The Kiss of a Stranger Review

When Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no consequence. But he couldn't be more mistaken--the maid is not only a lady of birth, she's the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentlemen, who claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption. The dismayed young lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle.
Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine's utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife's transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society. Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted. As a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to live happily ever after?

About the author:
 Sarah M. Eden read her first Jane Austen novel in elementary school and has been an Austen Addict ever since. Fascinated by the Regency era in English history, Eden became a regular in the Regency section of the reference department at her local library, painstakingly researching this extraordinary chapter in history. Eden is an award-winning author of short stories and has been a Whitney Award Finalist for her novels Seeking Persephone (2008) and Courting Miss Lancaster (2010). You can visit her at www.sarahmeden.com.

My thoughts:
Awesome, clean Regency Romance by an amazing award-winning author! This humorous, but emotional book deals with the issue of abusing woman in a touching, not too heavy-handed, way. Catherine's struggle to see herself as strong and worthwhile, after years of suffering at her cruel uncle's hand, is sure to tug at the most cynical heartstrings. I fell in love with Crispin's gentleness towards his timid bride, and desire to do what is right, even if it means sacrificing his own heart. Sarah weaves a good dose of laughter and wittiness into this beautiful story of two people thrown together as strangers, but soon forced to choose either to reject or accept the gift handed them. If you love Jane Austen, and contemporary Regency novels, this book is for you!

M

N:Personally I Loved this book. It was sweet and smooth flowing. It was easy to get into the character and feel what they were feeling. When Catherine cried I felt like I wanted to cry and when she had a secret to keep I felt like keeping it too. It's a very clean Regency romance and hooks you from the first page. Crispin learns to understand Catherine and her pain. He helps her and she helps him more than they both thought she would . I love how they help each other and Crspin's Patience and gentleness touches me deeply. I most defiantly recommend this book for any reading level and age. So next time you see this book on a shelf of the book store or in the library give it a try.

 

C: One of the things that bugged me the most about Catherine and Crispin was their lack of communication and jumping to conclusions. Other than that I loved BOTH of them! One of my favorite things about the book was it was about an arranged marriage that has hope of turning into something more, better?