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Waltz with a Stranger

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 79 ratings · 22 reviews

One dance would change her life forever...

A man who never expected to inherit. A woman who never expected to wed. A choice that pits their honor against their hearts.

Crippled after a riding accident, Aurelia Newbold shuns Society—until a dashing stranger draws her into a secret waltz and changes her life forever. After a year abroad, she returns home and discovers that the...more

Mass Market Paperback, 434 pages

Published December 4th 2012 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

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Nov 23, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debuts, historical-romance-european

3.5 stars

Debut

When Aurelia Newbold looks into the beautiful, unmarred face of her twin sister, Amelia she sees what she used to be. With a limp and a scar from a riding accident, Aurelia isn't comfortable being in public. So when she and Amelia, American heiresses, travel to Britain, it's Amelia who takes London society by storm while Aurelia stays in the background.

When James Trelawney sees Aurelia alone, he asks her to dance. Later when Aurelia goes abroad to a spa to help her recuperate, she...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

Reviewed by: Jen
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

I was absolutely impressed by Ms Sherwood’s debut novel, Waltz with a Stranger. From the romance to the mystery to the setting, it had everything I enjoy in a historical romance. Yes, there were a couple bumps along the way, but I can’t wait to see what Ms Sherwood has up her sleeve for her next novel.

I love when one of the main characters is disabled in some way. In this book, it’s the heroine, Aurelia, wh...more Reviewed by: Jen
Book provided by: Publisher
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book

I was absolutely impressed by Ms Sherwood’s debut novel, Waltz with a Stranger. From the romance to the mystery to the setting, it had everything I enjoy in a historical romance. Yes, there were a couple bumps along the way, but I can’t wait to see what Ms Sherwood has up her sleeve for her next novel.

I love when one of the main characters is disabled in some way. In this book, it’s the heroine, Aurelia, who was injured in a riding accident that left her with a scar on her face and a noticeable limp. The book starts out at a ball where Aurelia is hiding out because of her “disfigurement” and ends up dancing a secret waltz with a stranger. Immediately afterward, she goes off to France to heal and blossom as she seems to have found reason to live again. Of course, as soon as she returns to London, things get interesting.

And then we have our hero James. At the time of the dance, he’s just a simple mister who is only at the ball due to family obligations. But when he next meets Aurelia, he’s an Earl and engaged to her twin sister, Amy. Oh, what a tangle! Then we add in a mystery surrounding the death of the previous earl (and James’ cousin) and there’s a whole lot of story going on.

I loved Aurelia. She was devoted to her sister and was ready to put aside her growing affection for James to not break Amy’s heart. And she overcame physical obstacles in her way while being so likeable. It was interesting to see Aurelia interact with her twin. They were complete opposites, but dearly loved each other and that made this whole love triangle touching. Aurelia is also smart and I enjoyed watching her help James solve the mystery of his cousin’s death.

On the other hand there is James. For me, he’s the weaker link. In some ways, he’s almost too good to be true. You know the type, good with animals, never yells (even at the horrible relations descending on his home) and willing to pass up true love to honor a commitment. But he also seems a little dense at times. I often found myself shaking my head that Aurelia did more of the problem solving than James did. I mean, it’s possible. I just tend to prefer my heroes to be more alpha, even when there is a strong heroine involved.

I think the one big complaint for me in this book is that there is a lot going on. Besides the romance and the mystery, there is a secondary romance of sorts involving Amy. And there are a lot of characters introduced. They just kept coming and often times I found myself having to stop to figure out who was who and how they worked into the story. I will admit that I didn’t completely see the solution to the mystery, so in that aspect I was happy.

This was a page turner for me and with a few tweaks, I think it could have been a five star read. With great character development and a solid plot with some twists and turns… well, I congratulate Ms Sherwood on a great debut and highly recommend this read.

(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Lynn Spencer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I gave this one a C+ at All About Romance. Not sure what that translates to here - 3.25 stars? 3.5?

Going into it, I knew that Waltz With a Stranger had been inspired by Edith Wharton, that it was set in the 1890s, that it featured American heiresses husband-hunting in Europe - all things that would make a story sound promising to me. And it really does have its good points. However, the story also has a lukewarm quality to it that fails to fully engage the reader. The story seems downright lovel...more I gave this one a C+ at All About Romance. Not sure what that translates to here - 3.25 stars? 3.5?

Going into it, I knew that Waltz With a Stranger had been inspired by Edith Wharton, that it was set in the 1890s, that it featured American heiresses husband-hunting in Europe - all things that would make a story sound promising to me. And it really does have its good points. However, the story also has a lukewarm quality to it that fails to fully engage the reader. The story seems downright lovely at times, but so much of that loveliness fails to live on in the memory and that makes the reading experience only a bit better than the average.

