The first time I saw him was at a bar called Ophelia’s on a misty Thursday night. I was there to drown my sorrows after a trying day, he was there to escape the storm. After a brief yet incredibly cruel exchange, the handsome stranger bolted before I had a chance to tell him off. Incensed and two cocktails deep, I followed him out the door, determined to give the audacious Adonis a piece of my … mind.
Tearing after him in heels and barely able to keep up in the freezing rain, I ended my chase when I realized where he was going.
They say never to judge someone unless you know their story.
I never could have anticipated his…
And I never could have anticipated the way our paths would cross again—or that I would one day find myself falling for a man with a hollow cavity where his heart should be, a man as callous as he was beautiful, as complicated as he was mesmeric.
They say never to judge someone unless you know their story.
This one’s ours.
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I went into this book blindly, intrigued by the title alone–a title that gave me the impression it was to be an enemies-to-lovers story. And in its own compelling and ambiguous way, it is. But between the complex layers of story line is woven a perception of opposites attract – a story of two damaged and flawed characters, but where one is bitter and pessimistic, the other is compassionate and sincere.
The Cruelest Stranger is an emotional love story of redemption and second chances, a romance that makes you believe that everything happens for a reason. Fate….destiny….how separate events in two characters’ lives lead them on a path to finding one another, where circumstances continuously force both of their worlds to collide. Their pasts may be heartbreaking, tragic, and dysfunctional at times, but it’s one woman’s determination to save a man from himself, to show him there’s more to life than just “existing”, that love and family is what truly matters at the end of the day.
The intricate yet complicated relationship between Bennett and Astaire, in correlation to the magnificent writing and narrative, was an emotional tidal wave of loneliness, animosity, and angst. Yet when you strip away the pain and cruelty, you are given a beautiful and romantic story of atonement, peace, and acceptance….that at the darkest of times, light can always be found.
Astaire has suffered the kind of loss no one should ever suffer, but yet she’s so kind and compassionate, she’s like sunshine. When she meets Bennett Schoenbach, it’s on the anniversary of that loss, and she’s had a day. And he makes it worse, so much worse just by being his hostile, asshole self.
So how on earth did she come to fall for such a dick? Well, the heart (and body) wants what the heart wants, and she’s determined to figure him out, as determined as he is to keep her out, to keep his walls as strong and high as ever.
Winter Renshaw is great at writing assholes. Make no bones about it, Bennett is an asshole. On the surface. Inside, he’s just scarred from being raised by one of the douchiest, skeaviest families ever. I love how Astaire brings him light, brings his heart back to life, just by being herself. The Cruelest Stranger is a sort of enemies to lovers story, which is one of my favorite tropes, and Winter’s nailed it here. Antagonism masking pain, masking attraction, morphing into love – I loved it!
This was an awesome read. The characters are well developed and engaging and the storyline is well written And has a smooth flow to it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was CRAZY good. It was so beautifully written and heart wrenching. I absolutely loved Astaire from the get go. I loved how positive she was and how strong and kind. I hated Bennett and I’m not really sure where in this tangled web I fell in love with him but I did. This book has so many twists and turns in it that it’s impossible to put down and I enjoyed every minute of it. Another home run for Mrs. Renshaw.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This might be my favorite Winter Renshaw’s books to date. I loved it!
A simple twist of fate has Alistair and Bennett meeting each other. They both have tragic pasts that are life changing but two people couldn’t be so outwardly different. She’s a ray of sunshine and he is a dark cloud. This book is fantastic and heartfelt. This author’s has a magnificent way of pulling me into a story. I loved everything about it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Is it possible for a Kindergarten teacher trapped in a depressing cycle of grief, to wield her way into the darkest soul of a man with the kindness of her heart and the tug of deep-seated connection?
Astaire seems up for the challenge; moving on from the death of the love of your life is hard. When she sees Bennet in a bar, thinking he is one man, finding out he is the complete jackhole opposite.. should have her running for the hills-while he’s running the other direction!
A force of nature beyond their frustrating control keeps pulling these two unlikely souls back together in an unputdownable, angsty, heart of hearts read. Gah- I loved every cruel and beautiful moment of it! Winter Renshaw outdid herself with the characters and heart grasping storyline!
Deserves 5++ stars!
This is a must read!
Winter writes a story that will pull you in so quickly, you almost feel like you are there with Astaire and Bennett. The twists of fate that ties these two characters together is so compelling, it brought tears to my eyes.
