A mad heiress and a false fiancé…The younger son of an earl, Dominic Renbourne is offered an irresistible bribe by his arrogant, identical twin brother, Kyle, who is heir to the earldom. All he must do is take Kyle’s place at Warfield Manor, where he is to politely court Lady Meriel Grahame, the orphaned and vastly wealthy heiress Kyle is pledged to marry. The deception need only take a few … need only take a few weeks and no one will be the wiser because the fey Lady Meriel lives in a world of her own. The last thing Dominic expects when he arrives is to be entranced by a silent sylph whose ethereal beauty is as stunning as her passionate love for Warfield’s flowers and fields and creatures.
Until now, Meriel has kept her distance from normal society, spending her days at one with nature and safe from the nightmare that nearly destroyed her as a child. She is content to live alone, until the handsome intruder begins to inspire dreams of the world beyond her sanctuary. He understands her as no one else ever has–and because she lives outside society’s rules, she sees no need to restrain her desire for the man who is surely her destined mate.
Though Dominic’s sense of duty helps him control his longing for his brother’s future bride, Meriel’s untamed spirit proves more powerful than he can resist. In her garden paradise, passion binds them body and soul despite the agonizing consequences.
Can Meriel forgive Dominic’s deceit once she learns he is not Kyle, and can Kyle forgive the betrayal of the brother who had once been closer than his own shadow? Then past and present collide in a dangerous cataclysm that may bring destruction–or lasting love and a hope for beginnings.
The Bride Trilogy
Book 1: The Wild Child
Book 2: The China Bride
Book 3: The Bartered Bride
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Mary Jo Putney is by far my favourite romance author. Great characters are put in interesting situations and I love the Regency period.
I was hooked at the beginning.
This book made you think about the way people deal with tragic situations, and how their minds heal afterward.
I really enjoyed this book. One of her best
I enjoyed the characters in this story. I was invested in all of them. I always like a story that takes me to another place in time.
The characters were engaging and realistic; it would be lovely if we could all be so honest when it counted! The relationship between Dominic and Meriel was a joy, particularly when Meriel showed her sense of humor. I always find it disturbing reading about the asylums of that time, and it was particularly hard to accept that this asylum was considered better than others. I’m anxious to pick up the next book in the series.
I usually like Putney a lot, but she got a bit wordy on this one.
Read it in one night. I wanted to keep reading until finished.
Excellent writing
Interesting read that shows how compassion and trust can overcome adversity and trauma, and lead to happily ever after!
It was a okay. Characters were well developed but storyline was dragged out too long.
This story has it all. H/h are complex, with a poignant subplot about his twin brother. It was often hard to put the book down. The heroine is mute for more than half of the narrative! Ms. Putney neatly ties up the mysteries and reveals a villian who shouldn’t be a surprise, yet he was to me – I was so wrapped up in the story. The descriptions of gardens, topiary, art and artists and asylums were all captivating.
Lovely story that kept me guessing. I liked the characters and really enjoyed the story.
Really enjoyed it.
Lovely classic. Couldn’t stop reading… Until I finished! Reading book two now.
First book i have read by this author so i did not have any expectations.
As i started reading the book I really loved the portrayal of Meriel. She is supposed to have had horrific things happen to her as a child and then turned ‘mad’. I loved the way her eccentricities were portrayed and how she was made a very engaging and entertaining ‘wild child’.
And as of Dominic. His patience , his way of dealing with each barrier. His gently eroding her walls . All of it was really good.
I am definitely going to be trying out more of this author
Couldn’t put it down! Looooved it!
Loved this book. An original story. A twist on a love story. Ok having twins is nothing new. But have the wrong twin find true love with a different type of a woman. She was hurt and crippled emotional. True love bought healing and love. The couple did have work hard. There was road blocks and mysterious and relations with secret plans. Characters were well developed. The twin story line on each brother was a good contrast. I do recommend this book.
So weird I could not get past the first few chapters
So fun to ready Mary Jo Putney with her complex characters and unique story lines.