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When Strangers Marry (Vallerands #1)

by Lisa Kleypas (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 3,387 ratings · 147 reviews

Dear Reader,

Nearly a decade ago, I published my fist novel with Avon Books, Only in Your Arms. Since then, romance has changed-and so have I—so I decided to give the book a makeover—and a new title, When Strangers Marry. I have two reasons for changing the title. First, it is in keeping with the new spirit of the book; second, no one—including my own mother—found the origi...more

Paperback, 390 pages

Published August 2002 by Avon (first published January 1st 1992)

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Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

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Nov 24, 2008 Beth F. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, historical-romance

The thing that stands out most about this book is that the hero and heroine actually liked each other throughout the vast majority of the book. Amazing, isn’t it?!?

Her: Lysette Kersaint, lifelong Natchez resident, is 20 and has a nasty stepfather who has squandered all his money and wants to marry her off to an older, wealthy man who disgusts Lysette.

Him: Max is 35, a widower from New Orleans who is suspected of murdering his first wife, who coincidentally had been having an affair with Lysett...more The thing that stands out most about this book is that the hero and heroine actually liked each other throughout the vast majority of the book. Amazing, isn’t it?!?

Her: Lysette Kersaint, lifelong Natchez resident, is 20 and has a nasty stepfather who has squandered all his money and wants to marry her off to an older, wealthy man who disgusts Lysette.

Him: Max is 35, a widower from New Orleans who is suspected of murdering his first wife, who coincidentally had been having an affair with Lysette’s fiance at the time of her murder. What a co-inky-dink!

Right before she was to be handed off to her hated fiance, Lysette ran away from her family but was caught stealing a boat by Max’s teenage twin sons. They decide to bring her home to their father. Can you see where this is going? When Max learns that Lysette is engaged to the man he hates, he decides to get even by “ruining” Lysette.

However, before he is able to get down to the business of seducing her, Lysette gets sick. Very sick. She is unconscious for three weeks. Everybody thinks she’s going to die. But Max decides that isn’t going to happen on his watch and he spends most of his time nursing her back to health. When Lysette regains consciousness, she realizes that she is naked in a bed and in a room alone with a man she barely knows who is washing her back. Uh-oh.

Once she is healthy again, the unwanted fiance business pops up again. Lysette’s family arrive en force at Max’s home and demand she leave with them at once before it is too late and the fiance changes his mind about marrying her. However, Max realizes he’s become quite attached to Lysette after nursing her back to health. He tells her family to screw off and then proposes to her himself. She agrees on one condition: no hanky panky until they know each other a little bit better.

That condition built in a fair amount of sexual tension at first. Except then Lysette gave in a little too quickly and the sex turned cute, rather than hot. And even though they didn’t start saying “I love you” until the very end, the relationship itself was actually very strong throughout the entire rest of the book. They were supportive of each other. Attracted to each other. Loving to each other. And they actually liked talking to each other and being together.

So what gives? If the hero/heroine are already happily in love halfway through the book, what’s going on? Essentially, it turns into a whodunit to figure out who murdered Max’s first wife, especially after a second body turns up.

Not a bad book overall and it proved an adequate study break from the professional license I spent most of the weekend studying for, but it doesn’t have that “stays with you” feel about it either. I'll probably have forgotten whodunit by next week. So three stars it is. (less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Bekah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads

In an attempt to escape marriage to a man she despises, Lysette Kersaint flees right into the arms of Maximilen Vallerand, a man who is rumoured to have strangled his first wife. A man who strikes fear into everyone's hearts. Soon Lysette finds herself the pawn in a game of revenge.

First, let me just say that so far out of the five books from the beginning of LK's career, this is my least favorite. It was an average read for me with spots of unnecessary filler. I hate filler. I didn't find anyth...more In an attempt to escape marriage to a man she despises, Lysette Kersaint flees right into the arms of Maximilen Vallerand, a man who is rumoured to have strangled his first wife. A man who strikes fear into everyone's hearts. Soon Lysette finds herself the pawn in a game of revenge.

First, let me just say that so far out of the five books from the beginning of LK's career, this is my least favorite. It was an average read for me with spots of unnecessary filler. I hate filler. I didn't find anything that sparkled or that was remarkable about this book, but there were a few things that I didn't like that stood out.

Our hero, Max is thirty-five to our heroine's 18. I don't have a problem with that at all. I usually find age differences a great read. My one problem with it in this book was that Max had 15 year old twin boys. Their step mother would be three years older than them. Ok, fine...but then when Lysette is sorta cast in the mothering role, I have a problem with that. She's only three years older than them. I'm eight years older than my little brother and I rarely mother him. Rarely. So that was a huge stretch. I thought Max was going to be a little bit more exciting a hero for me than he was. I loved the whole dark, dangerous, angsty vibe he had going on, but it never flushed out for me. He wasn't boring by any means, but I didn't feel he lived up to his whole potential. What I did love about him was the way he fell in love with Lysette and totally doted on her and spoiled her rotten. Anything she wanted was hers. That is how it should be in the world. Kudos to him for that. On the Kleypas hero scale though overall he gets a 3.75/10

The romance was also lacking in this one. I think this might in part have to do with the way the age difference was handled. Though in this book, I did see it expressed more on the heroines part. She was sort of his saving grace. She calmed him, centered him, and was his biggest cheerleader. That's how it should be as well. The moments where she gave him her undying devotion, love, loyalty and trust were special and like water to a dehydrated man. Those were romantic. However, I just did not feel as though there was a lot of chemistry between them. It took awhile for them to become full partners. I will give it a 3.5/10 on the romance/sigh factor scale.

The steam was probably the best part of this book. It wasn't the best I've read by LK by any means, but in terms of the best thing this book had going for it, the steam was slightly above average. I was sufficiently happy with it and feel good about giving it a 4/10 on the steam scale.

I'm curious to see what the Vallerand book #2 will be about. I was sort of intrigued by Max's son Justin. I think there is some potential for a good hero there.(less)

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Apr 07, 2008 Colleen (NerdyWoman) Kayter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, lisa-kleypas

I really enjoyed this book. Set in New Orleans shortly after Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, it is unusual in that the torrid love affair (and the majority of the book) occurs after h/h are married (yeah, to each other).

The backcover description is actually a letter from Kleypas to readers indicating that it's a rewrite of her first novel, Only in Your Arms. I never read the original story but this one is well-paced with good plot twists and colorful characters.

An...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Autumn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, part-of-series, i-own, favorite-authors

3.5 stars

I have to admit i had many reservations about reading this book, even though am LK auto buyer.!

I was gladly surprised however, when i read this book.

As i often say, i love romance about married couples.How they make it work is always an appeal for me.

The book worked its charms in various aspects besides the romance.

For starters, the setting: "America" 1804. The setting is quite important in this book,since it takes part of the plot. I just love how Lisa manages to take us thru a time t...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Mahareni Maldini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-from-read-me, historical-romance, lisa-kleypas

Terjemahannya bagus.

4,5 kali ya. Habis, makin k belakang makin tegang, apalagi pas Max diseret k perkebunan Sagesse oleh saudara-saudara Etienne Sagesse, sedang Lysette+Justin cepet-cepet menyusul untuk menyelamatkannya.

Bener-bener sukaaaaaaaa sama Justin. Penasaran sama buku keduanya nih.

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Mar 11, 2011 Dinjolina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh this book...it was so nice!
This week I read an other romance i gave 5 stars...I guess that now i will not find any other good books in a long time since fate gave me these. :)

The heroine is grand and I will love her 'till the day I die!
But most of the background characters were to my liking also because they were very well written and just kind of jumped of the pages.
That's a rare on,isn't it?
Phillipe and Irene were a bit bah for me,but that was just because I find these kind of up tight peop...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Gloria75 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Adoro questa autrice, ma questo libro non mi ha del tutto convinta. Forse l'ambientazione americana, forse questi due che si amano dal primo secondo, mi è sembrato però che in alcuni punti ci fossero delle lacune, come se mancassero dei particolari o dei passaggi.

