| Title | : | The Wild Child (The Bride Trilogy, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0449005844 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780449005842 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published June 29, 1999 |
| Awards | : | RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Long Historical Romance (2000) |
For much of her life Meriel has lived outside normal society, finding joy and peace in her garden, safe from the nightmare that nearly destroyed her as a child. She is content with solitude until the handsome intruder begins to inspire dreams of life beyond her sanctuary. Despite his longing, Dominic's sense of duty keeps him away from his brother's future bride, but Meriel's untamed spirit proves more powerful than Dominic can resist . . .
The Wild Child (The Bride Trilogy, #1) Reviews
-
I picked this book up randomly at the bookstore and, before I knew it, I had read the first six chapters and was on my way to skimming the rest of the story. Before the store clerk approached me and demanded me to buy the darn book already, I decided to save him the trouble and went straight to the cashier - with the book in hand, of course! :)
Considering the fact that I couldn't stop reading the book at the store, I was more than certain that I would love it. What can I say? It's good to be right! (LOL) As I write this, this gem is sitting neatly on my keepers shelf.
I really enjoyed MJP's writing. I'm not a big fan of overly descriptive scenes and, considering how Meriel, the heroine, was basically mute for more than half of the story, I was wondering how MJP would pull this off. Not to mention her relationship with Dominic, the hero. If she didn't speak, how could they communicate? And if they didn't communicate, how could they fall in love with each other in a believable way? Well, MJP made it all work! Her descriptions of Meriel's flower arrangements and her garden were so vivid, I could almost see them. No wonder Dominic was fascinated by her, and the more time he spent with her, the more he got to know her and see behind her facade. From there to falling in love with her, it was only a matter of time.
Meriel was not a typical heroine. Although stunningly beautiful - in the eyes of Dominic, anyway -, she started out as a rather selfish person. I understood why she chose to retreat into her own world - aside from the whole murdering of her parents and her being kidnapped at the young age of five, there was one particular event that had me cringing in horror even though she herself didn't seem to pay much importance to it - and I never blamed her for it, but it prevented her from maturing. She was just too comfortable living as she pleased and having every one of her whims fulfilled - after all, she was "mad". In a way, the way she seduced Dominic was the ultimate example of her selfishness because she wasn't thinking about anything else but her own wishes. Was it wrong of her? Was she despicable? No, because there wasn't any malice in her mind. She just didn't understand the so-called "society´s rules of proper behavior". It took Dominic's love to make her finally grow up and take responsability for her own life. But her journey back to a "normal" life wasn't an easy one - as it shouldn't have been - and I had a very fretful moment when she was sent to the asylum. Thankfully, she had Dominic...
And what a wonderful hero Dominic was! Decent, sensitive and caring, he started courting Meriel out of deceit, pretending to be his twin brother Kyle. But he wasn't comfortable with it and never intended to hurt any part involved. Unfortunately, that was bound to happen once he fell in love with Meriel and he had to choose between saving her life or betraying his estranged brother. There wasn't any doubt about what he would choose to do, but it wasn't an easy decision and I could really feel how much he regretted having to hurt Kyle. I have to say, MJP's depiction of Dominic and Kyle's relationship was as powerful as Dominic and Meriel's, and I really rooted for the two brothers' reconciliation. As this is a romance novel, Dominic and Meriel's HEA was a given, but I wasn't sure how, and if, Dominic and Kyle would ever make amends.
The Wild Child was basically focused on Dominic and Meriel, their growing relationship and her slow but steady "recovery", but there was room for a bunch of interesting secondary characters: the already mentioned Kyle, Meriel's uncles and aunts, her Indian servant Kamal, her childhood friend Jena, Dominic's sister Lucia... All of them were three-dimensional people and had stories of their own but, all the while, didn't detract from the main storyline. They actually added to it, since they were all connected.
The "unexpected" villain in the end wasn't much a surprise for me. Suspicious that I am, I saw it coming a mile away, but this wasn't a romantic suspense so there was nothing wrong with that. In fact, it was a nice way to set everything "right". I also loved the epilogue, because I got to see that Meriel would never be a "normal" woman and, especially, that Dominic had learned that being "mad" once in a while had its advantages... ;)
This was my first book by MJP but I can safely say it won't be my last! -
3.5 stars for this Kindle freebie (as of Sept. 1, 2018), a 1999 Regency romance by Mary Jo Putney. If you like the steamier types of Regencies and don’t mind the improbable seductive virgin trope or the equally improbable treatment/cure of mental illness, this novel has an interesting plot, some touching moments, and an unexpected twist to thicken the plot. Also handsome identical twins! with a complicated relationship (more complicated than the one between the hero and heroine, actually).
Dominic isaskedbribed by his older brother Kyle to go to the country and make nice with an heiress he’s supposed to marry, an arranged marriage. She’s been mentally ill since the age of five because of some vastly traumatic experiences in colonial India, when her parents were killed, and hasn’t spoken a word since. Kyle has conflicting plans that he’s very close-mouthed about, but he figures no one will be able to tell the difference, especially his intended bride Meriel. The expected happens and Dominic starts to fall for Meriel.
