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Title: Dark Stranger
ISBN: 0373835167
Author:
Heather Graham
Publicate Date: 2002-08-01
Publish: 2002-08-01
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.21
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.40
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: ANOTHER GREAT TRILOGY - OF THE SLATER BROTHERS
Cole Slater is out for revenge and nothing is going to stop him.
That is until he saves and meets Kristin McCahy.
Zeke Moreau is a killer and rapist of the worst kind. He enjoys their pain. And he wants Kristin and he doesn't like being spurned, especially in front of his men.
Kristin and her sister hated Zeke because he and his gang had murdered their father, Gabriel McCahy.
She knew that she had to protect her 17 year old sister, Shannon from the maurading men. Even though she was only 18 herself. [Both girls were accurate shots and well trained in the use of guns.]
Her brother, Matthew had taken off and joined the Union Army. She was bound and determined to hold onto their ranch for Matthew no matter what it took. To help her was the freed slaves of her father, Samson and Delilah and their small child.
Cole knew that he had to move on before the trail got cold but maybe he could stop for a day or two and get a good meal. And this beautiful blonde gal was willing to make a proposition. Yup! he was willing to accept, but it would be by his rules.
With all their fighting and arguing it sure took them quite a while to figure out that they loved one another.
And the only way Cole could get Quantrill to rein in Zeke was to marry Kristin. Quantrill promised Cole that the McCahy girls would have his protection.
Then the Union Army stepped in.
The second part titled "The Lover" was a bit dragged out with all the emotional hang-ups before we began to see some real action again. Ah, but then Cole had to leave and so he called in his brothers, Malachi and Jamie who was only 20 years old. Never did get a take on Malachi's age.
All of this action starts in the summer of 1862.
Cole had a definite problem when he found out that Kristin had born him a son and not told him she was pregnant.
When he found Fitz he brought more trouble on himself and his brothers and of course his wife and sister-in-law.
This is an excellent story except for the dragging spots of the seductions, when I want action of the breath-stopping kind. Danger and romance go together but not prolonged emotional hang-ups. She just jumps in with both feet and hang the consequences.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [M] Shannon and Malachi's story follow in RIDES A HERO [1865] with Jamie's story follows that in APACHE SUMMER [1870]. Happy reading!
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2: Great story...
This book for me was a turn on I LOVE the story line the dark stranger and the plot of it. I thought Cole was sexy strong breathtaking and just a good man, Kristin is a lovable heroine doing what she has to do for her family.. Great love scenes and i think if you like historical romance novels (civil war) then this is for you and the thing is i'm not much of a civil war romance person....
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3: Promising story, but it fell flat
Reading an immediate love scene before any romantic tension is created always makes me feel like I'm outside of the story. It had potential, but I just didn't dig it.
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4: Heather Graham delivers another hit!
Ms. Graham proves once again that she's a master of Civil War fiction with "Dark Stranger." Set against a usually-ignored theater of the war - Missouri - this novel seethes with sexual tension as well as the dark horror of the war. Missouri suffered the ravages of Quantrill's raiders and Lane's butchers, and Graham's heroine is caught in the crossfire. Graham easily achieves the usually-impossible task of creating a sympathetic hero from the nearly-savage and ruthless Cole by painting a vivid picture of the personal suffering so many men and women experienced in this war, and embodies the desperation of the women left to survive alone in heroine Kristin.
Ms. Graham's knowledge of the period is flawless and she blends history seamlessly into her story. Refreshing to see Civil War fiction that wasn't either sloppily researched, overpowering in detail, or overly burdened with attempts to be politically correct.
Bravo, Ms. Graham. Also recommend her "One Wore Blue" and "One Wore Gray."
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5: A little too simple, conflict lacking
It was a pleasure to read Dark Stranger. Even though the beginning is slow and nothing much happened except Kristin and Cole both wanting and hating each other, the second part of the book was a great read. I enjoy this book more than Runaway because Dark Stranger skipped most of the dull history. One thing I would criticize is the simplicity of the ending. There is not much meat and the conflict is resolved much quicker than I thought. A good ending, in my opinion, tightens a reader's breath, releases it, then tightens at least one more tme before everything is resolved, and this ending definitely does not fit my perspective of an ideal ending. I suggest the antagionist having revived when everybody thinks that he is dead, then the story would be much better. Nevertheless, very well-written......
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