Trouble at the Wedding

Trouble at the Wedding by Laura Lee Guhrke 112

Miss Annabelle Weaton is determined to marry into the aristocracy and has no illusion that her marriage will be one for love. Her father abandoned her and then left her a fortune on his death so she has no trouble catching an impoverished lord who's willing to sell his title to save the family coffers. The Earl of Rumsfield provides the perfect into a society that regards her as white trash because of her Mississippi background, but her uncle is determined to stop their marriage. He enlists the help of Christian De Quesne, the Duke of Scarborough. Christian has his own troubled past after his first marriage ended with his wife's suspicious death after he had abandoned her for the majority of their marriage. However, he is in need of funds and finds Rumsfield a pompous ass so he sets about undermining Annabelle's dedication. Sparks fly between them and Annabelle's confidence wavers about her upcoming marriage as she sees Rumsfield's arrogance and imagined that there might be passion and romance out there for her.

Christian does not plan to ever marry again but he cannot deny that there is something special about Annabelle and during a secretive late night out he knows he must stop the wedding at any cost. But when his actions lead to the end of Annabelle's plan to be accepted by society his family is there to force him to do the right thing. He knows that he will make a terrible husband so their engagement is only until Annabelle is settled into society and she can discretely break things off and save both their reputations. Their false engagement forces them to spend quite a bit of time together though and Christian finds himself confiding in her about private things he had thought long forgotten. As he watches Annabelle move seamlessly through the murky waters of London society he is forced to confront his feelings and realize that he doesn't want to risk losing Annabelle forever. And Annabelle discovers that being accepted by society is not worth giving up on the possibility of true love and together they must work to achieve what they want and find love.

Annabelle's motives were well explained and I admired that she went after what she wanted but it was impossible not to recognize how awful, unrealistic, and plain mercenary. That made it very difficult to like her or really respect her as she was so out of touch with her own needs and it took her so long to realize that her expectations were not really what she wanted. Her dismissal of her family's concerns seemed out of character for someone who was so family oriented and her naive assumption that she would be accepted by everyone after a wedding were more unlikeable traits. Christian's obsession with not getting married became old very quickly and while I liked that he was able to feel guilt over his own actions I thought that it was overdone and was a poor excuse for dragging the book on past the point where it should have been over. His motives were questionable at best and his actions to get the wedding cancelled risked her reputation and showed his carelessness. However, Christian and Annabelle did have quite a bit of chemistry between them and the lust was very obvious.

They spent a lot of time together, lots of arguing and refusing to admit their feelings for each other of course, but for a couple with such explosive attraction there is surprisingly little release as the there is very little sex and it is not that hot at all. They had a lot of fun together, they could be honest with each other and since both of them had different views on society it was really interesting as they each came to see things from the other's point of view and really showed how they would work so well together as a couple. There is very little realism in Annabelle's complete acceptance by society just because Christian claims they are engaged and I was a little taken aback by how his own family encouraged the match. She really was not ton material and I guess I am just over society matrons being blown away by American frankness. As usual Guhrke has a very fun and enjoyable pace and a great, easy to read writing style which I always find a pleasure to read, even when the book itself is not that engrossing however I am a little tired of reading the same story from her over and over.

Rating: Two characters I found unremarkable in a plot that was just a little too familiar and while it was easy to read it was rather bland; nothing wrong but nothing special.

Scandal of the Year

Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke 215

Aidan Carr is the incredibly proper Duke of Tretham, which is why the entire ton is shocked when he is found in the bed of the very married Lady Julia Yardley. Her husband discovers them and demands a divorce and while Julia becomes the scandal of the ton, Aidan is left by yet another fiance. Julia's marriage to Lord Yardley had been horrific and she had tried desperately for years to get him to file for divorce. Seducing Aidan and being discovered by him was her last resort and though she feels bad for fooling him, she would not change a thing. The two had met when they were younger, right before she was supposed to marry Yardley, and throughout the years they have run into each other at various events. After the divorce is finalized they keep their distance, but they have numerous friends in common so complete avoidance is an impossibility. Their reunion leaves both of them frustrated as Aidan knows Julia is completely wrong and far too scandalous and yet he cannot help but want her, while Julia is confused by the desire she is feeling for the first time in years.

Aidan is trying to look for a wife as he has a duty to provide an heir, yet he cannot get images of Julia out of his head. His memories of their afternoon are shady but the small snatches he does remember are enough to make him hot under the collar. Julia has problems of her own as she is massively in debt as her husband cut her off even before their divorce. She takes it upon herself to help Aidan find a wife and Aidan is stunned at how spot on her observations about his personal tastes are. He realizes that he wants none of the women out there as much as he wants her and sets about trying to prove to her that she wants him just as much. Unfortunately he has quite a bit to contend with as she is haunted by her past with her abusive ex-husband and though Aidan does not know the extent of what she endured, he fears it is too much for them to ever overcome. Julia trusts Aidan and he knows that he will never treat her like Yardley, yet she is still fearful and she must look deep inside herself before she is finally able to let go and take a leap with Aidan.

I got a little peek into Aidan and Julia's relationship in Wedding of the Season and I was very intrigued to discover how Guhrke brought these two together when it was so clear they were each determined not to like the other. This book left a significant gap in time as we jump in after Aidan and Julia are discovered by her husband and after the subsequent divorce. At first this disappointed me, but it would not have added anything to the story and so I let it go. I am not a fan of romances where the characters are attracted to each other through barbing each other and inciting heated arguments that lead to banter. This book walked a very fine line between doing that and successfully writing two characters who were just scared of showing how much they liked each other. Julia's divorce played such a large part in shaping who she was and I wish we had learned earlier what exactly had happened to make her the way she was. The best part of her fear was the way that Aidan was so perfectly suited to help her overcome her fear and support her as much as she needed.

I do like the staid and proper gentleman who is taken in by the scandalous woman and Aidan was so wonderfully proper and it was so obvious that he had a bit of deviltry in him. Julia was the perfect woman to bring it out at first, but then I got rather confused as she started backing away and trying to set him up with other women. It seemed like she became a little schizophrenic in this book, but I will admit it fit with her character who tried to put on such a brave face even while being scared inside. The two of them worked well together overall and the focus of the story was definitely on the development of their relationship, which I always appreciate in a romance novel. There was very little sex in the book and it was just a couple of scenes at the very end and was rather plain and boring overall. This is not really unusual for a Guhrke novel so I was not expecting something hot and steamy. There were some references to previous characters, but nothing too major and I was not overwhelmed with them or anything.

Rating: An even showing by Guhrke, but while there was nothing wrong with it, there was also nothing spectacular either- just a satisfying romance novel.

Wedding of the Season

Wedding of the Season by Laura Lee Guhrke 109

Beatrix Danbury loved William Mallory her entire life and their engagement and eventual marriage was a foregone conclusion. But Will felt stifled by his life and the expectations surrounding his eventual inheritance of the Sunland Dukedom, and he dreamed of one day escaping to Egypt where he could explore his archeological passions. Two weeks before their wedding he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and, thinking that Beatrix would be thrilled and willing to join him, he accepts. Beatrix is horrified and refuses to leave her father, her safe existence, and the life she has planned out for herself in England so their wedding is called off and Will goes to Egypt for six years. Beatrix was heartbroken but comforted herself by feeling secure, but when her father dies her life is once again thrown into disarray and she begins to take more adventures like the sort she took with Will when she was younger. She meets and becomes engaged to Aidan, the Duke of Tretham, just as Will comes back to England looking for more funding.

