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The Merridew Sisters #3
The Perfect Stranger
They vow to love, honor, cherish...
With her signature spirit, Faith Merridew has left everything she's ever known for the man she thought was the love of her life. Instead he leaves her name—and dreams—in the dust. That is, until she crosses paths with Nicholas Blacklock, a Waterloo veteran, who offers to save her reputation with a marriage of convenience.
...And then get to know one another.
A hardened soldier, Nick hides a deadly secret—and tries to keep Faith at arm's length. But even though Nick can command legions of men with a word, his orders go sweetly ignored by his convenient bride. And as they come to know one another more deeply, she brings out in him things he thought dead: gentleness, laughter...and love.
With her signature spirit, Faith Merridew has left everything she's ever known for the man she thought was the love of her life. Instead he leaves her name—and dreams—in the dust. That is, until she crosses paths with Nicholas Blacklock, a Waterloo veteran, who offers to save her reputation with a marriage of convenience.
...And then get to know one another.
A hardened soldier, Nick hides a deadly secret—and tries to keep Faith at arm's length. But even though Nick can command legions of men with a word, his orders go sweetly ignored by his convenient bride. And as they come to know one another more deeply, she brings out in him things he thought dead: gentleness, laughter...and love.
344 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 6, 2006
151 people are currently reading
1458 people want to read
About the author
Anne Gracie
95 books1,533 followersI've always loved stories. Family legend has it that I used to spend hours playing in the sand pit, with a dog on either side of me and Rocka the horse leaning over me, his head just touching my shoulder, while I told them stories. I have to say, dogs and horses are great audiences, apart from their tendency to drool occasionally. But people are even nicer.
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
In case you imagine we were a filthy rich horse-owning family, let me assure you we weren't. The horse period was a time when my parents entered a "let's-be-self-sufficient" phase, so we had a horse, but no electricity and all our water came from the rain tank.
As well as the horse and dogs, we had 2 cows (Buttercup and Daisy and one of them always had a calf), a sheep (Woolly,) goats (Billy and Nanny) dozens of ducks, chooks, and a couple of geese, a pet bluetongue lizard and a huge vegie patch. I don't know how my mother managed, really, because both she and Dad taught full time, but she came home and cooked on a wood stove and did all the laundry by hand, boiling the clothes and sheets in a big copper kettle. Somehow, we were always warm, clean, well fed and happy. She's pretty amazing, my mum.
Once I learned to read, I spent my days outside playing with the animals (I include my brother and 2 sisters here) and when inside I read. For most of my childhood we didn't have TV, so books have always been a big part of my life. Luckily our house was always full of them. Travel was also a big part of my childhood. My parents had itchy feet. We spent a lot of time driving from one part of Australia to another, visiting relatives or friends or simply to see what was there. I've lived in Scotland, Malaysia and Greece. We travelled through Europe in a caravan and I'd swum most of the famous rivers in Europe by the time I was eight.
This is me and my classmates in Scotland. I am in the second front row, in the middle, to the right of the girl in the dark tunic.
Sounds like I was raised by gypsies, doesn't it? I was even almost born in a tent --Mum, Dad and 3 children were camping and one day mum left the tent and went to hospital to have me. But in fact we are a family of chalkies (Australian slang for teachers)- and Dad was a school principal during most of my life. And I am an expert in being "the new girl" having been to 6 different schools in 12 years.The last 4 years, however, were in the same high school and I still have my 2 best friends from that time.
No matter where I lived, I read. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on -- old Enid Blyton and Mary Grant Bruce books, old schoolboys annuals. I learned history by reading Rosemary Sutcliffe, Henry Treece and Georgette Heyer. I loved animal books -- Elyne Mitchell's Silver Brumby books and Mary Patchett and Finn the Wolf Hound. And then I read Jane Austen and Dickens and Mary Stewart and Richard Llewellyn and Virginia Woolf and EF Benson and Dick Francis and David Malouf and Patrick White and Doris Lessing and PD James and...the list is never ending.
This is me posing shamelessly on a glacier in New Zealand.
This is me in Greece with my good friend Fay in our village outfits. The film went a funny colour, but you get the idea. I'm the one in the pink apron.
I escaped from my parents, settled down and went to university.To my amazement I became a chalkie myself and found a lot of pleasure in working with teenagers and later, adults. I taught English and worked as a counsellor and helped put on plays and concerts and supervised camps and encouraged other people to write but never did much myself. It took a year of backpacking around the world to find that my early desire to write hadn't left me, it had just got buried under a busy and demanding job.
I wrote my first novel on notebooks bought in Quebec, Spain, Greece and Indonesia. That story never made it out of the notebooks, but I'd been bitten by the writing bug.
My friends and I formed a band called Platform Souls a
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
February 18, 2018
No problem with instalove per se but this is ridiculous.
Otherwise we have a likable pair with an endearing and engaging chemistry (in the ways of AG).
The H is near perfect. Just a tad bossy, a tad overprotective I-will-decide-things-for-you but okay. I won't go into the details - many reviewers have written excellent analyses.
My bit of problem lies with the h. She’s a sweetheart but…
The mandatory secondary romance is okay, certainly better than that in book #2. Lots of brushing away of the discomforts of such a journey- the h is as happy and peppy as if she’s riding on the Orient Express - well, with the timely availability of brass bathtubs and clean sun-warmed sheets – I can’t blame her.
I noticed the author forgets to mention a character a two for some time even when they are supposedly there all along – like the dog vanishes for a while and later Mr. Black is unmentioned for few days and makes a sudden reappearance.
Otherwise it’s a sweet enough love story with a secret-which-is-not-such-a-secret, a pnr-ish miracle cure, boring-but-plentiful sex and a charming road trip along the coast of France and Spain thrown in for good measure. So a journey in more ways than one.
The epilogue is a mixed bag.
The scoring of this series remains as per the book number. So the first book is still no.1!
Otherwise we have a likable pair with an endearing and engaging chemistry (in the ways of AG).
The H is near perfect. Just a tad bossy, a tad overprotective I-will-decide-things-for-you but okay. I won't go into the details - many reviewers have written excellent analyses.
My bit of problem lies with the h. She’s a sweetheart but…
The mandatory secondary romance is okay, certainly better than that in book #2. Lots of brushing away of the discomforts of such a journey- the h is as happy and peppy as if she’s riding on the Orient Express - well, with the timely availability of brass bathtubs and clean sun-warmed sheets – I can’t blame her.
I noticed the author forgets to mention a character a two for some time even when they are supposedly there all along – like the dog vanishes for a while and later Mr. Black is unmentioned for few days and makes a sudden reappearance.
Otherwise it’s a sweet enough love story with a secret-which-is-not-such-a-secret, a pnr-ish miracle cure, boring-but-plentiful sex and a charming road trip along the coast of France and Spain thrown in for good measure. So a journey in more ways than one.
The epilogue is a mixed bag.
The scoring of this series remains as per the book number. So the first book is still no.1!
August 1, 2025
2.5 stars
Nicholas rescues Faith from three potential rapists pursuing her through the sand hills of the French coast, and then rescues her from her own disastrous mistake. That mistake would be a Bulgarian violinist with a wife and five children whom Faith eloped to marry in what she later discovered to be a fake wedding. Penniless and possession-less and with a reputation ruined forever, Faith was looking at a pretty dismal future until Nicholas offers to marry her—a white marriage—and then send her to his mother in England on the first available ship.
He wants no real marriage. He wants no real attachments. He wants no real feelings. She refuses to return to England after the wedding, and he reluctantly agrees to let her accompany him and his two companions on their journey, but lays down the rules right away.
“I have one final condition. You are not to get attached to me. If you cling or in any way begin to fool yourself into thinking that what we have between us is love, then you must leave. If I notice it happening, I will ask you to leave, and I want your solemn promise that you will go—without argument.” He cast a glance at her horse and added, “Or trickery.”
He offers no explanation why he’s so determined to keep his emotional distance from Faith for most of the book, which left me feeling disconnected and confused.
The side story of Estrellita and Mac added annoyance to my disconnection and confusion.
And that’s the good part. When Nicholas’s big secret is finally revealed, all I could think was, “Why didn’t he just say so in the beginning? Why is this a secret?”
I still intended to round up to 3 stars until the ending, which added a bewildering and unwelcome paranormal element to the story.
This is the least enjoyable novel by Anne Gracie, an author who is usually a winner for me, I’ve read thus far.
Nicholas rescues Faith from three potential rapists pursuing her through the sand hills of the French coast, and then rescues her from her own disastrous mistake. That mistake would be a Bulgarian violinist with a wife and five children whom Faith eloped to marry in what she later discovered to be a fake wedding. Penniless and possession-less and with a reputation ruined forever, Faith was looking at a pretty dismal future until Nicholas offers to marry her—a white marriage—and then send her to his mother in England on the first available ship.
He wants no real marriage. He wants no real attachments. He wants no real feelings. She refuses to return to England after the wedding, and he reluctantly agrees to let her accompany him and his two companions on their journey, but lays down the rules right away.
“I have one final condition. You are not to get attached to me. If you cling or in any way begin to fool yourself into thinking that what we have between us is love, then you must leave. If I notice it happening, I will ask you to leave, and I want your solemn promise that you will go—without argument.” He cast a glance at her horse and added, “Or trickery.”
He offers no explanation why he’s so determined to keep his emotional distance from Faith for most of the book, which left me feeling disconnected and confused.
The side story of Estrellita and Mac added annoyance to my disconnection and confusion.
And that’s the good part. When Nicholas’s big secret is finally revealed, all I could think was, “Why didn’t he just say so in the beginning? Why is this a secret?”
I still intended to round up to 3 stars until the ending, which added a bewildering and unwelcome paranormal element to the story.
This is the least enjoyable novel by Anne Gracie, an author who is usually a winner for me, I’ve read thus far.
July 12, 2015
This is probably one of the most stupid and infuriating book I've ever read. The amount of stupid would have killed me if I hadn't just ignored so many pages.
This book has literally no redeeming feature. None. And I'm the kind of person who doesn't mind dumb books all that much because wow funny.
The Perfect Stranger isn't a funny book at all, not even in that this-is-so-ridiculous-I-have-to-laugh way. It's just appalling.
The characters are all very selfish. They never really stop to consider another person's wellbeing, even when the narrator tells you they do. Oh, someone's dead? Well too bad but you see I'm happy so yeah not gonna care. They would be terrible people I'd gladly kick behind the knee if they were real.
Their self-obsession would be reason enough to despise them, but they're also RIDICULOUS. They have no depth. At one point there's that girl who's supposedly mourning her grandmother and she has to mourn her for nine days. And for nine days she's a fucking pain in the ass. Then when the nine days are over she just changes clothes and goes to have a good time in the hay. What.
The way the 'foreign' characters are depicted also made me deeply uncomfortable. Estrellita and her grandmother are mysterious Spanish witches who have literally been waiting all their lives for four English people to come bother them. That's literally all we know about Estrellita's grandmother. She dies to save Nick, and that's it, and she's glad she did it. What the fuck. Seriously, why? There are so many things wrong with that, I'm not sure I'd know where to begin.
Also, Estrellita's English is broken in a way that makes no sense. There are missing verbs where, even in Spanish, there would be a verb. Has the author ever bothered learning another language?
On that note: I'm not ever reading a book which includes sentences in French again. Ever. If for some reason you need to include sentences in another language in your book, please make sure they actually mean something. I'm French, and I'm telling you: the French in this book is fucking wrong and stupid and ugh.
There was also that weird thing where one sentence would actually be written in French (and translated in English between brackets, which, ugh, the meaning was already obvious from the context) and then the next one would just be written in English with the narrator telling us that the character said it in French. It can't be that hard to choose one way to do it and fucking stick to it, right?
I just really hate this book. It's so full of prejudices, and I might have overlooked them to enjoy the story, if the story had been enjoyable, but it wasn't. It was cliché and dumb, and I'm pretty sure I'd have been grossed out by the sex scenes even if I enjoyed that kind of thing. I mean, seriously, Estrellita and her 'beard'? What the actual fuck. I'm so glad I'm never going to have sex with any of these characters. Or speak with them. Or just see them.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pour bleach onto my brain to erase these horrible memories.
This book has literally no redeeming feature. None. And I'm the kind of person who doesn't mind dumb books all that much because wow funny.
The Perfect Stranger isn't a funny book at all, not even in that this-is-so-ridiculous-I-have-to-laugh way. It's just appalling.
The characters are all very selfish. They never really stop to consider another person's wellbeing, even when the narrator tells you they do. Oh, someone's dead? Well too bad but you see I'm happy so yeah not gonna care. They would be terrible people I'd gladly kick behind the knee if they were real.
Their self-obsession would be reason enough to despise them, but they're also RIDICULOUS. They have no depth. At one point there's that girl who's supposedly mourning her grandmother and she has to mourn her for nine days. And for nine days she's a fucking pain in the ass. Then when the nine days are over she just changes clothes and goes to have a good time in the hay. What.
The way the 'foreign' characters are depicted also made me deeply uncomfortable. Estrellita and her grandmother are mysterious Spanish witches who have literally been waiting all their lives for four English people to come bother them. That's literally all we know about Estrellita's grandmother. She dies to save Nick, and that's it, and she's glad she did it. What the fuck. Seriously, why? There are so many things wrong with that, I'm not sure I'd know where to begin.
Also, Estrellita's English is broken in a way that makes no sense. There are missing verbs where, even in Spanish, there would be a verb. Has the author ever bothered learning another language?
On that note: I'm not ever reading a book which includes sentences in French again. Ever. If for some reason you need to include sentences in another language in your book, please make sure they actually mean something. I'm French, and I'm telling you: the French in this book is fucking wrong and stupid and ugh.
There was also that weird thing where one sentence would actually be written in French (and translated in English between brackets, which, ugh, the meaning was already obvious from the context) and then the next one would just be written in English with the narrator telling us that the character said it in French. It can't be that hard to choose one way to do it and fucking stick to it, right?
I just really hate this book. It's so full of prejudices, and I might have overlooked them to enjoy the story, if the story had been enjoyable, but it wasn't. It was cliché and dumb, and I'm pretty sure I'd have been grossed out by the sex scenes even if I enjoyed that kind of thing. I mean, seriously, Estrellita and her 'beard'? What the actual fuck. I'm so glad I'm never going to have sex with any of these characters. Or speak with them. Or just see them.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pour bleach onto my brain to erase these horrible memories.
August 1, 2022
This third book in Anne Gracie’s Merridew Sisters Quartet was not quite as good as the first two books in the series but was still a fun and enjoyable read.
The premise was a little different and the story a tad darker and more melancholy in tone than the previous books. Faith, Hope’s twin sister, had run off with the musician Felix she met in the previous book in the series. Unfortunately that relationship ended in disaster and Faith is left alone and ruined in France. Just as things look particularly bleak she is saved from harm by a stranger. Ex-soldier Nicholas Blackstock not only saves Faith but offers to marry her so she can go home with her reputation in tact. The problem for Faith is that after spending a bit of time with Nicholas she does not want to be packed off home to England while he completes his mysterious task on the continent!
This one was a tad more melancholy and sad in tone than the previous books as we caught up with Faith when she was at a bad point and Nicholas and his two ex-soldier companions had also lead troubled lives. The good news is that there was still some of the lighter moments that make this series a fun read and the relationships and romance were as heartfelt and fun as ever. Faith and Nicholas were always easy to root for and always felt a good pairing despite their happenstance meeting and betrothal of convenience.
