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Stranger in My Arms

by Lisa Kleypas (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 4,341 ratings · 254 reviews

From the glittering ballrooms of Regency London to the glorious gardens of countryside manors, Lisa Kleypas invites her readers to visit a lushly romantic world. Now, Lisa has written her most unforgettable love story...

"Lady Hawksworth, your husband is not dead..."

With those words, Lara's life turned upside down. Hunter, Earl of Hawksworth, had been lost at sea. Or so sh...more

Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages

Published February 22nd 2011 by Avon (first published January 1st 1998)

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Apr 01, 2011 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, historical, historical-romance, author-lisa-kleypas, romance-historical, reviewed-by-me, 4-stars

This is one of my favorite storylines; unaffectionate husband leaves, presumably dies, shows up not dead and has miraculously become one hot, passionate and attentive lover. What more could a woman ask for? Perhaps it’s my love of this story theme that had my expectations too high, and while I liked Stranger In My Arms, I didn’t love it.

Even though Lara had accomplished so much good through her charity work after her husband’s death, I just didn’t feel like she was a strong heroine. I didn’t con...more

17 likes · like · see review

Sep 25, 2009 AgentScully rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-buck-take-me, swap-to-good-home

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 Lar...more

26 likes · like · see review

Mar 09, 2010 FlibBityFLooB rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, read-in-2010, witty-i-am-not, zzauthor-kleypas-lisa

4.5/5 stars. This was another winner for me by Lisa Kleypas. It was somewhat darker, and almost reminded me of a Sherry Thomas novel. It had a fun mystery that kept me guessing until nearly the end. There was some really steamy scenes. The characters were likeable.

So why 4.5 stars, and not 5? The ending of the book devolved into a Jerry Springer story 1800s-style. It was almost laughable how soap opera like the ending was. My husband was reading over my shoulder as I read the ending last night...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Melody rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, baby-kids, battle-of-wills, brooding-dark-quiet-heroes, deception, hero-w-tattoos-or-piercings, headstrong-h-hr, heroines-who-got-on-my-nerves, historical-romance, lisa-kleypas, masquerade, possessive-jealous-hero, pink-themed-cover, widow, rage-inducing, uptight-heroine, reviewed-by-me, drama-queen, you-deserve-a-bitch-slap, bad-boy, tortured-hero, disappointing, help-me-i-have-a-dirty-secrete, not-worth-buying, twins, annoying-as-fock-characters, aren-t-you-a-prude

It really depresses me to give anything written by Lisa Kleypas below a 4 stars rating (3 in this case *cries*) but this just wasn't a winner for me. A complete first. :( She's my Queen of all things Historical Romance. I relish reading her work and never worry about what I'm gonna get when I start a book by her. It's always a treat and I end up devouring her books rather quickly. The first for me in this case was that I found the heroine Larissa absolutely intolerable throughout most of the sto...more

It really depresses me to give anything written by Lisa Kleypas below a 4 stars rating (3 in this case *cries*) but this just wasn't a winner for me. A complete first. :( She's my Queen of all things Historical Romance. I relish reading her work and never worry about what I'm gonna get when I start a book by her. It's always a treat and I end up devouring her books rather quickly. The first for me in this case was that I found the heroine Larissa absolutely intolerable throughout most of the story. Dear. gawd. She drove me up the wall. Bless her orphan-saving heart, I'm sorry but a fan of hers I was not. I found the contrasting side of her personalities or I should say high praises of her good virtues to be contradictory with how she acted around her husband, Hunter. We see other characters and the author tout her up as this caring virtuous selfless woman who devotes all her time to an orphanage in the village and saving orphans who have no home. I found that a complete clash and startling contrast to how she acted around Hunter. Quite a turnaround if you ask me. She was a complete sanctimonious shrew to be blunt. For someone so giving and kind hearted I failed to see that with her constant scathing remarks and hurling accusations at Hunter. Someone who she admits to wishing he was never found alive more than once. Who does that? *cringe* Yeah not a great start for me.

