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To Trust a Stranger
She trusted her husband and got burned. Now she's playing with fire and daring. Karen Robards electrifies the page with thrilling passion and suspense in this heart-pounding New York Times bestseller. A top-notch romantic suspense, and a steamy novel.
422 pages, Paperback
First published December 26, 2000
139 people are currently reading
980 people want to read
About the author
Karen Robards
106Ìýbooks3,193ÌýfollowersKaren Robards is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty books and one novella. She has won multiple awards including six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite author.
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 3, 2018
DNF @37%
It’s a big no for me.
It’s a big no for me.
April 4, 2024
To Trust A Stranger starts out silly but it’s the good kind of silly that may actually make you smile if you’re in the right frame of mind. It was fun and just as I was settling in for a fluffy, light-hearted read the heroine went all grrrr grumbly on me. And it’s never pretty when that happens.
Sigh.
This is yet another book I only finished because it was an audiobook. 2 stars get knocked off because it irritated me so much on my already irritating commute to work.
Things begin in a shady part of town in the wee hours of the night. Private Investigator Mac is out on a case decked out in full drag when he meets Julie who is decked out in only a sexy nighty and sneakers (hang in, there is a reason for this). Mac witnesses her hitting his vehicle, attempting to take off and then getting tossed into the street in front of him. For some reason (being half naked and beautiful, perhaps?), he takes pity on her and agrees to help her spy on her philandering hubby. She’s grateful for the help and feels safe with him because she assumes he’s gay because he is toting around a floofy little poodle. Never mind the silly stereotypes. This is the good part and the least of your worries.
Mac is not gay, of course, and she figures it out soon enough. There is an obvious and heated attracted between them from the very beginning and it would’ve been really charming and sexy except there’s a little problem here. Julie is very much a married woman and up until this moment she hadn’t realized what a cheating, lying scum sucker she had married. She was blinded by Sid’s good looks, charm and his money. Julie is a former beauty queen who grew up poor and used her looks to marry above her station. She’s a trophy wife and just now realizing that Sid may want to trade her in for a newer model. I felt bad for Julie at this point and was warming up to her. The romance though was doomed from the beginning for me because I couldn’t shut off my brain. Wouldn’t this be a really hurtful realization for Julie and the worst possible time to start up a shiny new romance? Mac is great, there’s nothing wrong with him at all, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking there was only lust and pain pulling her towards him and that she had a lot of crap to deal with before starting anew. Not to mention that there is a murderer after her too . . .
I lost my enthusiasm for this romance when all of this was revealed and never got it back. And then Julie went and devolved from a nice southern belle into a bit of a witch who vented all of her anger and frustration on Mac who was nothing but decent to her. That’s pretty much when the story lost me.
Parts of it were still funny even if unintentional and this most definitely wasn’t the worst book ever. Breasts were compared to oranges and cantaloupes and for some reason that never failed to crack me up and oh how very much I loved the crazy pants metaphors and cheesy descriptions! You don’t read this kind of stuff every day and when you’re listening on audio they really stand out. Here’s a small sampling:
“She needed another man in her life right now like she needed a case of poison ivy�
�"Yeah," Hinkle said, looking as nervous as a beetle in an aviary.�
“Her ears were ringing so badly she might as well have been Quasimodo in the belltower. �
And my favorite comes from Mac:
“You walk into view, and I feel the earth move.�
Ooh, sexy talk.
Still, I liked Mac and couldn’t figure out why he was so gaga over Julie. Don’t get me wrong; she was strong and stubborn and I loved the fact that was a fighter who even bit a guy’s nose at one point but she’s pretty rotten to Mac in the second half of the book. They have good chemistry but most men would’ve high tailed it out of there early on. He was calm, understanding and had a sense of humor. It’s only because of Mac and his naughty poodle that the book gets three stars.
The mystery is also disappointing. It culminates in a tangled mess of murderous shifty business that you can’t figure out until the author reveals it at the end in a big info dump. I freely admit that my mind was drifting and I may have missed things here and there but when the big reveals were exposed there was no emotional payoff whatsoever.
This is a three star read if there ever was one but if you’re looking for some laughs you’ll probably find a few here.
Narration Notes: The story is based in the south and narrator Laura Hicks gives the characters a lovely southern drawl. I enjoyed listening to them talk (especially Mac) but there was one particular scene that hurt my innocent ears. Instead of using a sultry tone during the big “O� scene the narrator chose to shout out the dialogue almost angrily which completely pulled me out of the scene. Boo!
