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Book Review By Debbie
Beloved Stranger by Patricia Crossley

Sarah MacMillan just wanted to forget. To forget that she worked for an antiques firm that was laundering money, forget that her ex-boyfriend had left the country so he wouldn't be convicted of drug charges, forget that she didn't really have enough money to renovate the house she purchased. She loved the house in Harrison Corners, a small town in the Ontario woods and was determined to fix up the small lakeside cabin for her brother, Michael, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Sarah was happy just to work on renovations and dream of her new antique shop she planned on until Pierre Martin walked into her life.

Pierre Martin was determined to wipe drugs off the street - no matter what it took. After losing his beloved wife, Sue, in a drug hostage situation gone wrong, Pierre felt he had nothing left to live for. He was so close to busting up a big drug ring and then he could take a break. At first, Pierre thought that Sarah was involved. After all, with her background and her purchase of a house that had a reputation as a drug house, it just couldn't be a coincidence. However, the more Pierre gets to know her, the more convinced he is that she has nothing to with drugs - but there is something about her...

Sarah felt that she knew Pierre somehow, even though she knows that they have never met. When she starts having strange dreams and hearing someone talking in her room, Pierre tries to tell her that it is just stress. But then she finds the diary hidden up in the chimney and discovers the story of her ancestor, Captain George MacMillan, Queen's Volunteer Cavalry, who disappeared in 1838, leaving his wife and child behind. No one knows exactly what happened to George, but there is a rumor that he ran off with a woman he met during the war named Isabelle. Determined to figure out just what is going on, Sarah heads for Quebec and starts digging for clues, only to discover that Pierre is a descendant of Isabelle. The more Sarah investigates, the more mysteries come to light - what happened to George? how are Pierre's distant cousins involved? who else knows the story of George and Isabelle? why are women being attacked and murdered who have vital information for Sarah? As Sarah struggles with her feelings for Pierre, she also must come to believe that life and love come when you least expect it...



Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Action/suspense subplot? Yes
Action:
If one lover chases another... - they alternate

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's

Main Female Character - 20's-30's
Profession/status:

Setting
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - Canada
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 60%
How explicit is the sex? - vague references only - descript of kissing
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 1-2 sex acts
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