Customer Reviews

The Beautiful Stranger: The Rogues of Regent Street

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the biggest problems with finding a wonderful new author is their lack of a backlist! The Beautiful Stranger is only the fifth release from this woman of extraordinary talent and already I can't wait for her next book! I first met Lord Arthur Christian in Wicked Angel, admired him in The Dangerous Gentleman, was intrigued by him in The Ruthless Charmer and absolutely fell in love with him during The Beautiful Stranger.

Haunted by guilt and goaded by his friends, Arthur travels to Scotland to clear Phillip's name and to escape a doomed relationship. Fresh air, beautiful scenery and a change of pace is exactly what he is looking for ... hopeless directions, a gunshot wound and a maddening beauty is what he finds in Scotland.

Kerry McKinnon is having a really bad day.

Her late husband Fraser has left a mountain of debt.

James Regis, Esq. has sent her an eviction notice from her home, leaving Glenbaden and her clan to the mercy of Moncrieffe.

She has been left stranded on a deserted road for hours waiting hours for the Crieffe Coach.

And now she is responsible for shooting an unarmed gentleman... who just happens to be the most gorgeous man she has ever laid eyes on.

What a day!

Little does Kerry know this handsome gentleman is Lord Arthur Christian, a Rogue of Regent Street, wealthy in his own right, son and brother of a duke... little does she know that she will lose her heart to the man responsible for her eviction!

You will fall in love with this story. The characters leap off the page and jump square into your heart. Kerry is all the more beautiful for her charming personality and practical nature. Arthur is everything you want in a man, and a few things you don't... When circumstances force Kerry to flee with Arthur to England, she believes he is the answer to her prayers. But as his optimistic view of the Ton causes life to crash down around them, Kerry is sent running right back into hell. Only now does Arthur realize how very much he loves and needs her - but will it be too late? Will he be in time to save her very life?

The Beautiful Stranger illustrates the talent of this gifted author. You will be adore Arthur and Kerry, enjoy meeting new people, old friends, and of course the occasional visit from Phillip's ghost! Grab a pillow or pull up a chair and read this series. I promise you will enjoy yourself!

Julia London is a gifted writer. This, her final book in the Rogues series, is as good if not even better than the first two. There are no dead spots in this book, just a few chapters at the start to put the scenario in place and then it is non-stop delight to the very last page. Arthur is a true heartthrob and Kerry is a smart, witty, delightful heroine. All the characters are well thought-out and depicted with affection and detail. The love scenes are sensual but done with impeccable taste. The very original plot is smart and not cliche-ridden. It is an emotional roller coaster, especially the last few chapters. I read it in two days. And I was busy at work!

The only drawback to a writer who consistently hits it out of the park like Ms. London is that she truly crafts her novels and that takes time. How we all wish we could enjoy one of her books every month. But...she is well worth the wait.

It is 1837, and Arthur Christian, younger son of a duke, still holds himself responsible for the death of his friend Phillip three years prior. In and effort to cleanse his soul and sooth his sense of responsibility, he travels to Scotland to tie up some loose ends relating to Phillip's legal affairs.

While in Scotland, Arthur happens upon Kerry McKinnon, a beautiful young widow who is stranded along the road where Arthur is traveling. Circumstances force the pair to return to Glenbaden, the home Kerry is struggling to keep though faced with insurmountable debt.

When tragedy strikes, and Kerry must return to England with Arthur, she comes face to face with the realities separating them. Will their love for one another be strong enough to endure their differences?

Part of the allure of this novel is that the hero and heroine are from such totally different backgrounds, but this ceases to matter as their purpose becomes one in working the land of Kerry's home. Julia London cleverly uses this earthy setting where Kerry and Arthur are able to explore their attraction for one another without the artifice of the London drawing room.

The protagonists are so complex and multifaceted that the reader can almost feel the emotion seeping from every page. For characters and a story to fall in love with, don't miss this latest by Julia London-she's definitely done it again.

A wonderful finale to a great series of books. Arthur and Kerry's love story was so beautiful! It was funny and entertaining how they met and spent days trying to get back to her home. I love Julia London's wit and she makes you fall in love with the characters. My favorite of the three was The Ruthless Charmer, but this one was just about as good. And I'm actually kind of bummed that it's over. I waited and waited for this book to come out and it's been fun seeing the characters reappear in each book, including Alex and Lauren of Wicked Angel. If you like historical romance, you really won't want to miss any of London's books. They're the kind of books you start to read and can't put down until you're finished because from the first page, she pulls you in and when it's over, you think to yourself, What am I going to read now?

In 1834, one of the four Rogues of Regent, St. Phillip Rothembow, forces a duel with his friend Adrian Spence and dies. The three survivors, Adrian, Arthur Christian, and Julian Dare all take it badly and three years later still grieve Phillip's actions.

In 1837, Phillip's dad angrily confronts Arthur over a legal document that shows the deceased bought worthless Scottish property that has taxes in arrears. Rothembow obtains a vow from Arthur to fix it. Still feeling guilty and needing to escape his sister-in-law's matchmaking efforts, Arthur travels to Edinburgh to evict the current tenant, Mr. Fraser.