Sigh.
This is yet another book I only finished because it was an audiobook. 2 stars get knocked off because it irritated me so much on my already irritating commute to work.
Things begin in a shady part of town in the wee hours of the night. Private Investigator Mac is out on a case decked out in full drag when he meets Julie who is decked out in only a sexy nighty and sneakers (hang in, there is a reason for this). Mac witnesses her hitting his vehicle, attempting to take off and then getting tossed into the street in front of him. For some reason (being half naked and beautiful, perhaps?), he takes pity on her and agrees to help her spy on her philandering hubby. She’s grateful for the help and feels safe with him because she assumes he’s gay because he is toting around a floofy little poodle. Never mind the silly stereotypes. This is the good part and the least of your worries.
Mac is not gay, of course, and she figures it out soon enough. There is an obvious and heated attracted between them from the very beginning and it would’ve been really charming and sexy except there’s a little problem here. Julie is very much a married woman and up until this moment she hadn’t realized what a cheating, lying scum sucker she had married. She was blinded by Sid’s good looks, charm and his money. Julie is a former beauty queen who grew up poor and used her looks to marry above her station. She’s a trophy wife and just now realizing that Sid may want to trade her in for a newer model. I felt bad for Julie at this point and was warming up to her. The romance though was doomed from the beginning for me because I couldn’t shut off my brain. Wouldn’t this be a really hurtful realization for Julie and the worst possible time to start up a shiny new romance? Mac is great, there’s nothing wrong with him at all, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking there was only lust and pain pulling her towards him and that she had a lot of crap to deal with before starting anew. Not to mention that there is a murderer after her too . . .
I lost my enthusiasm for this romance when all of this was revealed and never got it back. And then Julie went and devolved from a nice southern belle into a bit of a witch who vented all of her anger and frustration on Mac who was nothing but decent to her. That’s pretty much when the story lost me.
Parts of it were still funny even if unintentional and this most definitely wasn’t the worst book ever. Breasts were compared to oranges and cantaloupes and for some reason that never failed to crack me up and oh how very much I loved the crazy pants metaphors and cheesy descriptions! You don’t read this kind of stuff every day and when you’re listening on audio they really stand out. Here’s a small sampling:
“She needed another man in her life right now like she needed a case of poison ivy�
�"Yeah," Hinkle said, looking as nervous as a beetle in an aviary.�
“Her ears were ringing so badly she might as well have been Quasimodo in the belltower. �
And my favorite comes from Mac:
“You walk into view, and I feel the earth move.�
Ooh, sexy talk.
Still, I liked Mac and couldn’t figure out why he was so gaga over Julie. Don’t get me wrong; she was strong and stubborn and I loved the fact that was a fighter who even bit a guy’s nose at one point but she’s pretty rotten to Mac in the second half of the book. They have good chemistry but most men would’ve high tailed it out of there early on. He was calm, understanding and had a sense of humor. It’s only because of Mac and his naughty poodle that the book gets three stars.
The mystery is also disappointing. It culminates in a tangled mess of murderous shifty business that you can’t figure out until the author reveals it at the end in a big info dump. I freely admit that my mind was drifting and I may have missed things here and there but when the big reveals were exposed there was no emotional payoff whatsoever.
This is a three star read if there ever was one but if you’re looking for some laughs you’ll probably find a few here.
Narration Notes: The story is based in the south and narrator Laura Hicks gives the characters a lovely southern drawl. I enjoyed listening to them talk (especially Mac) but there was one particular scene that hurt my innocent ears. Instead of using a sultry tone during the big “O� scene the narrator chose to shout out the dialogue almost angrily which completely pulled me out of the scene. Boo!
February 13, 2017
A very good read!
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December 13, 2022
This book has a little bit of everything: hot romance, humorous dialogue, fast-paced thrills, and even a dash of mystery.
29-year-old Julie Carlson is convinced her husband, Sid, is cheating on her. While following him one day, she ends up literally running into 32-year-old Mac McQuarry, an ex-cop turned private investigator. He's in a drag queen disguise, and the scenes where he's trying to convince her he's gay are pretty entertaining.
Julie retains Mac to find evidence of Sid cheating, but what she doesn't realise is that Sid's involved in way worse crimes than adultery. Mac knows - he suspects Sid of having murdered his older brother - so when Sid's hot beauty-queen wife falls into his lap, he's over the moon.