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Apr 12, 2013 Miraphora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-storico

Uffa! Uffa, uffa e ancora uffa. Ultimamente le letture che sto facendo della Kleypas sono sciape, niente di paragonabile alle prime uscite. Cosa sta succedendo? Lisa perché mi fai questo? Se prima prendevo in mano uno dei suoi libri ed ero certa di gradire, ora non ne sono più così sicura. La noia, la noia del già letto e di personaggi poco incisivi, di trame prevedibili e di scene che si svolgono da manuale. Il manuale kleypasiano: tutto si svolge come tanti altri suoi romanzi, con la differenz...more Uffa! Uffa, uffa e ancora uffa. Ultimamente le letture che sto facendo della Kleypas sono sciape, niente di paragonabile alle prime uscite. Cosa sta succedendo? Lisa perché mi fai questo? Se prima prendevo in mano uno dei suoi libri ed ero certa di gradire, ora non ne sono più così sicura. La noia, la noia del già letto e di personaggi poco incisivi, di trame prevedibili e di scene che si svolgono da manuale. Il manuale kleypasiano: tutto si svolge come tanti altri suoi romanzi, con la differenza che qui l'amore e la passione tra i due protagonisti sono annacquati, diluiti e svuotati dall'ingombranza dell'ambientazione. New Orleans mi piace, ma è un luogo difficile da rendere in poco spazio, richiede più attenzione perché si impone come un elemento con il suo carattere. Qui la società creola, la vegetazione, il clima, tutto quello che non è strettamente legato alla storia occupa uno spazio eccessivo e ruba attenzione. Ruba soprattutto spazio allo sviluppo della storia d'amore, con il risultato che i due si innamorano ma senza emozionare, si amano ma senza emozionare e arrivano al lieto fine senza emozionare. Max non ha il carisma di un Derek, e la cosa non mi stupisce, e Lysette è così prevedibile che ad un certo punto perde ogni interesse. E poi, lo devo dire per quanto sia stupido, le frasi in francese mi hanno dato fastidio: l'immagine di un eroe in puro stile Kleypas che dice oui, merci e altre cose del genere lo hanno privato brutalmente di ogni sex appeal. Il francese è una lingua poco virile, secondo me. Non insultatemi a riguardo, ha un suono magico e ricco, ma per niente virile. Fastidiosi, poi, i due fratelli - tra cui un prevedibilissimo cattivo - divertenti i gemelli, soprattutto Justine e inutili - secondo me - tutte le parti di Max e del suo compare politico. A dire il vero tutta la parte politica è inutile ai fini della storia e poteva benissimo eliminarli. Insomma, so che questo fa parte di un duo (i duetti della Kleypas sono tutti poco entusiasmanti) quindi l'aspetto positivo è che, se anche il secondo è come questo, la tortura finisce il fretta.(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Oky Septya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Paragraf ini akan di mulai dengan kritik dulu.. kalo mau lihat opini yg bagus-bagusnya langsung loncat ke paragraf kedua:

Ide ceritanya bagus.. sayang banyak adegan2 ga penting disini yg dimasukkan. Kayak pandangan politik Max dan Gubernurnya yg disisipin di banyak adegan tersendiri. Tapi ternyata malah ga kepake~ maksud saya tujuan masukin adegan politik itu ga jelas karena pads akhirnya juga ga ga ada hubungannya dengan ending. Well, okelah ada tapi cuma disinggung dikiiiit bgt, jadinya ya mend...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Fiary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

‘kebencian adalah emosi yang melelahkan, membuat hati kita hanya menyisihkan sedikit tempat untuk yang lain’ – Max Vallerand

Lysette Kersaint, gadis cantik penuh semangat, mungil keturunan Creole, berusia 18 tahun, dipaksa oleh ayah tirinya yang temperamental untuk menikah dengan Etienne Sagesse. Di usianya yang belia, tak ada yang membela Lysette akan kekejaman ayah tirinya, tidak ibunya yang selalu menutup mata dan menutup diri terhadap kekacauan yang diakibatkan suaminya, tidak tante Delphine...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Eternal-Love78 Michelle Rossi's Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

AN INTRIGUING, UNEXPECTED, EROTIC TALE!

I was blown away by this novel. The intimacy between Max & Lisette was mind-blowing. Even though these two very different, strong willed individuals encountered each other completely by accident, and married as absolute strangers, the revelation discovered is that they were ultimately made for one another, in every single aspect. Not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.

