Come Love a Stranger [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1986

A woman with no name and no memory...The two men who claim her:one with love, the other with fear...A dazzling tale of secret passions--and a love tragically lost and miraculously reborn--by the incomparable storyteller.

Mere days after Ashton Wingate's wedding to the enchanting Lierin, capricious Fate stole the Mississippi plantation owner's beloved from him. Now, three years later, his carriage has collided with a cloaked rider on horseback: a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to the young bride who was swallowed up by the merciless river.

She awakens from unconsciousness in his magnificent home with no memory of who she is. Yet the tenderness of this noble, caring stranger who lovingly calls her "Lierin" soon captures her heart and enflames her with wanting. Then another enters their lives, threatening to destroy the happiness they have rediscovered in each other's arms--the dark and dangerous Malcolm Sinclair, who claims the enigmatic beauty is, in fact, his own wife, Lenore. But Ashton has sworn that he will not lose his adored one a second time, and he will risk any peril to preserve their newfound joy--no matter what the unremembered secrets of his lady's past ultimately reveal.

LIERIN

With no name and no memory, she awakens from a nightmare of madness into the lives of two stranger. One she desires, one she fears--but both have claimed her heart.

To handsome plantation owner Ashton Wingate, she is Lierin--the cherished bride cruelly stolen from him by capricious Fate. The other calls her Lenore--entangling the lost, tormented beauty in his sinister web of perilous deceit. But it is in the adoring arms of noble Ashton that her true destiny awaits--as they join together to unlock the mysteries of a shadowed past. . .and to rekindle the flames of a glorious love once vanished but never forgotten.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When pirates overrun his paddleboat and his new bride Lierin is tossed into the dangerous river, Ashton Wingate is sure he has lost her forever. Three years later, Ashton's carriage collides with a rider, and he is certain that the unconscious beauty is his lost wife. But when the woman revives, she remembers nothing but faint memories of a dark and murderous night, and feels only trepidation in the arms of her so-called husband.

Willing to remain with him until she recovers, Lierin soon finds generous comfort in Ashton's care. Though her memories remain elusive, she and Ashton forge a relationship of deep passion and love. Then Malcolm Sinclair arrives and claims that Lierin is actually his wife Lenore, Lierin's twin sister. Lierin must admit that she has memories of Malcolm, though Ashton vows to never lose her again. Tensions flare between the men, and the growing danger seems frighteningly familiar to her. Will Lierin and Ashton be able to uncover the secrets of the past in time to secure a future together?

First published in 1983, Come Love a Stranger has remained a favorite among Woodiwiss fans for good reasons. Set in the South in the 1830s and dappled with well-formed characters, this book is fresh and entertaining on every page. Touches such as a burning madhouse, a melodramatic ex-girlfriend, and a deliciously malevolent villain make for a great read. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Woodiwiss Reigns!" -- --Life

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380899361
• ISBN-13: 978-0380899364
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #259,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With more than thirty-six million copies of her bestselling novels already in print, Kathleen E. Woodiwiess remains one of America's most successful and beloved storytellers. She is the author of twelve enormously successful masterworks of romantic fiction, including The Flame and the Flower, Shanna, Ashes in the Wind, Petals on the River, and The Elusive Flame.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The ending needs rewriting, June 15, 2005

By 

Michelle888 (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come Love a Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

Ashton Wingate is a wealthy plantation owner in Mississippi. With his good looks and fortune, he had his choice of women but none was able to capture his heart like Lierin. He knew that he had met the woman of his dreams and so married her after a very brief courtship. On their honeymoon aboard one of Ashton's boats, the River Witch, with the ink on their marriage papers barely dry, they were attacked by river pirates and his wife of merely a few days was thrown overboard never to be seen again, leaving Ashton a widower.

Fast forward to three years and we see Ashton in a carriage on his way home to Belle Chene. Deep in thoughts, he is startled by the sound of a woman's scream. Thrown off her horse, Ashton immediately jumps out to her rescue and takes the unconscious woman to the safety of his home. But when moonlight frames her face, he is shocked for right in his very arms is the face of the woman who has haunted his dreams for the last three years - his beloved wife Lierin. Unfortunately, the woman wakes up with no memory whatsoever of her past or identity. But in his heart, Ashton knows that she is Lierin. And when fate once again threatens to tear them apart when Malcolm Sinclair turns up and claim her as his abducted wife Lenore, Ashton vows to fight for her no matter what.

What follows is a series of confusion and heartbreak for Ashton and Lierin. Although Ashton's heart tells him that the woman is his dear wife, mounting evidence seem to prove that the woman is indeed Lenore, Lierin's twin sister. For her, as much as it pains her to leave the kind and gentle stranger who has managed to convince her that she is Lierin and whom she has fallen in love with, she knows that she must uncover the truth about herself and whom she's really married to. Sadly, things seem to favor Malcolm's side of the story, especially when the man who claims to be her own father refutes Ashton's claims.

COME LOVE A STRANGER is an exciting story filled with deceit and mystery. As usual, Kathleen Woodiwiss shows her flare for storytelling with her vivid descriptions of each scenes and portrayal of her characters. I absolutely loved Ashton! His tenderness towards Lierin, his patience and undying devotion is simply adorable. I enjoyed their playfulness toward each other and those scenes made me smile. And when Lierin was taken away from him again, I really felt his grief and couldn't wait for the truth to come out. But personally, if I were the heroine, I would have gone back to Ashton immediately after seeing him come out of the sea wearing nothing but that loincloth!

What's good about this is the mystery. It is well-plotted and I actually found myself confused and unable to figure out whether the woman is actually Lierin or Lenore, adding further to the suspense. My biggest gripe though is the ending. I closed the book rather dissatisfied, feeling as if the author has reached her word count and therefore decided to rush the ending. Overall, I thought that this book was good.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There's something missing, November 9, 2004

By 

Donna Gee (MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come Love a Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

I typically enjoy Woodiwiss novels but this one left me with a big question mark in my mind. The beginning of the book dragged on while the end came up so quickly that I felt like I must have missed something.

And there was some logic missing in the plot. She has no memory of who she is, yet she goes with two complete strangers, leaving behind the man she has come to love and "trust" over recent weeks. She claims she's trying to find out who she is, but willingly takes up residence with those two strangers, and assumes the name of her sister.

This story isn't one of Kathleen Woodiwiss' best.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I didn't like this book, January 22, 2006

By 

Pat "readaholic" (Atlanta,GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come Love a Stranger (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second Kathleen Woodiwess I've read that I didn't like because I couldn't get into the story.The whole amnesia confused identity thing dragged on far too long as far as I was concerned by the end I didn't care if she was Lierin or Lenore.I just wanted her to remember so they could move on with their lives.The story was way too long.I liked all her other books except Ashes in the wind.This one was not well written.