Her prudish, uptight, brittle haughty (and melodramatic as hell) attitude around Hunter got to be really tiring, frustrating and rage inducing. And I say this with complete understanding and realization of what this character was put through before her husband was believed to be 'dead'. Before his death, Hunter was brutish, arrogant, selfish and uncaring. That's a given. I won't make any excuses or pretend to understand or justify his behavior. He was a complete uncaring asshole. But that all being said, I found her to be unreasonable and unforgiving towards giving Hunter a second chance once he returned to her. He showed her over and over again how much he changed, showed her complete patience and willing to do anything to make her happy and apologizing more than once to no avail. But she kept pushing him away accusing him of manipulating her to get her in his bed. And this song and dance continues on pretty much through 90% of the book. It's safe to say my patience was pretty much gone half way in. She seemed to love to place herself as the victim and remind him on a daily basis how awful and brutish he was to her during their marital intimacies or as she loves to scathingly call it with a puckered face 'distasteful urges'. Every time she spitted that out I just kept picturing one of those prudish matronly spinsters sitting in a corner turning their noses up at anything of the sexual persuasion with an ugly sneer. RME. Really? NOT endearing.

The thing that's so fabulous and addictive about Kleypas's stories are they are filled with incredibly flawed three dimensional characters, flawed characters who come off so real and relatable in some way or another. They are far from perfect and some of them even have qualities that could be even shelved under villanuos and not so virtuous. Which just makes a reader want to root for them more and see where they end up. We get to stand in their shoes, fuss and rummage around in their heads and completely connect with them. And here, I found myself struggling, fighting to feel that connection with Lara and her relationship with Hunter. The more she fought her connection with Hunter tooth and nail the more I bucked as well. She went out of her way and seemed to love to play the part of the martyr a little too well. Even up to the point when the situation had nothing to do with her and the fate of Hunter's life rested in her hands, she made it about her and gave into hysterics and melodramatics. When everything falls apart or I should say is revealed she had the gall to blame Hunter and his family for putting her in 'this situation' a situation mind you that was taken out of Hunter's hands and by situation I mean their arranged marriage. The minute he's accused of doing something wrong, she of course decides to do the 'right thing' by turning him in, not even giving him the chance to explain and defend himself. And she doesn't waste time with the pity party. Oh no, she quickly sits in a corner and continues her 'why meeeee!' inner dialogue lamenting and moaning over how Hunter could do this to her, not us, not him, but of course.....her. Oh how could he! RME. *fumes* Put a damn sock in it woman and GROW UP.

Because of that (and so much more) I found her actions and attitude lacking integrity, character growth and just not root-worthy. For a heroine I found her to be self-centered, overly judgmental and ridiculously cruel. I really wanted to slap her on countless occasions. I'm not looking for a perfect saintly heroine. Far from it. If I was I wouldn't be reading a Kleypas book. But what I do want is to read about characters that I can relate to or have sympathy for and unfortunately for Lara I couldn't muster up any sympathy for her. She seemed to have plenty for herself. I don't want a heroine who likes to play martyr.

And I don't know why I'm making this review so long winded and going off tangents like some silly essay. lol I just feel like I'm breaking a sacred rule and having the need to explain why I hated this book as much as I did.

The only thing that was a saving grace for me and I was DYING to see more of in this book were the scenes in the last 3 chapters. Those trial scenes and everything after are what had me giving this a half star rating. Just barely. I just wish I saw this loving compassionate selfless side of Lara come out more through the rest of the story. I was waiting and waiting and...waiting to see a warmer, loving, courageous side that we see come out when she's defending her husband (about freaking time) at the end show up earlier.

Hunter while he's not my favorite Kleypas hero, he was interesting. I just wasn't as enthralled with him as I wanted to be until again, the very ending. We see this heartbreaking vulnerability that just took my breath away. Really wasn't expecting that. And his confession to Lara was so bittersweet and beautiful. Had me wishing the heroine was more deserving of his devotion to her.