Putney has an engaging writing style, and I enjoyed the characters and story, except for the issues mentioned above. -
5 Estrellitas. Me ha encantado éste libro. Fue una grata sorpresa saber que pese a que ésta es una trilogía antoconclusiva y con la salvedad de los siglos pasados, está relacionada con "Cautivos del destino", de los mejores que he leído de Mary Jo Putney.
Esta autora tiene libros y libros, no esperaba mucho de este, y quizás por eso me ha gustado tanto. Me ha resultado un libro romántico precioso y maravilloso y con unos protagonistas increíbles. Lo mejor sin duda ha sido la evolución de los personajes.
¿Qué nos cuenta "La novia salvaje"? La protagonista Meriel, era la hija de un conde en una misión en la India, con solo cinco años, fueron atacados por bandidos y sólo sobrevivió ella, que fue una cautiva hasta que decidieron devolverla a los ingleses poco tiempo después. El trauma sufrido por Meriel la convirtió en una criatura tímida y retraída, sin ningún tipo de interacción social ni realidad del mundo que la rodeaba, y también dejó de hablar. En Inglaterra, sus tíos y tutores la llevaron a Warfield, su mansión heredada por sus padres, y allí ha vivido como una salvaje y en total libertad, donde todos la han conocido como la loca de Warfield.
El protagonista Dominic es el segundón de un importante conde y por lo tanto del que menos se espera. Su hermano gemelo Kyle, con el que no tiene mucho trato, acaba de pedirle que le haga el favor de hacerse pasar por él para cortejar a su prometida, Meriel, la loca de Warfield. El enlace fue pactado hace dos décadas, y aunque Kyle no está en contra del matrimonio pese a saber la locura que padece Meriel, ahora se encuentra en una difícil situación y no puede acudir a Warfield.
Dominic accede, a la vez que no espera mucho de dicho viaje. Su sorpresa será mayúscula cuando descubra a Meriel, una criatura tan hermosa como salvaje, independiente y feroz, que vive en su retraído mundo como si aún fuera una niña. Uno de los tíos de Meriel pactó el matrimonio con Kyle para que ella estuviera a salvo, el otro quiere recluirla en un manicomio para quitarse el lastre de encima. Pero cuando Dominic conozca a Meriel su mundo se tambaleará, pues la pasión entre ambos será más arrolladora de lo esperado. Dominic sabe que bajo esa salvaje criatura, se esconde una mujer frágil con un terrible pasado, y que de hecho no está nada loca; solo con paciencia y amor conseguirá que Meriel vuelva al mundo real.
Básicamente es esto lo que nos encontramos en "La novia salvaje", no es que sea muy novedoso, pero Mary Jo Putney le da un toque propio y original, y tras muchos libros suyos leídos, me doy cuenta de que cada vez me gusta más. Sin duda éste es uno de los imprescindibles. Es un libro precioso que me ha encantado, su historia y sus protagonistas, la increíble paciencia, ternura y amor que derrocha Dominic, a la vez que la dulzura e inocencia de Meriel la hagan florecer como mujer. Me ha gustado mucho mucho la evolución.
No quiero contar mucho mas porque el libro merece la pena leerse, y tampoco puedo explayarme mucho más, es la primera vez que escribo una crítica desde el móvil y no sé cuál será el resultado. Me han gustado muchos los breves capítulos de Kyle con su amante española, y espero con muchas ansias su libro, que empezaré los próximos días. -
Read: 8/10/22
3.5 stars
It was an interesting story or atleast an unique one!
Lady Meriel lives in her own world after the tragic death of her parents in India. Something that happens 10+ years ago. She mainly spends her time taking care of her plants.
Kyle is engaged to Meriel through her uncle. Unfortunately, his mistress is dying so he asked his twin brother Dominic to trade places for a few weeks.
Dominic seems to understand Meriel. He sees the intelligent girl she hids. Slowly these two begin to bond and fall in love. But soon a danger presents it's self and Lady Meriel could be spending her life in an insane asylum.
For the most part this was a cute delightful story! I loved watching these two fall in love. Super sweet😋
The problem was that the story was too long. Some editing would have helped. Also she was 6 years old when her parents died, don't you think her family enabled her for far too long. -
This may be one of the most imaginative historical romances I've ever read.
Kyle and Dominic are twins, Kyle being born first. This means Kyle is the official heir. The boys were close as children, but then their parents made a choice that caused a rift that never closed.
But, Kyle now needs his brother to help him with a very delicate matter. Kyle has to see to some very painful and personal affairs, but he is supposed to meet and get to know his intended bride. So, he enlisted Dominic to woo the fiance' so he could take care of the things he needed to. He knew Dominic wouldn't help him unless he made him an offer he couldn't refuse. ( In this case, an estate his brother would have to call his own)
So, Dominic agrees to pretend to be Kyle for a few weeks.
