"She had not known it was possible to FEEL so much, to want to laugh and cry, all at the same time, and despite her fears and regrets, her self-reproach and misgivings, she was grateful for this emotional experience. Last night she finally realized how dead she had been over these past seven years, living throgh the characters in her stories, and this morning she felt reborn." ( )

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! ( )