Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Need a good book to read? Here's a review of one I recently read.

The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch is an intriguing romance set in 1818 England, but it is also a compelling tale of murder and revenge.

Poor Alicia is still mourning the loss of both parents and her twin brother when her uncle insists she find a rich husband in order to save the family estate and keep them all from debtor’s prison. The best way to do that is by attending a ball with lots of wealthy bachelors. It is here that she meets the dashing, and very eligible Cole (Lord Amesbury).

He has several opportunities throughout the evening (and the book) to save Alicia and therefore cement him to her heart. However, she discovers that Cole is responsible for the death of her twin and realizes that she cannot trust her foolish heart to make wise choices. Cole is immediately smitten with the naïve and innocent Alicia and longs for her forgiveness and love.

I worried through the whole story how the two, who obviously loved each other, would end up with their happily ever after since Cole had arranged for Alicia to marry his cousin, and then I laughed with delight at the cleverness with which the author resolved their dilemma. As soon as I was finished reading it the first time, I turned to page one and read it again.

2 comments:

La Mujer Loca said...

Great review, Joyce. It's nice hearing about fellow ANWA members' work.

Joyce DiPastena said...

Fantastic review, Tina! I've read Donna's book and concur heartily with your assessment. :-)