All in all a good read that was not quite as good as the previous two books but that was still a very good story. I’m just a fan of Anne Gracie’s books. The characters are always so easy to like!
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Heather Wilds was excellent as always!
The premise was a little different and the story a tad darker and more melancholy in tone than the previous books. Faith, Hope’s twin sister, had run off with the musician Felix she met in the previous book in the series. Unfortunately that relationship ended in disaster and Faith is left alone and ruined in France. Just as things look particularly bleak she is saved from harm by a stranger. Ex-soldier Nicholas Blackstock not only saves Faith but offers to marry her so she can go home with her reputation in tact. The problem for Faith is that after spending a bit of time with Nicholas she does not want to be packed off home to England while he completes his mysterious task on the continent!
This one was a tad more melancholy and sad in tone than the previous books as we caught up with Faith when she was at a bad point and Nicholas and his two ex-soldier companions had also lead troubled lives. The good news is that there was still some of the lighter moments that make this series a fun read and the relationships and romance were as heartfelt and fun as ever. Faith and Nicholas were always easy to root for and always felt a good pairing despite their happenstance meeting and betrothal of convenience.
All in all a good read that was not quite as good as the previous two books but that was still a very good story. I’m just a fan of Anne Gracie’s books. The characters are always so easy to like!
Rating: 4 stars.
Audio Note: Heather Wilds was excellent as always!
October 20, 2018
Here are some of my thoughts:
• This is my favorite book of this series so far. It is heartwarming, cute, and emotional. It is great to see Faith grow as a person throughout the book. At the beginning, she is weak, reliant, and aimless. By the end, she speaks up for herself and goes after what she wants. You can really see her try harder to be stronger. Also, she goes through such struggles in the beginning, so I respect her even more for it.
• Nicholas is a solid character. I like him.
• I adore Nicholas’ friends – Stevens and Mac. Stevens is an old sweetheart, and Mac is thorny but a good friend.
• I do feel like while this book is my favorite so far in the series, the epilogue is not as good as the others. It’s not bad, but the others were just so good that this pales in comparison.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the storyline and romance and appreciated the character development.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
• This is my favorite book of this series so far. It is heartwarming, cute, and emotional. It is great to see Faith grow as a person throughout the book. At the beginning, she is weak, reliant, and aimless. By the end, she speaks up for herself and goes after what she wants. You can really see her try harder to be stronger. Also, she goes through such struggles in the beginning, so I respect her even more for it.
• Nicholas is a solid character. I like him.
• I adore Nicholas’ friends – Stevens and Mac. Stevens is an old sweetheart, and Mac is thorny but a good friend.
• I do feel like while this book is my favorite so far in the series, the epilogue is not as good as the others. It’s not bad, but the others were just so good that this pales in comparison.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the storyline and romance and appreciated the character development.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
March 18, 2014
3.5 stars. 4 if it wasn't so blasted early. (Everything is a half-star less great at this hour.)
Faith eloped with what she thought was a Hungarian violinist because she had a dream that her True Love would make beautiful music. (Literal music; not sexy-time body-music.) Nick is the war veteran who saves her from bad drunken fisherman after she finally makes her escape from the con-artist life-ruiner (HE'S NOT EVEN HUNGARIAN!!). He proposes marriage as a solution to keep her from Absolute Ruin and also to fob off his mother who desperately wants him married. Then Nick tries to send Faith off to England. Then she follows him across the Continent. THEN THEY FALL IN LOVE. And make lots of sexy-time body-music and occasional literal music.)
If you're a little confused at that overly-plotty summation of The Perfect Stranger, YEP ME TOO. Your suspension of disbelief could probably span a river but if you can push through it, there's a married-strangers plot that's pretty delightful. And I really enjoyed Faith's reassurances that she WAS NOT GETTING ATTACHED.
Basically, I found this really enjoyable except when I didn't. Some of those bits include the sudden and dramatic foreshadowing of Something Bad awaiting them after they reached Bilbao. In addition, the secondary romance felt...rushed and patchy. And then there was an almost supernatural resolution to the Something Bad that also didn't quite set up right.
I DON'T KNOW I LIKED MOST OF IT OKAY.
Faith eloped with what she thought was a Hungarian violinist because she had a dream that her True Love would make beautiful music. (Literal music; not sexy-time body-music.) Nick is the war veteran who saves her from bad drunken fisherman after she finally makes her escape from the con-artist life-ruiner (HE'S NOT EVEN HUNGARIAN!!). He proposes marriage as a solution to keep her from Absolute Ruin and also to fob off his mother who desperately wants him married. Then Nick tries to send Faith off to England. Then she follows him across the Continent. THEN THEY FALL IN LOVE. And make lots of sexy-time body-music and occasional literal music.)
If you're a little confused at that overly-plotty summation of The Perfect Stranger, YEP ME TOO. Your suspension of disbelief could probably span a river but if you can push through it, there's a married-strangers plot that's pretty delightful. And I really enjoyed Faith's reassurances that she WAS NOT GETTING ATTACHED.
Basically, I found this really enjoyable except when I didn't. Some of those bits include the sudden and dramatic foreshadowing of Something Bad awaiting them after they reached Bilbao. In addition, the secondary romance felt...rushed and patchy. And then there was an almost supernatural resolution to the Something Bad that also didn't quite set up right.
I DON'T KNOW I LIKED MOST OF IT OKAY.
November 28, 2014
While I enjoyed it, it wasn't as god as the previous ones...
Don't misunderstand me, it was still a nice story, but I started being bored with the old trope: I know what's better for you
Here we have Feith's story.
The first part of her story was missing and we get just glimpses of what hapened and how she was deceived. Personally I would have liked to know something more... maybe a bit of that part of her life in the prologue...
However, Faith has run away, was robbed and now she's all alone in a strange country...
She stumbles on Nick running away from some men chasing her and he, very chivalrously help her and save her from rape.
So their story together begins...
It was adventurous and interesting, but I was not invested neither in Faith nor in Nick.
She was bordering on TSTL, thankfully never falling into it, while Nick was suffering from severe case of I know what you want and need better than you, so I'll hide what I don't want you to know because it's better that way!
Frankly I'm beginning to be bored to tears reading story where the heroes behave that way! And here it was the base of the whole story!
Also I didn't appreciate the paranormmal bent of the resolution of his problem. I percieve it like incredible and out of place... Sorry...
Let's see how Gracie's story will be!
Don't misunderstand me, it was still a nice story, but I started being bored with the old trope: I know what's better for you
Here we have Feith's story.
The first part of her story was missing and we get just glimpses of what hapened and how she was deceived. Personally I would have liked to know something more... maybe a bit of that part of her life in the prologue...
However, Faith has run away, was robbed and now she's all alone in a strange country...
She stumbles on Nick running away from some men chasing her and he, very chivalrously help her and save her from rape.
So their story together begins...
It was adventurous and interesting, but I was not invested neither in Faith nor in Nick.
She was bordering on TSTL, thankfully never falling into it, while Nick was suffering from severe case of I know what you want and need better than you, so I'll hide what I don't want you to know because it's better that way!
Frankly I'm beginning to be bored to tears reading story where the heroes behave that way! And here it was the base of the whole story!
Also I didn't appreciate the paranormmal bent of the resolution of his problem. I percieve it like incredible and out of place... Sorry...
Let's see how Gracie's story will be!
August 20, 2011
I enjoy this author's work. The story felt fresh and was a road trip story which is a plot line I like. Kudos to the author for having a "ruined" heroine who was actually ruined. I also enjoyed that their marriage was consummated early in the story as I like stories where a couple in a convenient marriage do have sex and the story is about other elements. I think that is more realistic than having married couples not having sex for months because of some weird pact or something. One of the things that makes convenient marriages so convenient is that the couple involved is 'getting some.'
