Book Review: The Stranger She Married by Donna Hatch

Title: The Stranger She Married

Author: Donna Hatch

Website: Donna Hatch, Romance Writer

Blog: http://donnahatch.blogspot.com

Series: Rogue Hearts, #1

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Historical/Regency

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

ISBN (paperback): 1601543344

Format: e-book, 352 pages

List Price: $6.00US (e-book)

Reviewed: September 28, 2009

Rating: 5 pearls (4.9)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Alicia Palmer must save her family from ruin by marrying and marrying well. Her choices, however, leave much to be desired. Enter Cole, Viscount Amesbury, a man with a deadly secret, a secret that could destroy the fragile trust growing between them. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill off every member of her family.

My two cents: Oh my. I have a new favorite Regency author. I am blown away. Enough of that. Now for the reasons why...

Ms Hatch has a steady grasp of the period and a definite knack for characters, settings, and drama. There were so many times I didn't want to stop reading. Drat the responsibilities of adulthood! I was enchanted with the hero from the very first. All the characters were well-developed and likable--or unlikable, in the case of some. The plot was a rather common Regency theme (the young woman needing to marry to save her family from penury), yet done in such a way as to be entirely fresh and new.

And the twists. Wow. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I was proven wrong.

I loved how Ms Hatch refrained from including detailed love scenes and still managed to convey the emotions that ruled these characters. It was a thrilling, lovely, romantic adventure. I eagerly anticipate the next book in the series.

*This review is based on the PDF e-book.

The Stranger She Married can be purchased in paperback from Amazon and The Wild Rose Press, as well as directly from the author on her blog or website. E-books are available for the Kindle in Amazon's Kindle Store and in PDF, MS Reader, and HTML formats from The Wild Rose Press.

Coming soon: An interview and giveaway with Donna Hatch!