Batman 4 ½ stars – It was hard to warm up to Bennett’s character. He was abrasive and downright rude. But what he’s not is passive. He wanted Astaire and he is determined to have her. He is also intelligent and realizes Astaire’s value. He is astute because he was able to recognize and admit to his connection to Astaire instead of denying or fighting it. Astaire is a very kind and forgiving person even though her childhood might not warrant it. While she is attracted to Bennett, she knows that her wants and Bennett’s goals do not align in the beginning and she has the strength of character to say ‘No’ to his charms. I do like the characters’ growth. As for the plot, I like the flow and the various bits of surprises. The story keeps me engaged. In the end, I appreciate Bennett’s no drama approach to courting Astaire and his Batman actions that speak louder than words. [I received an advanced copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.]
I’ve read several books written by Winter Renshaw; she has done a great job at writing a good book; she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of books her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I loved the chemistry between the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
This was an interesting story to read. After awhile I was questioning and wondering what Astair truly seen in Bennett. Why did she reach out continuously when he was.clearly cold and uninterested. As this story unfolds I found it to both frustrate and fuel me. There is something that Astair sees in Bennett that drives her to reach out and get to know him. Eventually, slowly the secrets are revealed. This is definitely a bumpy and twisted road for both Bennett and Astair but travelled together, it could be happiness. Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoy Winters work, but this has got to be her best yet. I loved this story. It hooked me and it didn’t let me go until the end.
It’s emotional, sexy, funny it has it all. Bennett and Astaire are two broken people that find each other in a bar, it was instant attraction but very frustrating because Bennett is not an easy person, his anger and coldness shows but Astaire is the sweetest and doesn’t let that get to her.
It amazing the things this two go thru, how they find each other, and help each other thru forgiveness and love.
Beautiful story, and great characters. I highly recommend it.
This story grabs you from the first page and leaves you tearful yet leaves your clamorous heart begging for so much more! I fell in love with Bennett and Astaire was phenomenal. Bennett is the epitome of someone broken from life but able to cope just by the bare minimum of feeling and not living but existing. When Astaire addresses him the first time he is very cruel and vicious to her but she perseveres and realizes that underneath all of the turmoil that has Bennett in its grasp he is a soul that totally has what it takes to make her happy. This story will make you cringe and then make you smile. The characters are beautifully written and with all that is this story it will make your heart soar.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great story, sad and full of emotions.
This is my first read of Winter’s and I am absolutely blown away at her craftsmanship. I am also kicking myself for not finding her sooner, but that just makes me thankful that I grabbed this read.
Get ready for a perfectly angsty, slow burn, kind of enemies to lovers read that will have your emotions all over the place. But once you start, you won’t stop until you are done. I completely devoured this book and finished it today (which is also when I started it). Winter has the gift of being to create a story with characters that I found myself being able to connect with. She drew me in from the first page and I found myself slowing down because I didn’t want Bennett and Astaire’s story to end. I loved everything and will happily read this again.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow, such an emotional, angst-filled, enemy to lovers story! Astaire, a kindergarten teacher, is trying to get over the loss of her fiancé and yet, she is still the “glass half full” type of person who always tries to see the best in everyone she meets. So when her co-workers set her up on a blind date, she’s the ray of sunshine he meets. But meeting Bennett, who is a case of mistaken identity, she sees a man who is in pain. Unfortunately, he is the cruelest person she’s ever met when he lashes out at her. This is such a rollercoaster ride of emotions as they find out there’s more linking them together than just their meeting at a bar. A great read where Fate plays the making all the moves.
A real enemies to lovers book with a fairy tale ending is my most apt description of this book. Not all families are blood…. no some families are made. My first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The book cover certainly caught my eye, it’s beautiful!
What did I like? This book is very down to earth and the pages just sweep you away. Bennett is every bit as cruel as the title suggests and Astaire really balances him with her kindness. A yin to a yang… his dark to her light feeling. His turnabout is believed and painfully slow. Still the back and forth between the two ensnared me.
Would I buy or recommend? I’m a fan of enemies to lovers, this one is a delight because he is rather cruel at first. It’s refreshing really. If your a fan of the genre then you will want to buy!
Thoughts for the author? Congratulations on the release. I enjoyed Bennett’s strengths and weaknesses. Bonus story at the end was fun too. Love the character names too.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A mistaken identity on a raining day in a bar with a cruel stranger is the start of the amazing story of Astaire and Garrett.
I read this book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.
Another 5* read from Winter.
As I read then book it kind of reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. Bennet is a cruel & cold man who does not shoes kindness to people hence the Beast. Astaire is kind soul that looks at the positive side of everything even though life has been hard for her in many ways hence Belle.
After the way he treated her when they met and subsequently she continued to see the good in him.
I loved the way the author developed the story it kept me interested and engaged.
Can’t wait for more.
I received this book as an ARC in return for an honest review.
He wasnt cruel. He was downright mean to her for no reason. His mood may have dictated a lot it but without reason. Her message to him almost made it worse instead it actually helped to know her thoughts. They were toxic to each other until they were just nice to each other. I think they were just acting angry just to talk to each other again. It worked in their favor.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.