A Stranger Came

by Jane Donnelly

It was a bombshell when old Mr. Elsgood announced that a newcomer, Stephen Harmon, was coming from London to take over the firm of Elsgood and Elsey in the sleepy little Midland town of Cheslyn Slade. Nell Attlesey, Mr. Elsgood's secretary, was not at all sure that she was going to like the change - especially when she overheard Stephen Harmon saying, 'My secretary work for peanuts. Come to think of it, that's about what she's worth.'

Genres: Harlequin Romance

308 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1973

About the author

Jane Donnelly began earning her living as a writer as a teenage reporter. When she married the editor of the newspaper she freelanced for women's mags for a while. After she was widowed she and her 5 year old daughter moved to Lancashire. She turned to writing fiction to make a living while still caring for her daughter, she sold her first Mills & Boon romance novel as a hard-up singleparent in 1965. She wrote over 60 romance novels for Mills & Boon until 2000. Now she lives in a roses-round-the door cottage near Stratford-upon-Avon, with four dogs and assorted rescued animals. Besides writing she enjoys travelling, swimming, walking and the company of friends.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

The alleged hero lets everyone ride roughshod over the heroine. He treated her like a servant and did nothing to shield her from becoming a public subject of scorn and ridicule. I had second-hand embarrassment at how and eager she was for any crumbs of attention she could get, including serving coffee to him and his nasty ex. He had absolutely no emotion and was devoted solely to his career. On the very last page of the story, he finally stands up for the heroine and declares himself, but only after both their nasty exes have painted him in a corner, orchestrating a rather embarrassing public scene, and only after hearing first hand that the heroine would walk barefoot on sharp rocks to follow him to the ends of the world. If those two things hadn't happened, he would have presumably happily trotted back to the big city with nary a thought to his mousey Secretary. What a laugh! The heroine was pathetic and the hero completely unfeeling. I cannot believe I wasted my time on this overly long, torturous, non-romance.

[Coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little weird.. I tried to read popular romance but I never liked them but a 2 rate books I like very much. I love how their romance grows in small step. I like that we never know what H think about. I like the heroine.

Jane Donnelly becomes one of my fav romance authors. Sometimes, it's little hard to get to her book too many character little romantic scene. It all about thoughts no action but at the end of the book, you feels the characters are reals. A bit sad to say goodbye to them.. It's feels that you only saw a glimps of their life..

[Myrna · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Nell worked hard to entertain, and no one could have guessed from Stephen's manner that the girl with him was not the girl on his mind.
He'd never pretended he felt anything but friendship for her. But he would have done. Given time, the tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her yesterday would have grown.“

The H in this book commits the biggest crime in Hplandia. He DOESN’T fall in love with the heroine. The h is actually very nice. She's intelligent, lively, and warm-hearted. When she overhears her new boss from London dismissing her as worthless as a secretary, she dedicates herself to improving her skills, practicing shorthand diligently for three hours every day. She's tenacious and eager to learn.
The H notices her talent and shamelessly takes advantage of her willingness to work overtime. The h allows him to walk all over her, choosing to do so with her eyes wide open.

“I go barefoot over sharp rocks if I have to. I go anywhere, any time, anyhow. But if he asks me, and he will ask me, I go.“

She wears her heart on her sleeve and has to endure pitying glances from the townspeople when H’s glamorous ex makes an appearance.

“Can't you see he's making a fool of you? As soon as she moves down here he'll have no more time for you.'
'I don't think she can type, smiled Nell, to whom no more time would have been a death sentence. 'That's my trump card, I'm the only secretary he's got.'
Joan lost her temper. 'You must think I‘m a fool. If it was office work you'd be in the office, not gadding about or over at the flat.“

I don't believe for a moment that H truly loves her. She's convenient, efficient, and infatuated - she'll handle his practice, manage his household, and care for him. He'll feel comfortable and content, yet he'll find himself dreaming of his capricious ex.

“She'd bore anyone who wasn't looking at her. She has a shallow little mind.'
That seemed too harsh a judgment. She asked, 'Why did you want to marry her if she bored you?'
'Because I usually did look at her when she was talking to me, and as you observed, she matched the icon. I was marrying Celia because she would have been an ornament to any home. She was marrying me for good and sufficient reason, so it was irrational that it should come as a shock when I had it spelled out. I overheard her talking to another man. He'd asked whv me and she was telling him why. Celia was very concerned, very worried that she might be selling herself short, but I could still have been fool enough to marry her if she'd been prepared to marry me. I thought I was in love with her. I wasn't seeing too clearly and she could be as blinding as looking into the sun. All I had to do to keep her was stay around and carry on with the work I was doing.“

And he proposes to the h only after being forced by the rumour.

“As Celia pointed out, you may not be my woman, but it's now been forcibly impressed on me that I'm your man. I appear to have something in common with that mad dog of yours, anyone who's against you is my enemy.“

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

H shows no feelings for h until the very last page of the book and this is supposed to be a romance.

[Amara · Rating 4 out of 5]

H: "It's been forcibly impressed on me that I'm your man. I appear to have something in common with that mad dog of yours, anyone who's against you is my enemy."

h: "Listen to me. If Stephen leaves here I leave here. I am a super secretary. Believe me. Accept that. I go along with him, with my little notebook and my pencil."
"I'd go barefoot over sharp rocks if I have to. I go anywhere, anytime, anyhow. But if he asks me, and he will ask me, I go."


Be still my heart! Sigh.

[Feeling-bookish · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good story, but it felt like he was halfhearted throughout and right up to the end. I could see how she felt about him, but his emotional commitment to her felt forced and almost against his will.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only pleasure I got out of this book was imagining the heroine throwing peanuts at the hero and stalking off.

[Aarathi Burki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a boring story with hardly any story in it. I found the characters also boring except heroine's grandmother who was jovial and a matchmaker.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the heroine; one of those with a generous capacity to love and care for another being but somehow I don't see the hero cherishing her in return. He comes off too analytical and logical and he probably weighed his prospects and sanity are better of with the heroine at his side than his former glamorous fiancee.