Lady Isabel Pelham is a widow, known among the ton as an extraordinarily skilled and devoted mistress. Gerard Faulkner, Marquess of Grayson, is a rake of the first order, with women falling over themselves to be chosen as his mistress of the month. In an effort to keep his mother from arranging the perfect (perfectly horrible) marriage for Gray, he convinces Isabel to join him in a marriage of convenience. That way both of them can continue on their amorous ways without having to answer to anyone but themselves. However, after receiving some devastating news, Gray takes to the county, leaving Isabel to wonder why he left and when, or even if, he’s ever coming back.

When Gray unexpectedly returns four years later, he’s not the man Isabel married. The old Gray was more interested in the season’s newest girls. This Gray is determined to make Isabel love him the way a wife should. And he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal.

Sylvia Day’s newest release from Brava is completely captivating. The minute I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. Day weaves a thoroughly engrossing tale about two people who fall in love long after they’ve said their vows. Both Isabel and Gray are richly drawn characters, and the chemistry between them is electric. Gray’s determination to have Isabel love him the way he loves her makes him endearing yet vulnerable. The Stranger I Married was the first book I’ve read by Day, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Her next Brava release, Passion for the Game, will be published in May 2007.