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5.0 out of 5 stars
No One Does It Like Mary Jo Putney, Nov 4 2002
According to her father's will, Lady Jocelyn Kendal must marry by age twenty-five if she is to receive her inheritance--if she does not, her home and her fortune will go to her aunt and uncle. With only four weeks left now until her birthday, Jocelyn has no suitors that she could stand being married to her whole life that she could bring up to scratch so quickly.Major David Lancaster was gravely wounded at Waterloo--he is paralyzed from the waist down and is dying. His main concern is for his sister, a governess, who will be left all alone after his death. When a friend of the family mentions Major Lancaster to Lady Jocelyn, a plan springs to mind--one that might benefit her as well as the Major... For those of you who have read Mary Jo Putney's books before, I need only assure you that THE BARGAIN is well on par with the usual incredible no-one-else-does-it-like-Putney style that we love so much. For those of you who haven't read a Mary Jo Putney novel yet, this is the perfect one to start with. That Putney style includes sympathetic characters who are not without their foibles and wounds (both outside and in); a range of emotions that are realistic, never manipulated; and such smoothness in storytelling that one easily forgets she is reading, rather than right there in Regency England. THE BARGAIN is an expansion and rewriting of the small traditional Regency THE WOULD-BE WIDOW, first published by Signet in 1989. I had not yet read the original--I was saving it for a rainy day when I needed a guaranteed great read--and to me, THE BARGAIN contains nothing superfluous, no obviously-tacked-on subplots, no detours from the relationship between Jocelyn and David. There is a sweet secondary romance--no, make that two secondary romances--but they serve to enhance the main attraction and nev er distract. I savored all 373 pages of delving deeply into these people's minds and hearts. Ms. Putney should be applauded not only for being a marvelous writer and craftsman, but for all the happiness she brings to millions of readers worldwide. I thank you once again, Mary Jo, not only for a glorious evening, but for all the warmth and joy your characters, their stories, and their worlds give me long after I've closed the book with a happy sigh.
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