Meriel experienced a traumatic event when she was a child. Both her parents were killed in a raid. She was shuffled around until someone finally contacted her next of kin. Meriel never spoke another word after she was returned to her uncles. So, it was assumed she was "mad". Meriel ran wild on her estate. She spent a great deal of time outdoors in her garden. She had a tree house she spent a lot of time in. She ran loose with no rules or school or any of society's strict expectations of a young heiress. The match with Kyle had been decided over 20 years ago, between families. It was hoped that marriage would bring Meriel out of her shell and she would become more normal.
It took Dominic a little while to convince Meriel to spend time with him. But, once they did start to get to know each other, Meriel responded to him. Dominic was so enchanted with her, he knew he had to leave the estate or he would betray his brother in the worst way.
However, one Meriel's uncles had kept her out of an asylum while the other one wanted her committed. When the "good" uncle became ill, and the "bad" uncle learned of the plot to marry Meriel off, he came after her to stop the marriage.
The story was quite interesting. I found myself stopping throughout the day and reading a chapter or two. I couldn't wait to see what would happen between the two brothers, and the two uncles, and with Meriel.
My heart ached for Kyle. I really did feel sorry for him. But, I also knew that he wouldn't have been good for Meriel. Dominic had also suffered great pain during his time in the army, and could relate to Meriel's pain. There were some really funny moments when Muriel, who knew a great deal more than she let on, acted on impulse, and times when she was very clever. (She wanted Dominic, and found a rather inventive way to loosen his inhibitions) She was a very bad girl sometimes.
Her methods were controversial and might raise a few eyebrows. But, this is an older historical romance, which often pushed the envelope a bit too far.
It was refreshing to have a female that appeared fragile, and was, but was also strong and knew her mind. She was at the mercy of so many people with their own agendas, but she rose to the occasion even when she didn't want to.
I also liked that there were so many people that did really care for Meriel, and really liked her even though she didn't follow convention. That is truly a sign of real friendship and love when people love you just the way you are.
The ending of the book was bittersweet. Meriel will finally be able to put her demons behind her, she and Dominic will be able to live their lives with the blessings of both sides of their families. But, Kyle's story left me still feeling sad. I know that his story is explored in the next book in this trilogy and I am looking forward to seeing him have his HEA. -
Me ha gustado bastante.
Creo que es el segundo libro que leo de la autora, el primero que leí de ella me gustó muchísimo por lo que me dejó un buen sabor de boca para seguir leyéndola.
Me gustó mucho la historia si tiene sus cositas poco creíbles y telenovelezcas pero ahí en fuera es una historia divertida.
Los protagonistas me gustaron mucho Dominic me pareció muy bueno yo pensé que sería más descarado irreverente pero no en el fondo es más sereno y paciente, le gusta el campo y todas esas cualidades hizo que entendiera, pudiera ayudar y sobre todo a conectar con Meriel.
Meriel es una joven que sufrió una tragedia cuando era niña por lo que se refugió en su mente y se desconectó del mundo exterior hasta que conoce a Dominic que la hace sentir cosas y querer volver a conectar.
Es una protagonista bastante atípica, ella lo que quiere va y lo toma en ese caso es Dominic y me pareció muy chistoso como ella lo seducía y él pobre sufría porque quería hacer lo correcto.
El final me pareció que hubo drama de más aunque ya se veía venir desde el inicio fue muy predecible. -
4.5⭐
I was looking for a twin switch mess story and this one was magnificent.
I don't usually like reading about mental problems and/or asylum but this one was worth it. Some things were a bit repetitive but it was super nice seeing the heroine overcome her childhood trauma and opening up to the hero.
I loved seeing her simplicity of thinking and acting and it was quite hilarious that the hero had a lot of morals and honor and she wanted to seduce him out of it.
If you like twin stories, I recommend this one. -
Me encantó. Casi un cuento de hadas.
Lady Meriel es una joven de 23 años que vive en su propiedad campestre, bajo la tutoría de sus dos tíos. A los 5 años quedó huérfana en un terrible ataque que sufrió su familia en la India. Ella fue rescatada tiempo después de una especie de harén pero cuando vuelve a Inglaterra se convierte en una niña que no habla, no se relaciona con los demás, una especie de autista que solo se relaciona con las plantas y animales. Pero en realidad no está tan aislada sino que usa esa conducta como un escudo para protegerse.
En su infancia, sus padres había concertado un matrimonio de conveniencia con Kyle, heredero de un condado. En la actualidad, uno de los tíos de Meriel insiste en que se lleve a cabo ese matrimonio para protegerla y evitar que sea enviada a un manicomio.
Pero Kyle está viviendo un momento sentimental muy dramático que lo obliga a viajar y pide ayuda a su hermano gemelo, Dominic, para que se haga pasar por él, vaya a la finca de Meriel, la corteje o, por lo menos, verifique si la chica está dispuesta y en condiciones para el matrimonio. Los hermanos no se llevan bien. Eran inseparables en su infancia pero la vida y los malos entendidos los separaron.
