What do you think?
Rate this book
Love in a Stranger's Arms
"I am probably everything you never wanted in a man," Don Cortez said firmly. "But fate plays a role in all our lives and whether you wanted me or not, mi vida, you have me."
Arabel was not really shocked by what he had revealed about himself. He had lived and learned and grown rich out of danger. She didn't condemn him for any of that--only for his insistence that she live with him as if she loved him.
Arabel was not really shocked by what he had revealed about himself. He had lived and learned and grown rich out of danger. She didn't condemn him for any of that--only for his insistence that she live with him as if she loved him.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
3 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
175 books141 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 31, 2025
I'll remember this one for the scene where the psychotic OW, gussied up in black lace and red shoes, hands the heroine her wedding "present": A cage stuffed with live birds that are slowly suffocating/getting trampled or pecked to death by each other.
Bravo, lady! The psycho bunny-boiling babes of the world ain't got nothing on you.
Bravo, lady! The psycho bunny-boiling babes of the world ain't got nothing on you.
April 3, 2020
Uno dei miei Harmony preferiti, nonostante sia parecchio datato e nonostante la protagonista, che necessitava di una sana tirata di capelli... La storia procede spedita fino all'ultima pagina, scritto bene, molto interessante l'ambientazione. E a tal proposito, sono in cerca di storie simili, quindi se qualcuno ne conosce fatemi sapere.
Non faccio commenti sul "figaccione" di turno, sarei ripetiva.
Non faccio commenti sul "figaccione" di turno, sarei ripetiva.
June 5, 2012
Wow the herione really made the hero work for it.
Read
August 10, 2013الضياع : فيوليت وينسبير - روايات عبير الجديدة
July 23, 2015
I fell in love with that book
March 9, 2021
(Read in french, under the title « La dernière corrida »)
« Love in a stranger's arms » belongs to these books which didn't aged well. Not at all. And if part of what makes it blameworthy is directly due to its age, it seems very difficult to find excuses for the rest of its flaws.
Everything is not worth to be thrown away anyway. Arabel's amnesia really is useful to the plot and the heroines's feeling to be lost, in an unknown place, amongst openly hostile people blaming her for not understanding « her luck », very well done. Who can give a *** about being a corrida superstar's wife while you're unable to retreive any memory of your past and totally ignorant about who you are ? And how to trust a man whose behavior most likely prompts to NOT do it ?
However, the most we read the most doubts rise. Cortez threaten a lot and gives even more orders, but nothing more than that ? What if Arabel's judgement wasn't reliable ?
The problem is, next to this, the book is far from enjoyable. First, bold sexism everywhere (and coming mostly from female characters !), sometimes clearly justified by the book's release date (it's « manly » to wear pants), sometimes inexcusable and really unflattering to Spanish people, described all-book-long, like big brainless machists thinking with their d*** for the men, and huge masochists loving things that way for the women. A lesson repeated again and again and again to Arabel to the nausea.
Let's not forget the not-subtile racism towards the remains of the arabian culture strongly tied to Andalusia, with all the cliches you can imagine. And on the top of that, will you take a bit of ableism where finding oneself in a wheelchair is shown as the end of the world ?
So, where the plot comes to marital rape (no Arabel, even if you liked it, you cleraly said no, so it's still a rape !) then to a quick and not convincing ending, that's the last straw !
There was for sure potential in this story, as well a good general idea, but as it is, really too much things makes you want to throw the book through the window.
« Love in a stranger's arms » belongs to these books which didn't aged well. Not at all. And if part of what makes it blameworthy is directly due to its age, it seems very difficult to find excuses for the rest of its flaws.
Everything is not worth to be thrown away anyway. Arabel's amnesia really is useful to the plot and the heroines's feeling to be lost, in an unknown place, amongst openly hostile people blaming her for not understanding « her luck », very well done. Who can give a *** about being a corrida superstar's wife while you're unable to retreive any memory of your past and totally ignorant about who you are ? And how to trust a man whose behavior most likely prompts to NOT do it ?
However, the most we read the most doubts rise. Cortez threaten a lot and gives even more orders, but nothing more than that ? What if Arabel's judgement wasn't reliable ?
The problem is, next to this, the book is far from enjoyable. First, bold sexism everywhere (and coming mostly from female characters !), sometimes clearly justified by the book's release date (it's « manly » to wear pants), sometimes inexcusable and really unflattering to Spanish people, described all-book-long, like big brainless machists thinking with their d*** for the men, and huge masochists loving things that way for the women. A lesson repeated again and again and again to Arabel to the nausea.
Let's not forget the not-subtile racism towards the remains of the arabian culture strongly tied to Andalusia, with all the cliches you can imagine. And on the top of that, will you take a bit of ableism where finding oneself in a wheelchair is shown as the end of the world ?
So, where the plot comes to marital rape (no Arabel, even if you liked it, you cleraly said no, so it's still a rape !) then to a quick and not convincing ending, that's the last straw !
There was for sure potential in this story, as well a good general idea, but as it is, really too much things makes you want to throw the book through the window.
December 27, 2017
الضياع
روايات عبير الجديدة
استيقضت اربيل لتجد نفسها وقد فقدت ذاكرتها في احد مستشفيات اسبانيا وكل ما يتعلق بماضيها و حاضرها لم تكن لتتوقع ابدا ان يأتي رجل يدعي انه زوجها هل هي متزوجة من الدون كورتيز دي لا دور لا تعرف وكان كل ما عرفته هو ما اختاره هذا الرجل من الذكريات حياتها الماضية.
كيف يمكن لها ان تصدق بأن ما يقوله هو الحقيقة خاصة و انها تشك في هذا الرجل و تعتقد بوجود رجل اخر في حياتها رجل احبته ووهبته حياتها وليس هذا الرجل الذي يتحكم بها كيفما يريد عليها ان تهرب بعيدا عن دون كورتيز قبل ان تصبح اسيرة هذا الغريب ولكن كيف سيمكنها ان تفر من هذا الرجل و هي مجرد يتيمة ليس لديها احد في هذا العالم.
روايات عبير الجديدة
استيقضت اربيل لتجد نفسها وقد فقدت ذاكرتها في احد مستشفيات اسبانيا وكل ما يتعلق بماضيها و حاضرها لم تكن لتتوقع ابدا ان يأتي رجل يدعي انه زوجها هل هي متزوجة من الدون كورتيز دي لا دور لا تعرف وكان كل ما عرفته هو ما اختاره هذا الرجل من الذكريات حياتها الماضية.
كيف يمكن لها ان تصدق بأن ما يقوله هو الحقيقة خاصة و انها تشك في هذا الرجل و تعتقد بوجود رجل اخر في حياتها رجل احبته ووهبته حياتها وليس هذا الرجل الذي يتحكم بها كيفما يريد عليها ان تهرب بعيدا عن دون كورتيز قبل ان تصبح اسيرة هذا الغريب ولكن كيف سيمكنها ان تفر من هذا الرجل و هي مجرد يتيمة ليس لديها احد في هذا العالم.
September 15, 2016
Winspear has written some crazy fun HP's, but this wasn't one of them. The amnesia plot had the potential to be very interesting, but the melodramatic dialogue and the overblown emotion of the heroine just made the book feel ridiculous and over the top, but not in an entertaining way. If you're a fan of macho, Spanish heroes, bullfighting romances, or flowery dialogue, then you might love this, otherwise, probably not.
November 1, 2016
such cruel hateful heroine . The idiot ruined the book for me.
August 1, 2024
The plot was plain and the book was extremely repetitive. Definitely couldve cut out a lot of repeated and frankly unnecessary dialogue and thoughts from the characters and made it shorter. A loooooong build up for a quick ending, which i definitely do not like. Wouldve liked more character development, but it all suddenly happened at the end.
April 7, 2021
Good book.
April 25, 2024
The h need her head check again
April 8, 2012
Arabel wakes in a Spanish hospital with total amnesia. She is told that she is married to Cortez Ildefonso de la Dura. After being arrested in Venezuela for sheltering two arsonists, Cortez married her in order to take her away from prison and safely to Spain.
Yes, this is yet another amnesia/forced marriage story. I found it very difficult to relate to Arabel. She spends much of her time being alternating between being hysterical, childishly cruel, and terrified. She doesn't remember anything but she has a gut feeling that she hates Cortez and would never have willingly married him, so ends up being very nasty to him. For some reason, she doesn't ask him the obvious questions that I would ask, such as, "How long have we known each other?" His family hate Arabel for being a foreigner, and for not loving and revering him as they feel she ought. They end up being very nasty to her, telling lies about her and try to persuade Cortez to get rid her of. When he is sick in bed and asking for her, they confine her to her room and tell him that she doesn't want to see him although she is actually begging to be by his side. At the end, she regains her memory and everybody gets to live happily ever after. I found it quite unbelievable that Cortez's family never seem to get their comeuppance and magically accept her once she realises that she loves him. Furthermore, the return of her memory was just too convenient. It happens all in a rush and then everything is all right. It would have been more realistic if small pieces had gradually come back to her, giving tantalising hints as the story progressed. Instead, she suddenly remembers how she knew Cortez and everything is resolved. I did enjoy reading this book, but I was left feeling a little unsatisfied.
Yes, this is yet another amnesia/forced marriage story. I found it very difficult to relate to Arabel. She spends much of her time being alternating between being hysterical, childishly cruel, and terrified. She doesn't remember anything but she has a gut feeling that she hates Cortez and would never have willingly married him, so ends up being very nasty to him. For some reason, she doesn't ask him the obvious questions that I would ask, such as, "How long have we known each other?" His family hate Arabel for being a foreigner, and for not loving and revering him as they feel she ought. They end up being very nasty to her, telling lies about her and try to persuade Cortez to get rid her of. When he is sick in bed and asking for her, they confine her to her room and tell him that she doesn't want to see him although she is actually begging to be by his side. At the end, she regains her memory and everybody gets to live happily ever after. I found it quite unbelievable that Cortez's family never seem to get their comeuppance and magically accept her once she realises that she loves him. Furthermore, the return of her memory was just too convenient. It happens all in a rush and then everything is all right. It would have been more realistic if small pieces had gradually come back to her, giving tantalising hints as the story progressed. Instead, she suddenly remembers how she knew Cortez and everything is resolved. I did enjoy reading this book, but I was left feeling a little unsatisfied.
November 12, 2022
"I am probably everything you never wanted in a man," Don Cortez said firmly. "But fate plays a role in all our lives and whether you wanted me or not, mi vida, you have me."
Arabel was not really shocked by what he had revealed about himself. He had lived and learned and grown rich out of danger. She didn't condemn him for any of that--only for his insistence that she live with him as if she loved him
Arabel was not really shocked by what he had revealed about himself. He had lived and learned and grown rich out of danger. She didn't condemn him for any of that--only for his insistence that she live with him as if she loved him
April 21, 2012
Titre vf: La dernière corrida
May 7, 2016
ridiculous .....terrible .....too melodramatic
don't bother
don't bother
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews