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Ο Ξένος που Ήρθε - Βίπερ ΝΟΡΑ #146
Η Τες το είχε πάρει απόφαση ότι έπρεπε να φύγει από τον Καναδά και να γυρίσει στην Αγγλία. Ότι έπρεπε να εγκαταλείψει τον μικρό ξενώνα στις όχθες της πανέμορφης λίμνης. Το μόνο που περίμενε τώρα πια ήταν να φανεί ο αγοραστής.
Δεν περίμενε όμως ότι θα παρουσιαζόταν κάποιος που δεν θα ήθελε να διευθύνει μόνο τον ξενώνα, αλλά και τη ζωή της ...
Δεν περίμενε όμως ότι θα παρουσιαζόταν κάποιος που δεν θα ήθελε να διευθύνει μόνο τον ξενώνα, αλλά και τη ζωή της ...
- GenresHarlequin Romance
194 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1965
16 people want to read
About the author
Lilian Warren
87 books10 followersLilian Warren aka Rosalind Brett, Kathryn Blair, Katrina Britt, and Celine Conway.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 11, 2016
Tess' widowed mother has returned to England, Tess is to follow after attending to a few things and the sale of their Canada guest house. She meets the hero when he drops by intending to stay at the guest house. When he finds out it is for sale he makes a good offer for it. Since Tess is young she has to get the advice of an old family friend and write to her mother about the offer. Since the friend is out of town, the hero, Steve, decides to stay in the guest house anyway with a couple of his colleagues ( they are building a damn nearby). Tess attends to them competently and Steve and the others always try to lighten her load. Steve is concerned she is working too hard and tries to tempt her to enjoy a bit. But Tess merely thinks he is bossy and meddling. The widowed sister of the other guy arrives. She is beautiful and grieving and apparently broke up her brother's relationship with his girlfriend. She now wants Steve and plays the helpless dependent little woman infront of the men but is mean and demanding towards Tess. The men all seem to fall for her charms and it seems only Tess sees her true colors. She is truly evil and when she finds out that her brother is again writing to the ex-girlfriend she goes ballistic. She also resents Tess since she thinks Tess is trying to attract Steve. She lures Tess out into a canoe and tries to send her over the Rapids. Tess is rescued and Steve finally reveals his feelings.
Deliciously evil other woman. Too bad it was such a cop out the way the author dispatched her. She should have got her just desserts. Also abrupt ending and I don't see how Steve assumed that Tess should have known he was in love with her. By his own admission she was too young and inexperienced! Glad they got their HEA anyway.
Deliciously evil other woman. Too bad it was such a cop out the way the author dispatched her. She should have got her just desserts. Also abrupt ending and I don't see how Steve assumed that Tess should have known he was in love with her. By his own admission she was too young and inexperienced! Glad they got their HEA anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2018
The h had a lot of backbone and worked hard at her job, which made her quite likable to me. The H was pretty self-protective and crabby, but ultimately showed the right amount of sentiment towards the h. The OW was a terrible, scheming little witch who enjoyed demanding emotional support from the people around her, and who was probably a sociopath.
November 23, 2019
'Came A Stranger' was the first Celine Conway title I read.
I have to say that, in places, it was rather hard going. Perhaps this is due to the novel's length (192 pages of close type), or the weighty feel of the writing, or the slightly random scattering of sub-plots throughout (e.g. spoiled boy-next-door with depressive tendencies, saga of older lodger's nurse girlfriend in Vancouver, the younger lodger's woman-in-every-port persona), but I was willing myself at one or two junctures not to put this book down. In the end, though, I was pleased to have persevered...
In terms of the novel's protagonists; as another reviewer noted, the story's rugged Canadian engineer hero, Steve Fenner, is a pretty crabby and overbearing sort. Although, having since read Full Tide; the author's preferred character pairing does seem to be a 'grumpy thirty something hero with responsible job' and a 'plucky twenty-ish heroine' who, due to family circumstances, hasn't yet been able to train for a career (...and once hero proposes, likely never will...) The heroine in 'Came A Stranger', Tess Harvey, certainly fits this bill. She's been left as caretaker of her family guesthouse, 'Garth House', in rural Canada while her widowed mother returns to England.
When Steve makes his appearance at 'Garth House', the property has just been put on the market and, in view of the fact his company is constructing a silver mine nearby, along with a township and main road, he sees it as a bargain. However, beneath his gruff demeanour, Steve has a heart and decides he cannot totally rip Tess and her mother off by offering them the below market valuation that's been put on 'Garth House'. So the hero concocts a scheme whereby he and two workmates will lodge at the guesthouse until Tess' mother decides whether to accept his offer for half the property upfront and half later (at a price reflective of land values having risen post-mine opening). Despite her misgivings about the curt Steve, Tess can see the benefits of his proposition and agrees the three men can reside at 'Garth House' while they're working at the silver mine site.
The tension between Tess and Steve - evident from their first encounter - continues to rise as their acquaintance deepens: he growls at her like a grizzly with sore head and she snaps back like a feisty little terrier dog. Not too far into the book, the author introduces to the already fraught environment at 'Garth House', a psycho 'Other Woman' in the form of newly widowed, wealthy young brat - Anita Vance. Until I read this book, I'd thought Jane Arbor did a neat sideline in bonkers other women characters, but Celine Conway really takes the cake with Mrs. Anita Vance . While Anita flirts with Steve, the two other male lodgers become contenders for 'other man' character, although neither is ever a serious romantic proposition. Likewise, although Tess' neighbour, the petulant, melancholy 'Dickie' Nieland proposes to her, ultimately he (despite throwing a bit of sand in Steve's eye) becomes yet another minor misunderstanding, in a succession of them, between the protagonists.