The reason for the road trip was obvious but that just added to the tension I think. I could have taken or left the paranormal element. I enjoyed the well written characters. The heroine was sweet and brave and the hero kind and charming.
The reason for the road trip was obvious but that just added to the tension I think. I could have taken or left the paranormal element. I enjoyed the well written characters. The heroine was sweet and brave and the hero kind and charming.
June 7, 2016
1.5 stars
What a HUGE disappointment, as I actually really enjoyed the first two in this regency romance series (The Perfect Rake and The Perfect Waltz). Whereas the first two books had likable characters and some semblance of a plot, this book lacked all of that and more.
Look, I'll just say it: Faith, our heroine, is a ninny. She was always stuttering and faltering in a way that was more groan-inducing than sweet. Like seriously, girl, grow a pair. She reminded me of Disney's Snow White, trying ever so hard to be the perfect wife and bossing her husband around on domestic matters but acting timid and frightened all the other times. It literally set my teeth on edge.
The romance wasn't very inspired, either. I felt zero chemistry between the two main characters. They were married out of convenience, they did the dirty a few times, and then...suddenly they're in love? Ooook, if you say so. There was just nothing there to convince me or make me feel involved in their love story. And while I don't really read these books for the love scenes, I at least expect them to be well written. Or decently written. Or not terrible. But yeah, it was pretty bad here. There was a lot of flowery, insipid writing that had me usually glossing over the bedroom scenes.
A few more quick notes of irritation: please don't write a character of another ethnicity if you can't do it well. The gypsy character at the end was so poorly written...I skimmed like all her dialogue because it was said in forced broken English ("You no choose. Woman choose!") and was supposed to be "fiery" as indicated by the excessive use of exclamation points. Also, Anne Gracie, please stop feeling like you have to make a romance for every secondary character in your books. The first time it was fine, the second book it was ok, and now it just feels forced when you have secondary and even out-of-nowhere tertiary romances.
I'm not going to even touch that ending because what? ...that sums it up, basically.
Will I read the final book in this series, The Perfect Kiss? Yes, yes I will. But I REALLY hope it's a return to form instead of whatever this addition was.
What a HUGE disappointment, as I actually really enjoyed the first two in this regency romance series (The Perfect Rake and The Perfect Waltz). Whereas the first two books had likable characters and some semblance of a plot, this book lacked all of that and more.
Look, I'll just say it: Faith, our heroine, is a ninny. She was always stuttering and faltering in a way that was more groan-inducing than sweet. Like seriously, girl, grow a pair. She reminded me of Disney's Snow White, trying ever so hard to be the perfect wife and bossing her husband around on domestic matters but acting timid and frightened all the other times. It literally set my teeth on edge.
The romance wasn't very inspired, either. I felt zero chemistry between the two main characters. They were married out of convenience, they did the dirty a few times, and then...suddenly they're in love? Ooook, if you say so. There was just nothing there to convince me or make me feel involved in their love story. And while I don't really read these books for the love scenes, I at least expect them to be well written. Or decently written. Or not terrible. But yeah, it was pretty bad here. There was a lot of flowery, insipid writing that had me usually glossing over the bedroom scenes.
A few more quick notes of irritation: please don't write a character of another ethnicity if you can't do it well. The gypsy character at the end was so poorly written...I skimmed like all her dialogue because it was said in forced broken English ("You no choose. Woman choose!") and was supposed to be "fiery" as indicated by the excessive use of exclamation points. Also, Anne Gracie, please stop feeling like you have to make a romance for every secondary character in your books. The first time it was fine, the second book it was ok, and now it just feels forced when you have secondary and even out-of-nowhere tertiary romances.
I'm not going to even touch that ending because what? ...that sums it up, basically.
Will I read the final book in this series, The Perfect Kiss? Yes, yes I will. But I REALLY hope it's a return to form instead of whatever this addition was.
March 30, 2021
Tags: road trip, moc, fairy tale
Reread 2021:
You know the meme “and then everybody clapped”? It literally happens in this novel.
But you know what, I dont care that its so satirically cliche. It reminds me of 80s/90s romantic movies where the plot is just fluff to carry the couple’s chemistry. Dont look too closely at it and just hang on for the ride.I ought to take my own advice for other novels maybe? But I’m really easy, I’m telling you. Its all about chemistry
Over the years, I’ve read novels that paled in imitation to the storyline and tropes in this novel. Sure everyone was a little too vanilla to suit some readers’ tastes but for me, its the perfect easy reread, slow-burn, wish fulfilling, fairy tale romance.
Reread 2021:
You know the meme “and then everybody clapped”? It literally happens in this novel.
But you know what, I dont care that its so satirically cliche. It reminds me of 80s/90s romantic movies where the plot is just fluff to carry the couple’s chemistry. Dont look too closely at it and just hang on for the ride.
Over the years, I’ve read novels that paled in imitation to the storyline and tropes in this novel. Sure everyone was a little too vanilla to suit some readers’ tastes but for me, its the perfect easy reread, slow-burn, wish fulfilling, fairy tale romance.
March 27, 2021
This was my first book by Gracie and led me to read the rest of the series and more. It’s pretty middle of the road Gracie, IMO. It takes place on a journey through Spain, which is a fun change of setting. And having read the first two, Faith needed a story away from family to really shine as a heroine. It does drag toward the end and get a bit weird, but all in al, it is an enjoyable read.
April 21, 2019
Faith Merridew is in dire straights alone near a beach in France. Nicholas Blacklock is on an important mission that will change his life forever. He helps her and decides to marry her in order to protect and look after her. The plan is to marry and send her back to England to stay with his mother. Life had other plans. Two strangers slowly get to know each other and their darkest secrets. A wonderful story of fate and friends with a little bit of magic. Lovely read!
April 19, 2018
dnf ing at 52% I just lost interest :(. This is highly abnormal for me. I usually make it through books but like this that are mediocre, but I didn't even get through it. I don't know why. Just wasn't for me.
February 25, 2014
Originally reviewed on Words in a teacup
(TW: contains mentions of rape and terminal illness.) Urgh, this book. It's not as bad as its predecessor, but not nearly as good as the first one either. It's like Anne Gracie is taunting me with one single delightful book followed by a slew of trope-ridden mediocrity. This time the sister getting hitched is Faith; in the last book it was mentioned offhand that she had a crush on a certain disreputable Hungarian violinist, and that this was a Bad Idea, so it didn't really come as a surprise that the book starts with Faith stranded in France after being seduced and abandoned by the violinist douche. Who (gasp!) isn't even Hungarian. Apparently he stole someone else's identity and passed himself off as Hungarian instead of Bulgarian and nobody even noticed -- not that anybody could have noticed anyway, because one foreign nation is pretty much like another in this book. But I digress.
So Faith is now a Fallen Woman but, luckily for her, while bemoaning her stupid notions of romanticism and the fact that she'll bring shame on her family, she meets our valiant hero. Nicholas, like his two predecessors, looks like a jerk on the outside but he's actually wonderful and sweet and caring. Or so we're meant to see him. Personally I had some trouble seeing that because, like Sebastian in the previous book, he tends to act like an utter ass. Yes, he means well, but his actions are misguided and he's bossy and demeaning and a lot of times he ends up doing more harm than good. At least, unlike Hope in the previous book, Faith has no qualms about calling him out on his bullshit and refusing to let him make decisions about her life. That alone made this book much more tolerable.