Admittedly I did get a bit tired of hearing about how jaw-dropping attractive both protagonists were, but that's just something you have to accept from writers who started their careers in the 1980s. The rest of it is pretty good. When she wants to, Karen Robards does have a dab hand at hero/heroine banter., and the pacing was decent.
I could have done with a proper epilogue, but her books never seem to have much closure anyway.
29-year-old Julie Carlson is convinced her husband, Sid, is cheating on her. While following him one day, she ends up literally running into 32-year-old Mac McQuarry, an ex-cop turned private investigator. He's in a drag queen disguise, and the scenes where he's trying to convince her he's gay are pretty entertaining.
Julie retains Mac to find evidence of Sid cheating, but what she doesn't realise is that Sid's involved in way worse crimes than adultery. Mac knows - he suspects Sid of having murdered his older brother - so when Sid's hot beauty-queen wife falls into his lap, he's over the moon.
Admittedly I did get a bit tired of hearing about how jaw-dropping attractive both protagonists were, but that's just something you have to accept from writers who started their careers in the 1980s. The rest of it is pretty good. When she wants to, Karen Robards does have a dab hand at hero/heroine banter., and the pacing was decent.
I could have done with a proper epilogue, but her books never seem to have much closure anyway.
August 25, 2008
I know this book didn't get the best reviews BUT for me it was among her best work. I loved how she worked humor into the plot. I have always loved a gofy charcter and this book has it.
November 10, 2023
â�: 4,5
LO AMEEEEEEEE
los dos personajes fueron graciosos en todo el libro, el suspenso me mantenÃa enganchada todo el tiempooo
PD: tengo que robarle más libros de romance a mi abuela
LO AMEEEEEEEE
los dos personajes fueron graciosos en todo el libro, el suspenso me mantenÃa enganchada todo el tiempooo
PD: tengo que robarle más libros de romance a mi abuela
July 25, 2016
I’m a fan of Karen Robards� writing so yes, I enjoyed reading the book. Only this book had really long passages and descriptives at times and I was tempted to skip here and there but mostly managed to not.
The H is absolutely delicious and a sweetheart (not taking away from his hotness here). An ex-marine/falsely accused and discharged cop/ now a P.I. who gets enmeshed with the h-wife of a cheating louse who also is the heir to the local drug Mafioso. He sets out to help and protect her as unbeknownst to her she has a hit man hot on her trail, contracted by her not so loving hubby. The H also has an ulterior motive in helping her as he suspects the mob’s hand in the disappearance of his older brother. The h only wants his help in nailing her cheating husband’s ass as she is anyways clueless about her husband’s shady connections but the H had his own secret agendas (read munitions for later MU).
And even if the husband was a louse and a cheater, the h/H having sex dint sit well with me. At the beginning of the book the h was ‘in love� with her husband even if he had grown distant and made excuses not to have sex with her. So it seemed not only precipitous but also like a revenge/rebound sex and relationship. In the normal course, she should have at least moved out first from her husband's place if not had a proper separation. Of course, as per the plot the husband wanted her dead rather than divorced. Still I felt the H deserved better even if he does believe her to be the personification of all his boyhood wet dreams come true.
And the h not believing the H on her husband’s dubious business credentials and even more incongruously (read stupidly) not believing she is a hit man’s target in spite of obvious pointers, was irritating.
The book has some real funny moments especially in the beginning when the h/H meet in a shady part of town at midnight while she is trailing her husband and he is on a case- she is in ‘husband bait� slinky pj’s (yes, almost a year of celibacy calls for desperate measures) and he is as Debbie, the drag queen! Sample this..
Julie glanced up, registered once again the mind-boggling dichotomy of platinum curls bouncing against breasts roughly the size of the Himalayas on a linebacker's broad-shouldered frame …The overall effect was Dolly Parton morphed with the Terminator.
He'd lost the wig, she registered with surprise, and his hair stood up all over his head in sweaty-looking dark blond spikes. Which, given his heavy makeup, made him look just as bizarre as before, only in a different way: Debbie as Boy George.
However weak the whole suspense thing was, I believe the author managed to make things quite menacing and also tie up all loose ends at the end, even though I would have liked a ‘longer� ending preferably with an epilogue.
The H is absolutely delicious and a sweetheart (not taking away from his hotness here). An ex-marine/falsely accused and discharged cop/ now a P.I. who gets enmeshed with the h-wife of a cheating louse who also is the heir to the local drug Mafioso. He sets out to help and protect her as unbeknownst to her she has a hit man hot on her trail, contracted by her not so loving hubby. The H also has an ulterior motive in helping her as he suspects the mob’s hand in the disappearance of his older brother. The h only wants his help in nailing her cheating husband’s ass as she is anyways clueless about her husband’s shady connections but the H had his own secret agendas (read munitions for later MU).
And even if the husband was a louse and a cheater, the h/H having sex dint sit well with me. At the beginning of the book the h was ‘in love� with her husband even if he had grown distant and made excuses not to have sex with her. So it seemed not only precipitous but also like a revenge/rebound sex and relationship. In the normal course, she should have at least moved out first from her husband's place if not had a proper separation. Of course, as per the plot the husband wanted her dead rather than divorced. Still I felt the H deserved better even if he does believe her to be the personification of all his boyhood wet dreams come true.
And the h not believing the H on her husband’s dubious business credentials and even more incongruously (read stupidly) not believing she is a hit man’s target in spite of obvious pointers, was irritating.
The book has some real funny moments especially in the beginning when the h/H meet in a shady part of town at midnight while she is trailing her husband and he is on a case- she is in ‘husband bait� slinky pj’s (yes, almost a year of celibacy calls for desperate measures) and he is as Debbie, the drag queen! Sample this..
Julie glanced up, registered once again the mind-boggling dichotomy of platinum curls bouncing against breasts roughly the size of the Himalayas on a linebacker's broad-shouldered frame …The overall effect was Dolly Parton morphed with the Terminator.
He'd lost the wig, she registered with surprise, and his hair stood up all over his head in sweaty-looking dark blond spikes. Which, given his heavy makeup, made him look just as bizarre as before, only in a different way: Debbie as Boy George.
However weak the whole suspense thing was, I believe the author managed to make things quite menacing and also tie up all loose ends at the end, even though I would have liked a ‘longer� ending preferably with an epilogue.
May 4, 2012
This book was full of suspense, excitement and yes, romance. It kept me riveted until the end, I just didn't want to put it down. I've never read anything by this author before, but I definitely recommend this book.
June 15, 2015
This was a great book! I couldn't put it down! I read this in 2 days that's a new record for me! Usually it takes me 4 or 5 days to finish a book! It had romance and mystery what's not to love! I loved all of it, I could read it again!
July 8, 2020
Plenty of adventure and great storyline.
October 18, 2023
Not my favorite from this accomplished thriller writer. It was written 20 years ago. Hard to believe at the time that answering machines would be so dated in just a few years & the introduction of a 'high tech' device into the plot, of....wait for it!....the memory stick, would be so unintentionally hilarious now.
There's a former beauty queen and a handsome P.I. and some mayhem along the way. Fun but forgettable.
There's a former beauty queen and a handsome P.I. and some mayhem along the way. Fun but forgettable.
April 4, 2012
Unabridged audiobook narrated by Laura Hicks.
Grade C+
To Trust a Stranger was a mixed bag for me. Parts of the story were quite well done and interesting, but other areas dragged and fell short. The suspense plot overall was good. There wasn't a whole lot to figure out, the only mystery was why these things were happening. The author doesn't give the reader key information about that until the very end of the book, so there was no way for the reader to put the pieces together. That doesn't really detract much from the story, since the action and suspense come mostly from the killer stalking Julie, not from the mystery behind that. The action scenes were well-written and nail-biting. Julie's fear and reactions seem realistic.
The romance was weak in my opinion, even though it take up a good deal of the book. All I ever felt between these two was lust based on physical appearance, especially from Mac. A lot of emphasis is put on Julie's beauty queen looks, and I never saw Mac see her as anything other than that, which is basically how her first husband saw her. We never see any development in his feelings and his passionate declaration of love seems totally out of left field for me.
I liked Mac's character, and I liked Julie too, for the most part. She was strong and determined, even if she didn't always think through her actions. I did get tired of her anger toward Mac during much of the last half of the book, though. Someone had been trying to kill her and yet she refuses to even listen to Mac's theories on why. Plus she puts herself in danger. Even if her carelessness doesn't lead to any problems, she's still being TSYL.
Julie is a former beauty pageant winner who pulled herself up out of virtual poverty into a comfortable life with her looks. Besides being a trophy wife, she owns and operates a clothing store that operate on an appointment-only basis for pageant contestants only. She's smart and successful as a dress designer. It makes sense that, caught up in that life, there is a big emphasis on her looks and weight. But over the course of the book I got really tired of hearing how she was worried constantly about putting on an ounce of weight, how she starves herself, etc. Her husband comments on her ample backside (which isn't ample, she's probably a size 4) and for the rest of the book the author refers to her rear as large. Maybe it was suppose to be tongue-in-cheek, but we never hear any encouragement or positive words from anyone such as, "You look wonderful, you don't need to lose an ounce!" I guess the author was keeping everyone in character, but it seems to me that even at the end, Julie is still being cherished for her outward appearance and will have to work hard to remain beautiful all her life in order to keep the approval.
Two other minor quibbles: First, I don't think unruly, destructive dogs are funny. Josephine the poodle has her cute moments, but untrained pets make me shudder, not laugh. Second, Ms Robards has a love for metaphors that borders on an obsession. This could be another drinking game. Take a shot every time Ms Robards uses a metaphor. You'd be under the table within pages. I didn't notice this when I listened to , so hopefully this isn't her usual MO.
Lastly, the narrator didn't work for me on this book, although I would consider listening to another book where she wasn't trying to fake southern accents. She does a southern accent that makes people sound like ignorant hicks.
Grade C+
To Trust a Stranger was a mixed bag for me. Parts of the story were quite well done and interesting, but other areas dragged and fell short. The suspense plot overall was good. There wasn't a whole lot to figure out, the only mystery was why these things were happening. The author doesn't give the reader key information about that until the very end of the book, so there was no way for the reader to put the pieces together. That doesn't really detract much from the story, since the action and suspense come mostly from the killer stalking Julie, not from the mystery behind that. The action scenes were well-written and nail-biting. Julie's fear and reactions seem realistic.
The romance was weak in my opinion, even though it take up a good deal of the book. All I ever felt between these two was lust based on physical appearance, especially from Mac. A lot of emphasis is put on Julie's beauty queen looks, and I never saw Mac see her as anything other than that, which is basically how her first husband saw her. We never see any development in his feelings and his passionate declaration of love seems totally out of left field for me.
I liked Mac's character, and I liked Julie too, for the most part. She was strong and determined, even if she didn't always think through her actions. I did get tired of her anger toward Mac during much of the last half of the book, though. Someone had been trying to kill her and yet she refuses to even listen to Mac's theories on why. Plus she puts herself in danger. Even if her carelessness doesn't lead to any problems, she's still being TSYL.
Julie is a former beauty pageant winner who pulled herself up out of virtual poverty into a comfortable life with her looks. Besides being a trophy wife, she owns and operates a clothing store that operate on an appointment-only basis for pageant contestants only. She's smart and successful as a dress designer. It makes sense that, caught up in that life, there is a big emphasis on her looks and weight. But over the course of the book I got really tired of hearing how she was worried constantly about putting on an ounce of weight, how she starves herself, etc. Her husband comments on her ample backside (which isn't ample, she's probably a size 4) and for the rest of the book the author refers to her rear as large. Maybe it was suppose to be tongue-in-cheek, but we never hear any encouragement or positive words from anyone such as, "You look wonderful, you don't need to lose an ounce!" I guess the author was keeping everyone in character, but it seems to me that even at the end, Julie is still being cherished for her outward appearance and will have to work hard to remain beautiful all her life in order to keep the approval.
Two other minor quibbles: First, I don't think unruly, destructive dogs are funny. Josephine the poodle has her cute moments, but untrained pets make me shudder, not laugh. Second, Ms Robards has a love for metaphors that borders on an obsession. This could be another drinking game. Take a shot every time Ms Robards uses a metaphor. You'd be under the table within pages. I didn't notice this when I listened to , so hopefully this isn't her usual MO.
Lastly, the narrator didn't work for me on this book, although I would consider listening to another book where she wasn't trying to fake southern accents. She does a southern accent that makes people sound like ignorant hicks.
January 6, 2020
Intriguing all the way to the end.
Intriguing non-stop reading all the way to the end; all the characters alive, smart, exciting; interesting page turning plot, recommend reading.
Intriguing non-stop reading all the way to the end; all the characters alive, smart, exciting; interesting page turning plot, recommend reading.
May 10, 2021
1.5 stars. I don’t think this book simply aged badly, it’s simply full of sexism.
I don’t know if this is the kind protagonists who floated the boat of the current romance taste back then, but today it’s somehow offensive even for me, a reader with broad taste in romance: the heroine is a puddle of all-over-the-place emotions with a serious case of shallowness and irrationality; it would be easier to sympathize with the archetypal damsel in distress of fairy tales. The hero is an uninspired Manlier Than Thou man with a compulsion for grabbing female wrists because he always knows best. The antagonists are totally despicable and pure cookie-cutter material.
The writing style is nice though, and the plot was enough to make me finish it (I admit, by skimming several eye-rolling scenes) but I shouldn’t have bothered because the ending was completely predictable, I hoped for a twist or something but no, the denouement was par for the course.
I don’t know if this is the kind protagonists who floated the boat of the current romance taste back then, but today it’s somehow offensive even for me, a reader with broad taste in romance: the heroine is a puddle of all-over-the-place emotions with a serious case of shallowness and irrationality; it would be easier to sympathize with the archetypal damsel in distress of fairy tales. The hero is an uninspired Manlier Than Thou man with a compulsion for grabbing female wrists because he always knows best. The antagonists are totally despicable and pure cookie-cutter material.
The writing style is nice though, and the plot was enough to make me finish it (I admit, by skimming several eye-rolling scenes) but I shouldn’t have bothered because the ending was completely predictable, I hoped for a twist or something but no, the denouement was par for the course.
January 2, 2011
Karen's books are always good, solid reads, but this book was wonderful. From the opening scene of the hero dressed as a huge, blonde drag queen to the very last page, this book has it all. Through in a trailor park in-law and the evil ex, you have a book full of laughter and love. Perfect!!
June 1, 2015
I was completely hooked one page into this story, and it kept me on the edge of seat the rest of the way through. Ms. Robards is the master at writing good romances brimming with passion and mystery!!
March 30, 2016
I enjoyed this book. there was a lot of drama. The characters were great. I thought Mac's character was hot, sexy, and fun. This was a great read. it kept my interest until the end. I loved it.
September 8, 2016
It was a roller coaster of love intrigue and crime
The only drawback was too many sex scenes that didn't add to the storyline but took away from it
The only drawback was too many sex scenes that didn't add to the storyline but took away from it
August 14, 2022
It took me awhile to finish this book, but not because it wasn’t an enjoyable read. It is a typical romantic suspense and I predicted early on exactly how it would end. That being said, it is a good book and worth reading. The main character, Julie, is extremely relatable and her dialogue is funny, witty, and interesting. Mac is also extremely likable, from the moment we meet him as “Debbie� until he’s confessing his love for Julie, he’s one of those characters you can’t help but enjoy reading and rooting for.
Like I said, the plot itself is pretty predictable and I didn’t find myself shocked or surprised by the ending. It was a good ending nonetheless and our main characters all got what they deserved, both good and bad.
I do recommend this book for a light read. Karen Robards is an excellent writer.
Like I said, the plot itself is pretty predictable and I didn’t find myself shocked or surprised by the ending. It was a good ending nonetheless and our main characters all got what they deserved, both good and bad.
I do recommend this book for a light read. Karen Robards is an excellent writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2025
So, I read this book for the first time when I was 14 (definitely too young to read an adult romance) and fell in love with Karen Robards novels. They have everything you want; romance, suspense, action, a little bit of comedy.
I enjoyed this book just as much the second time around, 17 years later (yikes) and still found myself crushing on Mac McQuarry. I will say some of the dialogue hasn’t necessarily aged well and I found every character’s obsession with Julie’s butt (seriously, every character) to be a bit weird, and “The Blazer� was said too many times� but that’s just me being nit picky. Overall, a fun read that I was so happy to revisit.
I enjoyed this book just as much the second time around, 17 years later (yikes) and still found myself crushing on Mac McQuarry. I will say some of the dialogue hasn’t necessarily aged well and I found every character’s obsession with Julie’s butt (seriously, every character) to be a bit weird, and “The Blazer� was said too many times� but that’s just me being nit picky. Overall, a fun read that I was so happy to revisit.
February 24, 2017
This book was just ok. I'm usually a huge Karen Robards fan-one of my go-to authors when I have a craving for romantic-suspense. Unfortunately, I think this one had way too much romance and way too little suspense. There wasn't much mystery and though there were exciting parts, there wasn't enough to keep my interest through 420 pages. She should have cut out at least 150 pages and reduced the love story that seemed to be on repeat. I'm not giving up on Ms. Robards, I think this one was just a bad apple that snuck into the barrel.
September 14, 2023
Am I the only one who hated it to the point I couldn't finish it? I don't know why the reviews on here are generally high. It reads like a man wrote it, even though to my knowledge Karen Robards is not a pen name for a male author. The heterosexual romance, the extreme heterosexuality of it all is a little funny to me but without the ironic humor I find in it, is very plain and boy + girl must equal love type of beat. Cheating, forbidden romance (but because it's cheating)...all very tired tropes and this feels so unoriginal.
December 21, 2016
I like Robards' books but somehow left this story on the To Read shelf for years. Now I know why. I must have started it and the protagonist, Julie, behaved so recklessly that I stopped reading. It's become a real irritant for me to read female protagonists who consistently do stupid stuff that I can't imagine any sensible woman would do. I guess her behavior helped propel the story--but still. I liked Mac, and the dog, and solving the mystery, so overall it's a good story.
May 30, 2020
To Trust few Stranger
Perhaps the title of this book should have been The Further Adventures of Josephine! She may have been small, being a toy poodle and all, but she was instrumental in saving Mac and Julie's lives. The mob was out to get them and leading the charge was Sid, Julie's husband, who had put a hit man in her because there were things that needed to be kept quite.
Enter, Josephine!!!!!
Perhaps the title of this book should have been The Further Adventures of Josephine! She may have been small, being a toy poodle and all, but she was instrumental in saving Mac and Julie's lives. The mob was out to get them and leading the charge was Sid, Julie's husband, who had put a hit man in her because there were things that needed to be kept quite.
Enter, Josephine!!!!!
February 3, 2021
To Trust A stranger by Karen Robards
I’ve rarely enjoyed a novel as much as this one. It was fabulous. The sexual tension vibrated literally off the pages. Ms. Robards is a master at stretching this tension across the whole novel, never letting off the gas pedal, never getting boring, and her leading man is tough, but mouth watering. I can highly recommend this novel . I would have given it 4 and 1/2 stars if I knew how. Reviewed By Heide Katros , Winter Haven News, Florida
I’ve rarely enjoyed a novel as much as this one. It was fabulous. The sexual tension vibrated literally off the pages. Ms. Robards is a master at stretching this tension across the whole novel, never letting off the gas pedal, never getting boring, and her leading man is tough, but mouth watering. I can highly recommend this novel . I would have given it 4 and 1/2 stars if I knew how. Reviewed By Heide Katros , Winter Haven News, Florida
August 12, 2023
Loved this book.
I couldn’t stop reading. Loved the suspense level. Max has been investigating what happened to his brother and happens to get hired by the wife of who he’s suspected of killing him. Julie trusts him but doesn’t know exactly how bad her husband is. Loved how hard they fall for each other. Who is trying to kill her? Loved not knowing who Big Boss was. Thankfully there’s a happy ever after. I recommend this book.
I couldn’t stop reading. Loved the suspense level. Max has been investigating what happened to his brother and happens to get hired by the wife of who he’s suspected of killing him. Julie trusts him but doesn’t know exactly how bad her husband is. Loved how hard they fall for each other. Who is trying to kill her? Loved not knowing who Big Boss was. Thankfully there’s a happy ever after. I recommend this book.
December 12, 2021
Almost gave this a two out of five instead of three. Needs editing - too wordy. Good humour, and all right for reading if you're looking for a light read. The storyline is good but there was a lot of unnecessary descriptive wording and parts of the story that could've been cut out. Also, use of stereotypes. Can tell this was written a while ago.
September 29, 2024
Julie Carlson thinks her wealthy husband is cheating on her. She follows him to downtown Charleston in the middle of the night, She ends up having her car stolen in a parking lot and is driven home by Debbie who is really Mac a private investigator. Julie is attracted to Mac but believes he is gay. Will Mac be able to keep Julie safe and discover what her husband is hiding?
December 30, 2018
There were parts of this I really enjoyed and parts that seemed a bit ridiculous . I loved the humor that the author wove into the story but the main character’s behavior was at times so reckless as to make the story unbelievable. Just mediocre for me.
April 27, 2019
I heard the abridged audio, which is likely good, because the character did some dumb crap even in this short version, which only serves to irritate me to the fullest. Funny parts, loved Mac.....would like more of him please.....
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