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The Smile of the Stranger Synopsis
The first book in the breathtaking Paget Family Saga, a Gothic regency romance from the legendary Joan Aiken. Perfect for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton and Julia Quinn.
When danger forces expatriate English gentlewoman Juliana Paget to flee her home in Italy, she embarks on a journey full of thrilling adventure. Nothing could have prepared her for outwitting a French mob, crossing the Channel in a hot air balloon, or fending off the advances of the fascinating Count Welcker.
Arriving in London just in time for her very first Season, Juliana is going to find all her ideals challenged – and the truth of her heart finally revealed . . .
Full of romance and adventure, The Smile of the Stranger is the first book in The Paget Family Saga. Continue the series with The Weeping Ash.
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Press Reviews
Joan Aiken Press Reviews
The Smile of the Stranger would have won Miss Heyer’s complete approval – a regency Gothic romp stamped with Joan Aiken’s splendid wit, pace and sentiment - The Observer
Joan Aiken has such fun when she writes that it’s infectious – gloriously exaggerated characters and plot are spiced by a dry wit which forbids one to take anything seriously at all - The Daily Telegraph
Joan Aiken is a storyteller par excellence with an educated awareness of nineteenth-century English fiction - The Guardian
One of those authentic storytellers who can make you gasp - New York Times Book Review
Another top-notch confection from a first-class pastry cook! - Kirkus Reviews
Intrigues, false identities and plots to marry the girl . . . for an evening of delightful adventures and misunderstandings you can’t do better - News Sentinel
Author
About Joan Aiken
Joan Aiken was born on 4 September 1924 in Rye, East Sussex and produced one of her best-loved works, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, in 1962, the first in her highly acclaimed series, the 'Wolves Chronicles'. Many classics followed, and Joan was awarded the MBE for services to Children's Literature in 1999. Much loved as a writer of astonishing imagination for adults and children alike, she died on 4 January 2004 at the age of seventy-nine.
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