About the setting, this book is not a typical Regency romance because it takes place on a roadtrip through the French and Spanish countryside. I have nothing against roadtrips, per se, but in this case it's so romanticized that they might as well be taking a stroll through Kensington Gardens. The author tries at first to talk about the hardships of travelling on horseback in a foreign country, but after a while she stops bothering and the protagonists just amble along from convenient inn to convenient inn, where they can without fail enjoy a warm bath and delicious food and a soft bed. Yeah, about the bed. There was a lot of sex in this book. It wasn't very well written. Most of the scenes went something like this: he kissed her boob and then put his man-stick inside her lady-cave and they diddled. Which might be pretty hot stuff for, I don't know, someone from my mum's generation, but I've read better. The only reason why I'm only complaining about the bad sex after three books is that in the other two the sex scenes were relegated to the last couple of chapters and so they were easy to ignore, but this time whenever the hero and heroine were alone I groaned because I knew he was about to ~take her to paradise~ in a flowery and uninteresting way.
The sex also meant that there was a lack of UST, and since they got married straightaway and it was obvious that they loved each other and were only refraining from saying it... I didn't get the point of the book, honestly. Only Nick's sheer stupidity is in the way. Oh, yes, there's also one (vaguely spoilery) plot thing, but that gets solved faster than you can say deus ex machina at the end, so when they finally got their happily ever after my only thought was "took you idiots long enough". Other niggles include the stereotypical treatment of other nationalities and ethnic groups, the usage of "male" and "female" and similar (as in, "his masculine smell", "her female curves" etc) at least twice a page, shoehorning a beta romance because apparently all of this author's books must have one, and the fact that characters from the previous books are once again relegated to the epilogue so this might as well be a collection of standalone novels.
(TW: contains mentions of rape and terminal illness.) Urgh, this book. It's not as bad as its predecessor, but not nearly as good as the first one either. It's like Anne Gracie is taunting me with one single delightful book followed by a slew of trope-ridden mediocrity. This time the sister getting hitched is Faith; in the last book it was mentioned offhand that she had a crush on a certain disreputable Hungarian violinist, and that this was a Bad Idea, so it didn't really come as a surprise that the book starts with Faith stranded in France after being seduced and abandoned by the violinist douche. Who (gasp!) isn't even Hungarian. Apparently he stole someone else's identity and passed himself off as Hungarian instead of Bulgarian and nobody even noticed -- not that anybody could have noticed anyway, because one foreign nation is pretty much like another in this book. But I digress.
So Faith is now a Fallen Woman but, luckily for her, while bemoaning her stupid notions of romanticism and the fact that she'll bring shame on her family, she meets our valiant hero. Nicholas, like his two predecessors, looks like a jerk on the outside but he's actually wonderful and sweet and caring. Or so we're meant to see him. Personally I had some trouble seeing that because, like Sebastian in the previous book, he tends to act like an utter ass. Yes, he means well, but his actions are misguided and he's bossy and demeaning and a lot of times he ends up doing more harm than good. At least, unlike Hope in the previous book, Faith has no qualms about calling him out on his bullshit and refusing to let him make decisions about her life. That alone made this book much more tolerable.
About the setting, this book is not a typical Regency romance because it takes place on a roadtrip through the French and Spanish countryside. I have nothing against roadtrips, per se, but in this case it's so romanticized that they might as well be taking a stroll through Kensington Gardens. The author tries at first to talk about the hardships of travelling on horseback in a foreign country, but after a while she stops bothering and the protagonists just amble along from convenient inn to convenient inn, where they can without fail enjoy a warm bath and delicious food and a soft bed. Yeah, about the bed. There was a lot of sex in this book. It wasn't very well written. Most of the scenes went something like this: he kissed her boob and then put his man-stick inside her lady-cave and they diddled. Which might be pretty hot stuff for, I don't know, someone from my mum's generation, but I've read better. The only reason why I'm only complaining about the bad sex after three books is that in the other two the sex scenes were relegated to the last couple of chapters and so they were easy to ignore, but this time whenever the hero and heroine were alone I groaned because I knew he was about to ~take her to paradise~ in a flowery and uninteresting way.
The sex also meant that there was a lack of UST, and since they got married straightaway and it was obvious that they loved each other and were only refraining from saying it... I didn't get the point of the book, honestly. Only Nick's sheer stupidity is in the way. Oh, yes, there's also one (vaguely spoilery) plot thing, but that gets solved faster than you can say deus ex machina at the end, so when they finally got their happily ever after my only thought was "took you idiots long enough". Other niggles include the stereotypical treatment of other nationalities and ethnic groups, the usage of "male" and "female" and similar (as in, "his masculine smell", "her female curves" etc) at least twice a page, shoehorning a beta romance because apparently all of this author's books must have one, and the fact that characters from the previous books are once again relegated to the epilogue so this might as well be a collection of standalone novels.
September 25, 2015
I enjoyed this historical romance very much. Some time ago, I read a glowing review of one of this author’s novels (I’m not sure if it was for this book or another of hers) and I added her name to my TBR list, to try some time, maybe. When I saw this book at a thrift store, I picked it up, but I was still skeptical. My skepticism dissolved after the first few pages. I couldn’t stop reading and couldn’t stop smiling.
I finished the book in two sittings and I’m definitely going to read more of Anne Gracie. Such a nice discovery. I’m tingling with anticipation. She has quite a few books published already, so I’m looking forward to a pile of pleasurable reading material.
Like most classical romances, this one is formulaic. It starts with a bang. Time – one summer night in 1818. Place – a beach in France. Characters – a young naive English woman Faith and a former British officer Nick. Faith is escaping some brutes, running along the beach. The thugs almost caught her, when a stranger appears out of the night and saves her.
After a devastating mistake, she is alone, ruined, in a foreign country, without any money or any hope. Her prospects are bleak. He is a former officer who can’t see a woman suffering. He offers her the only thing that could save her – his name. They marry the next day. The rest of the story is their traveling together, learning to love and trust each other, discovering new hope, and finding soul mates.
The plot is not very important, it’s just a vehicle for the characters, and they shine in this novel. Although both are fairly standard – she is soft and loving but with a steely core, femininity at her best; he is a deceptively rough fellow, an alpha male with a heart of gold – their interactions are full of humor, interlaced with emotions. The tension is high throughout the tale, and the pace is as fast as any reader could wish.
The narrative flows, and the action feels like ping-pong, zinging back and forth across the book’s landscape, highlighting an occasional absurdity and often twisting in unexpected directions like bends on a mountain road. The faint whiff of the ridiculous prevents this amusing tale from being too sweet and too blatantly sexual, making it just saucy enough to make even the most discerning reader happy.
The only problem I could find with this book is a pet peeve of mine. Nick has a dark secret and he keeps this secret from Faith. This is a typical fiction device; I would’ve accepted it with equanimity, even if I don’t like plots based on secrets, if the author didn’t keep that secret from me as well. Unfortunately, she did, and I hate such gimmicks. It spoiled the book for me, at least somewhat, so I dropped half a star from my rating.
Otherwise, an almost perfect romance.
I finished the book in two sittings and I’m definitely going to read more of Anne Gracie. Such a nice discovery. I’m tingling with anticipation. She has quite a few books published already, so I’m looking forward to a pile of pleasurable reading material.
Like most classical romances, this one is formulaic. It starts with a bang. Time – one summer night in 1818. Place – a beach in France. Characters – a young naive English woman Faith and a former British officer Nick. Faith is escaping some brutes, running along the beach. The thugs almost caught her, when a stranger appears out of the night and saves her.
After a devastating mistake, she is alone, ruined, in a foreign country, without any money or any hope. Her prospects are bleak. He is a former officer who can’t see a woman suffering. He offers her the only thing that could save her – his name. They marry the next day. The rest of the story is their traveling together, learning to love and trust each other, discovering new hope, and finding soul mates.
The plot is not very important, it’s just a vehicle for the characters, and they shine in this novel. Although both are fairly standard – she is soft and loving but with a steely core, femininity at her best; he is a deceptively rough fellow, an alpha male with a heart of gold – their interactions are full of humor, interlaced with emotions. The tension is high throughout the tale, and the pace is as fast as any reader could wish.
The narrative flows, and the action feels like ping-pong, zinging back and forth across the book’s landscape, highlighting an occasional absurdity and often twisting in unexpected directions like bends on a mountain road. The faint whiff of the ridiculous prevents this amusing tale from being too sweet and too blatantly sexual, making it just saucy enough to make even the most discerning reader happy.
The only problem I could find with this book is a pet peeve of mine. Nick has a dark secret and he keeps this secret from Faith. This is a typical fiction device; I would’ve accepted it with equanimity, even if I don’t like plots based on secrets, if the author didn’t keep that secret from me as well. Unfortunately, she did, and I hate such gimmicks. It spoiled the book for me, at least somewhat, so I dropped half a star from my rating.
Otherwise, an almost perfect romance.
August 17, 2016
2.5
Faith Merridew made a huge life mistake and The Perfect Stranger starts with her alone, hungry, hurt and running from three men who want to rape her; an unexpectedly dark beginning.
Fortunately for her, Nicholas Blacklock, a Waterloo veteran, saves her. After dealing with the three creeps and her wounds, he expects the truth from her. So she tells him and his two friends how she ended up being alone in France. Faith tells them everything about her mistake and Nicholas Blacklock offers her marriage.
I won't get into his reasons or why he is there because it would be a huge spoiler.
The Perfect Stranger hasn't got any aristocratic gatherings. They spend the whole book travelling, sleeping at various inns or under the stars. Faith is determined to give something back as much as she could. She learns a lot about being a soldier's wife, which is one of the most heartbreaking and wonderful things in this story. As for Nicholas, I loved him.
I would love this book more if there weren't a paranormal element in it. I am not talking about Hope and Faith's dream when they were young. It's something else and it's one of the laziest resolutions I've come across.
Other than that, it's a nice story.
Faith Merridew made a huge life mistake and The Perfect Stranger starts with her alone, hungry, hurt and running from three men who want to rape her; an unexpectedly dark beginning.
Fortunately for her, Nicholas Blacklock, a Waterloo veteran, saves her. After dealing with the three creeps and her wounds, he expects the truth from her. So she tells him and his two friends how she ended up being alone in France. Faith tells them everything about her mistake and Nicholas Blacklock offers her marriage.
I won't get into his reasons or why he is there because it would be a huge spoiler.
The Perfect Stranger hasn't got any aristocratic gatherings. They spend the whole book travelling, sleeping at various inns or under the stars. Faith is determined to give something back as much as she could. She learns a lot about being a soldier's wife, which is one of the most heartbreaking and wonderful things in this story. As for Nicholas, I loved him.
I would love this book more if there weren't a paranormal element in it. I am not talking about Hope and Faith's dream when they were young. It's something else and it's one of the laziest resolutions I've come across.
Other than that, it's a nice story.
August 23, 2018
What a disappointment! I loved book 1 in this series, book 2 was good'ish, but this.... I kept picking the book back up with no problem, thinking it will get better, but as soon as the hero opened his mouth, it would all go downhill from there. Normally a bitchy heroine is what ruins a book for me, and normally I love an angry, stoic, grumpy hero. But this hero was just an ass. Mean, hateful, cold for no reason. The only time he was remotely pleasant was when he would climb into bed at night with his little lady. (and even that was glossed over) Then 5 minutes later he would be back to calling her "madam" and basically yelling at her for no reason. He was all over the place for me. Even his big Scottish friend was extremely rude to the heroine. I get that he was distrustful of women after a bad relationship, but I felt there are other ways the author could have portrayed that instead of just yelling at her. And I agree with a few other reviewers, this whole book seemed like I was reading just into the surface of everything. Had the story line gone a bit deeper into things, I feel it would have been much better.
March 27, 2018
Anne Gracie writes such engaging tales. I never have a problem finishing a book by her, even if the premise of it is a bit farfetched, and this one was no different. I liked both the MCs. The h was resilient and didn't allow herself to become jaded even when she had good reason to. The H was so lovable, even when he was being grumpy and overbearing. I'm not a fan of the secrets, especially long, drawn out ones, but at least one of them was revealed very early on and we were spared the unnecessary angst of that. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It was completely safe, there was no OP drama, and the H wasn't a rake. I'm looking forward to seeing what Anne Gracie has in store for us readers.
April 28, 2025
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
The Perfect Stranger is a story you can read on its own but it is connected to a family of sisters. This is Faith's book and actually is my first book from this series that I have read. I rolled for this book for the Romanceopoly Reading Challenge under the prompt "Wedding Season". And this was a easy pick because historical romance with marriage of convenience, I was all for it. And the wedding moment was just beautiful so I think I picked right for this promt. The Perfect Stranger is a fun adventurous themed story, of a stubborn heroine, a stoic hero and some hilarious companions and a feisty gypsy lady who joins their group and delivers so many delights.
First Line
Voices. There were voices in the dark, in the sand hills. Mens voices.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Nicholas Blacklock
The Heroine: Faith Merridew
Summary
Faith always dreams of finding the love that her parents had. Growing up she didn't have the best childhood at times, she has a love for music but her grandfather abused her for her talents. She thought she had fallen in love with a singer, but turns out he was already married and their wedding was fake and now she is on the run in the coastal hills of France and she is rescued by a sexy stranger, a Waterloo Veteran, Nicholas Blacklock, who offers her marriage of convenience to save her from the scandal that is following her. She willingly accepts and through a turn of events, their marriage of convenience turns into something so much deeper than either of them expected but Nicholas is a time bomb and he can't give her what he dreams of giving her but despite his resistance Faith gives him hope, love and laughter in a time in his life where everything is bleak for him...
What I Loved
The Perfect Stranger was stunning! I had so much fun with this one. And this is what I truly miss from historical romances, that sense of wild adventure. And this definitely had that in spades. This is more of a cozy romance though, most road trip adventures, will have that vibe within them. I was sucked pretty quickly in the story. And even though the pacing wasn't perfect in this story, it definitely had so many fun moments and the BANTER was top notch in this book. But Anne Gracie always has such endearing banter that has you laughing from beginning to end. But no worries she will also dig deep on your emotions because I needed a whole box of tissues for this book. I loved how we get these slow reveals, a heroine willing to fight for the hero and be the wife he needs and learning to enjoy the moment with her husband. Nick is a very stoic hero, stuck in his own world of despair, but Faith brings such light and hope into his life and we see such a great change in him. And how it all ends...was so fascinating with a hint of magical realism to it. I always love that when authors will had in that cool miracle.
What I Struggled With
The pacing was a bit slow at times if I am being honest. And how some of the angst was handled not my favorite thing. But other than that it was entertaining and an enticing read.
Overall View
The Perfect Stranger digs deep into the heart, it brings thrilling sensations of adventure and intimacy and wraps it up in a bow with a ending to curl your toes! A SOLID WINNER!
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Era
Character Types: Military/Veteran Hero, Heroine on the Run
Themes: Adventurous, Laughs/giggles, Wit/Charming Banter, Band of Brothers
Tropes: Road Trip Adventure, Marriage of Convenience, Unrequited Love
Book Perspective
3rd POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship Conflict
If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Laura Lee Guhrke
Jennifer Ashley
Mary Balogh
Song This Book Inspires
Anything's Possible by Lea Michele
Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone
Steam/Spice Explanations
Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.
October 1, 2023
Faith Merridew’s plans don’t work out as she plans. Will she win through?
A startling story about a young woman who loved unwisely
A startling story about a young woman who loved unwisely
June 15, 2011
Different but delightful Regency period romance - a road story with English main characters, but none of it actually takes place in England or in any typical high-society English Regency surroundings (most of it takes place on Atlantic beaches and the road between Calais in northern France and Bilbao in northern Spain, and the climax of the story is in a gypsy's cave just outside Vittoria in Spain). The heroine Faith was wonderful and her steps to growing up and taking responsibility for herself were a treat to read. The hero Nicholas and the other three secondary characters were well-written too. And there is a dog in the story, which is always a bonus.
