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Stranger Duo #2
Wicked Stranger
HEART'S GAMBLE
Elizabeth Babcock had always been "just plain Bessie," overshadowed by her socialite sisters. Few suitors looked beyond her razor-sharp repartee --- and temper to match --- before leaving for less challenging opportunities. Until, that is, that night in Paris when she crossed rapier wits with Noel Bouchard ...
A gambler, a soldier, a man of the world, Noel Bouchard prayed never to be saddled with a dull domestic life. Marriage, if entered into at all, should be an adventure --- tempestuous and lusty. He needed a woman with verve and spirit. With passion and wit. A woman like Elizabeth Babcock ...
Elizabeth Babcock had always been "just plain Bessie," overshadowed by her socialite sisters. Few suitors looked beyond her razor-sharp repartee --- and temper to match --- before leaving for less challenging opportunities. Until, that is, that night in Paris when she crossed rapier wits with Noel Bouchard ...
A gambler, a soldier, a man of the world, Noel Bouchard prayed never to be saddled with a dull domestic life. Marriage, if entered into at all, should be an adventure --- tempestuous and lusty. He needed a woman with verve and spirit. With passion and wit. A woman like Elizabeth Babcock ...
298 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 1992
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 19, 2017
"Wicked Stranger" by Louisa Rawlings is the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books, "Stranger in My Arms." (Which I reviewed here: Stranger in My Arms ). While nowhere near as perfect as it predecessor, this is still a very enjoyable read due to the wonderful, charismatic hero, Noel.Noel was the star of this book; he was such an appealing character. I adore Rawlings' heroes; they're so diverse and compelling
Noel, the devil-may-care twin brother of the the hero from "Stranger in My Arms" is as different from Adam in temperament as they are similar in looks. Noel is a flirt, a charmer, always sees the positive in life, and prefers to live without responsibilities. Adam is broody, quiet, gruff, duty-bound, awkward with women and suffers from the horrors of the Napoleonic wars as he was a general, while Noel was a mere corporal.
The heroine of "Wicked Stranger," Elizabeth, is at times shrill, mean, insecure and ill-tempered. At first I thought she didn't deserve such a great man. She's part a well-to-do New York family, and was hurt by love in the past, so now she hates all men, especially fortune-hunters.
Perhaps it's because he sees the hurting soul beneath her tough exterior and just wants to make her happy, but for some reason, Noel falls for her, and hard! He pursues her relentlessly.Lucky, lucky woman. *Sigh!*
There are some twists and turns in this book: for example, Noel briefly pretends to be his brother, Adam, (just like Adam pretended to be Noel in "Stranger In My Arms"). There are deaths and a duel, and reconciliations, and the love story ends on a passionate, loving note.
4 stars/ High B+
Noel, the devil-may-care twin brother of the the hero from "Stranger in My Arms" is as different from Adam in temperament as they are similar in looks. Noel is a flirt, a charmer, always sees the positive in life, and prefers to live without responsibilities. Adam is broody, quiet, gruff, duty-bound, awkward with women and suffers from the horrors of the Napoleonic wars as he was a general, while Noel was a mere corporal.
The heroine of "Wicked Stranger," Elizabeth, is at times shrill, mean, insecure and ill-tempered. At first I thought she didn't deserve such a great man. She's part a well-to-do New York family, and was hurt by love in the past, so now she hates all men, especially fortune-hunters.
Perhaps it's because he sees the hurting soul beneath her tough exterior and just wants to make her happy, but for some reason, Noel falls for her, and hard! He pursues her relentlessly.Lucky, lucky woman. *Sigh!*
There are some twists and turns in this book: for example, Noel briefly pretends to be his brother, Adam, (just like Adam pretended to be Noel in "Stranger In My Arms"). There are deaths and a duel, and reconciliations, and the love story ends on a passionate, loving note.
4 stars/ High B+
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February 26, 2020Read this decades ago and reread about half a decade ago. But I noticed no one has put up any content warnings, and this does need some.
I enjoyed it at the time, but it doesn't stand up to modern scrutiny. A problematic fave for sure.
Content warnings
Not very consensual sex, basically rape
Emotional and physical punishment / manipulation
I strongly suspect there's racism here too, but I can't remember and I'm not going to reread to check
I enjoyed it at the time, but it doesn't stand up to modern scrutiny. A problematic fave for sure.
Content warnings
Not very consensual sex, basically rape
Emotional and physical punishment / manipulation
I strongly suspect there's racism here too, but I can't remember and I'm not going to reread to check
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews