The Bargain

De: Mary Jo Putney

Narrado por: Emma Newman

Forced to wed to keep her inheritance, independent Lady Jocelyn Kendal finds an outrageous solution: she proposes marriage to Major David Lancaster, an officer dying from his Waterloo wounds. In return for making her his wife, she will provide for his governess sister. But after the bargain is struck and the marriage is made, the major makes a shocking, miraculous recovery. Though they agree to an annulment, such matters take time...time enough for David to realize he is irrevocably in love with his wife. Haunted by her past, Jocelyn refuses to trust the desire David ignites in her. She never counted on a real husband, least of all one who would entice her to be a real wife. But some bargains are made to be broken - and his skilled courtship is impossible to resist....

©All Mary Jo Putney (P)All Mary Jo Putney

great narration

What did you love best about The Bargain?

the time period is one of my favorite to read about

Would you ever listen to anything by Mary Jo Putney again?

yes

Have you listened to any of Emma Newman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

not sure

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

not the best writing but I thought the narration was good which made the story more enjoyable

Slow burn romance

I liked that the H and h found their way to each other without contrivances.

A great listen

So many historical romance novels (or romance novels in general) have terrible villains that at the least are dishonorable and vulgar, and at the most have the intention to commit murder or some other offensive crime. This creates conflict needed for a plot, but is also repetitive and uncreative. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to like all of the main characters in this book. The conflict comes from their backgrounds and how their circumstances intertwine themselves, and I greatly appreciated it. My only complaint with the book was that I thought David forgave a bit too easily in the end, but overall it was a good listen and good story. I will definitely check out more of Putney’s books in the future.

Great story, well written but .

Well written story. But the narrator is horrible, she simply reads. you can't tell who's speaking. I couldn't finish but bought the book and read it.

A Classic Worth Your Time

I read this book some years ago and was glad to see it on Audible. Just the idea of marrying a dying soldier for convenience sake is filled with all sorts of delicious conflict for an upstanding young gentlewoman, and Ms. Putney didn''t miss any of them.

I am so happy to have this in my audio library and look forward to more by the same author coming available.

Will I listen to this again? Absolutely Yes.

Enjoyable

"The Bargain" is a sweet, unusual story, and one I could not stop listening to. I did not read the original version published in 1989 as "The Would-Be Widow", but I certainly enjoyed this revamped version.

The strong willed heroine, Lady Jocelyn Kendal, has deeply buried emotional issues, which effects her decision making. So, when she is faced with having to marry before her twenty-fifth birthday or lose her inheritance to her uncle and wicked aunt-by-marriage, according to her father's will, she is at a loss as to what to do. She refuses to marry without a love match, and she has only been interested in one man, the Duke of Candover, despite the many men who have tried to woo her. Although she thinks he has feelings for her, she knows she can not convince him to marry her in the 4 weeks before her birthday, besides he has never seemed interested in commitment.

While visiting a friend recuperating at the Military Hospital she realizes she may have come across the answer to her prayers. Major David Lancaster has been fatally wounded and is not expected to live. He is not afraid to die, but is worried about his unmarried sister's well being and future. So when Jocelyn learns of this she sees an opportunity that she simply can't pass up.

I enjoyed Emma Newman's narration, although soft spoken she did well defining the different characters.

I recommend "The Bargain" to all Historical Romance lovers.

One of my all-time favorites!

I have now read and listened to this book twice. It is my favorite of the Mary Jo Putney collection, a true romance novel.

Not all I bargained for!

I remembered liking this book when I read it years ago but unfortunately, the audio book just wasn't very captivating. The narrator was kind of annoying as was the heroine of the story. The premise of the story was interesting but it couldn't overcome the other difficulties that hold this one back. Not horrible but not great either.

Unfortunate narration

The story had promise but the narration hindered it. Characters meshed together and the proper emotions were lost.

Wonderful story and exceptional narration

What did you love best about The Bargain?

A combination of the wonderful narration and the story itself. I am not always a huge fan of historical romances, because some authors get so caught up in describing historical facts that it detracts from the story itself. And in some romance novels, the authors sometimes try so hard to develop conflict between the characters that it becomes tiresome. You pretty much know that the characters are going to eventually get together, and a little friction is good - but when page after page after page is so full of the conflict it wears me down. Mary Jo put just the right amount of tension in this book. Plus, she didn't make it seem like a history lesson. There was enough detail of the era to make it interesting and to make the reader understand the period, but it didn't detract from the story. The characters were very well developed and I was drawn into their lives. I was very satisfied with the outcome at the end of the book, which makes me want to read more from this author.

What other book might you compare The Bargain to and why?

I don't read a lot of historical romances, but I would probably compare The Bargain to Julie Garwood's novels set in Scotland and her Clayborn western series. Both authors did a great job of creating characters that draw the reader into their lives and make you want the best for them. Both authors also, while providing the historical information you need to understand the era where the story takes place, do not let the details bog down the story.

What about Emma Newman’s performance did you like?

Emma Newman was amazing. I have a great respect for voice artists - I think their skills are often underrated. A good performance can make the characters come to life and do justice to the author and the story. However, a bad performance can make even a good book difficult to listen to. I have over 60 audio books, and I would put Emma's performance in the top 3. Her voice is beautiful and she performed the different characters in a way that you could tell who was talking simply by the voice she used, and she was able to perform both male and female voices without having the males sound odd. Some narrators try too hard and it can be distracting. I would definitely listen to more books that she narrates.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many pivotal moments in the story, but a particular moment doesn't readily come to mind.

Any additional comments?

Because of vision issues, I cannot read paper books, so I buy Kindle books so I can increase the font on my Kindle and on my computer. However, I am trying to get as many audio books as I can. Not only because of my vision issues but also because I can listen to audio books when I don't have time to sit down and read. I usually have one audio book in progress in my car and one in the house. I had "The Bargain" in my car, but was tempted on several occasions to bring it into the house because I was so caught up in the story. I would definitely recommend this book.