Marriage with a Proper Stranger by Karyn Gerrard

Marriage with a Proper Stranger by Karyn Gerrard
Series: Men of Wollstonecraft Hall Series Book #1
on February 6, 2018
Genres: Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian, Fiction / Women
Pages: 217
Goodreads

“Build a wall about your heart.”
 
Riordan Wollstonecraft labors under the heavy burden of his forebears. For generations, a curse has followed the dashing young men of his family, guaranteeing the women they love an untimely death. The youngest grandson of the Earl of Wollstonecraft Hall, charismatic Riordan is quietly resigned to his fate, an educator who devotes his life to good works, and ignores any longing for something more . . .
 
Widowed and penniless, Lady Sabrina Lakeside is desperate to avoid a second forced betrothal—this time to an aged marquess. Her chance encounter with Riordan leads her to an impulsive offer: a temporary marriage of convenience that could benefit them both. His agreement is as surprising as it is welcome. Before long, Riordan’s keen intellect and kind words have Sabrina rethinking her plans of a union in name only. But her new husband is holding something back. Will giving in to their tantalizing passion lead her only to further heartache . . . or could it be the first step toward healing them both?
 
“Karyn Gerrard writes very enjoyable, richly textured historical romances.”
—Kate Pearce, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Marriage with a Proper Stranger is book one in the Men Of Wollstonecraft Hall series by Karyn Gerrard. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is my first time reading Gerrard’s work. She takes real people from the past and weaves them into the story. The Wollstonecraft men are plagued by a family curse that guarantees the death of the women they love. Riordan the youngest grandson of the Earl of Wollstonecraft Hall is resigned to his fate of being alone. He pours himself into being an educator and doing good works under another name. Lady Sabrina Lakeside is a beautiful widow who is desperate to escape being married to a lecherous and aging marquess. Will Riordan be her knight in shining armor? What will happen when Sabrina learns of his true identity and the curse he lives under?

“The schoolmaster was not a docile, plain man of middling years, but a tall, handsome young man who took her breath away. She’d never seen such virility before, never mind being in such close proximity to it. Her heart fluttered, and Sabrina was shocked at her response, for it was strange and foreign. He dressed plainly, wearing a black frock coat stretched across broad shoulders, with a simply tied black cravat. No spectacles; all the better to see his piercing light blue eyes. His wavy black hair gleamed in the bright sunlight.”I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series by Gerrard.