Y bueno, Dominic (que es un amor) logra conectar y entender a Meriel, la encuentra irresistible porque a pesar de todo es un espíritu libre de los convencionalismos.
Todo se complica cuando el pasado pone en peligro a Meriel y Dominic deba tomar acciones que pueden hacer peligrar aún más su relación con su hermano.
Realmente dudaba en empezar esta historia. Eso que Meriel fuera considerada prácticamente una loca, no sé, no sabía cómo iba a resolverlo la autora. Pero creo que lo hizo muy bien, con la ayuda de Dominic, claro.
A lo largo de la novela también vamos entendiendo las cosas que separaron a los hermanos. Quizá la resolución de su conflicto me pareció un poco simple, pero realmente disfruté mucho la lectura.
Varias escenas hot. -
The Wild Child is surprisingly “out of the box” from what we normally get with historical romance. Oh we’ve seen the hero before- a sexy but wastrel rake who isn’t as much of a wastrel as what we first believe- but the heroine in The Wild Child is all together different.
The story begins for us when the heroine’s uncles come to India to collect her after a viscous uprising kills her parents and everyone around her. Meriel has retreated into a world of her own, unresponsive except to the flowers and animals she keeps close to her. Years later, back in England- she is still in that same world.
Becoming something of a legend she has not left Warfield, her enclosed home and sanctuary, for all this time. Her uncles could not bare the thought of her in an insane asylum but by allowing her to run wild and do as she has pleases for so long, she has yet to overcome her past. In her stubbornness, she has remained safely ensconced in her own little world, fey, beautiful and mute.
But one Uncle is determined to secure her safety and has set up an arranged bethrothel with Lord Maxwell, with the one caveat- that she must accept him.
Kyle, has set in his mind that he will indeed marry her, but there is one thing he must do before he does so. So when an arranged time is set up for he and Meriel to get to know each other better at Warfield … he sends his identical twin brother Dominic instead.
Dominic is appalled at his brother’s suggestion. The second son, he has been living a life of parties and nights on the town even though his heart is to manage his father’s property- property that will go to the real Heir, Lord Maxwell. He and Kyle have long been estranged, ever since his father separated them as children, sending them to different schools. But he cannot resist his normally cold brother’s heated plea for help this one last time.
When Dominic arrives at Warfield, Meriel is the only one to realize that Dominic is not the same man who came to visit before. She senses this man is far more dangerous despite the fact he exudes a peaceful strength, unlike the man who came before him. Dangerous because she knows this one will be the one who to tear down the walls that’s kept her safe for so long …
Even though this has been out for almost ten years, TWC has more to offer than many of the newer historical romances coming out of late At first I couldn’t see how on earth Putney could pair this heroine with a hero in any kind of sexual way because of Meriel's seeming lost child innocence. But she does so and makes it believable! (The scene where Meriel paints mendhi on Dominic’s upper body is so sensual it caught my breath.)
The Secondary plot involving the cause of the battle that destroyed Meriel's loved ones as well as her sanity fits well into the story and I found the resolution worked well.
The next layer of the plot that Putney throws into the mix involving Dominic’s twin Kyle, was a good set up for the next novel, The China Bride, without being obtrusive and I'm looking forward to reading it!
TWC is fresh and different enough to remain so for some time, imo. -
Are you tired of reading rakish hero who's scared of commitment and living in debauchery?
Do you love a heroine who's self-assured and knows what she wants and go and get it?
Do you want a sweet love story between a mad girl and the man who's trying to understand her?
Well go further, this is the book for you. Dominic is probably one of the kindest historical romance heroes I've ever read. He is the perfect picture of a gentleman. All the seducing stuffs, was mainly done by the heroine. So, that was different and so much fun.
My only downside to this, it was too sweet for me dammit 😂. The only angst came from Kyle (Dominic's twin) and I love his character to death. And man, I also love the side plot with the broken relationship he had with Dominic. That reminded me a lot of my relationship with my brother, which made it even more profound. -
Heartfelt
I have a love hate relationship with these books so well-written with heartbreaking events that make me cry multiple times. Some of the best writing, emotionally cathartic; but I can't do it too often. Now on to something light! -
Dominic is supposed to become acquainted with his brother's to-be-betrothed lady acquaintance, Merial, who everyone thinks is mad. THEY FALL IN LOVE.
1. There's a little bit of everything in this book, including: false identities; space-time twin feelings; auras; henna; the Magic Penis Cure©; tree-house sex; nefarious evil-doers hiding in plain sight; hasty marriages; the reconciliation of a well-divided family; etc.
It's a bit much.
2. MAGIC PENIS CURE!! Merial, who hasn't spoken since she was rescued a year after a raid killed her parents, speaks fluently and eloquently mere minutes after a good solid cocking!! BECAUSE PENISES FIX ALL THINGS, INCLUDING MUTENESS!!
3. So many clunkers in this book. The prose hits its stride only to fall over dead with lines like "Dominic was lucky to have him as a friend." OH WAS HE? LUCKY? YOU DON'T SAY. It just unravels everything the narrative attempts to establish because it's so heavy-handed and unfeeling.
