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The Tender Stranger
TRUST NO ONE
To her sorrow, Erin Wentworth had learned that lesson all too well when her society marriage had proved a sham. Now widowed and pregnant, she wanted only to escape the memories. But fate, in the form of Quinn Yarborough, had followed her to her mountain hideaway to resurrect the past --- and offer her a future.
A BREED APART
Bounty Hunter Quinn Yarborough knew he had come face-to-face with a quarry unlike any other, for the runaway widow Erin Wentworth was a prize beyond any price. And his heart ached to claim her as his very own ...
To her sorrow, Erin Wentworth had learned that lesson all too well when her society marriage had proved a sham. Now widowed and pregnant, she wanted only to escape the memories. But fate, in the form of Quinn Yarborough, had followed her to her mountain hideaway to resurrect the past --- and offer her a future.
A BREED APART
Bounty Hunter Quinn Yarborough knew he had come face-to-face with a quarry unlike any other, for the runaway widow Erin Wentworth was a prize beyond any price. And his heart ached to claim her as his very own ...
298 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1999
About the author
Carolyn Davidson
69 books93 followersCarolyn Davidson began writing in 1986, knowing absolutely nothing about the craft. Her first three books were rejected by Harlequin.
She met Dixie Browning at a Harlequin dinner in Charleston, South Carolina, and told Dixie she was writing, but that she feared she was too old to begin such an undertaking. Dixie's response spurred Carolyn to pursue her dream. Dixie said, in her own inimitable fashion, "Well, honey, you can't start any younger!" And she was right.
Having spent her life as a wife, mother, grandmother, and working woman, she's privileged to have a career that makes her dreams possible. Writing historical romance gives her the opportunity to travel, to visit all those places where our forefathers staked their claim on this country of ours. And then she goes home and writes their stories, maybe not exactly as they lived them, but as her imagination portrays them.
Carolyn lives in the South, where romance thrives, and where the sun shines almost every day of the year. In fact, some days it is difficult to stay glued to her computer, especially when the birds are singing and the flowers are in full bloom.
She lives not far from the ocean, close to Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Moreover, time at the beach is easy to come by. Does she enjoy her life? You bet! Harlequin allows her to write the books she loves, and her editor is patient with her quirks and foibles. Her family, though scattered in various states, is supportive, and her husband is a constant source of inspiration.
She met Dixie Browning at a Harlequin dinner in Charleston, South Carolina, and told Dixie she was writing, but that she feared she was too old to begin such an undertaking. Dixie's response spurred Carolyn to pursue her dream. Dixie said, in her own inimitable fashion, "Well, honey, you can't start any younger!" And she was right.
Having spent her life as a wife, mother, grandmother, and working woman, she's privileged to have a career that makes her dreams possible. Writing historical romance gives her the opportunity to travel, to visit all those places where our forefathers staked their claim on this country of ours. And then she goes home and writes their stories, maybe not exactly as they lived them, but as her imagination portrays them.
Carolyn lives in the South, where romance thrives, and where the sun shines almost every day of the year. In fact, some days it is difficult to stay glued to her computer, especially when the birds are singing and the flowers are in full bloom.
She lives not far from the ocean, close to Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most romantic cities in the world. Moreover, time at the beach is easy to come by. Does she enjoy her life? You bet! Harlequin allows her to write the books she loves, and her editor is patient with her quirks and foibles. Her family, though scattered in various states, is supportive, and her husband is a constant source of inspiration.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Did Not Finish
October 2, 2026DNF at 34%
Not terrible, but not good either. Plodding, predictable plot with inauthentic characters doing inauthentic things. I have no interest in reading further.
Not terrible, but not good either. Plodding, predictable plot with inauthentic characters doing inauthentic things. I have no interest in reading further.
