MADreads

Perfect for each other

September 20th, 2006 Jane J. - Central Library

If you read romance you know there are certain genre conventions, first and foremost of these is the happy ending.  So going in, you know how it’s going to end.  That’s a given.  But what makes the good ones so appealing is the journey the author takes us on in the getting there.  And how the protagonists meet sets the tone for everything else.  If a reader doesn’t believe the set-up they won’t believe anything else.

Anne Gracie’s Perfect Stranger opens to Faith Merridew (our heroine) on a French beach running from unknown attackers.  She stumbles upon the campfire of Nicholas Blacklock, a fellow englishman who puts her would-be attackers to rout.  Nicely done.  Danger and mystery with the potential for romance in the space of a few short paragraphs. 

What develops is a road romance as Faith joins Nicholas on a journey into his own past.  Nicholas was an officer during the Napoleonic wars and he has a personal mission yet to fulfill.  If Nick’s “big secret” was a little too easily remedied, I forgave the author because everything else was so well done.  This romance focuses almost solely on Nick and Faith and their coming to terms with who they are individually and as a couple.  This is the third in a trilogy featuring the Merridew sisters, but can easily be read as a standalone.

Entry Filed under: Romance