Sensuality: 7
Kerry McKinnon, a beautiful Scottish widow, and Arthur Christian, a rich and powerful peer of the British realm, are thrown together by fate on a deserted Scottish road. Together they travel cross-country to reach her Highland home, and although society would never condone a match between them, they fall in love. Arthur knows that he can never offer the lovely widow a future, but in the days he spends at her manor, he becomes increasingly enchanted by Kerry, her beautiful glen, and her quiet rural life.
Kerry is desperate to save her debt-ridden home and struggles to find a way to pay the overdue mortgage and outwit the lecherous neighbor determined to foreclose. Too late, Arthur learns the extent of the danger that threatens her. He's determined to rescue her, but before Kerry is truly safe, they will have to risk everything, including their very lives.
The Beautiful Stranger has an abundance of twists and turns in an intriguing plot, strong secondary characters that include an unscrupulous villain, and a convincing period setting. Combined with a passionate and indestructible connection between two honorable people, the sum total is a novel with all the elements necessary for a thoroughly absorbing historical romance. --Lois Faye Dyer