September 1, 2018
Pues ni fu ni fa
Entretenido pero aburridillo la verdad. Esperaba mucho más pero yo no ando en el mood jajajaja
2.5
Entretenido pero aburridillo la verdad. Esperaba mucho más pero yo no ando en el mood jajajaja
2.5
May 21, 2012
★★★✩✩ Why don't I read my GRs friends’ reviews first before I purchase? I just love this author, so grabbed a couple from her back-list when they became available on Kindle; alas, this one was too sad for me. Still, the hero is as advertised.
June 20, 2012
For a book in which some nasty things happen -- the heroine loses a baby, and kills a man -- this is surprisingly anticlimactic and bland. If you're super into the "protective, gentle hero who rescues the mistreated heroine" storyline, you might like it more than I did.
November 18, 2009
The plot was good but it was written as a recitation of facts. No passion / emotion. Everyone was too even-tempered. Even the 'baddies' were too tame! One 'baddie' actually just runs away!! I never connected with the characters.
July 12, 2014
3 Stars ~ Quinn's widowed mother had worked as a housekeeper to a wealthy New York landowner. Quinn and the Wentworth's son were of the same age and they were playmates, but class differences soon separated the boys as Damian went off to university. Quinn worked hard and with a partner they became bounty hunters, and now in his thirties Quinn was a wealthy man in his own right with employees now doing the bulk of the hunting. When the Wentworths came to him to find their daugher-in-law after Damian's tragic death, Quinn couldn't refuse. Erin lead him on a fine chase, and finally he's found her in a cabin on the side of a Colorado mountain.
Erin hadn't thought too far ahead except to put as much distance as she could from her in-laws. Now settled in, Erin knows she has to make plans as she's only a few months away from giving birth. Something about the stranger who asks for a night of shelter from a coming storm, tells her that she can trust him. But Quinn doesn't leave after the storm passes, he stays to help her, taking her into town for supplies, and then when she goes into labour far too soon, he's there to help with the birth. And as her infant is far too little to survive outside the womb, Quinn builds a wooden box and buries her son.
I really enjoy Western / Frontier historical romances; there's just something about the heroes. Ms. Davidson gives us a great hero in Quinn. He's strong and resourceful, not afraid of the elements or the human threat, and has a tenderness for his heroine and child that warms the heart. Erin is brave woman who after enduring a nightmare of a marriage is determined to make a loving life for her child. There's a lot going on in this story, from child birth and death, strangers threatening Erin, to gun fire and the law. With all this going on, some of the romance seemed to take a back burner, but all in all this is a lovely story and I enjoyed Quinn and Erin's HEA.
Erin hadn't thought too far ahead except to put as much distance as she could from her in-laws. Now settled in, Erin knows she has to make plans as she's only a few months away from giving birth. Something about the stranger who asks for a night of shelter from a coming storm, tells her that she can trust him. But Quinn doesn't leave after the storm passes, he stays to help her, taking her into town for supplies, and then when she goes into labour far too soon, he's there to help with the birth. And as her infant is far too little to survive outside the womb, Quinn builds a wooden box and buries her son.
I really enjoy Western / Frontier historical romances; there's just something about the heroes. Ms. Davidson gives us a great hero in Quinn. He's strong and resourceful, not afraid of the elements or the human threat, and has a tenderness for his heroine and child that warms the heart. Erin is brave woman who after enduring a nightmare of a marriage is determined to make a loving life for her child. There's a lot going on in this story, from child birth and death, strangers threatening Erin, to gun fire and the law. With all this going on, some of the romance seemed to take a back burner, but all in all this is a lovely story and I enjoyed Quinn and Erin's HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2026
Liked this interesting story. Liked the big H with a tender heart. I've read 6 books/previews of this author. Three I didn't finish or read past the preview but the other three I gave 5 stars to. They are: this book, The Tender Stranger; The Forever Man (which I read a second time a few weeks ago); and The Midwife.
September 26, 2021
A lovely thrilling read. Quinn Yarbrough is a dream.
February 7, 2024
An all time favorite
Ms Davidson is a great story teller. I love her books. Everyone that I have read has been a true love story with spectacular characters.
