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The Stranger She Married (2008)

por Donna Hatch

Séries: Rogue Hearts (1)

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807332,845 (3.81)1
When her parents and twin brother die within weeks of each other, Alicia and her younger sister are left in the hands of an uncle who has brought them to financial and social ruin. Desperate to save her family from debtor's prison, Alicia vows to marry the first wealthy man to propose. She meets the dashing Lord Amesbury, and her heart whispers this is the gentleman she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to a scarred cripple with the heart of a poet, or a handsome rake with a deadly secret.Cole Amesbury is tormented by his own ghosts and believes he is beyond redemption, yet he cannot deny his attraction for the girl whose genuine goodness touches the heart he'd thought long dead. He fears the scars in his soul cut so deeply that he may never be able to offer Alicia a love that is true. When yet another bizarre mishap threatens her life, Alicia suspects the seemingly unrelated accidents that have plagued her loved ones are actually a killer's attempt to exterminate every member of her family. Despite the threat looming over her, learning to love the stranger she married may pose the greatest danger...to her heart. And Cole must protect Alicia from the killer who has been exterminating her family before she becomes the next target.he Rogue Hearts Series:The Stranger She MarriedThe Guise of a GentlemanA Perfect SecretThe Suspect's DaughterPraise for Donna Hatch:"Donna Hatch is one of the masters of clean romance with electric tension and smokin' hot kisses." ~ Reading is My Super Power Reviews"Written with heart and depth, Donna Hatch's books are absolute must-reads for any fan of swoon-worthy historical romance."  ~ Sarah M. Eden, USA Today best-selling historical romance authorDance with a duke, outwit pirates, save a kingdom, and fall in love. Believe in happily ever after.Note from the Author:This romantic story of loss and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption, and strangers marrying, will leave you laughing, crying, and swooning. Sprinkled liberally with suspense, mystery, and heart-melting kisses, this is not your ordinary historical tale of an arranged marriage nor of redeeming the rakes. Fans of Victorian and Regency Eras as well as those seeking clean and wholesome romance with plenty of chemistry will love this story!… (mais)
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I had the privilege of meeting Donna Hatch several months ago at a local event, and upon returning home, I looked up her website to find out more about her debut novel, The Stranger She Married. I was thoroughly intrigued by the synopsis and excerpt of the book I found there, and immediately put in on my TBR list, so when Ms. Hatch recently contacted me about reviewing the book, I was more than happy to oblige. The plot of The Stranger She Married is reminiscent of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' A Rose in Winter, a classic romance novel that has been on my favorites list for many years. In spite of the similarities between the two books, Ms. Hatch still managed to keep me engrossed in her storytelling and often second-guessing what would happen next. The Stranger She Married is written in a more traditional regency style. Most of the story is of a rather low-key nature, and it is very character driven. It is also, without a doubt, a PG-rated romance, making it appropriate, in my opinion, for both younger and more sensitive romance readers. It has no curse words, minimal violence, and aside from a couple of passionate clinches, the love scenes are merely implied and take place off the canvas with no explicit details whatsoever. With its more subdued nature, I wouldn't necessarily characterize this as a passionate, heart-stopping romance, and I normally prefer my romances to have a bit more steam. Still, in spite of it not being quite like my usual fare, The Stranger She Married had a very appealing quality that made me like it a lot.

I think that there were two key elements which contributed to my enjoyment. First, the settings of the Regency balls, parties, social events and even the quiet solitude of a country estate were so beautifully and vividly rendered, it truly made me feel like I had been transported back in time to that era. The author certainly seems to have a good grasp on the history of the period, which lent the atmosphere a wonderful air of authenticity. The other thing which truly impressed me was the dialog. I don't think I have ever read dialog that is quite so fresh, varied and robust to the point that it is not only woven seamlessly into the plot, but it almost becomes a living, breathing thing in itself. I have certainly waded through my share of vapid conversations in romance novels, but the dialog in The Stranger She Married is never boring or inane, instead I felt that it really gave the story more genuineness and depth. The author skillfully uses it to build relationships, and occasionally there was some sharp, witty bantering which brought a smile to my face. It seems to me that writing truly good dialog would be rather challenging, but in my opinion, Ms. Hatch has done a wonderful job with it here. In fact, my only minor quibble would be that it is formatted in a rather unusual way which I have not seen before. This made it difficult at first to discern who was speaking, but once I got used to the pattern, I didn't really have any further trouble with it.

