2006 Winner Best Historical Erotic Romance CAPA
A woman determined to resist falling in love becomes engaged in a seductive battle of wits with a man equally determined to win her love in Day’s latest boldly passionate, scorchingly sexy Regency romance.
— John Charles, Booklist
This is a phenomenal book! The Stranger I Married is an exciting, fast-paced story of a couple with a past of numerous affairs. Ms. Day is an incredible author who manages to express sensual, sexually explicit situations without sacrificing the integrity of the story. I loved this book! I don’t believe I have read anything similar to this plot.
- Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio
I will start by saying that I do not like Regency period settings in the least. Having said that, I must admit that sometimes a book comes along that transcends all of my prejudices and The Stranger I Married is one such novel. I do not feel these characters are the usual Regency fare. Their in-depth characterization caused me to care much more about them than I normally would. I am sure other readers who give this superb story a chance will feel the same way I do. It is an excellent book with much to offer.
- Susan, Coffee Time Romance
You just can’t go wrong with a Sylvia Day novel. With larger than life characters, plots that steal your breath, and sex hot enough to singe the pages THE STRANGER I MARRIED is sure to keep readers up long into the night. I developed a respect for Isabel that I hadn’t anticipated when I started reading this novel, but her honesty and ethics throughout this storyline touched me. Gerard did a lot of growing up during the time he was away from Isabel. He left still a young man full of selfish ideals who enjoyed the more debauched things in life. He came back with a man’s body and a better understanding of what he truly desired. I loved losing myself in Gerard and Isabel’s struggle to come to an agreement on the status of their marriage. Gerard has a most interesting way of helping to convince her that he can satisfy her more carnal desires. Beautifully done Ms. Day!
- Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies
I loved it. Could not put it down. Well done fantastic read!!!!!
- Rosemary, Rosemary’s Romance Books, Australia
Wow! This is a delicious love tale that is quite spicy but so well done you will love every word. It is full of surprises and plenty of sensuality to die for. Once you start reading THE STRANGER I MARRIED you will not be able to stop! All I can say is: I want to read more by the dynamite writer Sylvia Day.
- Suzanne Coleburn, Reader To Reader Reviews/The Belles & Beaux of Romance
Sylvia Day’s The Stranger I Married is a highly erotic, emotional historical novel that will grab and refuse to release you. …a refreshing, unique and sexually explicit novel that is an erotic historical romance fan’s dream. Another unusual aspect of the tale is that Gerard is younger than his wife by four years. This is not something I’ve come across in a historical novel before and this plays a significant role in the storyline. Sylvia Day has penned this tale so fabulously that she truly makes you believe in her characters and in her plot. There is a secondary storyline that I enjoyed and thought added to the overall tale, and if you enjoy reading about family members’ own romances then you’ll enjoy this aspect, too. I loved reading The Stranger I Married, and eagerly look forward to my next Ms. Day tale.
- Elizabeth Marie, Just Erotic Romance Reviews
Sylvia Day once again delivers a fabulous story with The Stranger I Married. The characters are fantastic, and with their strengths and flaws, Grayson and Isabel are so realistic. I really liked that the physical attraction was not immediately apparent to them but was only recognized later in their marriage. Any fan of Ms. Day knows that she weaves a sensual web between characters that traps the reader. You’ll be stuck to the pages of The Stranger I Married until the very end, falling in love with this realistic couple and rooting for their happy ending.
- Georgia, Joyfully Reviewed
Sylvia Day’s newest release from Brava is completely captivating. The minute I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. Day weaves a thoroughly engrossing tale about two people who fall in love long after they’ve said their vows. Both Isabel and Gray are richly drawn characters, and the chemistry between them is electric. Gray’s determination to have Isabel love him the way he loves her makes him endearing yet vulnerable. The Stranger I Married was the first book I’ve read by Day, but it certainly won’t be the last.
- Curled Up With A Good Book
With her debut full length novel, Ask for It, Sylvia Day dazzled! Bawdy, sassy, sexy romance laced with humour and a heroine basking in her independence, The Stranger I Married is sheer delight.
- Rendezvous Romance Bookstore, Australia
You can’t go wrong when you pick up a Sylvia Day book! THE STRANGER I MARRIED is no exception. Filled with passionate sex and an intriguing plot, Sylvia day penned another winner! THE STRANGER I MARRIED puts an erotic twist on the older woman/younger man scenario. What starts out a marriage of convenience, turns into anything but. Day’s gift for writing sensual yet graphic sex scenes turns what could have been an average romance into a sizzling passionate affair! Isabel and Gerard heat up this book like the sun on a hot summer day. Even the secondary characters are written with such depth that they could harbor their own full-length story. THE STRANGER I MARRIED is an emotionally charged, unbelievably sexy Regency romance. It’s just the book to keep you warm on a cold night! Sylvia Day proves once again that she can write erotic romance that still exudes a certain degree of grace and elegance. THE STRANGER I MARRIED is a definite Top Pick!
- Julie Kornhausl, Romance Reader at Heart
Sylvia Day takes the timeless marriage of convenience plot and makes it her own with a hero and heroine who are equally matched in looks, character and charisma, in this steamy love story. The ‘on dit’ for THE STRANGER I MARRIED is that it’s a must read for Regency romance fans!
- Patricia Rouse, Rouse’s Romance Readers Groups
Day transfers a traditionally modern-day scenario — older-woman, younger-man relationship — to Regency times with ease. A fast pace, strong characters and good verbal repartee all keep the story moving. Though erotic romance readers won’t be shocked, some might be intrigued by the rough sex.
