, that's where it leaves me! In the hands of an author like Anne Stuart (my latest obession), Eloisa James, or any of many current writers, this would be no problem. There would be tension, there would be angst, there would be steam. There ain't none here. Maybe that's my problem - the writing. There's nothing grabbing me, pulling me in to the story and making me care about the two main characters. Gavin and Alexandra both seem to be very nice people who had a romantic adventure, but very nice only works for me in real life. Milquetoast, pleasant people don't make for compelling reading, imo. I'm not even really sure what they look like! The author hasn't really given me a whole lot to work with. I've left the book at page 139. They are on their way back to England - Alex is worried about how she and her daughter will be received by society after being abducted, and Gavin has thrown out a proposal of marriage to Alex -- they have to, he says, because of what they did and his moral beliefs (again with these PRINCIPLES!). I'm thinking there's lots of intrigue to come (the book opens with him on trial for Alex's murder) but I just can't stay interested. Dammit. I think I'll put it aside for a day when I'm not so picky.