I also found the characters in The Stranger She Married to be an appealing bunch. There are essentially two heroes, cousins, Cole and Nicholas Amesbury who represent two sides of the same coin. Cole outwardly has a reputation as a charming and careless rake, but inside he has a heart of gold. He has tired of the social scene which he sees as nothing more than a marriage mart, and is quite taken by Alicia's looks and personality, which are so different from the other young women who typically pursue him. I loved his innate sense of honor and his desire to protect Alicia at all costs. The only thing about Cole that didn't quite ring true is that there was an allusion to dark things in his past which made him think of himself as something of a blackguard, but nothing ever came to light that made him seem like anything less than a gentleman to me. He also spent a good deal of time fighting his feelings for Alicia, which didn't really seem necessary given the direction the story took. Nicholas is the gentle, patient beta hero who mostly contents himself with simply spending time with Alicia. I loved how the author built their relationship through everyday things like talking, walking, playing games and sharing of knowledge. Nicholas, however, is a scarred man who is literally shrouded in mystery from head to toe. Then there is our heroine, Alicia, who finds herself in the confusing position of loving them both. Sometimes it seems like she is trying to have her cake and eat it too, but she is not unlike many Regency heroines who find themselves in the untenable situation of being a penniless orphan from a financially strapped noble family, wanting to marry for love but needing to marry for money. Alicia initially can't quite forgive Cole for his duel with her brother which ultimately left him dead, and by the time she is able to, circumstances have already forced her to marry Nicholas. I thought that Alicia could have stood out a little more, but then again, she was a wallflower. What I liked most about her is that she had the intelligence to realize that her family's deaths may not have been the accidents that they seemed, meaning that she too was in danger, as well as eventually putting the pieces of the puzzle together to discover the game that her husband was playing. There was also a nice group of secondary characters including Cole's matchmaking Aunt Livvy and his three brothers (only two of whom actually appeared in the story) who all have wildly varying personalities. All in all, I thought it was a very well-rounded cast.

There were many things that I liked about The Stranger She Married, but one thing I thought could have been better was the murder mystery. To be honest, if the synopsis hadn't alluded to some danger and intrigue, I probably wouldn't have recognized the mystery for what it was until it was staring me in the face. There were very few clues and no red herrings to speak of, so I wouldn't have been able to even hazard a guess as to a suspect or motive. The answer to the puzzle is basically just handed to the reader on a silver platter. I like a little light mystery in my romances from time to time, but half the fun is in being given enough information to speculate about what's happening. Also, the denouement of the suspense was pretty cliched with the villain making one of those tacky deathbed confessions which I thought lacked finesse. Overall I felt that the mystery/suspense element could have been much stronger, and the general plot ideas could have been more original. In the end though, I found myself waffling a bit over my star rating, and if those two things had been a little better, the book probably would have earned keeper status from me. Otherwise though, I really enjoyed The Stranger She Married. The pacing was good, never lagging, and the story kept me engrossed and wanting to continue. Readers who like more historical ambiance in their Regency romances should find some pleasurable entertainment in this one. The Stranger She Married is the first in a planned series titled Rogue Hearts. According to Donna Hatch's website, the next book, Guise of a Gentleman, is due to be released sometime this summer, and although there are very few details about it yet, I strongly suspect that Cole's dashing pirate brother, Jared, will be the hero. In my opinion, The Stranger She Married was a good debut novel from a very promising and talented new author, and I definitely look forward to reading more of her books in the future. ( )
  mom2lnb | Sep 11, 2022 |
I had the privilege of meeting Donna Hatch several months ago at a local event, and upon returning home, I looked up her website to find out more about her debut novel, The Stranger She Married. I was thoroughly intrigued by the synopsis and excerpt of the book I found there, and immediately put in on my TBR list, so when Ms. Hatch recently contacted me about reviewing the book, I was more than happy to oblige. The plot of The Stranger She Married is reminiscent of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' A Rose in Winter, a classic romance novel that has been on my favorites list for many years. In spite of the similarities between the two books, Ms. Hatch still managed to keep me engrossed in her storytelling and often second-guessing what would happen next. The Stranger She Married is written in a more traditional regency style. Most of the story is of a rather low-key nature, and it is very character driven. It is also, without a doubt, a PG-rated romance, making it appropriate, in my opinion, for both younger and more sensitive romance readers. It has no curse words, minimal violence, and aside from a couple of passionate clinches, the love scenes are merely implied and take place off the canvas with no explicit details whatsoever. With its more subdued nature, I wouldn't necessarily characterize this as a passionate, heart-stopping romance, and I normally prefer my romances to have a bit more steam. Still, in spite of it not being quite like my usual fare, The Stranger She Married had a very appealing quality that made me like it a lot.