Will never got over Beatrix, or the abandoned feelings when she refused to go with him, and he is sad that she has chosen someone so safe and predictable when he feels she needs more adventure after living to satisfy her father for so long. Beatrix is furious at Will for returning right as her life is looking good again, but his return reminds her of all the fun they had and all the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place. It isn't long before Will knows he wants Beatrix back; he wants to teach her to be adventurous again and take her with him to Egypt. Beatrix is still scared of taking the plunge and worried about breaking things off with Aidan, but when one adventure goes too far everyone is forced to admit that her marriage to Aidan was always an impossibility because she can never feel for him what she felt for Will. Will knows without a doubt that he loves Beatrix but he cannot give up his life long dream of discover King Tut's tomb and he wants desperately to convince Beatrix to finally take the chance of a lifetime. Beatrix must finally step out of her safe existence and discover for herself that taking a big leap of faith is worth it to spend her life with the man she loves.

I am a sucker for romances where the hero and heroine are long lost lovers because it provides wonderful amounts of angst and often involves copious introspection on the part of both of the characters that results in great character development. We get to see these characters as they were as children, as they were during the first blush of youth, and as they fell in love all over again. Beatrix is wonderful as the fearful and yet secretly adventurous woman who wants a family and the predictable English aristocratic life. Will is also great, although less well developed, as the explorer who wants to buck the system and carve out a new life. Beatrix is perfect for the adventurous Will and they both bring out the best in each other and while he makes her take risks, she makes him see the benefit of a more safe life. I do wish they had spent more time together that wasn't relegated to him making her take risks though and I really wish there had been more sex between these two. There were a few lukewarm scenes and only one completed scene and none of it was precisely hot. But it was clear that both of them genuinely loved the other and I did like that.

I do not like a book where the hero jilts the heroine and what made this book so great was that they both were equally jilted and felt the other was responsible for their breakup. And it was easy to see the situation from both sides as I empathized with Beatrix for wanting it safe and respecting English tradition and with Will who wanted adventure and to find a way out of the dying aristocracy. It made sense for Beatrix to expect Will to stay and for Will to expect Beatrix to follow him so I felt like it was not correct to blame one of them for what happened more than the other. I liked that the book did not make either Beatrix for being fearful and wanting security or Will who wanted adventure and a new life, out to be wrong or a villain- they just wanted different things. While the end could not be a compromise between their choices, the right choice won out in the end and it was a choice that made both of them happy. As usual I enjoyed Guhrke's writing style, but I still felt like the book went very slowly and kind of dragged overall. However, I am very much looking forward to reading the sequel to this, which tells Aidan's story.

Rating: A great exploration of two very different people forming a loving, balanced relationship, but I was still bored by the book at times.

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures by Laura Lee Guhrke 724

Daphne Wade has had a very unconventional upbringing as she travelled with her father in the near and middle east digging up and studying ancient ruins. When her father died, Daphne with left with almost nothing, but she decided to fulfill the last commission her father had accepted and goes to England to work for the Duke of Tremore. Anthony was not expecting this rather plain and mechanical woman, but she is indeed the best and he hires her for the next few years until his estate has been entirely excavated. But it is not long before Daphne is head over heels for the very handsome and intelligent duke and she is using spyglass to watch him work topless. When Anthony's sister, Viola, visits, she discovers Daphne's feelings for Anthony and offers to take Violet away so she can get to know her grandfather, who is noble and disowned Daphne's mother when she eloped, and so she can be introduced into society.

When Anthony discovers that Daphne is leaving he is furious and confused as he does not see how Daphne could ever catch a husband, and unfortunately Daphne hears his tirade. She is heartbroken and decidesit is about time she start standing up for herself. Anthony is confused, but strangely attracted, to the new more vibrant and contentious Daphne and is desperate to have her stay on and work for him. The two have quite the little push and pull going with them bargaining for my time and it is not long before kisses and more becoming part of their little game. But Anthony is determined to have a dutiful and loveless marriage as his experience with love has been less than thrilling, and Daphne can not accept anything less than a husband who loves her. It will take some very interesting courtship rituals before Anthony can admit, and Daphne can believe, that he truly does love her in return.

