More Than a Stranger by Erin Knightley – a Review

More Than a Stranger is Erin Knightley’s debut novel and her first in her Sealed With a Kiss series.

Our heroine in this wonderful historical romance novel, is Evie Moore, and we meet her as a young child who worships her brother, Richard, who is now heading off to Eton. When Evie gets letters from her brother, he constantly talks about his new friend Hastings. 

Benedict Hastings is our hero, and Richard’s best friend.  He learns all about Evie, as she writes a letter to him to tell him to back off being her brother’s best friend, since she is already that.  This starts a wonderful friendship of letters between young Evie and Hastings.  Over the years, though they have never met, the letters built a great friendship of trust, which led both of them to care very much for each other.  Then out of the blue, when Hastings graduated, he cut off Evie totally, with no reason, and she was heartbroken.

A few years later, Evie, now a young lady, has decided she wants to work with horses, as has no intention of finding a suitable mate.  Her mother is determined for her to go to London for the coming out ball, which Evie no longer wants anything to do with. 

Hastings visits Richard, without telling him too much of where he has been.  Just that he needs a break and Richard offers him to come with him to his family home. Under the assumption that the family is in London during the season, Hastings accepts.  Then to his shock, as he arrives he sees a girl run up to Richard and realizes that he is looking at the girl he loved from afar, Evie.   But Hastings as he introduces himself to Evie,  lies,  as he does not want her to know who he is.  He calls himself Mr. Benedict, and with Richard’s help, he keeps his true identity a secret, not wanting to hurt her, or for her to learn the real reason he disappeared.  

When Hastings left school, he was recruited by the English government to do undercover work, which even Richard did not know.  Hence, his separation from his family and Evie. Though this is not really a mystery, there is some element of danger, as Hastings/Benedict left some baggage behind that will come to haunt him near the end.

But More than a Stranger is a wonderful charming romance.  Evie having sworn off men, having had her heart broken by Hastings, finds herself intrigued and enamored by the charming Benedict.   Benedict, trying hard not to allow himself to hurt Evie, finds himself falling deeper in love with her, as she is more then he could ever have imagined. 

To watch their relationship grow, despite both not wanting this to develop, and Evie not knowing who he really was, was wonderfully done by Knightley.  I loved Evie, who was not only beautiful, but vivacious, and extremely likeable.  You can’t help but love Benedict despite his lie to Evie.

Knightley did such a wonderful job creating such likeable characters all the way around.  Evie’s sister Beatrice, and Richard were great characters too.  The amazing thing about this story was the sexual attraction between Evie and Benedict, and you felt that chemistry throughout, without even one sex scene.  It was so beautifully done, as we watch them both fall in love all over again. Did Evie find out who Benedict really was? What is the danger that is following Benedict from his past? Is there a future for the awesome couple?  You need to read this book to find the answers. 

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as well as an exciting ending.  More Than a Stranger is a wonderful start to a new series, and a wonderful new author in Erin Knightley.  Can’t wait to read A Taste for Scandal, which is the next book in this series.

Reviewed by Barb