This novel was an invigorating, intoxicated passionate tale, that i...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kleypas, in my opinion, is one of the best romance writers I've come across. I consider her novels right up there with Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Johanna Lindsey, and so forth.

This book appears to deviate from her usual setting of 1800 England, and her vast array of lords, ladies, gamblers, etc. However, I found this book as entertaining and consuming as I did her other novels.

In this book we have a young French Creole, Lysette, who flees an abusive stepfather to avoid marriage to a man she find...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Tasmia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ebooks, genre-romance-2012, note-to-self, rom-2012-04

This really was a good read. The romance follows a pretty standard high-handed-hero-meets-spirited-heroine course, but is well-written and has just enough softness and spice dashed in to make it particularly satisfying. The mystery and political plot aspects were unexpectedly gripping, which I have to guess must be due to Kleypas' skill in so deftly weaving the various strands. I can imagine that the historical detail behind the politics might have bored some people, but to me it added to the de...more This really was a good read. The romance follows a pretty standard high-handed-hero-meets-spirited-heroine course, but is well-written and has just enough softness and spice dashed in to make it particularly satisfying. The mystery and political plot aspects were unexpectedly gripping, which I have to guess must be due to Kleypas' skill in so deftly weaving the various strands. I can imagine that the historical detail behind the politics might have bored some people, but to me it added to the depth and heft of this novel. Despite that, I don't know that the novel really succeeds as a serious/dark read; sometimes I felt like it was just trying to punch above its weight. Then again, that might have more to do with my desire for a lighter read than anything about the novel.

The ultimate resolution wasn't much of a surprise, but it might've been interesting to know more about the villain. Wouldn't fit in the scope of the book, but for the sake of the story it would've been so much better if he wasn't so flat. Would also have liked to know the heroine better; she gets a strong introduction, but then it becomes all about the hero, and though he's complicated and appealing enough to keep it interesting, I was left feeling like I didn't have quite enough reason to believe the heroine could be as capable, empathetic and self-confident as she is given her youth. The only thing we really know about her formative years is that she developed the kind of character that enabled her to run away from her abusive stepfather, but it seemed like Kleypas wanted that one event to stand in as shorthand for actual character development. There was at least one loose end with the secondary villain too - we're told he and the hero used to be good friends, but very little is made of that and I feel like it'd have been a good mine for further drama, if this were a sprawling family saga rather than a contained romance novel. I guess what I mean is that it rather seemed to have the potential for being such a saga, what with the many hints about the rich backstory, and with Kleypas' evocation of a specific cultural context. As far as her use of the Creole milieu goes, I enjoyed what she created but it was rendered superficially enough that I think it's ultimately little more than window-dressing. I mean you can buy into it as much as you're inclined, but once you start considering the frequency with which the characters and the narrative want to remind you that you're supposed to be immersed in Creole culture, you have to realize actual authenticity isn't the goal; the goal is just a manufactured sense of atmosphere which, yes, does contribute to your enjoyment as long as you're not thinking critically about it.

Loved the hero's sons and their interaction with their father and stepmother, though I had to wrestle with myself a bit to establish that the heroine is meant to be a few years older than them rather than the same age. Reading the blurb for the sequel I'm hesitant to believe Kleypas gave them the happy endings I'd want for them, so I'm probably going to pretend the sequel doesn't exist.

Ultimately I'd say this succeeds as a romance novel, but it seems to want to be more and unfortunately just isn't.

NTS: Heroine Lynette is basically Leonie de St Vire, but more aware of her femininity. Or am I just feeling that because Lynette's slightly French? Hero is far too much of an inner softie, and nowhere near worn down (by life) enough, to be a Justin Alistair, but it seems he succeeds at projecting a similar persona to the community at large.(less)

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Jul 12, 2011 Mikaela rated it 4 of 5 stars

The particulars: Historical Romance, Avon, available as e-book

The review:

The blurb:

Lysette buried her face against Max's throat. "But he's going to take me away. Don't let him, don't -- " "You're not going anywhere," Max interrupted. "Calm yourself, Lysette. It's not good for you to become excited." His possessiveness made her strangely giddy. As far as he was concerned, she was his, and no one was going to take her away from him. Max stared at Etienne. His voice was soft, but it contained a not...more

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Mar 23, 2010 Andrea Guy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Any lover of historical fiction can't go wrong with a book by Lisa Kleypas and this book is no exception. It has all the things in it that make for a good romantic read; hot steamy sex, a little bit of suspense, and characters you can't help but fall in love with.

