Stranger
Megan Hart
Harlequin Spice, Jan 2009, $13.95
ISBN: 9780373605279

Funeral director Grace Frawley has no interest in a permanent man in her life. Instead of a husband or even a boyfriend, Grace prefers to hire young hunks from a circumspect escort service.

However, Grace makes a mistake one night at the Fishtank when she assumes musician Sam Stewart is her escort date. The evening turns euphoric for the always alone woman as she has the best sex of her life. She is unable to forget the hunk even with passionate trysts with Jack, whom she was originally to meet at the Fishtank. Grace feels out of sorts as this has not happened to her love them but leave them lifestyle before. She begins to wonder why she fears commitment while her sister is happily married. Sam is half in love with his amazing Grace, but wants the entire woman, heart and soul not just her body. He has run out of patience with the woman he loves so he is ready to play a sad final refrain and move on to the next gig though he knows that will lack passion.

What gives this wonderful erotic contemporary romance plenty of 'Hart' is the deep look inside Grace, whose first person account is profound and terrific starting with her realization she slept with a stranger; as if Jack being a business arrangement is not. Fans understand her fears of relationship and commitment even as she does not fully grasp the whys. Sam and Jack are strong support characters as is her family; as each escorts the audience deeper within the complex soul of Grace.

Harriet Klausner