Ms Davidson is a great story teller. I love her books. Everyone that I have read has been a true love story with spectacular characters.
January 1, 2017
This was quite an exciting story. It was a good mixture of romance, history and adventure.
May 25, 2013
Quinn Yarborough had finally found his quarry on a mountainside in Colorado. Erin Wentworth was the widow of his childhood friend. Given limited information by the man's parents, he soon realized he wasn't told everything. Looking at her from a distance he saw that she was pregnant.
And so their relationship begins. Over a period of days, weeks and months, these two learn the meaning of trust. Quinn is the author's typical hero: a bit jaded, softness surrounded by a hard edge, and not looking for love. He is a beta male in disguise.
Erin has been married before and it is not something she wants to go through again. So when Quinn enters the picture and he helps her in her time of need, she tries to placate him through hot meals, cleaning his clothes and offering him a temporary place to stay. But he soon wants more.
There is some slow reading but Carolyn Davidson's strength is writing a nice bit of old-fashioned 'Americana'. This book is similar to others she has had published. It is a gentle romance. Taking place in 1875, the rules are different. Men are only as strong as their honor and finding a good woman is someone to be cherished. All these elements envelope THE TENDER STRANGER. * * * Three stars because I liked it.
And so their relationship begins. Over a period of days, weeks and months, these two learn the meaning of trust. Quinn is the author's typical hero: a bit jaded, softness surrounded by a hard edge, and not looking for love. He is a beta male in disguise.
Erin has been married before and it is not something she wants to go through again. So when Quinn enters the picture and he helps her in her time of need, she tries to placate him through hot meals, cleaning his clothes and offering him a temporary place to stay. But he soon wants more.
There is some slow reading but Carolyn Davidson's strength is writing a nice bit of old-fashioned 'Americana'. This book is similar to others she has had published. It is a gentle romance. Taking place in 1875, the rules are different. Men are only as strong as their honor and finding a good woman is someone to be cherished. All these elements envelope THE TENDER STRANGER. * * * Three stars because I liked it.
April 26, 2019
This is one of Carolyn Davidson’s stand-alone novels. It was interesting but not fascinating. Our heroine, Erin, is hiding from her parents-in-law because she is pregnant and knows they want the baby.
Their son died before the beginning of the book and the parents want the last thing of their son – his child. To that end, they hire a bounty hunter to find Erin. It takes him months to find her because she has covered her trail well and she has moved to a hillside cabin in Colorado.
Her mistake was buying the cabin in her real name, thus Quinn finds her. He plans to take Erin back to New York City. However, he soon finds that there is more to the story than the parents told him. Quinn has to rethink his situation.
The book was OK and Quinn was certainly a worthy hero.
Their son died before the beginning of the book and the parents want the last thing of their son – his child. To that end, they hire a bounty hunter to find Erin. It takes him months to find her because she has covered her trail well and she has moved to a hillside cabin in Colorado.
Her mistake was buying the cabin in her real name, thus Quinn finds her. He plans to take Erin back to New York City. However, he soon finds that there is more to the story than the parents told him. Quinn has to rethink his situation.
The book was OK and Quinn was certainly a worthy hero.
July 2, 2013
This story is about a lady that was married (she thought)and pregnant and after her "husband" was killed/died she left to go out West. The family of the "husband" is looking for her and sends out a Bounty Hunter to look for her. He founds her and the race is on! I just fell in love with Quinn & Erin and love their story. With a bit of heat and a great romance.. BTW you can't go wrong with most any of Carolyn Davidson's books. Both my Mom and I read everything of her's we can get our hands on.
November 27, 2013
I liked the chemistry between the man and the woman and there was sexual tension from the very beginning. Carolyn also delivers on the steamy sex.
April 27, 2014
Sweet read.
April 20, 2015
Carolyn Davidson writes predictably rich characters. If you are searching for an author to read, she is dependably good. The story premise intrigued me and the story development held me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews