A Stranger's Caress

by Susan Sackett

"You doubtless think I've gone mad, but this is the sanest thing I've ever done." With those words, Aura Statler severed her ties with Boston forever. Boarding a clipper ship, she began the long journey around Cape Horn - a mail-order bride eager to meet the man of her dreams in wild, wicked San Francisco. But Aura could never have guessed how rocky the road to love would be, or that deadly danger lurked beneath the surface of her exotic new home. From the opium trade to white slavery, from sinister crime lords to fabulous riches, Aura Statler was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime...

"So you're determined to go through with this?" When Payne Randall heard his brother Whit had wired for a wife, he was astonished. As an investigator for Wells Fargo, Payne had seen every kind of commotion men could create, but none that matched the trouble caused by a good woman. Payne was willing to do anything to stop this insanity, and if he could just cease wanting the lovely Aura for his own, he might manage it. Little did he know that the most terrible crime of the decade and the most dangerous rescue mission ever attempted were awaiting him...along with a passionate love he'd only imagined in his dreams!

448 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only historically accurate thing about it is the racism. The only book I’ve literally thrown in the garbage after reading

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Some typos which slowed the read somewhat but a really fast moving and enticing story. So refreshing to meet Aura, an independent, smart, mail order bride. Wondered at the onset how she would end up with the brother and a bit saddened at the tragic turn of events. It was a great story exploring San Francisco's Orients only as a fictional tell of tales can. A good read.