- Jill Brager, RT BOOKreviews
Thoroughly engaging characters that felt remarkably like family made THE STRANGER I MARRIED one of the most memorable books I have read this year. I opened the book and read it straight through in about four hours, it was so engrossing. Pel and Gray have a chemistry that is so vividly portrayed; I literally felt the emotion each tried so desperately to hide from. The love scenes were sensual and explicit, yet romantic in every way. The story was fast-paced and rich in content; a beautiful love story from beginning to end.
After reading THE STRANGER I MARRIED, I must say Bravo to author, Sylvia Day. She has written a heartbreaking, yet heartwarming love story that has earned a place on my “keeper” shelves; a true romantic treasure.
- Lettetia, Romance Designs
Sylvia Day has brought a new look at the marriage of convenience. Two very experienced adults in the art of seduction battle it out, one to keep a distance and the other to bring them together. I enjoyed following the journey from self-assured Gerard to the brooding, dark man he became, and the closed off Isabel and her struggle to maintain control in a marriage that was spiraling out of control. Each with scars and fears to overcome, I was eager to turn the page and discover more.
- Jodie Boulter, Romance Divas
Sylvia Day pens a witty and wonderful story in The Stranger I Married. The characters of Pel and Gray are leap-off-the-page authentic, and it’s far beyond fascinating to watch them circle around each other. The heat level is stuck on flambé, and I’ll be doing a re-read as soon as possible…you know, just to make sure I didn’t miss a word of this elegantly written, desire-filled piece. This is probably the best piece of erotic historical fiction that I’ve read this year… If you’re in search of a very sexy story with depth and dreamy desire, The Stranger I Married is just the book for you. I wholly loved it, and reward Ms. Day’s lovely, spicy tale with Five Angels and a Recommended Read!
- Michelle, Fallen Angel Reviews
What I liked about the character of Isabel is that in an age where women were mere chattels and told what to do, Isabel does not conform to the rules. She is strong and capable and understands how to play society games. Actually all the women in this book are very liberated and I liked that. Gerard is the consummate bad boy looking for more. You know he will find it with Isabel but like Isabel I would want something more from the reformed rake that lands on your door step after years of absence. You can sense that Isabel wants more but it afraid of the consequences of anything deep and meaningful. If you enjoy erotic novels where both characters are an equal match in all things, then you will enjoy The Stranger I Married.
- Janet, Once Upon a Romance
THE STRANGER I MARRIED is the newest release by Sylvia Day. Ms. Day has proven time and time again she has what it takes to pen one exciting and sensuous novel after another. Her raw talent alone is gold and her writing is masterful and sinful to read. A few words come to mind when Sylvia Day’s name is spoken–a legend in the making in the romance field. THE STRANGER I MARRIED is an erotic historical that will transport you back in time to gaiety, grandeur, and the passions that challenged the people of that period. Giving you a front row seat to an extraordinary novel of what lengths a person of love and passion will go to find happiness and how it changes over time.
- Janalee, Love Romances and More
In The Stranger I Married, Ms. Day has weaved a decadently delicious tale of a marriage of convenience gone awry in the best possible way. Isabel and Gerard are multi-dimensional characters so unique they are refreshing: Isabel is a sensual woman not at all afraid of her sexuality, and Gerard is a man who realizes the sham of a life he previously lived and also the necessity for his correction of that life. The lovemaking scenes between the two are inventive, and heady—so sensory detailed and realistic that they are satisfying not only to the characters, but also to the reader.
Although the obstacles keeping Isabel and Gerard apart seem insurmountable at times, especially the persistent haunting of their relationship by lost loves, we know they must overcome. The increasing heat at each of their encounters and the strong friendship that anchors their marriage is evident through the novel; as a result, one can only cheer them on as they ride each other into the sunset toward their goal of happily ever after.
- Rhonda Jackson Joseph, Rites of Romance Reviews
The Stranger I Married is by far one of my favourite books this month. Witty dialogue and the sexually charged interaction between Isabel and Gray were too delicious to put down. Sylvia Day does not disappoint with this release.
- Cynthia, A Romance Review
Day proves that you can mix erotica with a well written, character driven, love story. This book was so hot it gave me butterflies in my stomach and tingles in all the right places. And yet, it was still a well written, character driven novel. Gerard is tormented by his past, and so is Pel. As the depths of their emotional scars are slowly revealed, their actions make sense. Day’s ability to believably write Gerard, a character who changes so radically from a carefree boy to a man with depth and dark places, is quite a feat. And by the middle of the novel I understood why Pel shied away from the love Gerard was offering her.
The one flaw in this book was the page count. I felt the end of the book dragged on with trumped up problems that would have been easily solved earlier in the novel if Day hadn’t had to write X amount of pages. But it was a slight flaw, and filled with so much good sex I almost didn’t want to mention it!
Bottom Line: If you like your heroes dark and your sex very hot, you won’t want to miss this one.
- Cybil Solyn, Rakehell
Sylvia Day pens a frank, lusty Regency historical perfect for the Brava line. If you enjoy the Regency period and like your romances hot and scorching, with lots of emotional intensity, then THE STRANGER I MARRIED will heat up any winter evening! THE STRANGER I MARRIED is refreshingly novel with a slightly older and much-experienced heroine and a hot-headed younger rake of a hero. The development of their love and marital relationship unfolds perfectly. THE STRANGER I MARRIED is delectable historical romantica you do not want to miss!
- Debora Hosey, The Romance Readers Connection
Reader Reviews
Book Banter – Jay
By the Book – Alyssa
The Good, the Bad, and the Unread – Sybil