The climax of the story (don't want to give it away) certainly broke my suspension of disbelief, but the rest of the story more than made up for this.
I just finished re-reading this book (June 2011) after reading The Perfect Waltz. I enjoyed it even more on the second reading - the love story between Faith and Nicholas is truly wonderful, and the only flaw in the book for me is the ridiculous scene in the gypsy's cave. How I wish Anne Gracie had thought of some other way (that didn't involve ancient prophecies and weird gypsy magic) to cure Nicholas' injury.
The climax of the story (don't want to give it away) certainly broke my suspension of disbelief, but the rest of the story more than made up for this.
I just finished re-reading this book (June 2011) after reading The Perfect Waltz. I enjoyed it even more on the second reading - the love story between Faith and Nicholas is truly wonderful, and the only flaw in the book for me is the ridiculous scene in the gypsy's cave. How I wish Anne Gracie had thought of some other way (that didn't involve ancient prophecies and weird gypsy magic) to cure Nicholas' injury.
October 5, 2014
I didn't like this one that much, but also I liked it okay. I put it down several times and when I picked it back up, I half-heartedly considered not finishing it, but I do want to finish this series. And I like Gracie's writing, so that got me back into the book soon enough.
I like her characters a lot, but it often feels like a surface likability. And, actually, I DIDN'T always like the rather controlling love interest. He pretty much orders her to marry him and, as much as that was to her benefit, it felt like she didn't have any choice. Like in the last book, I ended up liking the secondary love story more than the main one. (Even if it was underdeveloped.) Oh, and everyone fell in love too quickly. I'm getting more and more picky about that one.
Also, all of a sudden, there was foreshadowing of DOOM, which didn't really work.
I like her characters a lot, but it often feels like a surface likability. And, actually, I DIDN'T always like the rather controlling love interest. He pretty much orders her to marry him and, as much as that was to her benefit, it felt like she didn't have any choice. Like in the last book, I ended up liking the secondary love story more than the main one. (Even if it was underdeveloped.) Oh, and everyone fell in love too quickly. I'm getting more and more picky about that one.
Also, all of a sudden, there was foreshadowing of DOOM, which didn't really work.
December 22, 2013
This story started out rather promisingly with a cool and masculine yet tender hero and a feisty heroine. They married after said heroine was fooled into eloping with an already married man and our hero stepped in to save her reputation by offering her his name. Unfortunately, the plot fizzled out halfway through when it changed into a road trip story about nothing and romance was sidelined.
June 19, 2016
Oh, this book was so unexpectedly wonderful! I had no idea what to make of Miss Faith Merridew's story at first, but it blossoms into something wonderful. And it does help that her future husband is equally wonderful!
March 26, 2020
Faith’s story. Just meh. Sadly, so far none of the subsequent books have measured up to Book 1..
May 5, 2013
"Turn down no opportunity for joy, however small."
Plot:
Faith took a leap and eloped with her Hungarian Violinist - only to find it was a major FAIL. Left with nothing, trying to make it back to her family, she falls in with Nicholas Blacklock and his friends. Marriage and a journey across France to Bilbao, Spain, a time of "love and laughter and sunshine and happiness". At the end of their road Nicholas has a task to fulfil which may bring a halt to any HEA. Can Faith help him?
Comments:
- Historical Regency Romance - 1818, France to Spain.
- 4407 kindle locations, 344 pages
- m/f - first time is earlier than in first two books but very fade to black on subsequent interludes.
- The "series" follows the HEAs of the five sisters. They are linked by characters and relationships but would stand alone. Book 3 picks up 3 months after Book 2.
- Faith and her sisters had been living with the grandfather for around 10 years - they were orphaned when Prudence was 11, Faith around 7. Throughout this time they have been severely beaten, emotionally, verbally, and financially abused. The abuse is discussed and shown in some detail in Book 1, it is implied in subsequent books. The violence is acknowledged in their self-belief and motivations, but is not a defining chracacteristic of the sisters.
- Extras on the author's website include research on lace, guns and locations, and a short "how I came to write the book".
- A turning point in Nicholas' life was the Battle of Vitoria, 21 June 1813. Under the command of Wellington, around 5000 Allied soldiers were wounded or killed; at least 5000 French soldiers were killed or wounded under Joseph Bonaparte.
Opinion:
Loved it. I was engaged, interested, and I cared for the characters. The journey through rural France was unusual, and the light and dark of their relationship endearing. This is one of those books with intriguing historical knowledge that makes you want to google - 'fire in the water', traditional lacework, battlefields.
It really worked for me.
- The Merridew Sisters -
Book 1 "The Perfect Rake" - Gideon and Prudence (and Charity and Edward)
Book 2 "The Perfect Waltz" - Sebastian and Hope (and Giles and Elinore)
Book 3 "The Perfect Stranger" - Nicholas and Faith
Book 4 "The Perfect Kiss" - Dominic and Grace
-CR-
Plot:
Faith took a leap and eloped with her Hungarian Violinist - only to find it was a major FAIL. Left with nothing, trying to make it back to her family, she falls in with Nicholas Blacklock and his friends. Marriage and a journey across France to Bilbao, Spain, a time of "love and laughter and sunshine and happiness". At the end of their road Nicholas has a task to fulfil which may bring a halt to any HEA. Can Faith help him?
Comments:
- Historical Regency Romance - 1818, France to Spain.
- 4407 kindle locations, 344 pages
- m/f - first time is earlier than in first two books but very fade to black on subsequent interludes.
- The "series" follows the HEAs of the five sisters. They are linked by characters and relationships but would stand alone. Book 3 picks up 3 months after Book 2.
- Faith and her sisters had been living with the grandfather for around 10 years - they were orphaned when Prudence was 11, Faith around 7. Throughout this time they have been severely beaten, emotionally, verbally, and financially abused. The abuse is discussed and shown in some detail in Book 1, it is implied in subsequent books. The violence is acknowledged in their self-belief and motivations, but is not a defining chracacteristic of the sisters.
- Extras on the author's website include research on lace, guns and locations, and a short "how I came to write the book".
- A turning point in Nicholas' life was the Battle of Vitoria, 21 June 1813. Under the command of Wellington, around 5000 Allied soldiers were wounded or killed; at least 5000 French soldiers were killed or wounded under Joseph Bonaparte.
Opinion:
Loved it. I was engaged, interested, and I cared for the characters. The journey through rural France was unusual, and the light and dark of their relationship endearing. This is one of those books with intriguing historical knowledge that makes you want to google - 'fire in the water', traditional lacework, battlefields.
It really worked for me.
- The Merridew Sisters -
Book 1 "The Perfect Rake" - Gideon and Prudence (and Charity and Edward)
Book 2 "The Perfect Waltz" - Sebastian and Hope (and Giles and Elinore)
Book 3 "The Perfect Stranger" - Nicholas and Faith
Book 4 "The Perfect Kiss" - Dominic and Grace
-CR-
January 11, 2013
I've really enjoyed this series from Anne Gracie - a lovely mix of romance, humour, pathos and adventure. I thinks he may be my favourite romance novelist since Georgette Heyer and that is high praise indeed.
December 6, 2018
What an unnecessarily juvenile character! I could not stand Faith she was so unrealistic and Nicholas was so boring and cliche! This was just not a good book, not a good plot, not good characters. And then she threw in a Spanish gypsy with broken english and it was just next level atrocious
November 13, 2024
3,5 - Con questo volume facciamo la conoscenza della terza sorella Merridew (sono 5: Prudence, Charity, Grace e le due gemelle Hope e Faith), già apparsa in precedenza.
