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55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When the rules change in a marriage of convenience -another sizzler from Day, December 29, 2006
This review is from: The Stranger I Married (Mass Market Paperback)
When London's most scandalous couple weds its not for love or money, but convenience. The widowed Lady Pelham can continue her discrete affair with her latest bachelor without the burden of an unwanted marriage proposal and Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson, can continue his affair with his married lady love and mistresses. As friends, they get along famously, never crossing the line into a 'real' marriage (no emotional/sexual relationship, which neither wants). Neither wants, that is until Grayson, shaken by a recent tragedy, disappears for four years without word. He returns a different man, not only physically, but emotionally. No longer the light-hearted unrepentant ladies man without a care. In its place is a serious gentleman bent on righting the wrongs in his life, begining with his wife. Shocked to discover this new 'man' is her husband back from his self-imposed exile, Pel resists the urges and sparks that fly when the two are near. She guards her emotions well, knowing that Grayson is the one man who can completely destroy her heart if she allows it (even worse than in her first marriage). But Grayson will not be deterred and slowly breaks down her defenses while losing his own heart in the process as well.
I have to say that I really enjoy Day's writing. Her stories are quite original; I mean when was the last time you read a historical where the herione is married AND has a paramour?. Added to the fact that the hero is completely in love with someone else in the begining of the book? I truly didn't think Day could pull this one off, boy was I wrong! And the love scenes?!?! Whew!!! I had to practically jump into the refrigerator after reading some of those! They were many of them and they were rather *well* described.
But the heart of the matter is whether or not I cared about these two characters. There wasn't much of a story line besides their relationship (no big mystery to solve or misunderstanding etc.) So Day really had to focus on drawing out her H/H. This, I believe, is her strong point. In some books I've read, authors give descriptions of the characters and we're told to just accept that he/she is this or that. Day takes the time (well really the whole book) to give examples of why the characters behave as they do (why Pel is terrified of falling in love again and why Grayson is hell bent on making his marriage a real one). This results in what I think is a book thats a highly emoitional read with well drawn out characters.
Just a really great character driven book and ......uh ....the erotic love scenes don't hurt either! ;).
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Top Notch Erotic Historical, January 11, 2007
This review is from: The Stranger I Married (Mass Market Paperback)
Sylvia Day comes through with another well-written and developed story with characters so interesting and passion so sensual that leaves the fan of the erotic romance wondering how it can ever get better. Isabel, Lady Pelham, "Pel" and Gerard Faulkner, the Marquess of Grayson, "Gray" are The Ton's most beautiful and scandalous couple. They marry for the simple convenience of being able to keep their paramours and lead simple lives and although they lead lives of sexual scandal with others, they are friends. These two sensual people have anything but simple lives, as they both fell in love and were hurt at a very young age and did not realize until years later that life was not as convenient and simple as it seems. When Gray's young love Emily dies in childbirth he run off and Pel does not hear from him for four years when he suddenly returns a changed man. He has spent these years at his estates taking stock of his life and growing up and discovering that he wants a real marriage with Pel. When he returns, Pel is shocked and discovers she is sexually attracted to Gray, now the stranger she has married. She has always felt he was like her first husband, Lord Pelham, her first love who hurt her deeply when he did not return her love, but instead turned to a long string of other women, leaving her by dying in a duel over one of his paramours. Gray is determined to prove his love for Pel and feels he will begin by showering her with sensuality and passion, not realizing that this only reminds her of Pelham, but at the same time, while Pel enjoys and relishes his wild passion, she wants some sign that Gray will be committed only to her. There are family characters, Gray's mother and brother, and ex-paramours who try to put a wedge inbetween Gray and Pel's relationship that make the story interesting. The secondary side love story of Pel's brother Rhys is passionate, sexy and sweet, although a bit short and should really have its own story. Overall the book is sensual perfection and not to be missed.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely scrumptious ..., February 20, 2007
This review is from: The Stranger I Married (Mass Market Paperback)
I adore this novel, after I read the last page I went out and bought all of Sylvia Day's backlist and added her coming books to my Amazon Lists. The story of Pel and Gray is one of both passion and growth. The novel starts when Gray(Gerard, the Marquis of Grayson) decides he needs a wife who is a friend and on who will understand that his heart is lost to Emily his childhood love who is already married to someone else. Gray chooses Pel(Isabel Pelham), a sophisticated and beautiful widow, who is also his good friend. It is their solid friendship and understanding of each other that lead to their marriage of convenience, but when tragedy strikes and Gerard looses both Emily and his son in childbirth; the marriage is placed on hold as Gerard disappears.
When Gerard returns he has matured and is also more devastating. So begins Pel and Gray's rediscovery of each other. Their emotional growth and their sizzling passion for each other is what grabbed me. The story of their absorption in each other is really very HOT, deserving of two Ice cold Aquafinas.
All in all it was a fantastic introduction to the work of a very promising new author Sylvia Day. I have now joined her league of Sinners.
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