Customer Reviews

Stranger in My Arms

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Using the premise of the famous "Sommersby" movie, but set in Regency England, STRANGER IN MY ARMS tells the tale of a woman married to a horror of a man who's been lost at sea and is presumed dead. When he returns she is shocked and upset. She's made a new life for herself and does not want him back. But the man who returns to her is a changed one, he's kinder, he's honorable, he acts like he genuinely cares for her, and he awakens feelings in her she never had for her husband. He's now a man she could easily fall in love with. But is he an imposter and is everything they're building based on a lie?

I thought this was a very romantic and sensual story. It had a strong, lovable hero and a heroine who was easy to empathize with but in all honesty some of her actions/reactions mystified me. She was a smart, self-sufficient person but she let her nasty Uncle and his abhorrant wife treat her like dirt without a word of complaint. She was also a bit of a tease throughout most of the book. Her "kiss me", "touch me" then "no, wait I've changed my mind stop NOW" made sense the first few times considering her past sexual experiences but quickly got on my nerves when it was continually repeated. She really tortured this poor guy ;)

Even though I saw Sommersby I found this spin on the plot just as interesting and liked it even better because it ended happily. I cared about the characters, felt them fall in love and was only a little annoyed towards the end when their actions didn't ring true to their feelings. All in all this was a very well developed and a touching romance. I really enjoyed it.

It pains me to give only 3 stars to a book with such a wonderful hero. Hunter is everything you could want. Loving, strong, patient and devoted to Lara. He longs for her tenderness and love, but she has none to give him. Lara is a cold heroine. Worse she is an annoying one.

All right so you used to dislike having sex with your husband. After 200 pages of woe-is-me, get over it already. Hunter tries to woo her with gentleness and she won't budge. The author goes into way too much detail about Lara's charities and kindnesses in an effort to make her sympathetic, but it doesn't work. Enough with the orphans, the sick and the matchmaking already. She's the epitome of the person who's charitable in public and treats her own family like dirt in private. Poor Hunter. He's reduced to bargaining for just 1 night with his wife in return for hosting a costly ball for yet another of her charities. Lara is indignant that he won't help for free and is using this chance to satisfy his disgusting manly needs. Grudgingly she agrees and even then she tries to welsh by shoving her husband's ex-mistress at him.

Finally hero and heroine hit the sheets, and Lara finds sex with Hunter is a good thing. She claims to love him. I'm hoping things will pick up in the romance department. Then Lara finds out (*spoilr*) that Hunter's an impostor and denounces him, knowing he will be tried and hung. With love like this, who needs enemies? She goes to see him to demand an explanation for his lies. He tells her about his miserable childhood and life. She barely sympathizes, she's all woe-is-me. Then, still knowing he is likely to hang, she tells him self-righteously that she won't lie for him. At this point I'm ready to bang the wall. The book ends with a HEA of course, but she never apologizes for anything. There's no redeeming the coldest heroine this side of Cruella DeVille. Hunter deserved so much better.

I luuuv Lisa Kleypas to pieces. I've read & kept all 16 of her novels. Everytime I finish 1, I'd sigh & think this is her best. Then I'd consume another & say she's outdone herself once again. Before I encountered SIMA, my favorites were Love, Come To Me, Forever My Love, Midnight Angel & Somewhere I'll find you, but this 1 takes the cake. It has the most romantic story & compelling characters ever penned (right up there alongside Lucia Grahame's The Painted Lady). U can't compare Jodie Foster - Richard Gere's corpse & corpse chemistry (in Sommersby) to Hunter & Lara's intense sexual tension. Meet Hunter, the lustiest & sexiest man alive (oh well in romance fiction anyway) that'll make U swoon (have your smelling salts handy). In my biased opinion, he's the most exceptional, unforgettable, adorable, fascinating, passionate, gentle, loving, charming, dashing, wondrous, sensual hero ever created (did I leave anything out ? =P). Lara, a burned heroine with a heart of gold!, was reduced to a mixed state of confusion, misery & sexual daze whenever Hunter was in the vicinity. She's understandably frigid after the painful beddings she endured from her insensitive husband in the past. She resented the fact that just when she had her independence, here comes her long-lost husband to wreak havoc on her life. Lara desperately wanted to believe that Hunter's really a changed man -as he claimed to be- who'd never hurt her again (in & out of bed) & not a chameleon. Hunter was hopelessly entranced by his wife & tried his damnedest to convince her that somehow a second chance was being given to them to rediscover love & trust. Like Lara, I also fell in love with Hunter more with every page I devoured (done 'bout 101 times already), for his unwavering determination to break down her barricade & ice-melting ways to weaken her senses. Hats off to Lara too for not giving in too easily. She panicked at the thought of fulfilling her bargain to make love to her hu!sband after midnight. She put her desperate plan to divert Hunter's amorous attentions into gear by inviting Hunter's former mistress to the ball. Her outrageous scheme backfired & pushed an enraged Hunter over the edge. He finally took matters into his own hands & my oh my... that scalding HOT stairwell scene & the ones that followed were nuthin' short of breathtaking (gulp !) & guaranteed to curl your hair, toes & fingers (yes, really). Ms. Kleypas has really brought her trademark erotic scenes 100 notches higher here. The dramatic chapters at the end were heartsplitting & what a beautiful ending (sniff) !. Words can't do justice to what U'd feel when U finally put this sensational classic down on your bedside table. I never wanted the pages to end then & there. I'd be the happiest woman on earth if Ms. Kleypas'd be so kind as to include Hunter & Lara in 1 of her upcoming books (wistful sigh) !