(Moment of nerdery: it reminds me of the episode of Futurama called 'I Dated a Robot' when Liu-bot attempts to respond to Fry's conversation:Fry: This is the best movie I've ever seen. It has a vampire and an explosion!
Liubot: It's amazing the way you [mechanical voice] notice two things. -
Me gustó, creo que el puntaje correcto sería 3.5⭐
Si bien al principio fue lento, la lectura no se me hizo tediosa. Pero sentí el final muy abrupto y al romance le faltó más... Mucho más. En fin, una historia interesante y distinta. -
It's been almost 10 years since I first read this book and I really enjoyed the reread. After 10 years I'd forgotten most of the details and it was like reading it for the first time. I changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars.
I usually have a hard time reading books where the plot is based on deception, but I felt like the reasons made sense and I really enjoyed this book.
This book has a mute h who hasn't spoken since the night her parents were killed 20? years ago. The H pretends to be his identical twin brother to go court the h. Everyone thinks she's mad so who will know the difference. It turns out that the H is perfect for the h. He's patient and kind, and he takes the time to figure her out and understand her.
This is one of those books where the secondary characters were just as interesting as the MC. It's quite a lovely story and the deception comes to a natural conclusion with minimal angst.
Safety -
Kyle, el hermano de Dominic Renbourne le pide que se haga pasar por él y cortejar a su futura esposa, Meriel Grahame. Meriel es una muchacha bastante especial, desde que le acaeció un terrible suceso en el pasado se ha aislado del mundo. Dom y Meriel sentirán una atracción mutua y deberán sortear muchos obstáculos.
Esta novela es la primer de la serie “Novias”, sin duda la autora me ha vuelto a sorprender, no por su pluma que ya ha quedado más que demostrado, sus relatos no me aburren nada, la lectura fluye y no hay momento en que diga que me aburro o desconecte. Lo que me ha sorprendido es el personaje de Meriel, y es que no es nada fácil plasmar la personalidad de esta muchacha, sin apenas diálogo con ella (más de la mitad del libro sin tener ni uno solo) y la autora tiene la capacidad de que entiendas perfectamente al personaje. Y vale, sí, no tenemos diálogo pero tenemos sus pensamientos, pero a veces muchos autores ni con eso consiguen transmitir, así que por todo esto ya tiene el aprobado conseguido. Meriel es sin duda muy particular, como trasfondo tenemos la incógnita de su pasado del que entendemos su conducta en el futuro pero además me ha sorprendido lo “moderna” que se muestra, una contradicción, no lo esperaba y me sorprendió para bien.
Pero para ir subiendo notas, nos ponen en bandeja a Dominic Renbourne, que lleva el peso de la conversación nunca mejor dicho y complementa a la perfección. Es un hombre que sabe “escuchar” con una capacidad de comprensión importante, que empatiza y que conecta con Meriel. Una pareja que me sorprendió y me agradó, que tuvo momentos bastante buenos, la autora sabe darnos buenos momentos y escenas de recordar.
Los secundario tampoco son desdeñables y tenemos a un hermano (Kyle) que vive su propia penitencia y con el que conectaremos enseguida; y luego otros como la hermana de Dom, Kamal... que aportan su grano de arena en la historia.
En definitiva, no me pareció de los mejores de Mary Jo Putney, porque de los que tengo leídos lo superan pero me ha gustado bastante, sobre todo por la capacidad de mostrar a Meriel que creo que es difícil de la manera en que lo hace. Le damos un notable y pedimos el próximo libro de la serie. -
Reread 8/17/2022: 5 stars. One of my favorite books of all time. I absolutely love this story, it’s so beautiful and touching. I loved it even more this time around because I realized that one of my other favorite books, Uncommon Vows, is the prequel to this story. I definitely had a little epiphany moment while reading… like how did I miss that before? It’s too bad that the other books in this series have such bad reviews, I unfortunately can’t see myself enjoying either story.
I should also mention that this book is available on audiobook through Hoopla, and while the audiobook is mostly well done, I could hear the narrator’s mouth noises (like spit moving around her mouth- YUCK) and that really irritated me for a good chunk of the story. I had to work hard to ignore them.
Safe; virgin heroine, hero has had experience but I don’t think he was a manwhore exactly and not many details are given. No OW drama, some OM drama with the hero’s brother who was originally the heroine’s intended, no scenes with OM/OW, no cheating.
TW: A slight amount of dubcon, mentions of extreme past trauma, death of parents in past, child abuse, memories of death and gore, mental illness, descriptions of an insane asylum and torture to those committed (including the heroine).
Original Review 7/28/2020: 4.5 stars. A really unique and beautiful story. There’s a lot I can say about this book, but I’m sure I couldn’t truly do justice to how truly well written it is. There are layers upon layers to this story... it came together beautifully and I couldn’t stop reading until the end. I’m embarrassed to say that I stayed up for most of the night reading, but I wouldn’t have been able to sleep if I had tried to stop.
I think this book is best read without any idea of what it contains - go in blind! It should be safe for most even though it does contain some heavy topics.
