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Jenny
Dalton has loved Ranchero don Rafael Allende from afar for a long time. Knowing that a future with Rafael is not
possible, as she is his Aunt’s companion and he is destined to wed a
woman of
wealth and Mexican or Californian heritage, it doesn’t stop her from
rushing
out in the search to find Rafael when he is lost in a deadly
thunderstorm. But when Jenny finds an
unconscious Rafael
and seeks shelter to tend to his wounds, it becomes a night that Jenny
will
remember for all time, as they share body heat and a passion that she
has never
known before.
But as the
days after their night together becomes too much for Jenny to bear, can
she
find the strength to leave the only man she has ever really loved
forever?
Dark Stranger is an emotionally
gripping tale of
love, passion, social status and courage. Jenny is a profound woman
whose strength
and heart draw a reader into her story.
The passion and love she has for Rafael are felt
throughout Dark Stranger and a reader can’t
help but feel for her and hope that her love for this man will be
reciprocated
before it’s too late.
For me
however, Rafael was a lacking character in this story.
While I felt tumultuous feelings for and with
Jenny, the same can’t be said when it comes to Rafael.
I found that the author didn’t give a lot of
background or even present information on Rafael beside the bare
necessities of
his occupation, his family and lands – there wasn’t much to the heart
of the
man itself. While he did give subtle
hints to his own desires for Jenny, I didn’t feel that his heart was
totally in
it.
The love
scenes in Dark Stranger are
passionate and intense and while the flair of real feelings didn’t
reach this
reader because of the lack of feelings for the hero, the heat was still
felt
within the pages of this story. I do
hope to read more from Ms. Valdez in the future. She
writes a lovely and warm heroine who
blossomed and shined in this tale.
Tracey West - The Road
to Romance
August 19th,
2004
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