Customer Reviews

Come Love a Stranger

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I really enjoyed aspects of this book, as I do all of Kathleen Woodiwiss (at least ones I have read thus far and that is about 6 of them) but I felt there were some missed opportunities here to make a good book a great book. Believe me, I am a big KW fan, but this book seemed rushed and slow at the same time if that is possible! The resolution at the end was a little too neat and sort of confused me. And, what annoys me about KW at times is that lots and LOTS of peripheral characters are introduced and flutter in and out of the story like hummingbirds. Why bother? Bitchy Marelda could have been a GREAT villainess but she is painfully underused and frankly was the only interesting character in the beginning which moves too slow. Then she leaves and comes back intermittently and that is too bad. I wish KW would write a book about Marelda! What fun that would be! The hero and heroine here are, as always, incredibly beautiful and we have to hear about that constantly, but I felt like their chemistry was like walking into a movie that had already started at times. KW can create an atmosphere full of suspense and adventure that I love and once you get into this book, you won't be able to put it down Not disappointing by any means but this could have been much sharper than as it stands.

At first I didn't think I would ever get into the book but after a long, slow wait I finally did & then I couldn't put the book down. To be honest it was about 150 pages before I was so into it that I hated to shut the book. The beginning was just very slow & kinda boring but I'm glad I didn't give up on it. I was truly confused as to who the woman was & I usually solve things pretty quickly but not the case with this book. The author gave just the right amount of clues to keep you guessing until the very end. I felt so giddy for her & Ashton when they found times to be together. It seemed to me that they were young lovers who were trying to be held apart by just about everybody but they weren't going to let anything or anybody stand in their way. It was so much fun for me to see their playful love for one another & to watch her find her identity. You just gotta love this book.

Come Love A Stranger.......

Bloody Hell.. Where was the DNA testing Lab
Okay with that said I loved this book....It starts off with Ashton and Lierin on a steamer boat heading home to Mississippi from New Orleans after there marriage vows are said .. Then in the still of night pirates steal aboard the River Witch and start a ruckus Lierin is thrown over board Ashton is shot .....three years later an accident occurs and Ashton `s carriage collides with a cloaked rider Immediately Ashton is taken back .Are his eyes playing tricks on him or is it his longing for his dead beloved wife that makes him see Lierin laying in his arms?

Got to love an Amnesia plot This book is filled to the brink with mystery Is it Lierin or her twin sister Lenore? I was back and forth with this same question on every other page.
Ashton deserves a medal for his hero-ness he was a determined and devoted husband always never faltering . Lierin as well deserves a medal for her strength and sheer will to find her life again and the love that these to share is worth the fight

I just have to throw this out there Mr. Horace Titch reminded me a little bit of The Mayor of Munchkin City just the way KEW wrote him I guess but none the less funny to me
Got to love the little hussy Marelda with her fierce tongue . When Malcolm Sinclair comes into the story your first thought is "no it can't be" you don't want it to be but it is.....or is it? A lot of plot twists and turns can't go to much into detail don't want to spoil the read for anyone.
I loved the ending but would of liked to at least have another chapter into the lives of Ashton and his beloved Lierin
Anyways read the book it is worth the time

Newly wed Ashton Wingate and his wife Lierin are set upon by river pirates and Lierin is swept off the boat into the river and presumed drowned. Three years later Ashton's carriage collides with a woman on horseback and he is shocked to see that it is his "dead" wife, who recalls nothing of her past, including her husband. But is she really Lierin or her twin sister Lenore? Thus begins KEW's entertaining take on your basic amnesia plot.

Woodiwiss does a nice job with the romance of Ashton and Lierin, plenty of mystery, suspense and evil villains -- albeit the villains were just a tad bit over the top for me. I give Ashton extra points in the hero category, despite his strong desire for Lierin, he gave her space to make her own decisions while she sorted out her lost memory of their past together. I have to admit about 2/3 of the way through the book I was onto at least a part of the big surprise, but there was more to it than I had guessed. My major quibble is the very abrupt ending to the book; I would very much have appreciated an epilogue to round the end out. All in all, a pleasant romance and while it's not a great novel it's still a worthwhile way to spend a rainy afternoon. 3.5 stars

This book was wonderful until I got to the ending. The book kept me guessing on her true identiity from page one to the very last chapter. I also loved Ashton. He never gave up hope. He was always there for her. He is almost at the top of the list of my Woodiwiss heros. The ending seamed a little rushed. It was as if the author didn't quit know what to do, so she just ended it. It was to jumbled for my tastes. On the whole though, it was a wonderful romance/mystery.

I enjoyed the book until the end. The ending dialogues just seemed ridiculous. Why would Malcolm have explained everything to her? Why would Ashton have left the house unsecure? Many things bothered me. I will give Ms Woodiwiss one more try.

I thought this book wasn't bad, but I felt like I was being rushed at the end, like K.E.W. ran out of ideas and had to end the book quickly. It left me thoroughly confused. If anyone GETS this book and wants to enlighten me, let me know. E-mail me at sweets_234@hotmail.com. Yes, I was serious, very serious. I don't understand it all. Grrr. Other than that little detail, I really enjoyed everything execpt the end. The writing, as usual, was surperb, and the love scenes were great. The thing about Ashton is that he is the only male K.E.W. character in all of the books I have read that doesn't force the female character into doing something she doesn't want to. In fact, he tells her that a simple "no" will do. Hee Hee. I still dunno if he is my favorite. Ruark from "Shanna" was pretty cool. :) Anywho, all in all, it wasn't such a bad book. But, compared to "Shanna" and "A Rose in Winter" it didn't stand a chance.
~Olivia~