Some light spoilers below.
This is the story of Meriel and Dominic - but there is also a side story about Dominic’s twin, Kyle, who is the hero of the next book. There are memories from the past that are brutal and heartbreaking. This book has a twin switch, mental illness, betrayal, redemption, healing, and so much more. I wish I could more eloquently state just how much is contained in this book, but I’m running on about 3 hours of sleep, so I doubt I could even if I tried harder.
Meriel is a young woman shielded from society and life - she went through some horrific events as a child and has withdrawn into herself. She stopped speaking as a child or responding to those around her, and the whole world thinks her to be simple in her mind, incapable of making decisions. She’s got two uncles as her guardians - one of whom thinks she should be left alone on her estate, and the other who wants to put her in an asylum to “heal her”. In an effort to secure her future, uncle #1 thinks that marrying Meriel to a noble and decent man will ensure that she can live her life free (she’s big into gardening) and ensure she doesn’t find herself locked up because of her mental state. He considers Kyle (a marquess and heir to an Earl) as an ideal husband and plans to allow the couple to get to know each other while uncle #2 is away abroad. Unfortunately, Kyle has other things in his life that take precedence over Meriel’s well-being. He asks his estranged twin brother, Dominic, to take his place and court Meriel on his behalf. He figures Meriel won’t know the difference because she’s stupid, simple, whatever. And so Dominic travels to court Meriel, only he discovers that she’s so much more than meets the eye. The growth that both Dominic and Meriel experience as they grow closer in this story is heart wrenching and beautiful. Meriel is forced to grow up and face facts instead of living in her imaginary world. Dominic has to make many difficult decisions, choosing between his love for his brother and his love for Meriel.
Meanwhile, Kyle faces his own heartbreak. First, in the form of losing a beloved companion, and second, in an increasing rift between him and his twin brother. This part of the story is why I can’t read Kyle’s book... I have read reviews about how he constantly compares the heroin to his first love, and I do so hate it when a hero can’t get over his past.
Anyways, this book is beautifully written and heart wrenching and gave me all the feels. There were a few oniony moments... and the ending was truly lovely. Adding this to my favorites for both books & favorite hero. -
Creo que los tiempos en los que he leído esta novela no le hacen justicia
como muchas de las novelas de esta autora, se arriesga con la protagonista, una mujer a la que tachan de loca y, eso, ya me resulta un aliciente interesante.
En mi humilde opinión, todo se precipita de forma demasiado rápida y me ha costado mucho creerme ese amor que él profesa por una hada con la que prácticamente no tiene comunicación. Eso es lo que peor he llevado, porque él es un amor, un encanto y adorable
A partir del último tercio la novela cuenta con más acción, pasan más cosas, porque al principio todo resulta demasiado lento
Pero no puedo dejar de pensar que la relación la podrían haber llevado a otro nivel.
Una lectura interesante, que seguro que en otras circunstancias hubiera disfrutado muchísimo más
Tengo los otros dos de la serie, así que a ver cuando me pongo -
Not as great as
Uncommon Vows but still really good. Meriel is the descendant of Lady Meriel from
Uncommon Vows so, I definitely see echoes of her in the current Meriel. Meriel was very wild and untamed and Dominic was the perfect match for her. Dominic was the second born twin and he was thought as a wastrel by his family. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was actually more suited to the lordship compared to his older twin brother, Kyle. He had a better grasp of estate management compared to Kyle. Unfortunately, he couldn't inherit anything due to the circumstances of his birth. He was generally a very nice guy. He genuinely wanted to help Kyle by impersonating Kyle in a visit to Muriel's estate in order to court Muriel (and also the fact that Kyle promised him an estate if he helped him with this ruse). He never meant to betray Kyle and fell in love with Muriel but that he did. Muriel was a tortured soul. Her parents died in India during an uprising (orchestrated by a villain who happened to be close to Muriel) and she hasn't speak since that time due to trauma. She was actually able to speak and Dominic actually helped her to speak and not to be so afraid.
So, overall a heart warming story. I also loved the portrayal of the relationship between Kyle and Dominic. The rivalry between them. Dominic was tired of living under his brother's shadow and Kyle actually resented that. I think Kyle was very selfish in always wanting Dominic to be with him. Dominic wanted to be his own person. That was the friction between them. Kyle could have given him an estate (he had many estates) to manage but he didn't.