Story: 3 stars
Characters: 2.5 stars(less)

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Oct 02, 2010 Keri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-historical, reviewed, lisa-kleypas, 2010-read

While this wasn't my favorite LK read it was still very good. Lara is a widow satisfied with how her life is arranged. She now lives simply with her good works and an orphanage that she supports, what more could a woman need. So when she finds out that her supposedly dead husband is back in town, she isn't happy at all.

He sailed away to India three years earlier and had died on the sea in a crash a year before. So color her surprised when she gets a look at her husband. He looks like her husban...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 .þµŋψà. [Punya Reviews...] rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, lisa-kleypas, oh-honey-shag-me-silly, i-wanna-have-your-babies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

After my 3rd reading...

Third time and again, a great read. That’s why I know I can rely on LK for something I’ll enjoy no matter what. This book has got mixed reviews; some loved it, some didn’t. Well, I fall in the former group. Still, things bugged me in this reading and those were some of Larissa or Lara’s activities. For some reason, I had this love/hate feeling for her, which didn’t really matter in my firs...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Samadrita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: deliciously-mushy, for-teh-ladies, historical, romance, human-drama, semi-favorites, slice-of-life, real-issues-fake-people

Caution:- This is going to be a long review despite the fact that this is a romance novel and I usually don't write long reviews for romance novels.

A year ago I had discovered Lisa Kleypas when I got my hands on the Blue-Eyed Devil. A book which did not capture my imagination right at the onset but which reeled me in very slowly and left me quite charmed by the end.
I thought, here's a romance novelist who doesn't sugar-coat domestic abuse, try to make it appear less than it actually is and give...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Lupdilup Duffy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Audiobook.
Lisa Kleypas is one of my much loved romance authors. She is the best historical romance author I have read or listen to. Her novels are lively, her stories are always original, and her characters jump off the page.

I thought this had an exciting beginning, and I was genuinely captivated and on my way to one of my favorite listens, but all of a sudden, Lara( heroine) became someone I didn’t like, her attitude was out of character with someone that cared so much for the unfortunate ones....more Audiobook.
Lisa Kleypas is one of my much loved romance authors. She is the best historical romance author I have read or listen to. Her novels are lively, her stories are always original, and her characters jump off the page.

I thought this had an exciting beginning, and I was genuinely captivated and on my way to one of my favorite listens, but all of a sudden, Lara( heroine) became someone I didn’t like, her attitude was out of character with someone that cared so much for the unfortunate ones. Her behavior was not realistic or believable for the plot or the era. It was almost like Ms. Kleypas tried to portray a self assured and independent woman, but the result was all wrong, she came across self center and at times selfish, she made some bonehead moves that had me shaking my head.

This is probably the only time I have not loved one Kleypa's heroines. I do have to say tho. in the last chapter she almost managed to change my opinion..almost.

But enough about that, because that the plot, the hero and a lovely secondary character made up for the shortcomings in the story.

Hunter was a formidable character, just like most of Ms. Kleypas heroes, captivating and a little tortured, just the way I like them.

The return of the Earl of Hawksworth (Hunter) was plotted in an effective and convincing way that succeeds in keeping you wondering, is Hunter a changed man? Literally?

The added mystery and suspense (even if you think it’s predictable) resulted in very entertaining listen. If you are like me, and are already a Klyepas fan, you won’t be disappointed. Just remember this is one of her earlier books, and the biggest drawback would be the comparison to her later work.

We still get the rich dialogue, well developed characters, a cohesive plot and a steaming romance. What else can you ask for?

The moment Rosalyn Landor reads the first sentence of any of Ms. Kleypa’s novels, I’m totally gone. She immediately takes me away to the setting and the era. I have always enjoyed her performances and this wasn’t the exception. She perfectly captures the characters personality with her various British accents, in a manner that lends them believability. The dialogue and story are always delivered with the tone and pose that give the novels authenticity.

Again, if I had read this book instead of listening to it, I would have given it only 3 hearts, but Ms. Landor put the extra heart in my level of enjoyment.(less)

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Nov 03, 2011 Tori rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a bit more angsty than I'm used to from Lisa Kleypas, but still, a so-so Lisa Kleypas is way better than a great book by some other authors.

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Carrie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, audio, mystery, read-2011

DNF in audio. I really, really hate the heroine. She's cold and self-righteous. The details of her charity work are sticky-sweet and boring. I may skim the library copy so I can satisfy my curiosity about Hunter, who is a great character, btw.

Rosalyn Landor is the narrator for the audiobook. I didn't care for her voice for Hunter. She is too gruff and he sounds old instead of sexy.

Edited to add: I skimmed the library copy of the book. It was okay, so I'm upgrading to 2 stars. I still disliked th...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 15, 2011 Lelyana Taufik rated it 4 of 5 stars

*spoiler alert*
Mengambil kehidupan orang lain,termasuk pembenaran mengambil harta dan istri seseorang meskipun orang yg tdk pantas, apakah bisa di benarkan?
Mengawali kehidupannya dengan kebohongan dan mengakhiri kebohongan, inilah hidaup yg di jalani Hunter.

Di beri tahu bahwa suami nya ternyata masih hidup setelah kecelakaan kapal tahun lalu,Larissa/Lara mengalami shock yang tidak menyenangkan. Hunter adalah suami yang tidak menyenangkan buat Lara, punya simpanan dan dingin. Sayang nya setelah k...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it-audible, audio-listened, library

This book is a mess, but the hero is good enough to make it a 3.

I'm pretty sure I read this a couple years ago and I think I liked it better as a book than in audio. Still, my complaints with it don't have much to do with Rosalyn Landor's narration so I'm not sure why I liked it the first time around. It is not a good sign when you are screaming at the heroine for being a self-righteous, unfeeling IDIOT as you drive down the street. (view spoiler)...more

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Jan 18, 2009 Cynthia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not incredibly original, but the mystery was more well done than I've read before. You want to say for sure it's not him, but there's no proof. It was a nice change from other books which try to be all clever and secretive, but gave it away from the beginning.

-Spoilers below-

Lara's blind sheep obedience to her "duty" was incredibly annoying. It was hard to have respect for her when she completely ignored Hunter's goodness and their love to betray him. She didn't even take time to think, or get h...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tower-team-d, marriage

I am not a Lisa Kleypas fan and before all the fans decide to murder me I would like to say my piece. It is not that I don't like her way of writing or anything but because I have often found her heroines to be a bit fragile(This is from a two book experience, who knows there is still time and she could prove me wrong) and the hero's always seem to fall for the fragile unusual girl. They have this trait in them that make the hero's all protective and possessive at the same time which is a comple...more I am not a Lisa Kleypas fan and before all the fans decide to murder me I would like to say my piece. It is not that I don't like her way of writing or anything but because I have often found her heroines to be a bit fragile(This is from a two book experience, who knows there is still time and she could prove me wrong) and the hero's always seem to fall for the fragile unusual girl. They have this trait in them that make the hero's all protective and possessive at the same time which is a complete mystery to me. The only person they can stand up to seems to be the hero alone with everyone else they are just doormats. The heroine in this book didn't do much to prove me wrong but to my surprise I enjoy this book regardless.

I guess I am a sucker for second chance romances. Not that this one was strictly second chance, I mean the one's in which the heroine had a disastrous marriage to begin with and then the hero shows up. Of course the hero will be all attentive and ideal making the heroine realise love is not a bad thing after all. But the strange factor here is the heroine had a disastrous marriage with the hero itself. The heroine believes him dead after a freak accident( Ship wreck) only to have him show up one year later (Which I am not really sure about. I don't exactly keep track of the time line in books) as a changed man who adores her.

I did love a number of scenes in this book. Especially the one where the heroine calls up the hero's former mistress to the party so that his attention will be diverted from her. Oh my !!Isn't she stubborn. She was highly frustrating and felt really old even though she was only 25 or something. Sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into her. But she did redeem herself in the end which I was really glad for. The hero on the other hand, I liked him from the start otherwise I would have filed this book under the "LOST CAUSE" section. The story however was a bit cliché but a cliché you could work with. I really enjoyed this read and wouldn't discourage any one from trying this one. (less)

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Feb 03, 2013 Olga Godim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Not the best of romances. The storyline is not original either. Lara's husband, Lord Hunter Hawksworth, died at sea a year ago. She never liked him, so she never really mourned. A year later, he comes back - but is it really him or is he a stranger? The plot has a huge potential, but I was greatly disappointed in the execution.
What didn't I like?

BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Hunter's POV sucks.
The story, as the majority of romances, is told from the two POVs: Lara's and her supposed husband's. But...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 20, 2012 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars

I listened to an audio version of this book at the same time as I was reading a hard copy of "Once and Always" by Judith McNaught". I was struck by the similarity of the two books. I say that because if you liked one of these two books, you will probably like the other one.

A young English woman (Lara) is widowed when her husband, (Hunter) the Earl of Hawksworth) dies when his ship sinks. Her marriage was cold and not happy and she has gone on with her life, throwing her energies into helping the...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Carrie Olguin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Spoilers! What follows are my observations of poor characterization. Great for writers who prefer not to make the same mistake.

Beautiful Lara is the penniless widow of an earl. Lara is a goodie-two-shoes, filling her life with good deads for the poor, the ill, and the elderly. Since her marriage wasn't a happy one, she's content with the indpendence widowhood brings and doesn't mind living in squalor - even though she was brought up and then married into wealth. (She's too good to believe) She s...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: no-politer-word-for-porn, whiny-women-brainless-bimbos

Finally. Lisa Kleypas has finally decided to write a book about a bimbo.
Well, not exactly a bimbo. Just a horribly whiny female lead. Now I've read a tonne of Kleypas's books, and all her heroines are strong-willed, smart, and endearing, and they always snare the hottest guys. I was wondering when an annoying lady would take the spotlight.
Being familiar with Kleypas's works and writings, I am going to assume that Kleypas deliberately wanted to write about someone so bloody annoying, since I've c...more Finally. Lisa Kleypas has finally decided to write a book about a bimbo.
Well, not exactly a bimbo. Just a horribly whiny female lead. Now I've read a tonne of Kleypas's books, and all her heroines are strong-willed, smart, and endearing, and they always snare the hottest guys. I was wondering when an annoying lady would take the spotlight.
Being familiar with Kleypas's works and writings, I am going to assume that Kleypas deliberately wanted to write about someone so bloody annoying, since I've come to know that there's nothing that she can't do successfully with words. Oh, feel free to disagree with me on your opinions of Lara. (Funny, the first person I thought she'd be was Lara Croft, but I find that she's NOTHING like her.) For the writer's sake I am going to assume that this Lara was meant to be ~~suspicious~~ cautious, ~~unreasonably demanding~~ a perfectionist, ~~naggy~~ thoughtful of others and ~~verbally unresponsive~~ reserved.
Well, firstly, I have to mention that I didn't really like the premise of the story. No spoilers here. I found it unrealistic, despite being set in the medieval times where technology/mankind was probably unadvanced. (view spoiler)
No matter. Lisa writes so well, she could make a donkey the suave, dashing male lead of a story anytime. And the imposter Hunter is so the suave, dashing male lead that every female reader dreams of that I'm willing to overlook the unrealistic plot of a story. Heck, considering imposter Hunter's past circumstances, I'm glad for him to have, at the very least, the four months of happiness that he very much deserves.
The male lead's perfections in character (I am not exaggerating) only highlights the female lead's lack thereof. Therein lies my biggest fustration for this book. Lara is supposedly kind to every one and every thing that lives, yet she takes her husband for granted(view spoiler). (view spoiler) And the Lara happens to stink at communicating. Especially to Hubby dearest. Yeah, she may be scared to be alone with Hunter, but come on, there are more things one can do with one's husband other than go to bed, such as talking right?! Especially when Hunter's been trying so hard to understand Lara. All she does is push him away. Except when it comes to asking for favours such as rendering help to someone in need, though how Lara could overlook the most deserving Hunter in the first place, I have no idea. Hence, there were a tonne of situations and arguments (on Lara's behalf) that could have been avoided in the book. Well, at least the story was lengthened.
There were a few mysteries that were left unexplained (view spoiler) much to my disappointment. Kleypas's other works such as the Wallflower series and the Hathaway series are more highly recommended. To me, this book was short of chick-lit/fan-fiction.(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Huma Rashid rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19th-century, england, fiction, romance

This book was an absolute waste of time, except for the hero, Hunter. Hunter was a great character with an interesting backstory. The same could not be said for the rest of the characters, especially the heroine.

Lara is cold and unreasonable, and it gets incredibly annoying. At first I was prepared to be really sympathetic: Kleypas bangs us over the head with the fact that every time this woman slept with her husband, it was painful, and she was very aware of how he was in love with another woma...more This book was an absolute waste of time, except for the hero, Hunter. Hunter was a great character with an interesting backstory. The same could not be said for the rest of the characters, especially the heroine.

Lara is cold and unreasonable, and it gets incredibly annoying. At first I was prepared to be really sympathetic: Kleypas bangs us over the head with the fact that every time this woman slept with her husband, it was painful, and she was very aware of how he was in love with another woman. But after a while of her coldness and irrational behavior, I couldn't use her past marriage as mitigation anymore.

And in a weird twist, even her charity work got super annoying after a while. When she flipped out because Hunter pointed out that she couldn't adopt every homeless orphan in England, I just shook my head. When she dared to call Hunter selfish and uncaring just because he was being - gasp! - practical, I just couldn't stand it. Also, her little relationship with her adopted son was just ... dumb. She sees the kid crying at the orphanage, offers to take him home and give him a bath, and is then madly in love with him and will totally fight her husband or anyone else that tries to take him away from her - in, like, the matter of a day. Bitch, please.

Everything about her is cold and unreasonable and hypocritical. She makes a bargain to sleep with her husband the night of the benefit if he offers to throw it and pay for it and host it, and then tells her sister she has no plans to follow through with it and keep her word, and then tosses her husband's ex-mistress at him in front of everyone and then DARES to get upset when Hunter goes to talk to her (Lady Carlyle). Then when she brings a lawsuit against him for fraud and conspires with her horrible uncle-in-law, all because she's angry at Hunter, and even though she knows that what she did means he'll be hung, and then dares to tell him she won't lie for him. (There's more twists and turns after that, but I won't ruin it for anyone who thinks he/she might actually still like this book.)

As for the other characters in this book, there's not a charming one in the lot of them. The scenes with Johnny are ham-fisted and annoying - we're apparently supposed to fall in love with him as quickly as Lara did. Yeah, no. And Mousie, his little pet? First of all, original name! :| Second, that mouse disappears like 2 pages after we meet him and doesn't meet the standard of 'comic relief animal' in romance novels. (Unlike, say, Dodger from the Hathaway series, or even Newton from the Bridgerton series.) All in all, the kid seems like a try-hard way to get the readers to like the heroine and it just doesn't work. Her sister is a similarly weak character, and in real life, I would never blame a woman for going back to her abusive husband, but in fiction, I have a little more leeway with my feelings. And Rachel wasn't written to be redeeming at all. She was written to be a pathetic, weak, grating character, and that's what she was. Also, HUGE error in terms of historical context: Hunter would never have been able to take Rachel from his brother-in-law's house and keep her at his, especially if Londsdale wanted her back. And Lara was unimaginable in her bullshit, demanding that Rachel stay with them forever and then seeming surprised when things didn't work out that way. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT. The historical inaccuracy, which I can usually forgive, was just so glaring that I couldn't stand it. That would never, ever have happened and just reading about it was ridiculous. All of the other characters were similarly flat, even the mother in law, who I'm sure we were supposed to like. The only relatively interesting ones were Arthur and Janet, the villains, but even they weren't that great as far as villains go.

All in all, this book was ridiculous, and a total bust. Lara is the perfect example of those people that are all sweet and saintly, and goodness and light in public, and then treat their own family members (I'm talking more about Hunter than Rachel, although she's not that great to Rachel, either, always yelling at her about her terrible husband instead of listening and trying to understand why Rachel does what she does) like crap, and all the other characters are flat and completely without charm. Except Hunter, who's pretty interesting.

If this was the first Lisa Kleypas book I read, I would never have picked up another. Thankfully, a good friend steered me straight to "Devil in Winter" for my LK introduction, and that book is amazing. (less)

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Feb 08, 2012 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, historical-romance

Stranger is my Arms is a story of a women whose husband who she assumed was dead has returned. Their marriage was not a happy one and she has found a place for herself with the elderly and orphans, needless to say now that she learns her husband is alive was not cheery news. Everyone questions whether her husband is who he says he is including his wife.

This was a really interesting premise but in the end it really did not work for me. Lara the wife baffled me, here we have this independent smart...more Stranger is my Arms is a story of a women whose husband who she assumed was dead has returned. Their marriage was not a happy one and she has found a place for herself with the elderly and orphans, needless to say now that she learns her husband is alive was not cheery news. Everyone questions whether her husband is who he says he is including his wife.

This was a really interesting premise but in the end it really did not work for me. Lara the wife baffled me, here we have this independent smart woman but then she allows her uncle-in-law (what happened to her family?? I thought widows went home to their own family) anyway the uncle-in-law treats her like crap and she lives in substandard housing but hey it is ok because she is independent. She is a pest because she is always begging on behalf of the orphans, even with her husband, Hunter, she will only kiss him if he does something for her. Talk about manipulation I felt bad for the guy. The author really did try to make me feel for her with stories of her kindness but seriously if you are not taking care of your family first then everything else is a sham. She decides to adopt a child without even a conversation with her husband. Bottom line is that I just never connected with Lara. Moving onto the husband Hunter, he was ok, I mean from the start you think something is fishy about him but I thought he was quite considerate and very kind. He tried to be there for his wife without pressing her including accepting the orphaned kid. Things just got a little out of control where I think he does a little to much for Lara.

On the plot front there are some inconstancies that I just did not understand (view spoiler)

The book is not awful the writing is actually quite good, but the plot just did not work for me.
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Jan 28, 2012 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: finish

Sinopsis:

Cuando le dijeron a Lara que su esposo había muerto, su vida se convirtió en un caos. Hunter, conde de Hawksworth, había naufragado en alta mar. O al menos, eso le había dicho. Su desdichado matrimonio, carente de ternura y pasión, había terminado. Pero ahora Lara tenía frente a sí a un hombre recio y apuesto, que exponía secretos que sólo un esposo podía conocer y juraba que ella volvería a ser su esposa. Si bien la joven no podía negar que ese hombre, con sus fogosos ojos oscuros, se...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Larissa's, Lady Hawksworth, husband, Hunter, died a year earlier in a shipwreck, and she is not sad about it. Considering he was living a life of debauchery in India for a few years before his death and still in touch with his mistress in England, she was finding life as a widow much happier than life as a wife. Then comes the news that he might still be alive. Her husband - or is he - comes back a changed man. He's kind, friendly, and the sort of man she can love. He loves her. She loves him. B...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Kristy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, all-nighter, historical-love, hott-spots, my-favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this one! This is my first romance novel to make my favorites category. This book had a lot of mystery and it kept me guessing right up until the end. Larissa married a man who didn't love her, and was not very nice to her. He left for India, and never came back, dying in a ship wreck. Until a year later Hunter shows back up, looking slightly different, but still very much like her husband. He knows things only her husband could know, but there is one major difference in him. He appears...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Nimue rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, romance, historical

