Customer Reviews

In Bed With A Stranger

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Anne Copper is the[...]daughter of the Earl of Warwick. The earl's wife, Countess Philipa, hates Anne, her siblings, and their mother Ivy who is the earl's longtime leman. When the earl demands that Mary, his and Philipa's legitimate daughter, marry Brodick McJames, Philipa hatches a plan to keep her daughter by her side while ridding herself of Anne once and for all. No one, least of all Anne, anticipated that she would fall in love with the burly Scotsman. Anne sees no way out of her plight, but vows to protect her family. However, her deception may cost her the love of her life.

To live in a time where your future and daily life is dictated solely by those around you, must have been difficult, to say the least. Anne is forced to marry a stranger. But what a great man Brodick turns out to be. Brodick is honest, fair, and a strong capable leader. He elicits authority and instills faith from his people. He is a passionate lover and a handsome man. Anne's feelings of angst over her betrayal as she falls in love with Brodick are tangible. She is virtuous and kind- hearted. In Bed With a Stranger is an erotic tale of love, lies, and deception.


Nannette
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Brodick McJames needs an English wife. Living in Scotland on land that borders the Earl of Warwickshire's property, Brodick secures the Earl's daughter as his bride and they are married by proxy. Arriving to retrieve his wife and take her to his home, Brodick is surprised by her lack of English airs and the fact that she isn't complaining. He is further surprised by her passionate responses to him. Maybe this marriage won't be so bad after all.

Anne Copper is the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Warwickshire. Her sire is not around very often due to courtly business so when he is gone, Anne's status is relegated to that of a servant in her own home. Her father's wife is vindictive and abusive, and the fact that Anne resembles her half sister infuriates her to the point of madness.

It is during one such episode when her father is gone that the news of his contracting a marriage for his legitimate daughter is announced. Anne's half sister is distraught, and so is her mother - that's when the cruel woman comes up with a plan to save her daughter and sacrifice her husband's by-blow. Anne is to travel as Brodick's wife and become pregnant. If she doesn't, her father's wife will turn her mother out of the castle with nothing but the clothes on her back. Anne refuses to allow her mother to be cast aside and so agrees to this plan. After all, how hard will it be to play at being a wife in a marriage of convenience, right?

IN BED WITH A STRANGER is the epitome of why historical romances are my favorite genre to read. Mary Wine has thoroughly captured the Scottish way of life in such a way that I can picture the scenes in my mind. Scottish warriors abound, and Brodick McJames should have been nicknamed, "Brodick McDreamy." His treatment of Anne was honest and, while not timid, he definitely took his time to make her feel every single facet of their love making. He treated her as if he cherished her, even knowing that something was not the way it should be. He showed her unconditional respect and love. Anne never expected to be treated so honorably by her `husband' and fought her feelings for him as hard as she could. Brodick was just too enticing and Anne adored him. The situation with her deception weighed heavily on Anne's mind, not because she was deceiving her husband but because she was lying to the man she loved more than anything.

Scottish highlands, kilts, rugged and virile warriors - there is nothing about IN BED WITH A STRANGER that I didn't like. Just to be sure, I went back and read it a second time. Mary Wine's first Brava release is sure to be a hit - I highly recommend IN BED WITH A STRANGER. It is simply extraordinary.

Natalie S.

I'm a picky romance reader and I really really loved this book!! The cover is totally off with the characters (just some random picture??). Hot Scots in kilts with nothing but tumbling in the hay on their minds - hey sounds good to me!! The chemistry between the two main characters is splendid. A Cinderella feel book with perks! I loved Anne's character - noble and selfless - but hey while I am doing all this I might as well enjoy myself!! I did not like the "quick ending" it seemed as if the author was like "Ok time to wrap this up!!" - Other than that - LOVED IT!

I have read a couple of Mary Wine's books, and to me this one is the best. I fell in love with the hero's character, reminded me of what real men should be like. I also felt a great connection to the heroine and everything she went through. This is definatly one of my favorite love stories.

Okay, so I have to admit I got "In the Warrior's bed" for free, and I enjoyed it... and I was hooked... I had to buy this one and read it.. I was not disappointed... Loved it... couldn't put it down... I need another book in the series for the other brother!

Everything I've read from Mary Wine has been great! This series continues with 2 more books (I think...maybe 3). She has a historical scottish series too that is wonderful.

First, I just gotta say that I cannot see anyone calling this story boring, so I do not agree with the one and two star reviews. Just ain't so.

Set in 16th century England and Scotland (mostly Scotland), this is the first in the McJames trilogy. It is a very clever and well told tale. Like other Wine romances, her dialog is believable and truly well crafted, her characters multidimensional, the history seamlessly woven in (and accurate) and the story fast paced. I do wish she would describe the characters' physical features a bit more and remind us of what the hero is thinking about the heroine. But, oh well, I digress.

This first story tells of Anne Cooper, the acknowledged bastard daughter of the Earl of Warwickshire. The Earl would never have taken a mistress if his unloving wife hadn't spurned his bed for fear of dying in childbed after having a difficult first birth with her daughter Mary. But his wife refuses to relent, and in time, the Earl comes to love his mistress and their children and takes care to have the children well educated. Though Anne was raised as a servant in her father's house (think Cinderella), and is resented by the Earl's wife, Anne has become a young woman of grace and intelligence. When her father marries her legitimate half sister Mary (by proxy) to the Scottish Earl of Alcaon, Brodick McJames, Mary and her mother plot to send Anne to Scotland instead of the spoiled and selfish Mary so Mary need never bear a child. The plan is for Anne to get pregnant and then return to England and substitute Mary for Anne. Anne resists the deception that she knows is wrong, but is persuaded to go along with it when her mother and siblings are threatened. Once in Scotland, Anne finds she respects Brodick and his clan. Their physical relationship becomes quite special....and they fall in love.

You will love this story of two wonderful people falling in love in a time when James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots, ruled Scotland. It's a triumph of love over legitimacy. I recommend it.

Overall Rating: 3.85 // Action: 2.5 / Emotion: 4 / Romance: 4 / Sensuous: 4.5 / Intrigue: 2.5 / Historical Flavor: 3 // Humor: 1 / Tears: 0

What an introduction into the world of Mary Wine. Unable to put down "In Bed With A Stranger" (book one in The McJames Clan Trilogy) from the first sentence until the last period. Book was immediately and constantly engrossing. One of the magnificent things about Wine's writing was that she was able to deliver pertinent details quickly, concisely and interestingly.

All in all, "In Bed With A Stranger" is a great read. It has all the characteristics of a great Cinderella read. {1} a determined, gorgeous, well-built hero (sorry, no angst); {2} an intelligent, self-sufficient, down-trodden heroine, who must overcome impossible odds to get her happily-ever-after; {3} a scheming, evil villain to be dispatched; {4} a bit of everyday action to keep the story moving; {5} enough suspense about how villain's machinations will be overcome makes story intriguing; {6} lots of heated, graphic love scenes; {7} several interesting supporting characters; and {8} a tense, surprising ending.

'Wolf Bear Does Books' features a more detailed review of "In Bed With A Stranger."

This was my first Mary Wine novel, but not my last. I loved the heroine in this book. Her fears and the daily challenges she faced were palpable. The female antagonist was a refreshing change in a romance novel. Thank you for such a fine read.

I love Brodick McJames from In Bed with a Stranger by Mary Wine. He is strong and powerful. Mary is not your typical heroine. Even though they are thrown together by deceitful and evil woman; Brodick and Mary fall in love and nothing can tear them apart. This book is full of passion and the storyline is intriguing. I did not want to put this book down. It is a [...]