Aurelia and Amelia Newbold, twin heiresses from New York, have done surprisingly well at their London debuts. Even the more stodgy aristocrats seem charmed by their vivacity and by Amelia's beauty. The twins are identical, but a riding accident left Aurelia with a large facial scar, a limp, and an utterly devastated self-confidence. While hiding away in the shadows at a ball, Aurelia meets James Trevenan and the two share a thrilling waltz. Afterward, something about the magic of that moment allows Aurelia to start dreaming and hoping again. She agrees to go abroad to seek treatment in a spa and after hard work and what we would now call physical therapy, she returns to English society a year later.

Upon her return, Aurelia finds her twin engaged - to the very same James Trevenan with whom she shared the unforgettable waltz. If this were a more cliched story, Amelia would be the evil twin and all kinds of intrigue would ensue as the good twin tries to get her man. But she's not. As it turns out, Amelia and Aurelia are devoted to one another. In fact, the entire Newbold family is quite close-knit - a nice change to see in romance. I can't remember the last time I met a family in historical romance where all the parents and children were alive and reasonably untortured. The Newbolds are sweet, and their family is one of the good parts of this book.

This is a partial review. The full text is available at All About Romance: http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/boo... (less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Linda Banche rated it 5 of 5 stars

Pamela Sherwood’s Victorian romance, WALTZ WITH A STRANGER, is a beautiful, deeply moving story of the conflict between love and honor and how, sometimes, both can win.

American heiress Aurelia, scarred in an accident, avoids people, especially men, until she dances one waltz with a kind, handsome stranger who doesn’t care about her disfigurement. His gentle encouragement gives her the will to go on, as well as placing him forever in her heart.

James is entranced with the beautiful, sorrowful girl...more Pamela Sherwood’s Victorian romance, WALTZ WITH A STRANGER, is a beautiful, deeply moving story of the conflict between love and honor and how, sometimes, both can win.

American heiress Aurelia, scarred in an accident, avoids people, especially men, until she dances one waltz with a kind, handsome stranger who doesn’t care about her disfigurement. His gentle encouragement gives her the will to go on, as well as placing him forever in her heart.

James is entranced with the beautiful, sorrowful girl. But he has no money, and cannot ever win the hand of a rich lady. They part, never expecting to see each other again.

They meet a year later. James is now unexpectedly an earl with an impoverished estate and betrothed to Aurelia’s twin sister, Amy, because he needs the money. Neither Aurelia nor James is free, in honor, to admit or act on their feelings for each other.

In the typical treatment of this situation, the two sisters fight tooth and nail over the man. Not here. Ms. Sherwood has turned convention on its head by making Aurelia and Amy adore each other. Their love is believable because they try to help each other, and while neither will do anything to harm the other, neither is a martyr, either. Aurelia suffers guilt over her feelings, and almost could, but doesn’t, hate her sister. Amy wants Aurelia to find happiness with a husband, while not knowing she wants James. James, too, is believable, as the hardships of his early life did not make him into a spoiled, overprivileged aristocrat. He plans to honor his commitment to Amy while his heart desperately yearns for Aurelia.

Most of the tension arises as the three principals try to reconcile their choices with their desires while keeping their feelings to themselves. But there is also a thread of mystery as James seeks the truth about the death of late, unlamented, previous earl. There’s also plenty of history and lush descriptions that firmly anchor this story in the late Victorian era when bankrupt English noblemen married American heiresses.

In our world where everyone is out for him or herself, I love this story about both love and honor triumphing. I look forward to Ms. Sherwood’s next book.(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 My Book Addiction and More MBA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-england

WALTZ WITH A STRANGER by Pamela Sherwood is another interesting Regency historical romance.This is Ms. Sherwood’s debut title and is an interesting story of danger,passion,secrets,smuggling,mystery, suspense,American heiress,twins,romance and love. Aurelia and her twin,Amelia Newbold are American heiresses who have come to England in search of bridegrooms. Aurelia has had a terrible accident that left her disfigured,and quiet, enter one dashing, and kind James Trelawney who gives her a magical w...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Sarah (Head Stuck In A Book) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, review-copy, owned-and-read

I've long been a fan of Historical Romance books, having not read one for a long time this was the perfect story to get right back into it, and although I pretty much guessed the ending I still loved the story and all of the characters.
One night while at an engagement party James ventures into the conservatory to find some peace and quiet, it's there he finds a woman Aurelia, hiding away from the other guests after a horse accident which left her crippled and her face scarred, after asking her f...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Farrah rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...

I liked Waltz with a Stranger. It was a good book, a nice read. It wasn't spectacular, nor was it the most memorable book I've ever read. But it was good.

There wasn't a problem with anything in the book, save for the frustration of the two characters being separated by their own foolishness. It was all good. It just wasn't amazing.

Aurelia was a perfectly nice character. She was admirably strong to overcome her scar a...more This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...

I liked Waltz with a Stranger. It was a good book, a nice read. It wasn't spectacular, nor was it the most memorable book I've ever read. But it was good.

There wasn't a problem with anything in the book, save for the frustration of the two characters being separated by their own foolishness. It was all good. It just wasn't amazing.

Aurelia was a perfectly nice character. She was admirably strong to overcome her scar and limp. She was remarkably brave to face everyone with her head up after her accident. She was a thoroughly likable character. My one issue with her was the fact that she gave the man who abandoned her after her accident a second chance. That didn't really follow her characterization as a strong woman. But I liked her just fine.

Her twin, Amelia, was prominent, though not a main character. It was tempting to dislike her because she was the obstacle between her twin and James. But she was made me grow fond of her. She was remarkably protective over her sister and always did what was best for her. She didn't know about that secret waltz, otherwise she wouldn't have done anything to threaten her twin's happiness. So, despite her role as an obstacle, she grew on me. And I was happy for her when she got a happy ending with her love. On that subject, I won't say a word :)

James was more difficult. He was fine. He was a perfect gentleman to both Amelia and Aurelia. He was sweet to Aurelia. But, I just go so frustrated with him. Why would he propose to the twin sister of the woman he couldn't get out of his head. It just made him seem like a jerk. If you are infatuated with a woman, you don't engage yourself to her twin sister. And then he was a coward about owning up to his mistake. First, he took a long time admitting his feelings to Aurelia, then even longer to decide to go for love. He was the weakest point for me. I didn't dislike him. But he wasn't exactly my favorite love interest.

The plot felt a little stretched out. The book is lengthy, and I felt that some of the plot was extraneous. The book could have been cut down into a shorter novel that moved faster and held attention better without unnecessary plot developments. The book didn't drag, but it didn't exactly keep me on the edge of my seat.

As you can undoubtedly tell, my entire reaction to this book was underwhelming. It was the kind of book where you finish, then shrug and say, "oh, that was a nice book," then promptly forget it. It was good. But nothing more. It faded into the depths of the many books I've read without a quality that made me remember it. I don't want to make it sound like a didn't like the book. Waltz with a Stranger was a perfectly nice book. If you want a nice book to pass the time, then this is the book for you. But if you want something more memorable, than this may not fit the bill.

A solid 3/5

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy!(less)

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Dec 23, 2012 Kjirstin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, fiction, historical-fiction

I picked up this book because of a deep and abiding love of Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers. I love the story of the American heiresses who headed overseas en masse to find themselves a nobleman... And this book does that, albeit with a few extra frills from contemporary romance. Typically, the research is good though the morals and mores of the characters are more appropriate to this day and age. I enjoyed the addition of a mystery to solve to keep things moving until the love... rectangle? para...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Very good for a debut author. Well written & i liked the characters. I liked that the heroine's sister who gets engaged to the hero in a marriage of convenience is not made into an evil twin. Rather they are each other's best friend & love each other dearly. The sister Amy is more frivolous, & more of an outgoing, society loving creature yet still likable; compared to Aurelia who is quieter & who seems to have more depth. Well written characters. a side plot regarding the suspici...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Marcia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Aurelia Newbold meets James Trelawney at a ball, she is hiding out tired of watching her twin or almost identical twin dance the night away. Oh the people do not pity her like they did in America. The English are to polite for that. James shares one waltz with her before she leaves the party and the country. Upon her return to London confident and secure in herself, Aurelia finds her dear twin engaged not to the man of her own dreams but to James now an Earl and the man she has been dreaming of...more

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Jan 20, 2013 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Aurelia Newbold never thinks a handsome stranger will ask her for a waltz. Since the accident that has left her face and body scarred, young men have stopped asking the debutante to dance at all. But this waltz changes everything for Aurelia. Determined to overcome her handicap, she goes to a special hospital on the Continent and reinvents herself as a newer, more confident young lady.

James Trevenan never expects to do anything but run his family’s mine in Cornwall. When the sudden death of his...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Angelc rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

The first half of this book was very fun and entertaining, with some great interconnected love triangles. However, the latter half of the book lost steam and started to focus more on the death of James' cousin instead of the interactions between the characters. It became more of a mystery story than a romance in my opinion.

The writing was excellent, the story moved right along, even at over 400 pages. If only the story had kept its focus on the couples, I would have enjoyed it all the w...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pamela-sherwood, historical-romance, netgalley

Aurelia Newbold stays on the outskirts of society following an accident that left her scarred and crippled. Instead, she lets all the attention focus on her perfectly lovely twin sister but when a mysterious man waltzes with her one night in the gardens, she starts to realize she might be worth something as she is. This belief is cemented even more following a trip to Paris which restores her mentally and helps her physically. Anxious to be back in London and with her sister, she is shocked to l...more Aurelia Newbold stays on the outskirts of society following an accident that left her scarred and crippled. Instead, she lets all the attention focus on her perfectly lovely twin sister but when a mysterious man waltzes with her one night in the gardens, she starts to realize she might be worth something as she is. This belief is cemented even more following a trip to Paris which restores her mentally and helps her physically. Anxious to be back in London and with her sister, she is shocked to learn that Amy is engaged and disappointed when the man turns out to be her waltz partner. James has newly inherited an earldom which he never expected to inherit and it is in dire need of funds so he proposes to Amy, a wealthy American and all seems fine until he sees Aurelia again and the attraction still burns between them. With neither of them willing to hurt Amy, whom they both care for, they seem destined to be apart. However some matters from the previous earl's past arrive in threatening letters and a persistent ship man and James finds himself confiding in Aurelia. As they attempt to solve the questions lurking, will they be able to in time and find a way to be together, without hurting anyone?

This was an enjoyable, pleasant debut that is a bit on the sweet side. I enjoyed watching Aurelia find the strength within herself following her accident, that her scars do not define her. She was sweet, strong and sensible. James was a perfect gentleman who I wish would have just waited for the sister who held his heart after just one dance but he thought her too timid and shy at the time so I guess I understand. . . We also get to see a lot of Amy and her feelings about her upcoming marriage and her new feelings for James' friend. There is a wonderful sense of family and I really enjoyed their little bits they added and am excited for their stories to be told. The mystery aspect wasn't bad and adds a bit of drama near the end but overall the book felt a little long. As James is engaged and Aurelia refuses to betray her sister, not much happens on the romance front in the first half of the book and I would have liked a little bit more to happen sooner for my taste. The writing is well done and smooth with lovely attention to detail and I will defiantly check out future works of Pamela Sherwood even though this one was a little slow for me. Recommended for fans of a sweet romance with memorable secondary characters with just a dash of intrigue. 3 1/2 stars

eARC provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via netgalley.com(less)

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Dec 08, 2012 Ashia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

My official review for The Romance Reviews:

WALTZ WITH A STRANGER is a delightful and well-written historical romance.

Read the full review.

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Feb 09, 2013 Amanda added it

Vanilla level, but still good. The mystery just pulled me in Aurelia was a very likeable heroine and James was sooooo awesomely sweet. The way they met was just awesmel conceive, the decriptive details to the surrounnding was very appealing not to lengthy. I was rooting for them and I was glad not to deal with one of those miscommunication romances.

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Jan 01, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

a satisfying historical read - full of angst, love and suspense: to find a full review, please visit http://romanticreadsandsuch.wordpress...

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Mar 25, 2013 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

http://romancing-the-book.com/2012/12...

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Jan 13, 2013 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Slow book took me over a week to read it nothing new or exciting in it

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Dec 02, 2012 Ashley-Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

great story, not cliched at all, just a soft sweet love story with a suprisingly twisty side plot.

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Dec 23, 2012 aaallleee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical

It's actually 3.5
It was pretty long and along the way boring . The last part though was really interesting and nice , also loved the ending !

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Jan 04, 2013 Cocktails and Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge, historical-romance, nor

Look for review on Night Owl Review.

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Dec 22, 2012 Macaron rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: regence-romance

It is like a teenage romance, not very well-written, so many descriptions and not integrated into the plot. Boring. It was like those old-fashioned romance that I once picked from my grandmother's shelves.

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May 09, 2013 Connie Fischer rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 06, 2013 Holly rated it 3 of 5 stars

May 05, 2013 Lover of Romance marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-romance, regency

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About Pamela Sherwood

Pamela Sherwood grew up in a family of teachers and taught college-level literature and writing courses for several years before turning to writing full time. She holds a doctorate in English literature, specializing in the Romantic and Victorian periods, eras that continue to fascinate her and provide her with countless opportunities for virtual time travel. She lives in Southern California and i...more

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“A sad truth about fortunes - they take decades to build and no time at all to spend.” — 1 person liked it

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