I found this book in my own library. I thought I read everything ever published by Lisa Kleypas but obviously I missed at least one book. I should really check if there are more unknown publications of her out there. Lisa Kleypas is one of my favorite authors. Normally I just inhale her books. Therefore I was quite happy to discover this novel.
The story is about the young Lara, which discovered her independence as a widow. As her marriage was not a happy one she is quite distressed when her husb...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Alexis Villery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know, I know... I'm reviewing Lisa Kleypas once again. I can't help it. It's spring break and I know if I want something romantic, light-hearted, and good, she's pretty consistent and this one is no different. The idea that one is/isn't sure if a person is the person they claim to be is ludicrous but it works here. Lara had a hard time of it with her husband before he left for India and since the three years that he was thought to be dead, she had become very free and independent (especially f...more

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Nov 03, 2010 BarkLessWagMore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

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 has 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...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Flourish rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-novels

Kleypas is super interested in dealing with issues of abuse, but this is not her best attempt at sorting them out.

This book does an excellent job of dealing with issues of physical abuse (particularly debunking the myth of If You Just Love Him Enough, He'll Change). But it never addresses the issue of marital rape, even though that issue hangs over the entire storyline. The heroine's reactions to the hero all seem clearly motivated by the fact that she was raped early in her marriage - or at lea...more

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Jul 14, 2010 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lisa Kleypas Fans; Historical Romance fans

Shelves: author-goddess-lisa-kleypas, historical-romance

3.5 Stars

After three years of being without her husband, and one year in widowhood, Lara, the former Lady Hawksworth is shocked, but not pleasantly, when rumours reach her that her boorish late husband has made a miraculous return from the dead. When Hunter, Lords Hawksworth returns however, he is much changed from what she remembers, no longer does he seem to be the selfish, indifferent husband, but now he seeks to woo and seduce her and to take pleasure in her company. But is he really Hunter...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Meagan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This is one of those books that is proving hard for me to rate. While I was reading it I was completely engrossed, and I enjoyed every minute of the book. Normally that kind of reading experience would be an automatic four stars, but I find myself strangely resistant to giving this book four stars and it's hard to explain why. I think it comes down to the book's conclusion and the feeling it left me with when I turned the final page.

I don't want to give away too much, but Stranger in My Arms fai...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 STARS "Lady Hawksworth, your husband is not dead..."

With those words, Lara's life turned upside down. Hunter, Earl of Hawksworth, had been lost at sea. Or so she'd been told. Their unhappy marriage -- with its cold caresses and passionless kisses - was over. But now a powerful, virile man stood before her, telling secrets only a husband could know, and vowing she would once again be his wife in every way. While Lara couldn't deny that this man with the smoldering dark eyes resembled Hunter, he...more

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About Lisa Kleypas

LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.

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Books by Lisa Kleypas

Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)

It Happened One Autumn (Wallflowers, #2)

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Quotes from Stranger in My Arms

“He turned back to Lara, his alert gaze raking over her tearful face. Somehow the solid reality of his presence eased her panic. He folded her in his arms, anchoring her against his chest, murmuring quietly into her hair.
Sniffling, Lara reached inside his waistcoat until her palm rested over the steady beat of his heart. The sensation of his warm breath sinking down to her scalp me her quiver. It was so terribly intimate, crying in his arms... even more personal than making love. But he had never felt so much like a husband to her as he did in this moment. Quieting, she inhaled his familiar scent and let out a shaky sigh.” — 6 people liked it

“Coming to stand by her husband's side, Lara touched his arm tentatively."My lord," she said gratefully. "Thank you for protecting my sister. Thank you."

He shot her a gaze of hot black intensity. "Thank me in bed," he said, barely audible.

Lara stared at him, startled. "Now?" she whispered, feeling her cheeks prickle with heat. Hunter didn't reply, only continued to stare at her in that alarming way.” — 5 people liked it

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