Married to a Perfect Stranger

I enjoyed this book very much. Mary and John are the "losers" in their families. They are the ones the other members of the family think will never do well, and the butt of unkind jokes their siblings think are hilarious. They obediently married the partners their parents selected for them, were married only a few weeks, then suddenly John had a great opportunity to go to China with a group from the Foreign Office where he is an analyst of Chinese issues. He is gone for almost two years, while Mary is shipped off to a great aunt's home to stay until he returns. Both of them are presented with issues they have to deal with during their almost two years apart and they develop independence and management skills as they grow separately. When they are reunited they realize they have both changed so much they don't know each other any more. She isn't the shy little obedient wife he left behind and he isn't the unremarkable dreamer he had been. Sparks fly when he tries to boss her around and she stands up for herself. There are secondary characters that add a lot to the story. The neighbor is a Dowager Duchess and her 19 year old grand daughter gets sent to live with Grand mamma as punishment for pulling off embarrassing pranks at her parent's parties, Bill Connolly is John's co-worker who is also fond of pranks. John's annoying brothers who keep visiting uninvited to tell John how to live his life or tell him how upset his mother is with him. And an irritating co-worker who is always boasting about his contacts and accomplishments and putting John down or trying to embarrass him.There are spies, office politics, danger, assassination attempt, hurt feelings, and lack of communication that eventually grows into love, maturity, acceptance, and success. The story contains married sensuality without anything salacious or vulgar. Definitely PG. A fun read.

What a relief to not have dukes running around the pages, for a change. John and Mary are of the minor gentry ~ nice folks who live comfortably, well spoken with nice manners but no high living. Their marriage is arranged and John, a clerk on a diplomatic mission to China, leaves a month after the wedding on a two-year assignment.Upon his return, they are no longer the quiet, unassertive people each remembered...they're utter strangers. The story is mostly an intriguing evolution of how the now self-assured John and the now confident Mary come to truly know each other and fall in love. Not overnight...it's a gradual process.Sounds simple but it's not. Mary is no doormat but is regarded by John through most of the story as simply filling the role of the traditional wife. He was a man of his time, after all. There are some cloak-and-dagger doings and John *finally* recognizes Mary's unique artistic gift. So we have a little excitement as leavening for an otherwise quiet tale. That story, though, of these two ordinary people is what really held my attention.I thought this was a pretty well-written effort. It's not quite a 4 star so I'll hedge and give it 3.5. Guess I'm mealy-mouthed. lolEnjoy your reading! :)

This was a very good read with a different look at the Regency period. The story follows the more middle class life of a young couple who were thrown together in an arranged marriage. Both are young and unformed in the first month of marriage when the hero obtains a Foreign Service journey to China for diplomatic purposes. During the ensuing separation, both parties grow up and in turn develop into more competent adults. Unfortunately, for both, their families are quite happy to still look at them as the younger oddball children who needed managing. This isn't a novel of the ton's finest nor a story of the wild bad boy who becomes "tamed" after falling in love. This book is of two young adults working their way through the marriage they both were led into and discovering they like their new incarnations post separation of themselves better. The hero is less thrilled with the heroine's change ( he's a real doofus at times), but eventually recognizes that he prefers her new found confidence and,of course, falls in love. The intrigue and politics of the Foreign Service during this time was handled nicely and was a welcome change from the usual parties, galas and crushes. The ending did seem a bit rushed, but maybe they will be minor characters in a sequel?

I seldom write book reviews but have to make an exception for "Married to a Perfect Stranger". This book was a total delight. Two people who were matched by their families spend two years apart after a brief time as newlyweds. When they reunite each has changed dramatically in the intervening years. Both have matured and have thoughts and goals they could never have imagined at the time of their marriage. They slowly come to really know and care for each other as they renew their lives as a married couple. They make mistakes, they must overcome misconceptions about each other, but slowly they build their relationship and become together so much more than either of their families would ever imagined that these two could be. These are two people that it is easy to care about and root for. This is a beautiful story and one I will certainly want to re-read more than once. I will definitely be purchasing more from this talented author.

Married to a Perfect Strander is a pleasant, but not very exciting story of a couple who becomes acquainted and fall in love AFTER they are married. Both the H/h have been marginalized and underestimated by their respective families, making Perfect Stranger a story that describes their transformation into self-actualized, confident adults. There's a minor mystery, a little action and a few minor, at times unlikable, characters to round out the story. It's a pleasant but ultimately forgettable read for a rainy afternoon.

Insightful and fun exploration of love and growth. Sex is respected not exploited.... If a little exaggerated as far as satisfaction goes.

AAA+