Ebbene, quando ho iniziato, temevo di aver avuto un attacco di smemorina, perché era cambiato del tutto il contesto, passando dai balli londinesi alle spiagge francesi, con una Faith ferita e in fuga. D'accordo, poi la storia viene ricostruita, ma detesto quando antefatti importanti vengono semplicemente "raccontati", per di più dopo metà libro, quando bastava poco per far orientare i lettori.
Sarà stata pure una scelta di suspence narrativo per far appassionare alla storia, ma io mi sono confusa, ho capito metà degli atteggiamenti della protagonista e, nella seconda parte, era ormai tardi per me per simpatizzare.
Inoltre, è mancata la coerenza: per due romanzi interi le sorelle Merridew si sono sostenute a vicenda, hanno sempre cercato di rimanere unite, e, soprattutto, parevano tutto fuorché ingenue (anche a fronte delle difficoltà familiari e delle lotte affrontate per crearsi una posizione). Non ha senso che questa ragazza sia all'improvviso fuggita d'impulso, all'estero e senza guardarsi indietro. Tra l'altro, le sorelle vengono appena nominate e, anche quando Faith ha la possibilità di tornare, s'incaponisce a restare in Europa, girovagando sino a Bilbao.
Altra cosa inverosimile è il passare da una prima cocente delusione, per un tizio che si è rivelato tutt'altro, al quasi amore istantaneo per un altro tizio appena incontrato, solo perché si palesa come buon samaritano (a cui lei crede semplicemente sulla parola!).
Di solito la Gracie è sempre riuscita a conquistarmi, ma questo volume si è rivelato difficoltoso, privo di baricentro, e il fatto che sia stata inserita una seconda sottotrama, neppure attinente alle sorelle, mi porta a pensare che ci fosse poca voglia di approfondire la coppia principale. Ho sentito i due freddi e non approfonditi e non li eleggerei miglior coppia della serie.
Nel complesso, un libro che si legge, però inferiore ai precedenti.
Ebbene, quando ho iniziato, temevo di aver avuto un attacco di smemorina, perché era cambiato del tutto il contesto, passando dai balli londinesi alle spiagge francesi, con una Faith ferita e in fuga. D'accordo, poi la storia viene ricostruita, ma detesto quando antefatti importanti vengono semplicemente "raccontati", per di più dopo metà libro, quando bastava poco per far orientare i lettori.
Sarà stata pure una scelta di suspence narrativo per far appassionare alla storia, ma io mi sono confusa, ho capito metà degli atteggiamenti della protagonista e, nella seconda parte, era ormai tardi per me per simpatizzare.
Inoltre, è mancata la coerenza: per due romanzi interi le sorelle Merridew si sono sostenute a vicenda, hanno sempre cercato di rimanere unite, e, soprattutto, parevano tutto fuorché ingenue (anche a fronte delle difficoltà familiari e delle lotte affrontate per crearsi una posizione). Non ha senso che questa ragazza sia all'improvviso fuggita d'impulso, all'estero e senza guardarsi indietro. Tra l'altro, le sorelle vengono appena nominate e, anche quando Faith ha la possibilità di tornare, s'incaponisce a restare in Europa, girovagando sino a Bilbao.
Altra cosa inverosimile è il passare da una prima cocente delusione, per un tizio che si è rivelato tutt'altro, al quasi amore istantaneo per un altro tizio appena incontrato, solo perché si palesa come buon samaritano (a cui lei crede semplicemente sulla parola!).
Di solito la Gracie è sempre riuscita a conquistarmi, ma questo volume si è rivelato difficoltoso, privo di baricentro, e il fatto che sia stata inserita una seconda sottotrama, neppure attinente alle sorelle, mi porta a pensare che ci fosse poca voglia di approfondire la coppia principale. Ho sentito i due freddi e non approfonditi e non li eleggerei miglior coppia della serie.
Nel complesso, un libro che si legge, però inferiore ai precedenti.
June 1, 2021
Faith Merridew melakukan kesalahan yg fatal, krn mimpi romantisnya malah membuatnya berakhir di tangan seorang penipu yg sudah beristri. Dia kabur dan nyaris diperkosa dan untunglah ding... ding... ding... muncullah Nicholas Blacklock yg menyelamatkan gadis ini dari ancaman berbahaya ini.
Nick ini sbnrnya mantan tentara alias veteran perang di Waterloo. Sbg seorang ksatria tentu saja Nick merasa berkewajiban utk menyelamatkan damsel ini. Sbnrnya bukan itikad yg 100% gentleman juga sih. Nick berniat menyingkirkan Faith alias memulangkan Faith ke Inggris dlm keadaan terhormat. Tapi Faith ini ngeyel dan tetap mau di sisi Nick walau sesulit apapun medan yg mereka lalui. Ini poin bagus dari heroine yg biasanya saya suka. Mau hidup susah dan belajar walau sampai termual-mual, begitulah Faith menjalani hidupnya sbg istri prajurit.
Ternyata Nick ini penyakitan juga, jadi suka mendadak migrain spt orang pingsan berjam-jam yg bikin Faith khawatir dan cemas. Sebaliknya teman-teman Nick, Mac yg penggerutu dan Stevens pelayan setia Nick sudah terbiasa melihat keadaan Nick ini dan menganggap kejadian itu gak parah-parah amat.
Kedua kalinya Nick mau mengirim pulang Faith, akhirnya Faith mengetahui keadaan suaminya yg sbnrnya, sedang sekarat. Masuknya Estrellia gadis gipsi yg suka berantem mulut dgn Mac cukup menghibur dgn sifatnya yg terang-terangan dan sering mencemooh orang lain.
Menurut saya sih buku ini masih enak dibaca walau gak sebagus buku-buku sebelumnya. Saya suka scene-scene yg makin "mengelem" relationship Faith dan Nick ini spt pelajaran berenang Faith (uhuk!). Poin bagusnya lagi, buku ini gak direcoki dgn kerabat Faith yg semuanya nyaris berisik.
Nah tinggal satu buku lagi dari seri ini yg blm saya baca.
Nick ini sbnrnya mantan tentara alias veteran perang di Waterloo. Sbg seorang ksatria tentu saja Nick merasa berkewajiban utk menyelamatkan damsel ini. Sbnrnya bukan itikad yg 100% gentleman juga sih. Nick berniat menyingkirkan Faith alias memulangkan Faith ke Inggris dlm keadaan terhormat. Tapi Faith ini ngeyel dan tetap mau di sisi Nick walau sesulit apapun medan yg mereka lalui. Ini poin bagus dari heroine yg biasanya saya suka. Mau hidup susah dan belajar walau sampai termual-mual, begitulah Faith menjalani hidupnya sbg istri prajurit.
Ternyata Nick ini penyakitan juga, jadi suka mendadak migrain spt orang pingsan berjam-jam yg bikin Faith khawatir dan cemas. Sebaliknya teman-teman Nick, Mac yg penggerutu dan Stevens pelayan setia Nick sudah terbiasa melihat keadaan Nick ini dan menganggap kejadian itu gak parah-parah amat.
Kedua kalinya Nick mau mengirim pulang Faith, akhirnya Faith mengetahui keadaan suaminya yg sbnrnya, sedang sekarat. Masuknya Estrellia gadis gipsi yg suka berantem mulut dgn Mac cukup menghibur dgn sifatnya yg terang-terangan dan sering mencemooh orang lain.
Menurut saya sih buku ini masih enak dibaca walau gak sebagus buku-buku sebelumnya. Saya suka scene-scene yg makin "mengelem" relationship Faith dan Nick ini spt pelajaran berenang Faith (uhuk!). Poin bagusnya lagi, buku ini gak direcoki dgn kerabat Faith yg semuanya nyaris berisik.
Nah tinggal satu buku lagi dari seri ini yg blm saya baca.
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