The Kiss of a Stranger

By: Sarah M. Eden

Narrated by: Luone Ingram

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

When Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no consequence. But he couldn’t be more mistaken - the maid is not only a lady of birth, she’s the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentleman, who claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption.

The dismayed young lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle. Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine’s utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife’s transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society.

Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately, each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted, and as a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to Live happily ever after?

About the author

Sarah M. Eden read her first Jane Austen novel in elementary school and has been an Austen addict ever since. Fascinated by the Regency era in English history, Eden became a regular in the Regency section of the reference department at her local library, painstakingly researching this extraordinary chapter in history. Eden is an award-winning author of short stories and was a Whitney Award Finalist for her novel Seeking Persephone (2008). You can visit her at www.sarahmeden.com.

©2019 Covenant Communications, Inc. (P)2019 Covenant Communications, Inc.

The start to my favorite series

Just listened to the audiobook of this and enjoyed it once again. The narrator was very good at varying the voices for each character. I adore the Jonquil series of books but even though I'd read this book several times over the years, this was my first time with the audio version. My book review is below but I also recommend the audiobook.

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4.5 stars
I confess that I have read this series multiple times and I'm now rewriting my review. I love this series. I adore the characters in all the books and will be extremely sad to see the series end. (I have hopes that Ms. Eden will continue with the next generation). My only complaint about this book is that by the time we get 3/4's of the way through I begin to feel frustrated that the neither Catherine nor Crispin will admit their true feelings as they continue to misinterpret every interaction with the other. I feel like it goes on for just a little bit too long. I know it is part of the exciting climax but maybe the book should have been just a little bit shorter to cut out some of that repeated conflict before the climax? Still, I love the book.

Sex: a few kisses, some leering
Language: none
Violence: Physically and emotionally abusive uncle. Attempted murder by pistol ending with one being shot. Duel by fisticuffs.

The first of one of my favorite series!

I just love clean, sweet romances! Sarah Eden is one of my favorite authors. I am re-reading this book and have fallen in love with the characters all over again. This book is awesome, but the next is my favorite. I am there with the characters. Work away from reading is a chore; sleep unessential. I started reading and was playing the audiobook in my living room where my sister and daughter were. I got up to leave the room with my book playing and was told not to go. My daughter picked it up where I left off. She told my sister the next day when she was up very early that she'd been book-napped! We ALL love these books with their dashing heroes and spunky heroines. My dad has even read and liked them. You cannot go wrong buying this book!

Cute read

Great story, loved the thought of a cynic falling in love with a soft spoken—but still strong—woman. Narrator did an amazing job at making each character sound unique enough to tell them apart.

Tender story, love it to death, one small thing-

This is my comfort book, I love it so much. There’s just one thing I felt the need to address- there’s a mistake the narrator made in the dialogue. Chapter 26, 04:30, she says “Katherine says” instead of “Crispin says”. Just fyi♥️

Finally...

Although I love a good British accent for a Regency book, I still really enjoyed the narrator. This is one of my favorite Sarah Eden books and I am glad to finally have an audio rendition.

What Can I Say

I enjoyed most of the audiobook, But the narrator's melodrama in some scenes made me roll my eyes and lessened my enjoyment of the book.

Fantastic book!

I loved this book! It has a great story and the narrator was very clear and easy to understand! I loved the character development!

Love it

I really enjoy the witty banter between the characters in all of the books by Sarah M Eden… She has become my new favorite author. I love to laugh, and these books inspire much laughter

Geico “Let’s hide behind the chainsaws” commercial

Normally I love Sarah Eden books, but this one seemed like it was trying to hard to add conflict that wasn’t realistic. It felt sometimes like a Geico’s ”Let’s hide behind the chainsaws” commercial - a bit ridiculous. I’ll try another book since I normally like her books and crossing my fingers the next one is a little more realistic.

I loved this book!

I didn’t want to turn it off. The romantic story kept me tuned in for hours at a time,
Thank you!