I think that there were two key elements which contributed to my enjoyment. First, the settings of the Regency balls, parties, social events and even the quiet solitude of a country estate were so beautifully and vividly rendered, it truly made me feel like I had been transported back in time to that era. The author certainly seems to have a good grasp on the history of the period, which lent the atmosphere a wonderful air of authenticity. The other thing which truly impressed me was the dialog. I don't think I have ever read dialog that is quite so fresh, varied and robust to the point that it is not only woven seamlessly into the plot, but it almost becomes a living, breathing thing in itself. I have certainly waded through my share of vapid conversations in romance novels, but the dialog in The Stranger She Married is never boring or inane, instead I felt that it really gave the story more genuineness and depth. The author skillfully uses it to build relationships, and occasionally there was some sharp, witty bantering which brought a smile to my face. It seems to me that writing truly good dialog would be rather challenging, but in my opinion, Ms. Hatch has done a wonderful job with it here. In fact, my only minor quibble would be that it is formatted in a rather unusual way which I have not seen before. This made it difficult at first to discern who was speaking, but once I got used to the pattern, I didn't really have any further trouble with it.

I also found the characters in The Stranger She Married to be an appealing bunch. There are essentially two heroes, cousins, Cole and Nicholas Amesbury who represent two sides of the same coin. Cole outwardly has a reputation as a charming and careless rake, but inside he has a heart of gold. He has tired of the social scene which he sees as nothing more than a marriage mart, and is quite taken by Alicia's looks and personality, which are so different from the other young women who typically pursue him. I loved his innate sense of honor and his desire to protect Alicia at all costs. The only thing about Cole that didn't quite ring true is that there was an allusion to dark things in his past which made him think of himself as something of a blackguard, but nothing ever came to light that made him seem like anything less than a gentleman to me. He also spent a good deal of time fighting his feelings for Alicia, which didn't really seem necessary given the direction the story took. Nicholas is the gentle, patient beta hero who mostly contents himself with simply spending time with Alicia. I loved how the author built their relationship through everyday things like talking, walking, playing games and sharing of knowledge. Nicholas, however, is a scarred man who is literally shrouded in mystery from head to toe. Then there is our heroine, Alicia, who finds herself in the confusing position of loving them both. Sometimes it seems like she is trying to have her cake and eat it too, but she is not unlike many Regency heroines who find themselves in the untenable situation of being a penniless orphan from a financially strapped noble family, wanting to marry for love but needing to marry for money. Alicia initially can't quite forgive Cole for his duel with her brother which ultimately left him dead, and by the time she is able to, circumstances have already forced her to marry Nicholas. I thought that Alicia could have stood out a little more, but then again, she was a wallflower. What I liked most about her is that she had the intelligence to realize that her family's deaths may not have been the accidents that they seemed, meaning that she too was in danger, as well as eventually putting the pieces of the puzzle together to discover the game that her husband was playing. There was also a nice group of secondary characters including Cole's matchmaking Aunt Livvy and his three brothers (only two of whom actually appeared in the story) who all have wildly varying personalities. All in all, I thought it was a very well-rounded cast.