Kleypas creates a whole cast of characters that you will welcome into your life because of their strength and their flaws and each character in this book has something in their past that makes them "interesting."

Lysette Kersaint stumble...more

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Dec 08, 2009 Srisurang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

เรื่องนี้อ่านเล่มแปลค่ะ ได้หนังสือลดราคามา นี่เป็นนิยายเก่ามากแล้วของ ลิซ่า โทนเรื่องกับการดำเนินเรื่องแปลกไป ไม่ค่อยเหมือนนิยายใหม่ๆ ของเธอ แต่ก็สนุกดีค่ะ ลีเซ็ตต์ถูกพ่อเลี้ยงบังคับให้แต่งงาน เธอเลยหนี ระหว่างทางพบกับฟิลิป และจัสแตง เด็กหนุ่มสองคนเลยพาเธอมาหาคุณพ่อ แมกซ์เป็นพ่อม่าย อายุ 35 ปีแล้ว ลีเซ็ตต์ 20 ห่างกันตั้ง 15 ปี ปกติก็คงไม่ค่อยรู้สึกอะไรเท่าไหร่ ถ้าอายุเธอจะไม่ใกล้เคียงกับลูกชายสองคนของเขามาก ฟิลิป และจัสแตง อายุ 15 แล้วตัวสูงกว่าลีเซ็ตต์ซะอีกแน่ะ
จัสแตงแววพระเอกออกมากเลย ขโมยซีนคุ...more เรื่องนี้อ่านเล่มแปลค่ะ ได้หนังสือลดราคามา นี่เป็นนิยายเก่ามากแล้วของ ลิซ่า โทนเรื่องกับการดำเนินเรื่องแปลกไป ไม่ค่อยเหมือนนิยายใหม่ๆ ของเธอ แต่ก็สนุกดีค่ะ ลีเซ็ตต์ถูกพ่อเลี้ยงบังคับให้แต่งงาน เธอเลยหนี ระหว่างทางพบกับฟิลิป และจัสแตง เด็กหนุ่มสองคนเลยพาเธอมาหาคุณพ่อ แมกซ์เป็นพ่อม่าย อายุ 35 ปีแล้ว ลีเซ็ตต์ 20 ห่างกันตั้ง 15 ปี ปกติก็คงไม่ค่อยรู้สึกอะไรเท่าไหร่ ถ้าอายุเธอจะไม่ใกล้เคียงกับลูกชายสองคนของเขามาก ฟิลิป และจัสแตง อายุ 15 แล้วตัวสูงกว่าลีเซ็ตต์ซะอีกแน่ะ
จัสแตงแววพระเอกออกมากเลย ขโมยซีนคุณพ่อตั้งหลายครั้ง
ชอบนางเอกเรื่องนี้ เธอเชื่อมันในตัวพระเอก และทำตัวเป็นผู้ใหญ่ น่ารักกับแมกซ์ ความสัมพันธ์จึงราบรื่น ไม่พ่อแง่แม่งอน แต่เป็นช่วยกันรับมือกับปัญหาที่มีอยู่แล้วมากกว่า เพราะแมกซ์ถูกเข้าใจผิดมานาน
อ่านไปๆ ก็ยิ่งชอบขึ้นเรื่อยๆ พระเอกน่ารักอบอุ่น เกือบให้ห้าดาวแล้ว แต่ติดใจตอนจบนิดนึง
โดยรวมแล้วก็สนุกดีค่ะ

