When a Stranger Loves Me

• Publisher:   Avon
• Number Of Pages:   384
• Publication Date:   2009-02-01
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0061456853
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780061456855

I saved his life . . . and I had much to demand in return.

When he washed up on shore, I knew my prayers had been answered, and that I, Lady Chelsea Campion, need no longer fear poverty and heartbreak. To secure my family's estate, all I needed was a child. Handsome, clearly noble-born, and with no memory of his previous life, the mysterious man was perfect. All I had to do was visit his bedchamber and seduce him. I had expected him to be a skillful, scandalously wonderful lover, but once in his arms I was overcome by something more than mere passion. I had fallen hopelessly, desperately in love.

My plan has gone shockingly awry. But I will not give up a man who makes me feel such wicked ecstasy. No matter his true identity, no matter the secrets he struggles to remember, I will do anything in this world to make this stranger love me.

Chelsea Campion stumbles across a naked man washed up on the shore of the island she retreated to in shame so many years ago. Her author's imagination immediately comes up with all kinds of stories about him, but she won't know if any of them are true, because the stranger seems to have lost his memory. Her mother is trying to force her into a hateful marriage. Chelsea comes up with a plan to seduce the nameless stranger in order to get an heir for the family, and to get out of the plans her mother has made. But what Chelsea wasn't expecting was to find herself falling for him. In When a Stranger Loves Me, the plan to beget an heir on a man with amnesia is not especially sympathetic, but Ms. MacLean covers her bases and makes sure there are consequences for everyone's actions. Blake, the amnesiac man, has a complicated character and the reconciling of his personality before and after losing his memory is handled well. Overall, what could have turned into a horrible moral quandary, turns into a beautiful love story and an exciting adventure. This is the third book of the Pembroke Palace series. Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

When a Stranger Loves Me is the third installment in USA Today bestseller Julianne MacLean's Pembroke Palace series. In the previous book, The Mistress Diaries, Lord Blake Sinclair went missing and we find out precisely what happened in When a Stranger Loves Me. Lady Chelsea Campion has lived somewhat in exile on the island of Jersey for the last seven years. At 18, she ran off with a fortune hunter and created a scandal that her family has never been able to live down. And now she feels the pressure of possibly having to marry her father's cousin and heir because her brother (the current earl) and sister-in-law have produced no offspring after ten years of marriage. Despite this, she is happy living on the wild Jersey coast. She loves walking along the beaches and cliffs and listening to the pounding waves crashing to the shore. Doing so feeds her imagination and breathes life into her writer's soul. While on one of her seaside excursions, she discovers a man's gold watch with the initials B H S inside and immediately starts daydreaming about whom it might belong to and what the initials might stand for. She then enters one of the sea caves and is stunned to see a man laying face down on the ground. A naked man. Chelsea checks his pulse and then hurries home to summon help. The unconscious man is seen and treated by the doctor and when he later awakens, he has no idea where he is, how he got there or even who he is. Chelsea befriends him and eventually conjures up a plan that may save her and her family -- she intends to seduce the handsome stranger and conceive an heir. What she didn't intend was losing her heart in the process. When her scheme is exposed and her lover's identity is revealed, Chelsea is left wondering if their love will be enough to withstand all of her lies. Chelsea is one of those characters that, despite the fact that the reader knows she is doing something dishonest, you can't help but sympathize and root for. She has a good heart and good intentions in wanting to atone for her past sins by helping her family out now. And as much as she thought she was happy with her life, it isn't until she spends time with Blake that she realizes that writing a romantic story and actually living one are two completely different things. Blake is confused and discouraged because of his memory loss. He has no clue of his name, his station in life, of any responsibilities he might have or of any family or friends. It was as if his life started the day he was rescued in that cave. Because of that, he clings to the only thing he does know - the beautiful woman who saved his life, Chelsea. Ms. MacLean did a fantastic job conveying Blake's amnesia. It was extremely realistic and I truly felt his frustration in needing to find out who he is and also his trepidation in not wanting to know because it might disrupt the happiness he found with Chelsea. When a Stranger Loves Me is a beautiful, tender love story full of the heart and emotion that Julianne MacLean's books are known for. If you're longing for a stirring, character-driven historical romance, look no further - this one is definitely for you! Andrea
Romance Novel TV
4.5 stars

Humph. Julieanne MacLean is a talented writer. Her prose flows beautifully and her characters are memorable. Unfortunately, the plot in "When a Stranger Loves Me" was just a bit too outre FOR ME. Chelsea lives a life of freedom now that she's disgraced. However, she's perfectly content with her writing and her rambles about the seashore. But since her brother and his wife have been unable to have a child, he and her mother are looking to marry her off to the presumptive heir--a nasty, smelly old man. Desperate to save herself, when a stranger with no memory washes up on the seashore, Chelsea's inventive mind begins to spin a plot. He has no memory, no clothes, and almost no life! Since he woke up, 'Jack' has clung to the woman who saved him. Their time together is increasingly special and passionate. But when he discovers Chelsea's plot...nothing can convince him of her true feelings. Chelsea is a truly unusual heroine. But even understanding her reasoning didn't wash the foul taste from my mouth. And the complicity of her mother and brother was the last straw. For me, there were just too many things that didn't make sense. I understand they were needed to progress the story, but I just flat out didn't like or believe them. That made the whole book more of a chore than an enjoyment. On the plus side, everything else carried Ms. MacLean's normal great writing--pace, tension, relationship--all were there for me with the big exception of a few plot devices. The good news is, if this doesn't bug you, then "When a Stranger Loves Me" will be another winner for you!

So far I have enjoyed all of the books from this series inlcuding this one. This is a fast and pleasant read. I loved Blake's (hero) story. JM did quite well in creating the perfect heroine (Chelsea) for him. The setting at the beach house was beautiful and romantic. There is a very good plot to this story. And I also enjoyed meeting up with the characters from the other series. This was a wonderful and enjoyable read. Well done JM. Hope there is a book coming out for the youngest brother.

For some reason I left this book on my shelve for a few weeks and then I started to read it ... less than 24 hours later I was it had to end. The characters were rich and full. My favorite part was that I had read this series but has he started to get his memory back - I started to remember the previous novels. The concept is a naked handsome man is found washed up on the island shore and has amnesia. He was found by Lady Chelsea Campion who the Ton excelled an English Island 7 years ago. She is being forced to marry her 50 year old slimy cousin and decided to have one last adventure with mystery man. Check out the whole Pembroke Palace Series; In My Wildest Fantasies (Avon Romantic Treasure) (book 1) , The Mistress Diaries (Avon Romantic Treasure) (book 2). According to her website we might have to wait awhile for book 4 Garrett story since she changed publishers.

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