Not until the heroine is seriously injured , do all blinkers fall off the protagonists. Notwithstanding this, Tess still attempts to abscond to England via Vancouver and has to be restrained by the hero:
Yes, there's definitely a thread of 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' about this 'Happy Ever After', but happily it's not on a par with some of the sadistic rot found in (too many) later M&B novels.
In summary, if you can stick it past half way mark, 'Came A Stranger' is a decent enough story; I'm rating it three-star vintage romance read.
I have to say that, in places, it was rather hard going. Perhaps this is due to the novel's length (192 pages of close type), or the weighty feel of the writing, or the slightly random scattering of sub-plots throughout (e.g. spoiled boy-next-door with depressive tendencies, saga of older lodger's nurse girlfriend in Vancouver, the younger lodger's woman-in-every-port persona), but I was willing myself at one or two junctures not to put this book down. In the end, though, I was pleased to have persevered...
In terms of the novel's protagonists; as another reviewer noted, the story's rugged Canadian engineer hero, Steve Fenner, is a pretty crabby and overbearing sort. Although, having since read Full Tide; the author's preferred character pairing does seem to be a 'grumpy thirty something hero with responsible job' and a 'plucky twenty-ish heroine' who, due to family circumstances, hasn't yet been able to train for a career (...and once hero proposes, likely never will...) The heroine in 'Came A Stranger', Tess Harvey, certainly fits this bill. She's been left as caretaker of her family guesthouse, 'Garth House', in rural Canada while her widowed mother returns to England.
When Steve makes his appearance at 'Garth House', the property has just been put on the market and, in view of the fact his company is constructing a silver mine nearby, along with a township and main road, he sees it as a bargain. However, beneath his gruff demeanour, Steve has a heart and decides he cannot totally rip Tess and her mother off by offering them the below market valuation that's been put on 'Garth House'. So the hero concocts a scheme whereby he and two workmates will lodge at the guesthouse until Tess' mother decides whether to accept his offer for half the property upfront and half later (at a price reflective of land values having risen post-mine opening). Despite her misgivings about the curt Steve, Tess can see the benefits of his proposition and agrees the three men can reside at 'Garth House' while they're working at the silver mine site.
The tension between Tess and Steve - evident from their first encounter - continues to rise as their acquaintance deepens: he growls at her like a grizzly with sore head and she snaps back like a feisty little terrier dog. Not too far into the book, the author introduces to the already fraught environment at 'Garth House', a psycho 'Other Woman' in the form of newly widowed, wealthy young brat - Anita Vance. Until I read this book, I'd thought Jane Arbor did a neat sideline in bonkers other women characters, but Celine Conway really takes the cake with Mrs. Anita Vance . While Anita flirts with Steve, the two other male lodgers become contenders for 'other man' character, although neither is ever a serious romantic proposition. Likewise, although Tess' neighbour, the petulant, melancholy 'Dickie' Nieland proposes to her, ultimately he (despite throwing a bit of sand in Steve's eye) becomes yet another minor misunderstanding, in a succession of them, between the protagonists.
Not until the heroine is seriously injured , do all blinkers fall off the protagonists. Notwithstanding this, Tess still attempts to abscond to England via Vancouver and has to be restrained by the hero:
"Don't go any further" said Steve curtly. "You're staying here."
... Tess looked down at the drink on the low table.
"It's no concern of yours, Steve. No-one can stop me - not even you. You're more or less owner here now, and you have Mrs. Patten to keep house. I'm superstitious and, believe it or not, I'm longing to go home."
The grey eyes glittered dangerously. "We'll talk about it later."
"There's nothing to talk about. When you took over Garth House I wasn't in the contract."
...Steve's fist thudded just once on the table.
"Will you be quiet! You're not going - that's final."
Yes, there's definitely a thread of 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' about this 'Happy Ever After', but happily it's not on a par with some of the sadistic rot found in (too many) later M&B novels.
In summary, if you can stick it past half way mark, 'Came A Stranger' is a decent enough story; I'm rating it three-star vintage romance read.
June 16, 2022
This was an oldie! The romance was very lite, almost non-existent. The best part was the hard working, independent 20 yo h who was running a boarding house on her own. There was an awful OW who really keeps you glued to the page as she comes unglued! Also unusual to have a book set inCanada so that was kind of fun.
October 1, 2018
Another of my mum's books which was also set in Canada and published the year I was born in 1965. I read it aged 10 and I remember enjoying it at the time. Not a particular favourite though.
February 19, 2025
Editing my review on a re-read. This time I loved it (so much easier to get through once you know what happens about the sociopathic OW)!
Quite an interesting read with lots of different characters. The hero going off on so many days/nights out with the needy/crazy OW was rather unpleasant, but typically Lilian Warren (and is explained at the end). The OW was so grating with her weeping for attention, man manipulating, self seeking behaviour. I wanted the heroine to kick her out of the hotel. I really liked the playboy man staying at the hotel as he saw through her and provided the heroine with some mental relief.
The ending was terrific and on the whole I really thought the hero was quite something and the heroine near perfect.
Quite an interesting read with lots of different characters. The hero going off on so many days/nights out with the needy/crazy OW was rather unpleasant, but typically Lilian Warren (and is explained at the end). The OW was so grating with her weeping for attention, man manipulating, self seeking behaviour. I wanted the heroine to kick her out of the hotel. I really liked the playboy man staying at the hotel as he saw through her and provided the heroine with some mental relief.
The ending was terrific and on the whole I really thought the hero was quite something and the heroine near perfect.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews