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Award-winning author Mary Jo Putney captivated the hearts of readers everywhere with her breathtaking hardcover debut, The Wild Child. Now, in her spectacular new novel The China Bride, she has created another brilliantly moving love story, and a very special heroine--a rare beauty torn between two cultures who valiantly struggles to discover the woman she is destined to be.Born to a Scottish father and now living in China, Troth Montgomery grew up speaking several languages and thinking of faraway England as home. Enduring life as a concubine, she never imagined that one day she would leave the Orient, arriving in bitter winter at the estate of a stranger--the brother of the man who had briefly been her husband. Kyle Renbourne, Viscount of Maxwell, had taken Troth as his bride shortly before his apparent execution in a Chinese prison. Now, as his widow, she is entitled to the home she always dreamed of but remains haunted by the memory of a dashing husband and the brief, forbidden love they shared.Then Kyle seemingly returns from the dead. Though he has survived, his mind and body are badly wounded. He needs time to heal and retreats from the exotic wife he barely knows. Bitterly aware that she will never be a fitting English wife, Troth defiantly embraces her foreign traditions, hoping that the ancient arts of her ancestors will restore Kyle's spirit and her own battered heart. Together they embark on a miraculous journey of hope and faith as Kyle becomes enchanted with the intimate tranquillity he shares with his bewitching Troth. But before he can win back his China bride, Kyle must first face a deadly menace that has followed them halfway across the world. . . .Written with exquisite elegance and gentle passion, The China Bride is a stirring tale of everlasting love and the power of forgiveness, by a master storyteller.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews with the most likes.
As always, an entertaining read from Mary Jo Putney. This book was so informative! I learned so much about Chinese culture from the 1830s that corresponded with what I knew already. I've never read a book that explained the core of tai chi so well, and I loved that the heroine, because of her dual upbringing in both Chinese tradition and Scottish, had no problem with pre-marital sex so I didn't have to slog through the usual “Oh no, I shouldn't be doing this, but it feels so good!” that we usually get in romance novels.
I felt the hero/heroine were a great match. I loved that they got to know each other via traveling together. Rather than falling for the typical hero and heroine hating each other and then growing to love each other, they were two people brought together by circumstance and finding a connection.
Read this book if you're looking for a story that is entertaining, informative, exciting, and yes, even a little thrilling in bed.
Series
2 primary books3 released booksThe Bride Trilogy is a 3-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1991 with contributions by Mary Jo Putney.