There were many things that I liked about The Stranger She Married, but one thing I thought could have been better was the murder mystery. To be honest, if the synopsis hadn't alluded to some danger and intrigue, I probably wouldn't have recognized the mystery for what it was until it was staring me in the face. There were very few clues and no red herrings to speak of, so I wouldn't have been able to even hazard a guess as to a suspect or motive. The answer to the puzzle is basically just handed to the reader on a silver platter. I like a little light mystery in my romances from time to time, but half the fun is in being given enough information to speculate about what's happening. Also, the denouement of the suspense was pretty cliched with the villain making one of those tacky deathbed confessions which I thought lacked finesse. Overall I felt that the mystery/suspense element could have been much stronger, and the general plot ideas could have been more original. In the end though, I found myself waffling a bit over my star rating, and if those two things had been a little better, the book probably would have earned keeper status from me. Otherwise though, I really enjoyed The Stranger She Married. The pacing was good, never lagging, and the story kept me engrossed and wanting to continue. Readers who like more historical ambiance in their Regency romances should find some pleasurable entertainment in this one. The Stranger She Married is the first in a planned series titled Rogue Hearts. According to Donna Hatch's website, the next book, Guise of a Gentleman, is due to be released sometime this summer, and although there are very few details about it yet, I strongly suspect that Cole's dashing pirate brother, Jared, will be the hero. In my opinion, The Stranger She Married was a good debut novel from a very promising and talented new author, and I definitely look forward to reading more of her books in the future. ( )
1 vote mom2lnb | Sep 11, 2022 |
The Stranger She Married is a mixed bag. The beginning was intriguing, the ending was satisfying, but the in-between was lots of repetitive thoughts, dialogue and outlandish plots. You would think from the title and description that the marriage occurs early in the book or that the book focuses on the man the heroine marries, but it does not. 2.5/5 stars rounded up ( )
  mary23nm | Feb 27, 2019 |
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was an interesting story, if a bit predictable. The writing wasn't the greatest, but the plot made up for it. ( )
  kat_the_bookcat | Feb 7, 2019 |
At first, I cringed at the very idea of a love triangle going on in this book because 1) It was going to be inside the state of marriage, and 2) the book was clean and well-written up to the point where this question of infidelity was nagging me.

So imagine my relief when no infidelity happened. Yes, I'm relieved. And I can actually reread this without feeling guilty. ( )
  caslater83 | Apr 23, 2017 |
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To Cindy Hatch and Liz Roehr, and the rest of my family who have always been my best cheerleaders; Jennifer Griffith, for gentle suggestions, Rhonda Woodward for her tough love critique that forced me deeper into research, Jennifer Ashley for her patience, encouragement, and help, and all my Desert Rose RWA friends who mentored me along. Also to Joyce DiPastena, Anna Arnett and Lorna Hale, and all my sister writers at ANWA. A very special thank you to all the Beau Monders who continue to unselfishly impart all their knowledge of the magical and mysterious Regency Era. But most of all, to my husband, who is the inspiration for my heroes, and who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after.
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Alicia Palmer stepped down from the coach with all the enthusiasm of a condemned prisoner about to meet the executioner.
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When her parents and twin brother die within weeks of each other, Alicia and her younger sister are left in the hands of an uncle who has brought them to financial and social ruin. Desperate to save her family from debtor's prison, Alicia vows to marry the first wealthy man to propose. She meets the dashing Lord Amesbury, and her heart whispers this is the gentleman she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to a scarred cripple with the heart of a poet, or a handsome rake with a deadly secret.Cole Amesbury is tormented by his own ghosts and believes he is beyond redemption, yet he cannot deny his attraction for the girl whose genuine goodness touches the heart he'd thought long dead. He fears the scars in his soul cut so deeply that he may never be able to offer Alicia a love that is true. When yet another bizarre mishap threatens her life, Alicia suspects the seemingly unrelated accidents that have plagued her loved ones are actually a killer's attempt to exterminate every member of her family. Despite the threat looming over her, learning to love the stranger she married may pose the greatest danger...to her heart. And Cole must protect Alicia from the killer who has been exterminating her family before she becomes the next target.he Rogue Hearts Series:The Stranger She MarriedThe Guise of a GentlemanA Perfect SecretThe Suspect's DaughterPraise for Donna Hatch:"Donna Hatch is one of the masters of clean romance with electric tension and smokin' hot kisses." ~ Reading is My Super Power Reviews"Written with heart and depth, Donna Hatch's books are absolute must-reads for any fan of swoon-worthy historical romance."  ~ Sarah M. Eden, USA Today best-selling historical romance authorDance with a duke, outwit pirates, save a kingdom, and fall in love. Believe in happily ever after.Note from the Author:This romantic story of loss and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption, and strangers marrying, will leave you laughing, crying, and swooning. Sprinkled liberally with suspense, mystery, and heart-melting kisses, this is not your ordinary historical tale of an arranged marriage nor of redeeming the rakes. Fans of Victorian and Regency Eras as well as those seeking clean and wholesome romance with plenty of chemistry will love this story!

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