ขอสปอยล์หน่อยนะคะ - ตอนจบ น่าจะให้ตัวร้ายถูกจับ มากกว่าปล่อยให้หนีไป แม้ว่าจะเป็นน้องชายของพระเอกก็ตาม รู้สึกว่าแมกซ์ใจอ่อนไปหน่อย ก็เขาร้ายขนาดนั้น ที่จริงแมกซ์น่าจะสงสัยน้องคนนี้บ้าง เพราะบุคลิกที่ซ่อนอารมณ์รุนแรงเอาไว้ คนอ่านยังเดาได้เลย ว่าคนนี้แหละคนร้าย ตอนที่ลีเซ็ตต์มาบอกว่าแปลกๆ เขาน่าจะสะกิดใจและจับตามองน้องชายคนนี้
ถ้าตอนจบปรับนิดนึง ให้เป็นแมกซ์สามารถจับไต๋น้องชายได้ และจับตัวเขาส่งให้ทางการ ด้วยความช่วยเหลือของลูก (ไม่ใช่ให้ลูกต้องมาช่วยพ่อ) เราคงให้คะแนนเต็มเลย (คิดแต่งเรื่องเองอีกแล้ว 555)
แต่นี่ จัสแตงเป็นฮีโร่ไปเลย ส่วนคุณพ่อไม่ค่อยได้ทำอะไร เลยหักคะแนนตอนจบค่ะ (less)

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May 25, 2012 Titis Wardhana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Max yang sudah dikhianati oleh Corrine akhirnya jatuh cinta lagi pada Lysette, yang jauh lebih muda (tetep ye :p). Dulu nih si Max cinta banget sama Corrine sampai Corrine selingkuh sama Sagasse, temen-deket-jadi-musuh (gara2 cewe :D). Trus sampai Corrine terbunuh, dan sampai sekarang gak ketauan siapa pembunuhnya, meskipun Max yang diam2 dituduh sama seisi kota. awal2 sih kayaknya si Sagasse ini yg ngebunuh, tp ternyata bukan, pokoknya gak diduga deh. Lumayan lah cerita misterinya.

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Feb 21, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kleypas fans, romance fans.

Recommended to Julie by: Cyber Book Club, Lady Jayne, Lisarenee

Shelves: 2010, romance, from-library

So... continuing on the Lisa Kleypas train, this is the first of hers I've read outside of the Wallflowers series. It also happens to be her first book - revamped and rereleased ten years from its original publication.

After reading her blurb on the back about how she rewrote parts of the book and added a lot of characterization, and her comments about how romance had changed in those ten years, these are my conclusions:

1. I would guess, from her comments and the book itself, that romance in 1992...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, lisa-kleypas

4 bintang.
Suka dgn Max. Karaketer hero tampan, kaya, dingin dan diselimuti oleh misteri. Lysette cewek yg beruntung. Diperebutkan oleh dua cowok tampan dan kaya. Max merebut Lysette dari Etienne awalnya hanya karena dendam lama (istri pertama Max, Corine berselingkuh dgn Etienne). Selain kisah percintaan Max dan Lysette, misteri pembunuhan Corine juga diungkap secara perlahan. Dapat ditebak kalau pembunuh Corine adalah saudara Max sendiri, Bernard. Bernard ini ternyata iri terhadap kesuksesan da...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Angela Noviana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sinopsis
Etienne Sagasse menjijikan baginya walaupun tampan, tapi perilaku pria itu membuatnya merinding. Lysette berencana melarikan diri karena dirinya tidak mau dinikahkan dengan pria itu. Dia memang berhasil melarikan diri, namun tertangkap oleh dua bocah laki-laki yang langsung membawanya menghadap ayah mereka.

Keluar dari lubang buaya, masuk ke mulut harimau. Mungkin itu lah yang dirasakan oleh Lysette karena pria yang ada di hadapannya ini keras, dingin, tidak punya hati, dan senang menghin...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Manuela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: storico

E' palese che sia un'opera giovanile della Kleypas. Si scorgono, certo, frammenti dello stile passionale e coinvolgente che la renderà famosa negli anni, ma come romanzo in sè non è nulla di che.
L'ambientazione americana, insolita per lei, è una piacevole sorpresa, mentre non lo sono le trame politiche, che rallentano inutilmente una trama già di per sè debole.
La sensazione è che nè la storia, nè i personaggi siano definiti a 360° gradi; sembra quasi mancare mordente e soprattutto quella passion...more