Kyle would be the hero for the next book in the series,
The China Bride. I hope that he will have a good redeeming arc. -
Conflicted on this one
I Loved this the first time I read it many many years ago, but this time I wasn't as in love with it as I was before. It seemed to drag on places and it just wasn't as good as I remembered. I did love the heroine and hero still but I just wanted it to be more riveting. I loved Kyle and his doomed love and it was so tragic. Kamal was awesome as her protector and his back story was just as sad as Meriels. The villain surprised me even on the re-read! I had forgotten and it was still such a shock. Truly evil. I didn't rehash the plot. Many have and far better than I could have and it was Meriel that made this story. She was so different. Her henna tattoos, her life and her mystic personality and ability to see auras just entranced me, and while it wasn't as entertaining to me as the first time it still is a very good story. The other books in the series, or was there just the China one, were not good to me but I may re-read just to see if those changed for me too. I love this author and I am glad I read this again. I love this type of story line. -
What a romantic love story! I seem to have a soft spot for romances that deal with a heroine or hero that everyone thinks is mad. A lot of the time there is another explanation that the medical community of the times does not recognize. I like the romance of having a heroine or hero look deep enough into their love interest to see beyond the stigma to the real person inside. Also, these real world issues provide a much more believable form of conflict and strife. That's some heartache I can get behind!
I loved the relationship that developed slowly between Dominic and Meriel. It definitely illustrated the author's skill that I didn't even feel the lack of dialogue in the story. I was entranced watching Dominic carefully and patiently try to understand and get closer to Meriel. Dominic was such a sweet caring man.
I'm not usually one to enjoy the twin bond in romances. I have to admit that when I first started reading about the connection and empathy between Kyle and Dominic, I rolled my eyes. I've seen this author do that before and I was in the mood for something new, not that again. Luckily the author really pulled it off. I think it probably worked so well for me because Dominic and Kyle were not close. They were extremely closed off from each other in the beginning, and it's only as they are each understanding themselves more as a result of their love that we start to see some of that empathy. But even then it was done with a light touch.
In a way, reading about Meriel was refreshing. Because of her mindset and lack of care and understanding about social mores she was very uninhibited. She wants Dominic and she sees no reason why they can't be together. It's Dominic who always has to be the voice of reason. There was one part where Meriel decides to "encourage" Dominic to her way of thinking. I really liked that Dominic didn't not take it well. She should have been blamed for it. She lived in her own world, but even she knew that would be wrong if someone did it to her.
I enjoyed getting to slowly see more and more of the truth about Meriel's past. I liked that she didn't get hysterical when she discovered something about her companion. I'm glad that wasn't made into a big moment of drama. When the villain was revealed I was surprised. It didn't come out of the blue, but I didn't really see it coming either. -
Me gustó mucho. Ya hace tiempo que quería leerlo y me lleve una grata sorpresa.
Los protas me gustaron un montón y además ella me encantó por ser como era, sin pretensiones y auténtica. -
4.5 stars. I have heard rave reviews about this one. It was also recommended to me by several ppl, so I was glad to find I actually owned a copy and dragged it out of my TBR mountain.
SPOILER ALERT
I really liked this book, but for some reason didn't love it. I loved both Dominic and Kyle, but found Meriel just a little bit under-done. Dominic was fantastic as the understanding hero who conquers Meriels' fears etc. My problem is, is that it was too easy. I mean for 18 years, Meriel hasn't even looked at anyone or acknowledged them and then along comes Dominic and within a very few days she is holding hands with him, looking at him etc. Just disappointed me. I LOVE books where either the h or h have emotional or physical problems due to trauma in their past etc. but I cannot stand it when they are won over so easily.
Meriel didn't seem to have a lot of depth to her character even though she went through all this trauma - trauma too was underdone for me. I never really got a sense of what she went through only in snippets. And her wanting to 'mate' with Dominic so early in the piece got my goat too.
I did however like the sexual tension portrayed by Dominic - I thought he was portrayed as a noble character who loved and lusted after Meriel but tried so hard to be honourable. Loved him. Also loved the sub-plot with Kyle and Constancia. Am looking forward to reading Kyle's story in China Bride.
I liked the second half of the book lots more than the first. I thought the strained relationship between Kyle and Dominic was great - the way it was dealt with was well written. Very believable. Also liked the evil Uncle theme, and Meriel getting thrown in the asylum was a great addition to the story, although felt if she could have been in longer it would added to the 'trauma' a bit more. It was just too easy.
Other than my annoyance at the ease of Dominic to help Meriel, I thought this was a great book and it will be on my keeper shelf -
Me enganchó y no pude dejar de leer. Igual para otra gente es solo una histórica clásica más. A mí me ha tenido enamorada.
Meriel (23) perdió a sus padres de niña, de manera violenta. Desde entonces, no habla. La consideran loca, y sobre ella pende el peligro de que la manden a un manicomio. Para evitarlo, uno de sus tíos quiere casarla, si ella acepta, con el aristocrático Kyle. Para saber si a Meriel él le gusta o no, tendrá que acudir a cortejarla. Pero como Kyle tiene algo más perentorio en su agenda, manda a su mellizo, Dominic (28).
Dominic es un tipo majo, la gente le gusta, genuinamente, un héroe beta ideal para tratar a esta mujer de belleza etérea. Es paciente, escucha, se fija en las cosas... Así que el que acaba enamorado de ella es él, y no Kyle, que está dispuesto a casarse solo por honor.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog. -
I'm sure I read this when it was first published, but I absolutely have no recollection of it. Way back when, when I had 4 children under 6, I was reading 3 romances a week and Putney was a favorite author. It's still comfortable to read a well-liked author, but I don't think so highly of her plots anymore. I am well passed baby brain, for sure.