I could not believe some of the bad reviews i have been reading!"STRANGER IN MY ARMS"is the beautiful story of a woman who learns to trust a man through his love.I have not yet read a Lisa Kleypas book that deserves a bad review.The characters of Lara and Hunter are wonderful!Hunter adores Lara,and is willing to give her as much time and space as she needs,to release her fears. If you like your men gentle but masculine,tender but passionate,then this is for you.Other Kleypas books that i can recomend...."THEN CAME YOU","DREAMING OF YOU","SOMEWHERE I'LL FIND YOU" AND "BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE",in that order!Don't worry about the bad reviews.They aren't worth the space that they're printed on!

Writing this review is very difficult, for to write the story's essence would be to give away plot spoilers. So, I will resist the temptation to ruin the novel for another reader. The talented Lisa Kleypas always writes her male and female characters as clever, sensual, and very straight forward. These qualities support the winning Kleypas formula. Yet, in this book her female character, Larissa Crossland, the Countess of Hawksworth is simply a bonehead. Her attitude -- "Woe is Larissa".

Once married to the loathsome Earl of Hawksworth, Larissa felt no remorse when he died. However, the earl, Hunter
Crossland, has returned, and Larissa is none too pleased. After all, his resurrection will undoubtedly ruin her freedom. The reader soon learns the man that has returned to Larissa is not the man to whom she was once married. This current husband is kind, loving, and very considerate, and now the question looms. Is this man an imposter or has Hunter simply changed for the better? Of course, the reader has the answer well in advance to Larissa's awareness.

Onto the plot's pivot. Sadly, the reader begins to detect, that our heroine is nothing short of a skilled manipulator. Larissa devises ways to get what she wants. She teases the earl with her body, promising kisses and further physical discoveries, in return, for his political and monetary favors. All the while, whimpering, over the fact, her husband was once a horrid lover, and therefore, she does not want to endure another round in the marriage bed. Alas, this is the same woman who prides herself on her caring docile nature. Giving hope and kindness to the destitute of the land, but to the man who is only gentle and loving toward her, this protesting wife is harsh and thoughtless.

Yet, this is a romance book and the idea of the story is to get Larissa to fall in love with Hunter. She begins to realize he is a wonderful man, kind to the orphan boy they have taken in, kind to her wounded sister, kind to the household staff, and exceedingly kind and devoted to her. Larissa's ice shield begins to melt, and slowly she sees Hunter as a friend and lover. Finally, the story blooms with love and all is well.

Oh, no it is not! Chapter 18 surfaces and with it the realization of what a nitwit Larissa truly is. This heroine sets forth to accomplish the most foolish thing this reader has ever perceived in romance reading. STOP. I will not give it away. Nevertheless, let us just say; Larissa's deed is so frustrating; I wanted to hurl the book across the room.

Of course, contentment is found in the end, but to get through chapters 18-21 is a burden. If you have never read a Lisa Kleypas novel, please, please start with "Where Dreams Begin" and appreciate this author's immeasurable romantic talent.