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May 11, 2013 Aspoon rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is another reason why Lisa Kleypas is my favorite author.
This book was awesome. I mean drama from beginning to end. Every turn there was something going on with this family. I love how Max and Lysette drew closer together slowly but surely. I love the interactions between all the characters. The twins were so freaking busy it was insane. I also love, love, love the history storyline in the book. I started doing historical research for that era as I was reading the book and it was also...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who loves historical romance, or just a good love story

Shelves: historical-romance

I loved this book. At the beginning I was dreading that moment that comes in so many romance books where there is the big misunderstanding or conflict that goes on for ages. Seriously dreading it - that is the one thing that I hate about romance novels. Thankfully, this book was different in that there was no huge lingering conflict between the h/h! It was a nice departure from so many romances (especially historical romances) that the h/h were generally on the same page and enjoyed each other t...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Carrie Olguin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Better than I expected. Part of a series. Sensual sex scenes.

Because the story began with the heroine being beaten by her stepfather, I wasn't certain I would read past the first chapter (which is supposed to set the tone for the entire book).

I set the story aside for several days and returned by reading chapter two, which engaged my interest. Chapter one shows why the heroine runs away from her stepfather, which she explains to the hero in chapter two. Start with chapter two and skip the domes...more

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Mar 12, 2010 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read

I'm a bit torn up at giving any of LK books a 3 star rating. Damn I wish GR would give us the ability to give half stars.

When Strangers Marry 3.5

The thing that is so great about Kleypas is her writing almost immediately has you attached to her characters.
From page one I loved our heroine. Max the hero is alpha male and I loved him.

Just a few things felt a bit off. The ending seemed very rushed. And for the life of me I don't know why Max's mistress was mentioned. I really don't think it added...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Jaime West rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Compared to the other books of Ms Kelypas that I have read so far, this one was what I would label a 'typical romance,' not that it should attach any negative connotations to it. Its just a romance, it has a damsel 'Lysette', and she runs away from her life and ends up at the Vallerands, specifically in the hands of Maximillien Vallerand, not on purpose though and they/he intend to help her, or use her for their own revenge. How, is another matter, because the family's past is entangled with her...more

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Nov 27, 2010 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, lisa-kleypas, marriage-of-convenience, books-i-own, baby-kids, much-older-hero, crazy-ass-psycho-villain, possessive-jealous-hero, single-parent, red-haired-heroine-or-hero, brooding-dark-quiet-heroes, reviewed-by-me, virgin-heroine, alpha-hero, arrogant-cocky-hero, southern-zest

First Kleypas book I read. I liked it although it wasn't her best work but still good read. The title and excerpt are what got me to read it. The characters were really interesting and I thought the set up and time setting was great. The tone was much darker but that was a plus for me. It made the book more realistic and raw. Max and Lysette are quite different from the typical hero and heroines. The huge age difference for one and how they meet each other for another but that is what makes the...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Sharon rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Kleypas' work, however I can't say When Strangers Marry was a book I would read again. Reading the story, I didn't feel like I connected with the characters like I usually do in Kleypas' other works. This is actually a rewrite of one of her earlier books and it doesn't seem to flow like her other series. There were actually times I found myself quickly scanning through parts I felt were drawn out and boring (mostly the political scenes). While I enjoyed MAx's character I found...more

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May 21, 2010 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved it---It was nice to finally read a romance where they fall in love early on and we get to see them together and happy

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Jan 08, 2011 Ning rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, translation, historical

กว่าจะหาเจอว่าเรื่องอะไร
เล่นเอาเพลียเชียว
ชื่อไทยว่า "วิวาห์อำพราง" ของฟองน้ำ
ไม่อยากโพสปก ชักไม่แน่ใจ เรื่องลิขสิทธิ์ ซะแล้ว

เรื่องสนุกประมาณนึง
แต่ดันไปสนุกที่ ฝาแฝดซะนี่
ไม่ใช่พระเอก - นางเอก
อ่านได้เรื่อย ๆ ค่ะ

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title link	preview: When Strangers Marry
avg rating	preview: When Strangers Marry Goodreads rating: 3.68 (3387 ratings)
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When Strangers Marry (Vallerands #1)

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