Delightfully entertaining novel! Talk about troubled people having a very bad day!!! Charlotte's much older husband passes away and leaves her a substantial bequest, but her very, very bad step-son threatens her and says he'll sue to invalidate the will, cause a scandal and drag her deceased husband's name through the mud. Yep -- not a good way to start your day. So, what does she do -- stand and fight? No way (then we wouldn't have this great book). She decides to flee and when she spots a man she thinks is one of her step-son's henchmen following her, she separates from her traveling party to head out on her own. However, through a baggage mix-up, she's left without funds. Yes indeed -- a very bad day indeed.

Edward Cary is every bit as troubled as Charlotte is -- poor boy. His trouble is just not quite as immediate and blatant in the beginning.

I like both of these troubled characters. Both had unfortunate childhoods and one or more very unloving, uncaring parents and/or caregivers. Both are damaged, fearful and insecure, so it is a real delight to watch them come to grips with their pasts, their present and their future.

I don't know who picks out the titles for these books. Maybe they just drop a quarter into a slot and it spits out a fortune cookie with a name on it. The book doesn't have much seduction in it and at the point there is seduction, the parties aren't strangers at all.

"I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

Once again, Susanna Craig draws you into the lives of her characters, such that you feel that you have known them forever. Her writing is descriptive and almost hypnotising. Even her secondary characters have a life of their own and not just to enhance those of the main characters. This is the story of Charlotte Blakemore, Dowager Duchess of Langerton, who having lost her elderly husband, fears that her stepson will denounce her to society by contesting her marriage. Charlotte quickly leaves, trading places with her maid, but in doing so, leaves without any funds. Along the way, she meets Edward Cary, a character from the second book in this series. Edward has return to England, the heir of the Earl of Beckley having run away more than twenty years ago. In doing so, there are few who remember him nor realise that he is Beckley and not the manager of the estate.
The attention to detail for each character, brings this story to life. Gradually, Edward and Charlotte reveal their history either subtly or directly and I couldn’t help but cheer for them. These were two people who were meant to save each other. I loved the character of Mari – she has a large presence and just loved her responses to Jack.

If this book, doesn’t make you want to go back to the earlier stories, that can I suggest that you do!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank Susanna Craig, Kensington Books, Lyrical Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte Blakemore, Dower Duchess of Langerton, is grieving the loss of not only her recently past husband, but the loss of the only person who’d ever cared about her. Her stepson is more concerned with gaining the assets the late duke had left to his much, much younger wife. He warns Charlotte he’ll do anything to get his entire rightful inheritance, a threat she didn’t take seriously until she spotted the men he’d hired to stalk her. She manages to slip away unnoticed…but a small mistake leaves her stranded at a roadside inn, penniless.

Edward Cary, the long-lost heir of the Earl of Beckley, has finally returned home, and nothing is as he imagined. First of all, he hadn’t imagined inviting a woman with secrets in her dark eyes to travel with him. He also hadn’t imagined no one would be there to welcome him home. There’s a mystery to unravel, but more pressingly, there’s a field to sow. He’s got his work cut out for him, and he can’t afford to be distracted by the beautiful enigma that is his companion. But distracted he is…
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I was sucked in immediately. The writing was thoroughly descriptive without smothering the reader with unnecessary detail. It was the little things, gestures and thoughts, that made a scene not just take form, but come to life with meaning that lent layers of depth to the story. Things like the greedy step-son rearranging the items on his late father’s desk possessively; the grooms exchanging a commiserating glance upon learning of last-minute travel plans; the cat pretending to ignore a new toy, though the tip of his tail flicked. The book was written with an intelligence that kept me from finding any flaws in logic but that didn’t try too hard to sound serious—it never forgot it was a romance.

Some might consider a good portion of the plot elements to be overused tropes, but then what romance doesn’t have at least one? If nothing else, Craig gave them a fresh take and blended them together into a seamless narrative. Or at least that’s what I think.

There’s a heavy freedom theme threaded throughout the work. I didn’t have a problem with it because I agreed with the points that were made, but some may think of the book as a very sophisticated SJW rant.

I loved the characters. Edward, Charlotte, Mari, Jack. They seemed very personable and down-to-earth. They were relatable, too, at least as far as their personalities and emotional plights. I LOVED that Charlotte giggles when she’s nervous or uncomfortable. I do that, too!

I don’t have a whole lot more to say. No list of nitpicks for once. I just bought the first two books in the series; I’m curious to see if I like them as much. But be assured, this would read just fine as a standalone. I’m just personally not ready to be done with that world or those characters.

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I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Charlotte's elderly husband has just died after a very brief marriage, leaving her fairly wealthy. Her stepson, who inherits a generous amount too, tells her he is going to contest her marriage and inheritance on the basis that his father was insane when he married her. Charlotte believes that she is being watched by a man employed by her stepson and arranges to trade places with her maid to escape this surveillance, but unfortunately trades bags too and is left penniless when her maid is driven off in her carriage. She is rescued by Edward, who is travelling to his father's estate to confront him after 20 years in Antigua. Finding his father absent and the place in ruins, Edward tells Charlotte (and the few estate tenants/ servants) that he is Mr Cary, the new steward.

The plot of this story has far too much going on in it, and I suspect this is partly because some of the characters appeared in previous instalments in this series. There was Tempest, whom Edward mused about a lot, but whom we never got to meet, the Fairfaxes, who popped up out of nowhere towards the end, and Mari the freed slave, whose storyline I actually quite enjoyed. Did we really need Charlotte's father to turn up at the end? Jack's appearance seemed as if it might move things along, but just ended in the recital of yet more parts of the extended family tree.

Then there were the puzzling actions and motivations: when was Edward planning to confront his father and tell everyone who he really was? Why did no one in the village recognize him, especially as he was using the family surname? What was Charlotte's long term (or even medium term) plan? Was Jack really a womanizer or only pretending to be? Why didn't Charlotte tell Edward who she really was? The storyline concerning Tessie was obvious from a mile off and too sentimental for me.

I did like the epilogue though.

If you like historical romance you will LOVE this book. The characters are all really developed and you will easily fall in love with them. The author's descriptive writing puts you in the heart of Gloucestershire estate, so much that you could almost smell the countryside. I am now a huge fan of this author and look forward to reading anything she writes!

Charlotte is having a bad day - her husband has passed and left her a fortune, but her vile stepson has made it his mission to take it from her. Desperate to get away, she trades places with her maid and ends up stranded at an inn with no money.

Edward Carey is on his way home after 22 years in Antigua. He doesn't know what he will find upon his return and decides to keep his identity a secret for now. When he stops at the inn, the last thing he expects to do is rescue a damsel in distress and find himself with a "wife". It is clear to Edward that Charlotte has secrets, but so does he and when he offers to take her with him, she accepts.

When they arrive at his home, he is in for more than one surprise. Ravenwood is not how Edward remembered it - it is deserted and in disrepair. No one from his youth is there any longer and he learns heartbreaking news. He introduces Charlotte as his wife and is then shocked to find that Mari from Antigua has followed him. He decides to stay for a few days and get the lay of the land before setting out to London to confront his demons.

Charlotte and Edward continue the charade of being married, but they both know that it will have to end - they share an mutual attraction, but neither of them has been honest with the other and know when their secrets are revealed that they will not be together.

When an impostor comes to Ravenwood and the truth about Charlotte is revealed, she runs.

Edward is shocked to learn the truth about Charlotte and has to wonder if she used him - but he knows that he can't just let her walk away, so he follows her to London.

Once in London, he happens upon St. John Sutliffe, Viscount Fairfax - whom he knew as Mr. Fairfax in Antigua. He is shocked to learn that St. John is the son of a marquis and was married. He confesses his secrets to St. John and tells him he is searching for Charlotte. St. John knows her stepson and offers to help.

When Charlotte and Edward are finally reunited, it is very sweet and there are more surprises in store for Charlotte.

This book was very good, I really enjoyed the story and became invested in the characters. While it is part of a series, it could easily be read as a stand alone title without any problems. I would happily recommend this book.

overall a good historical romance. I enjoyed the story. Liked the characters.

The plot is really nice but the tempo of the book is too slow but the storyline itself is good. I really skipped a few pages because I couldn't bare it anymore and than suddenly over the last 50 pages every mystery is solved - but everything was quite predictable.

Found it difficult to really get into this story. Felt the author introduced too many characters that added nothing to the development of the protagonists. Also thought that some descriptions of scenery were pointless.

To Seduce a Stranger by Susanna Craig was the first book I've read by this author and book number 3 of the Runaway Desires series, but I read well as a stand alone novel. Charlotte and Edward make for a wonderful love story, and an especially well written sex scene which was written wonderfully and although the story is fraught with characters who have run away or escaped from something and nicknames, it was charming and interesting non the less. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.