So nice to have found this as a free download. -
No recordaba por qué le había dado las 4 estrellas, pero ahora tras volver a leerlo mantengo la puntuación.
La historia me ha tenido enganchada desde el minuto uno, Meriel es una joven que cuando era muy pequeña sufrió un trauma tan grande que se encerró en sí misma y desde entonces se le ha considerado loca por su comportamiento. Su vida ha sido muy protegida por ese motivo y la única razón por la cual no ha acabado encerrada en un manicomio ha sido gracias a la intervención de uno de sus tutores.
Y es gracias a uno de sus tutores que Meriel se cruza en el camino de Dominic, el hermano gemelo de Kyle, el futuro conde de Wexham. Coaccionado por éste, se ve obligado a convivir con Meriel en su propiedad durante varias semanas, y es ahí cuando empezará el romance.
La relación entre ambos ha sido de lo más bonito en la historia. Dos personas incomprendidas que acaban siendo amigos y amantes y que poco a poco se van complementando.
Podría haber sido una historia redonda, pero ha habido algunos peros que han hecho que no subiera mi puntuación, y es que a medida que se acerca el final las cosas empiezan a suceder muy deprisa para todo lo que rodea a Meriel y a su mundo, así como la relación de Dominic y su hermano.
A pesar de todo, es una historia muy bien ambientada, que refleja muy bien la suerte de las mujeres de la época y lo desprotegidas que estaban ante sus maridos, con un romance que se cuece a fuego lento y con una historia secundaria que para mi gusto podría haber sido un relato corto porque era muy interesante.
Ahora continuaré con la serie a ciegas, puesto que este es el único que había leído anteriormente. -
This is a book that I decided not to finish because, for some reason, it just absolutely was not my thing. I felt angry at everyone, and after over 100 pages the prose didn't engage me enough to slog through my dislike of the characters.
Our hero's twin offers a share of the family estates if our hero woos and wins for the twin a wealthy lady who's believed to be mad. (Because a prospective wife, mad or not, is never going to realize the duplicity. Of course not.) The heroine experienced the slaughter of British citizens in India while a child and has not spoken since. Her silence, coupled with her other behaviors and lack of improvement over the years, have her family considering putting her in an asylum. She acted positively feral at times and her thought processes on mating/sex followed a similar path (i.e. she didn't particularly care if our hero consented; he'd consent to it eventually after she broke him down and, well, if he didn't she could just drug him), and I just couldn't like or relate to her. Yes, she experienced horrible trauma, but she also had people all along since then wanting to help her deal with that trauma, and she refused. Instead, she manipulated people and used her so-called madness to get what she wanted without taking any responsibility for herself. For his part, the hero only seemed to care about her because she was beautiful and he could take care of her. -
Beautiful
This is my second Mary Jo Putney book. I didn't even realize it till I finished that if was related to Uncommon Vows. It's been quite some time since I read Uncommon Vows so I didn't even recognize the heroines had the same name.
So this heroine Meriel is an ancestor of the prequels Meriel.
Our hero Dominick is filling in for his twin. Meriel is supposedly "mad".
What transpires in this poignant love story simply stole my heart. I loved everything. I'd ask anyone to read blind as so many things need to be experienced freshly.
Mary Jo Putney has given my heart hope that I may have found a new author that really gives a truly growing and transforming love story. No unnecessary drama from outside forces (no other ow or om issues at all)
I simply just can't explain how this just filled my heart to the brim. -
An usual heroine for a historical romance: because she was never domesticated as a rich, proper English lady normally would have been, all her ideas and behaviours were refreshingly bold and natural. For example, she took on the typical male roles: she seduced the man; she was the one who wished to continue their romance without marriage; and she was the one not driven by appearances and a desire to please society. I liked her. I also liked her believability: she didn't suddenly recover from trauma, but her development was gradual and balanced.
The pacing was poor for the last third: I grew impatient. And the ending had one particularly ridiculously unbelievable twist, thankfully with a secondary character, not the main couple. I wasn't fond of the transitions to Kyle's story: it was a jerky storytelling method that detracted from the main story.
I wonder how different this story would have been if Muriel were a boy and Dominic were, say, a widow (to give her some power in English society). From a 21st century hindsight pov, Muriel didn't have enough relative gratitude for her situation. Good book for gender studies, that's for sure. -
This is a dense, lushly romantic story. However, since I assign stars based solely on how much I enjoyed a book, I have to give this one only three. It's an engaging premise, and there's a lot of plot, but the first half -- as Meriel and Dominic were getting acquainted was just too slow. I skimmed huge parts of it. I must give MJP credit, though, for managing to handle having a mute heroine so adeptly. I didn't feel that I was missing out on dialogue.
Things pick up in the second half, and I thoroughly enjoyed that part.
I also have to give MJP credit for doing something that romance novels rarely do to me: I shed a tear of two over the (secondary) romance of Kyle and Constancia. -
Library Kindle e-book