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

To echo the other reviewers, this was a spin on 'Sommersby', albeit with a happy ending - and it was great! Lara was a young, blushing bride whose dreams of a happy union were totally crushed when she realised just how little she meant to her husband. His disappearance results in her discovering her sense of self-worth. Naturally, she is shocked at his return, and bewildered by the very different person he has become. He does not simply claim his husbandly rights, as he wants to prove to her that he is a better man with more appreciation for her than he exhibited previously. Lara's hesitance and fear of the marriage bed is understandable - would you be eager to taste the delights of sex when in the past it has been painful and humiliating? I think not. Hunter's character is fantastic, and he really seems to need something from Lara - this need translates into a deep, abiding love.

I think that the character's actions were in keeping with their personalities. Never did I feel that Ms Kleypas was reaching - there is even a justification as to how "Hunter" knew so much about the original. This was a tender, moving novel, and the passionate suspense was very well done.

This is what kept me reading this book all night! I couldn't put it down. The herione was justifiably confused. By half way through I wasn't sure if I wanted him to really be Hunter or not. I loved the plot and haven't read the other book it was based on, so it was original twists for me. Don't start this book unless you can finish it that same day, it's just too tempting!! Kleypas is one of the few highly enjoyed regency authors that I can agree is worthy of high regards.

I absolutely loved Hunter. He was everything you could ask for in a hero: sweet, understanding, caring, and gorgeous. He tried everything in his power to make up to Lara for her horrible first two years of marriage and he even accepted the orphan Lara brings home one day, just expecting Hunter to be okay with the two of them adopting him (some discussion would have been nice, don't you think?). My problem is with Lara. I never connected with her, never found myself rooting for her, as I usually do with Lisa Kleypas' heroines. Lara seemed a bit one-dimensional to me. She cared a great deal about orphans, but that seemed to be her sole purpose in life, to raise money for orphans. Don't get me wrong, it's an admirable cause, but to make your entire life about that...It just didn't make for a very interesting read.

On top of that, she was a HUGE tease. There's one scene where she purposely has her dressmaker cut the necklines to her dresses lower and then marches straight into Hunter's office to show off her chest. After Hunter initiates the moves he thought she was after displaying so much skin (and initially being a willing and active participant), Lara shoves him away, claiming she isn't ready for that yet. Hunter is, of course, angry. Why parade your bosom and go with the kiss if you aren't into it? That's only one example, but there are plenty more all throughout the book. Also, she's supposed to be this super independent woman who keeps complaining that she doesn't know how to answer to a husband after 3 years of being alone. And yet she allows Hunter's aunt and uncle to treat her horribly, pushing her around like a defenseless child, in his absence. So which is it, did her time without Hunter make her more or less independent?

***SPOILER***
What really annoyed me the most though was that even though she claimed to love Hunter (and knew she was carrying his child), she was still willing to sell him down river and denounce him. And for what? She claims it was the right thing to do. Please. The right thing to do would have been to not sleep with someone until you are absolutely sure he is who he says he is. So, to sum it up, this is a nice and easy read if you are bored. But fair warning that the heroine might annoy you quite a bit.

I have enjoyed this novel and recommend it for others to buy and read. I think that some reviewers have misunderstood it. There are complaints that the heroine exhibits an odd "yes I will, no stop!" attitude towards sex in the early parts of the novel. But as the novel clearly explains, she had been sexually abused in a loveless marriage for two years prior to her husband's disappearance, and then spent time as a widow. So when a man claiming to be her dead husband appears and is sexually passionate towards her, her reactions are naturally ambivalent. Her response is typical for survivors of sexual abuse. It takes a long time for them to regain the ability to respond to intimacy and romance, especially if someone claiming to be or resembling their repentant abuser shows up.

I also enjoyed the author's research on this era's period details.

The reason that I gave the book a four and not a five was that I found it improbable that the hero would have found or accessed comprehensive journals that would have given him such a complete knowledge of the heroine, the estate, the servants, etc. Such knowledge could have been gained in another, more plausible manner. But granting this factor some belief, the novel works smoothly. People in that era often did keep very exhaustive, detailed journals.

Some reviewers objected to the heroine's decision in Chapter 18 to take her doubts about the hero's identity to the authorities and other family members, thereby endangering his life. But they are not taking into consideration the heroine's past history of being betrayed and mistreated by her husband prior to his supposed death at sea. Once someone has been dramatically betrayed and abused, they are apt to react swiftly and not always wisely to any new perceived instances of betrayal. Her highly emotional and irrational response in that chapter rang true to what is known of survivors of sexual and emotional abuse.

