STRANGER IN HIS BED is the fifth book in Lauren Canan's Masters of Texas series but it works as a standalone story as well. This book is a fabulous mix of a few classic romance tropes: a marriage of convenience, a fake relationship that turns real, and amnesia. Lauren Canan tells this story from alternating perspectives but still manages to throw in a few twists from the characters. Victoria Masters wakes up at the start of STRANGER IN HIS BED not remembering who she is, how she got injured and wound up in a hospital, and is extremely surprised to find that she's married. Business tycoon Wade Masters planned a cold-blooded but practical marriage of convenience but the woman he finds at a hospital proves to be very different than the woman he struck a bargain with.

Both of these two main characters are very sympathetic. Victoria initially thinks that her marriage is a normal one, and Wade's occasional aloofness has her off center. They both have a physical attraction to each other but react slightly differently to that attraction. Victoria is trying to get her footing while having amnesia, so she wants to embrace a close connection with someone, but Wade's behavior has her confused and cautious. Wade is knocked for a loop because the more Victoria acts differently from how she normally did, the more he falls in love with her. These two characters start the book with completely different expectations for their relationship but are pleasantly surprised by the happiness and true love they find.

STRANGER IN HIS BED is a scrumptious and sensual story for romance fans. Wade and the way he describes his initial relationship with Victoria, along with the various plot twists are slightly reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's classic novel REBECCA. STRANGER IN HIS BED has made me a Lauren Canan fan and I look forward to her next book.