The Wild Child

Written by Mary Jo Putney

Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

I met a lady in the meads /Full beautiful, a faery's child. /Her hair was long, her foot was light, /And her eyes were wild. -John Keats, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" Keats' famous poem might be describing Lady Meriel Grahame, the enchanting heroine of this passionate tale set amidst magical gardens. An equally appealing leading man, a thrilling love story, and a rich historical milieu make this novel positively irresistible. More pagan than lady, Meriel spends her days running barefoot through her English estate, cultivating her flowers and her mystical connection to nature. She is mute and, according to most people, mad. But handsome Dominic Renbourne, who has been sent by his twin to court her, senses in Meriel a kindred spirit. He manages to inspire her trust, and against his better judgement, her passion. Award-winning, New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Mary Jo Putney lives up to her reputation for creating strong, intelligent characters. Barbara Rosenblat's stimulating performance will awaken all your senses, if not the wild child in you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781436146760

Mary Jo Putney

Mary Jo Putney was born in upstate New York with a reading addiction, a condition for which there is no known cure. After earning degrees in English Literature and Industrial Design at Syracuse University, she became a ten-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA, has published over forty books, and was the recipient of the 2013 RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews for The Wild Child

[darla_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I swear, these two have so many visions/flashbacks/hallucinations that they need psychiatric care. And every conversation has l o n g pauses in it while the characters reminisce and go off on tangents in their heads. Other than that, it's a pretty predictable reunion story (and to think I normally love reunion stories--shows there are exceptions to every rule) about the town bad girl coming home and the district attorney who, as a young prosecutor, had put her in jail at 16.

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dominic Renbourne takes the place of his twin, Kyle, Lord Maxwell, to woo the 'mad' Meriel Grahame at his twin's request. Meriel doesn't speak since her parents were murdered in India and she was kidnapped away for over a year. Now grown, Meriel is an heiress but fey. She has two guardians: one wants her committed to an asylum and the other thinks marriage might help her become 'normal.'Dom has been bribed with the promise of an estate as his twin has a secret mission of his own and time is of the essence. But Meriel, while different, is not necessarily what she seems. Well deserving of the awards it won, I find it only a shame that I haven't read this book earlier. It's such a lovely story, and Ms. Putney does a fantastic job in her writing. Both Meriel and Dom are wonderful characters, perfect for each other. Meriel is wonderful, truly the exemplification of Keat's La Belle Dame Sans Merci. Dom is the perfect hero, kind and handsome, someone who understands the different sides of Meriel's personality. Indeed, all the secondary characters are interesting also, each adding their bit to the main plot while establishing their own space in the story.The Wild Child is also a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western cultures. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. Actually, I just love this book.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Identical twin brothers switch places even though there is sibling rivalry between. Dominic goes to woo Kyle’s arranged intended so that Kyle could take care of a mysterious errand which takes him out of England. Dominic meets a wild, mute, strange young woman who has had a horrific experience is her past childhood. He feels protective and slowly falls in love with Meriel. As she slowly starts trusting him her custodial uncle has her committed to a mental institution and a rescue begins, Kyle returns, betrayal is felt before there’s a HEA.

[ladywesley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[sabrinajeffries · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very original tale about a seemingly mad young woman whose sheltered world is opened up when the hero shows her how not to fear. It was a heart-wrenching and beautiful tour-de-force. Putney never disappoints.

[debs4jc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This romance is made interesting by the combination of twin suitors and a most unusual potential bride. The twins are Dominic and Kyle, sons of an Earl but only one can inherit, so when Kyle wants Dominic to stand in his place and court the potential bride--Meriel--he has quite the thing to bribe him with--the inheritance of an estate. Dominic reluctantly agrees, and since Meriel appears to be somewhat mad--she suffered a childhood trauma and since then has not spoken a word--both think that the girl will be easily fooled. Dominic does not reckon on falling for the wild, untamed Meriel, who is not mad but who rather prefers the company of flowers and wild creatures to the society of people. To see how Dominic is able to win her over and resolve the conflicts with her and his own family kept my interest well. Fans of historical romances with lots of interesing twists and turns should enjoy it. 

[cathyleming · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the setting of this novel and, as usual, this author's ability to maake me love a story I might reject from any other author. Some very interesting elements in this story, like a heroine who was raised in India.