Strangers May Marry

by Mary Burchell

Valerie wasn't in a very happy situation -- not fit enough to work, and clearly unwanted by the relatives with whom she had been living. But in impetuously accepting the proposal of a man she scarcely knew, wasn't she in danger of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire?

Genres: Romance, Fiction

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Ida Cook was born on 1904 at 37 Croft Avenue, Sunderland, England. With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook (1901), she attending the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Later the sisters took civil service jobs in London, and developed a passionate interest in opera. The sisters helped 29 jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida's writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honored as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel.

As Mary Burchell, she published more than 125 romance novels by Mills & Boon since 1936. She also wrote some western novels as James Keene in collaboration with the author Will Cook (aka Frank Peace). In 1950, Ida Cook wrote her autobiography: "We followed our stars". She helped to found the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was its president from 1966 to her death on December 22, 1986.

Reviews

[Aayesha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved, loved, loved Nigel so very much!!! He was amazing, always smiling and looking calm and easygoing all the time while on the inside I'm sure he was a roller coaster of emotional turmoil. I loved him for that, and for his compassion.

It was Val I didn't like very much. She wasn't much of a heroine at all, spineless and unable to stand on her own two feet, dependant on others. The book got two stars because of her and the fact that the plot wasn't very good. There wasn't anything special or unique about this story. Also, a few of the characters such as Gerald and Susan seemed very two-dimensional. The best part of the book was Nigel <3

[Roub · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was not dat bad but i was so awfully bored, had to skip pages and even then i did not finish the book! i also cud not tolerate valerie's attitude. she was such an ungrateful girl, after all nigel had done for her! she doubted him and believed larry, was even tempted to elope wid larry infact! larry who was not der for her!who had abandoned her to the wolves, so to speak. (dear cousin susan and gerald!)

[Megzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Nigel but didn't care as much for Val. I thought she was a very weak character and showed her true personality while in London. I did enjoy the storyline between Val and Nigel's mom. I wanted to slap Gerald and the OW all throughout the book and shake Gerald's wife to see her husband for the piece of dirt he was.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging, well written vintage romance novel that is completely unbelievable because the main characters meet, get engaged, get married, and fall in love (in that order) in one week. Recommended for die-hard Mary Burchell fans.

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for unnecessary confusion of the plot! I had to go back and reread to see if I could figure out what was going on! I got whiplash from h going back and forth. There was no romance in this but there was an underlying mystery to it n

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much of a romance. H and h spent about 48 hours together in entire book. It sounded more like a fluffy mystery.

[Rongbu]

This could be a suspense, thriller or mystery story. Not romantic enough to be a romance novel though.

[Melanie Emry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Badly edited

This edition has obviously been scanned and barely corrected. Characters instead of letters, misspellings, and lack of carriage returns throughout. Makes a difficult read.

Story is entertaining, though.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this couple. This is my 63rd Mary Burchell book, and I must say, with the rating at 3.4, I was hoping for more.

I liked Mr. Ward. His character subtly opened up as the story progressed.

Grey-eyed character: Gerald

[Reading with Cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome hero ends up with a spineless, brainless cow of a “heroine.” Poor Nigel should’ve stayed lost on his deserted island.

[Kaitlyn Ward]

https://soulfulbookthoughts.wordpress...

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Little Read

There is something very satisfying about Mary Burchell’s stories. I think it’s the stable, warm background feeling that only she can give…every story has it.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read, mostly because there were lots of plot holes accompanied by a general lack of detail. The subplot with the "sister" made no sense.