Fraser is dead, but his wife Kerry McKinnon receives the eviction notice. Apparently her late spouse owes taxes and money on a loan. Kerry visits Lord Montcrieffe who offers his dimwitted son in marriage in order to pay the debt. Kerry refuses but while waiting for the public carriage meets Arthur. Thinking he is a highwayman, she shoots him. Now their story really begins.

THE BEAUTIFUL STRANGER is an exciting conclusion to the Rogues of Regent St. trilogy. (See THE DANGEROUS GENTLEMAN and THE RUTHLESS CHARMER). The story line is loaded with action and romance as the charming lead couple struggles with their feelings for each other. The supporting cast including the return of stars and secondary players from the previous tales brings to life the era as well as adding depth to Kerry and Arthur. Julia London has written a powerful final act to a strong miniseries and, in doing so, demonstrates why historical romances are so much fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

I had such high expectations for this third book after reading the first two, that I felt as though I was let down, just grasping for more...
The first gripe that I have for this book is that the hero and the heroine do not meet each other until past page 60. Until then, the book is filled with excess hype, and the reader is left to wonder, "When are they finally going to meet? Get on with the Love Story!"
Secondly, there is no passion, no umph to their romance, like in the first two books.
And Thirdly, the last 50 pages of this book is just awful! It's predictable, especially the courtroom scene, and it just drags on and on. After a while, I found myself skimming it because I just wanted this book to end!!
This book is definately going into the local library book sale stack.

After Ruthless Charmer, I had such high hopes for this concluding book in the series, but alas, I was doomed to disappointment. My first indication of trouble with this usually quite original author was that Arthur goes to Scotland, which country is such a cliche these days for the "primitive" life that will somehow redeem one of the main, over-urbanized characters. And indeed, that is exactly what happens. Secondly, he travels there to handle a business affair remaining from the death of his friend, Philip, at the behest of Philip's father. Now the problem here is that the father believes the "Rogues" led his son to his death -- would he then ask one of them to handle Philip's business affairs, even if he blamed Arthur for not preventing the son for getting into that business problem? Unlikely. What is more unlikely is the fact that the business in question involves our heroine, Kerry, whom Arthur "just happens" to meet on the side of the road somewhere in Scotland while he is lost and she is waiting for a stagecoach. There's coincidence, and then there's ridiculous. And then, there is the other cliche of the evil local landowner who threatens Kerry and her bankrupt clan unless she marries his son. The son, of course, then tries to rape her and she kills him in self defense. We get a break from the Scottish idyll when the hero gets there "just" in the nick of time and spirits Kerry away to England to save her from certain hanging. Kerry resists being transformed into a proper British lady but stupidly keeps insisting upon her need to return to Scotland even though she KNOWS she will hang if she does so. This point is where I started just skimming the book - I have no patience for dumb behavior. Or maybe Arthur is attracted to people who are self-destructive? How Kerry is finally saved, by our hero of course, strained my credulity to the max. Can we say "melodramatic"? I can only guess that London was under a deadline when she came up with the hackneyed "coincidences" and plot lines in this book. I am getting tired of good series ending with lousy books, like "The Wicked One" in Danelle Harmon's series. I would much rather the author take as long as she needs, even if she needs a break, to write a truly fabulous final volume than the rushed work we are seeing.

I'm not one to read romance novels as much as something by Dean Koontz or James Patterson. But a friend of mine told me to read the series The Rogues of Regent Street. I feel The Beautiful Stranger was by far the best of the three and one of the most intriguing books I've read yet. It was a far cry from the other romance novels I've read in that it had a realistic base to it. In some series, you can read any book out of order and its still a good book, but I would suggest reading the first two books in this series in order to get the true feel of the last.

In the books Ruthless charmer and Dangerous Gentleman we saw the stories of Ardian and Julian, two of the four men known as the Rogues of Regent Street. One of the remaining two was dead, Phillip. Now we get to see the story of the last in the group, Arthur! Lord Arthur Christian went to Scotland to tie up the loose ends of a deal Phillip had started before his death. He had no way of knowing that Phillip's partner was also dead. He also had no way of knowing that the widow he had grown to love was the very person he was about to evict! Kerry McKinnon was shocked to learn of her late husband's debts! She went to her rich neighbor, Baron Cameron Moncrieffe, for help. But Cameron was owed money as well. He would only help her if she married his slow minded son. She refused. She ended up killing the son in self defense when he tried to rape her. Arthur whisked Kerry to London to save her from hanging. But Kerry could not live in London. She was out of place and unaccepted. She longed for Scotland, a land that wanted her dead! **** There is much more to this story than I let on. Yet to tell more would ruin it. Here is a story that made my day fly by as I quickly turned pages to see what would happen next! Wonderfully done! **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch

Arthur goes to Scotland to settle a matter for a dead friend. The matter involves Kerry (our heroine). Coincidentally the two meet without realizing who the other is and of course proceed to fall in love.

This story had potential, but falls short. I found our heroine Kerry to be completely lackluster, especially towards the end. She is portrayed as a responsible person all through the beginning and then after one incident (I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who does read the book) she just pretty much walks away from everything, including herself. Very odd. I wasn't particularly fond of Arthur either - I found him to be a bit heavy handed.

All in all the book was filled with coincidences and cliches. I'd recommend skipping it.