Silk and Secrets

by Mary Jo Putney

Book Overview

The Desert Flower... At seventeen, fiery Juliet Cameron fell passionately in love and married the perfect companion for the adventurous life she wanted to lead. Lord Ross Carlisle is handsome,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451204905
• ISBN13: 9780451204905
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 381 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful journey with a heart

This novel is a rare treat, because it truly transports the reader into an unusual setting that romance novels don't normally venture. Our hero, Ross,has a passion for exotic travel and culture, but he's been a lonely man. His wife, Juliet, left him soon after they were married and they have lived apart for 12 years. Juliet's mother propositions Ross to find Juliet's brother, who is missing in Arabia and presumed dead. Since Ross is proficient in Arabic and local customs, he agrees to help. On his journey, by chance Ross finds Juliet living in Arabia and the sparks start to fly. Juliet is fiesty and is determined to help Ross rescue her brother. The historical details are well-researched and very colorful.As to be expected, the sparks that are rekindled between Ross and Juliet are a source of confusion for both. Ross has never known why Juliet left him, and Juliet is too ashamed to tell him. Nonetheless,their love is reborn and eventually they come to terms about their relationship. It is a beautiful story. I highly recommend this novel for historical romance readers who enjoy looking into another culture, and for those who enjoy reading about a second chance for love. Mary Jo Putney has written a winner! Don't miss the last novel of this trilogy, Veils of Silk.

A Wonderful Journey on the Silk Road

This is the second book in Mary Jo Putney's Silk trilogy set in the early Victorian period. I really felt I was there travelling the Silk Road in the mid 19th century. The background to this book is very exotic and really brought to life by Mary Jo Putney. This book is a sequel to Silk and Shadows in which we first met Ross, the hero. I don't want to give away the plot as it is quite thrilling. The action essentially begins in northern Persia, where the heroine has been leading a life in emulation of Lady Hester Stanhope. From there, the hero and heroine embark on a fascinating journey to Bokhara in Central Asia. This novel can stand apart from the first book in the trilogy though it's helpful to read Silk and Shadows first (which was set entirely in England), but it's absolutely, I feel anyway, essential to read this book before Veils of Silk, the sequel and final book in the trilogy, as it sets the background for the plot in Veils of Silk (which is set in India). If you dream of travelling in the footsteps of Victorian explorers and spies to exotic lands, along with a great romance, this is the book for you.

Such a great book, by a master storyteller.

I picked this book up one day while shopping, and read the back cover. It sounded interesting, so I bought it, since I had loved The China Bride by Ms. Putney, I knew she was a good storyteller. Boy, was I surprised, she's not just good, she's wonderful. I fell in love with Ross right from the begining, and felt an instant bond with Juliet, for the struggle to maintain who you are in a marriage, when you feel like everyone wants you to be and do something else can be very hard, I know! I love the setting, and the way MJP wrote about the land and culture, I really felt as if I was there beside them as the traveled in the caravan to Bokhara, or raced in the bozkashi match, or were caught in the sandstorm, and took cover, which lead up to one of the most erotic scenes I have ever read. It had my blood boiling, and me biting my nails until the very last page. The only fault in this otherwise perfect book, was at then end when Juliet revealed her ultimate lie, and the main reason that she never returned to Ross. I felt it was contrived to make a already very believable reason for her leaving him more dramatic. I felt it actually sounded very far fetched, and thought Ms. Putney should have left the explinations of Juliet leaving just has they had been explained throughout the book, and not just have thrown in that last thing just to add more drama. Other then that, this is one of my all time favorite books, and one that everybody should read.

High adventure and serious romance

Mary Jo Putney has produced a novel which combines several wonderful features. Set in an exotic locale and peopled with complex characters, this book would fall down under its own weight if Mary Jo Putney were not such a great writer. The minor characters are very well-drawn. The setting is evoked in a way that brings the heat right into your living room. The plot makes sense. The book is full of surprises that shimmer with absolute rightness once the shock wears off. However, these are only bonuses. The heart of this book (as in any romance novel) are the main characters. These are characters who knew each other in the past and are now separated by a series of tragic events. I know, that sounds trite, but these tragic events are so well-motivated and spring so securely out of the characters as we come to know them in this book, that they are absolutely believable. In this book, we are dealing with two complex people who have hurt each other and hurt themselves. Their adventure provides an arena for working out these problems and finding a way to go forward. The hero and the heroine are each profoundly changed by their adventure, and yet the change seems to make each one only more strongly himself or herself.This book stands up well to rereading. It's a keeper.

I loved it!

This is the second book of the series and like the first I loved it. The characters are so strong and I never got bored throughout the book. I am looking forward to the third book now. MJP is a great story teller and I enjoy all her books.