Other reviewers objected to the heroine's deep involvement in her charity work with orphans and other suffering people, as making her look silly. I personally found it a relief to see a heroine in a romance novel who was trying to improve something in the outside world, instead of spending all of her time obsessing about the novel's hero, her gowns, her jewels, the opinions of the ton, etc. She actually had a life!

Her involvement with helping others is also typical of some abuse survivors, who develop a determination to stop the abuse of others.

Other reviewers seemingly objected to the heroine's determination to get the hero to help with her orphanage work, even when it involved manipulating him. But again, she thought on some level that she was dealing with the husband who had previously treated her callously and now claimed to be repentant -- someone to whom she owed no gratitude and viewed as being on probation.

I recommend the novel to anyone interested in a well-written and romantically passionate historical romance, where you will keep turning pages right to the end, uncertain of what is going to happen.

This book is receiving 3 stars solely because of the hero. Hunter was kind, understanding, compassionate, loving, devoted, giving -- I could go on and on. Larissa aka Lara is a featherbrained halfwit who is entirely wrapped up in herself, even when she's doing "good deeds". *Everything* she does is ultimately done to make HER feel better or to fulfill some need in HER. I cannot think of one single unselfish thing she did in the entire book.

Now, while I tend to skip over the plot generally, I WILL include a couple of things here, just to make it easier. I won't, however, pull the same cop-out that so many do and give endless spoilers. It's not kind to readers, it detracts from what enjoyment there IS to be had from the book, and besides, it's against Amazon rules.

The beginning was well done for the most part. I agree that it would be improbable (under the described circumstances) for Hunter to be able to "fake" his knowledge the way it was claimed. However, that aside, Hunter appeared to be a changed man and when it became undeniably obvious that he WAS changed, Lara's behavior to him was inexusable. The beginning I'd rate about a 4 star.

The second 1/4 of the book, where Hunter is trying to seduce, woo, reassure and take care of Lara, HE still earned a 4 star, but the book itself immediately dropped down to a 3, mainly due to Lara's behavior and response to Hunter, especially her inconsistancy in what she wants from him. She was a tease, and he was endlessly forgiving of that.

The third quarter of the book, when their deal is struck and Lara plots to betray her promise, and Hunter decides to "punish" her for the plot, the book drops to a 2. It stays that way up until the denouement. Surprisingly, that was awesome. I loved all of it. I loved Hunter's mom. I loved the way that Arthur and Janet are routed. I loved the way Hunter handled the whole thing. I would totally rate that portion a 4 star couple of scenes.

The last 1/4 of the book, though, the full resolution of Rachel's situation and the end result of the choices that Lara and Hunter have made... well, that's back down to about a 3.

So basically this book was ALL OVER the place, rating wise. It wasn't the worst thing I've read (1 star) and it never reached outstanding status (5 stars), but it couldn't seem to make up it's mind about how it wanted to be.

The one thing that I must complain about (that I can say -- amazingly! -- without throwing out spoilers) is that we NEVER learn Hunter's dark secrets. They're hinted about, they're lightly touched on, but what really precipitated the changes? What really made him the way he was? It was not explained to any satisfaction.

Ultimately I could rate this no other way. There are *definitely* 2 (and even 4) star parts, but it is a below average read, with a very good hero (what gives it that extra push). So 3 it is.

As I've noted before, I find this author to be very inconsistent. I also find myself in the familiar position of disagreeing with the vast majority of the reviewers. But at least I feel somewhat "normal" in this case, since there are a decent amount of low reviews as well. I do wonder, though, what the other reviewers are reading if this book ranks with their worst! I need to get ahold of those books, becuase I could always use some good books. On the other hand, if they're considering "Devil in Winter" and "Someone to Watch Over Me" to be the books they're holding as good examples, I'd have to disagree with that.

Lisa Kleypas is clearly a talented writer. She CAN make wonderful characters that you WANT to care about. Unfortunately, that didn't happen here. I understand that there are apparently well-known stories that share the same plot (although I've not seen these movies or read another book with a similar plot). But I enjoyed the IDEA enough to test the field so to speak. With that in mind I hope that others, who may have enjoyed something of this book, will take the time to test the waters of this author. Read her other, better, books. Personally, I enjoyed "Dreaming of You" and "Mine Til Midnight".

I would not make an effort to recommend this, but if someone were determined to read it I wouldn't make an effort to discourage them. I do, however, see this more as a library book under those circumstances.