The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch

Genre: Regency Romance

Publication Date: October 2008

One Word Review: Great

Author Website: www.donnahatch.com

First Line: "Alicia Palmer stepped down from teh coach with all the enthusiasm of a condemned prisoner about to meet the executioner."

GoodReads Synopsis: When her parents and only brother die within weeks of each other, Alicia and her younger sister are left in the hands of an uncle who has brought them all 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 that this is the man she is destined to love, but his tainted past may forever stand in their way. Her choices in potential husbands narrow to either 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.

Kathy’s Review: I really enjoyed this one and Donna Hatch is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I accidently read book two, The Guise of a Gentleman, first and in that we are introduced to some of the characters in this book. I thought I knew what was going on, but I still kept second guessing myself the whole time which leads me to think Hatch is an excellent author. I really enjoyed Alicia, Cole and Nicholas’ story. Alicia is such a likable heroine, not only is she super nice she also has really good morals. I liked that she stood up for what she believed in, even though you could easily see she was torn between two men. I really liked Cole, I wasn’t sure if I would (since I liked his brother Jared in Guise so much), but he was different than Jared and I just liked him right from the start. He really is a decent guy and was crazy about Alicia from the moment they met. He definitely plays the role of “knight in shining armor” very well. Nicholas was also very likable, in different ways. He is more soft spoken, kind and very patient. The mystery added a lot to the story without being too overwhelming. It also added a lot of exciting elements and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Definitely recommend it to regency fans, or anyone who enjoys a good romantic story with hot leading men!

Ms. Hatch, PLEASE write a story for Grant. We’ve gotten to know him in both books and I know there is much more to his story and I really want to find out what his secrets are! (Oh yeah, and one for Christian too. I’m thinking he isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks he is?)

Bookworm Rating: 4.8

Rouge Heart Series:
Book One: The Stranger She Married
Book Two: The Guise of a Gentleman