Shocked to find a European woman being sold as a slave on the East Indian island of Maduri, American shipping merchant Gavin Elliot makes a daring bargain with the island's wiley ruler, Sultan Kasan. Gavin will compete in the ancient Lion Game; if he wins, the woman goes free; if he loses, he and his shipping fleet will be at the disposal of the Sultan for ten years. He wins, of course, but the prize is something neither he-nor Alexandra Warren-could ever have imagined. With its strong, courageous characters, high degree of emotional intensity, excellent writing, and compelling plot, this novel is classic Putney and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy that began with The Wild Child. One of the best authors writing today, Putney is not shy about dealing with serious, sometimes controversial issues, and she has few peers when it comes to creating emotionally satisfying romances that connect with readers. Putney lives near Baltimore. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/02.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Adult/High School-From the tantalizing opening scene to the exciting climax, readers will find a creative, entertaining romance tinged with mystery and set in 1834. As the story begins, Gavin is about to be hung for the murder of his wife, Alexandra. The remainder of the novel is a flashback showing the development of their life together and the growth of his business. Gavin, a British-born American seafaring entrepreneur, rescued Alexandra, a British widow, after she had been captured by pirates and sold into slavery on an East Asian island. As a slave, she had been raped and emotionally scarred, so Gavin had to be gentle and patient to help her recover. Their characters are well drawn, and the plot moves quickly and is easy to follow. Putney contrasts Western and Eastern cultures as the rescue involved a game in which Gavin had to excel with five different skills demonstrating male prowess. Later, he had to use other talents to cope with challenges of life in London's proper high society. The author makes further contrasts with the views of slavery as held by Americans and the British during the mid-19th century.-Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kidnapped and enslaved by Malay pirates, English gentlewoman Alexandra is rescued by a dashing captain who falls in love with her. But first, captain Gavin Elliot negotiates for her release from the wicked Sultan of the imaginary island of Muradi. As Asian despots go, the Sultan is relatively easygoing, and so he proposes a game of chance: Gavin can win the fair Alexandra only by means of several arduous challenges. He scales a crumbling cliff and plants a silk scarf atop it, fights a Komodo dragon and cuts off the priceless pearl the lethal creature wears on its collar, and drinks the Sultan under the table. Clad in shimmering silks and golden manacles, Alexandra is his at last-and Gavin must bed her in public. Alex complies: there's no other way she can safely gain her freedom and find her young daughter Kate. Afterward, Gavin and Alex sail away into the Pacific and find Kate, then marry and return to London. Alex's highborn relatives by marriage are delighted beyond measure to see her again, and Gavin is nonplussed to discover that he's now an earl, according to various quirks of primogeniture, even though he considers himself an American. Alas, there's envy of the new lord and lady, and it's not long before Alex has been kidnapped again-this time by a vicious little beauty married to a merchant mariner who's convinced that Gavin cheated him out of a lucrative South Seas trade route. Meanwhile, accused of her supposed murder, Gavin awaits trial in the Tower of London. Will Alexandra be able to break out of her dungeon using only a soupspoon? Will Gavin be rescued from the hangman's noose? Will the cellar cat ever stop bringing the forlorn captive rats for snacks? An improbable historical romance that doesn't know when to quit: another in the long line of wonderfully entertaining tales from Putney (China Bride, 2001, etc.).

This final volume in a popular trilogy (The Wild Child; The China Bride) is a rich and realistic 19th-century historical romance. Gavin Elliott, captain of his trading company's flagship, has been traveling the East Indies since the death of his young wife and infant daughter. Alexandra Warren, too, is widowed; soon after she and her daughter leave Australia for England, their ship is taken by Malaysian pirates and she is abducted. When Gavin visits Malaysia as the guest of a local sultan, he sees Alexandra on the block at a slave auction. As soon as he sets eyes on the indomitable Englishwoman, their fates are united. After a series of trials (including wrestling a giant lizard), Gavin is allowed to bring Alexandra back to England, but their worst problems are not yet behind them. Putney knows how to create characters attractive enough to enchant readers without being too good to be true. Gavin is gallant and romantic"he risks his life for a woman he doesn't know, marries her to protect her reputation and understands her physical reticence after her traumatic experience"but he is not without doubts and desires. Alexandra, for her part, believes that Gavin helps her out of chivalry, but she is too gracious and too aware of her position to reject his aid. Both characters have vivid inner lives and thoroughly imagined personalities. Their union is inevitable"this is a romance novel"but their journey from strangers to spouses to true lovers is utterly authentic. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved