Stealing Heaven: Stealing Heaven

This book had a compelling story with great characters that grabbed me from the very beginning. The story line is described below so I don't need to describe it further, but the most significant angle of the book is that the past is catching up with Adrian, and Norah- a quiet (almost homely) woman- gets caught right in the middle of it. It's really great to see how she does in the "sink or swim" situation of being married to such a dominant and strong man as Adrian. It's also wonderful to see how Adrian completely falls under her spell of quiet strenght. I never had a problem with the pace of the story - It flowed naturally from one chapter to the next, and though at times characters might be considered cookie cutter - the dark hero and the "milk and water" miss - Adrian and Norah were a great combination and a compelling read.

Stealing Heaven is the book that got me started on Cates. Her stories are sweet and tender. This is one of her best--up there with Gather the Stars and Magic. Sir Aidan Kane's teenage daughter, Cassandra, sends for a bride for him by letter. Aidan is furious when Norah arrives at his castle expecting to marry him. She is shoked to find him young and handsome with a dark past--it's said he killed his first wife. He is not the lonely old man she was expecting. Despite the rough start, Aidan's daughter, is still determined to get them together. I loved Aidan and Nora. There were interesting secondary characters too. There was a dark mystery that kept me glued. The romance was touching--they had the sweetest wedding night! Definitely worth checking out.