NEVER MARRY A STRANGER

Author: Gayle Callen ISBN: 9780061235078 9/2009 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1845

The prodigal return . . . It's an absolute scandal when Captain Matthew Leland arrives at Madingley Court. Presumed dead in battle, his sudden appearance gives the ton quite the shock. But no one is more surprised than Matthew, because waiting for him at home is a bewitching, blue-eyed beauty—and she claims to be his wife! Miss Emily Grey was alone in the world when a knight in shining armor came to her rescue, claimed her heart, and then disappeared. But now her little white lie, a desperate act of self-preservation, has come back to haunt her. Her husband, once a far-off fantasy, is now a flesh-and-blood man who insists she share his bed . . . Matthew has no memory of any marriage to this scheming seductress, and he's determined to expose her in every way. But a life with the exquisite Emily will prove irresistible . . . and a marriage of deception will become a marriage of sweet, sweet surrender.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Well, Gayle Callen has done it again!  NEVER MARRY A STRANGER is fabulously written, well executed, and an all around, one heck of a read!  The premise of this storyline is one that is fun and flighty and must have been a blast to write.  

Captain Matthew Leland is shipped off to India and believed to be dead, only to return home to find that he has somehow acquired a wife!  Said wife is naturally horrified that her "husband" has returned home, while at the same time, finding herself truly growing to like him.  Both lead characters are rock stars, in my opinion.  Matthew is tolerant and patient in order to figure out the motives behind Emily's little deception.  Emily is a consummate actress, with a big ol' problem because her one little white lie has escalated into a lot of bigger lies, which always ends up being the case. 

The flow of the plot is perfect, and this book is a light, quick read for being 372 pages long.  Gayle Callen has a knack for telling a story and telling it well, and fans of historical romance are going to be tickled pink by NEVER MARRY A STRANGER! 

Kristal Gorman