First and foremost I have to say that Guhrke once again writes two really interesting and well developed characters who are completely suited for each other. I love that she can write female characters who have careers that they can really do and really add some extra something special, not just a charity or volunteer commitment. In this case Daphne is extremely educated and I always love that, especially here because it is one more thing that she and Anthony have in common as he is into the same things that she is. Her transformation to outspoken diva was a little abrupt, but it was explained away as that was the way she genuinely was and it was only her awe of Anthony that kept her from letting go. Anthony was a really well done character as well and I liked reading about the way his feelings about Daphne changed throughout the novel- from a stick-insect machine to the woman he can't stop thinking about.

One thing that was not fully fleshed out was his fear of love. It was discussed a little bit in the background, but for something that played such a big part of the novel there was no little scenes with him stressing over what had happened and how he could not fall in love. There is only a little sex between the two of them and it is pretty hot, but there is some nice buildup and the two are obviously very physically attracted to her. His desire for her lead to some really fun inner dialogue about the mistakes he had made in his relationship with her and how much he really wants her. I really enjoyed their interactions as they had some very unusual flirting rituals, including this great spell where they communicated through flowers. They were never truly mean to each other and while they argued, it was not mean spirited or annoyingly petty.

Rating: Two great interesting and unique characters who were perfect for each other and I really enjoyed reading the romance between the two of them.

The Marriage Bed

The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke 506

Nine years ago Lady Viola had fallen madly in love with the dissolute and absolutely broke Lord John Hammond. Against the advice of her brother she married him, convinced that they were going to have the perfect marriage and that he loved her in return. The two enjoyed three months of marital joy, punctuated with passionate arguments and even more passionate making up. But when she found out John had given a diamond necklace to another woman, paid for with her dowry nonetheless, she could not forgive him. She moved out, ignoring John's insistence that it was merely a going away present to end the relationship with her former mistress, and over the next eight years the two led completely separate lives. John took solace in the arm's of woman after woman while Viola pretended she did not care and lived a perfectly comfortable life on her own. But when John's heir dies and the next in line is a horrible man, John knows he needs to reconcile with his wife so that she can give him an heir.

Viola does not care what John wants or needs and has never forgiven him for crushing her heart all those years ago. John sets out slowly and methodically to woo his erstwhile wife; tempting her shopping trips and plans to redecorate their London townhouse, quick trysts in hidden alcoves, and doing his best to remind her of all the happy times that they had while married. But the spector of all those woman remains between them and John worries that he will never be able to bring back the young girl who was so infatuated with him. He knows he made mistakes, but he does not believe he shoulders all the blame for what happened, he just knows that he wants to make things right and that he desperately wants his wife back. With his silver tongue and his charming wits John wears down Viola's resistance and reminds her of the happier times they had, but he still is unsure if what he feels for her is love. When someone from his past arrives with a surprising announcement, he is forced into the realization that Viola is all he wants, it is Viola he loves.

This book was obviously incredibly emotional and both of these two inspire some quite heady feelings in the other. I found myself crying on more than one occasion as Viola reflected on the past and what she believed John had thrown away, and John thought of the mistakes he had made and the happiness he so desperately wants to have with Viola. I liked that no one really was completely to blame; they both made mistakes (although John was probably more to blame really) and the reader knows they both have a lot of things to learn about life and love before they can go on together. I really felt as there was strong relationship development throughout this book as they started really from scratch and went from there. However, the book does not make a strong enough distinction between the way he treated his mistress and the way he is currently treating Viola. There was some decent sex by the end of the book (Viola did withstand his advances for quite a while) and it was really a sign that there relationship was coming together.

I was led to believe based on some things that happened at the beginning that John would do something rather embarrassing and outrageous to get Viola back, so I was incredibly disappointed when it turned out to be more pathetic than outrageous. And I had one major major problem with this book! (Spoiler Alert!) The person from his past who comes back is an ex-mistress, whom he slept with while married to Viola, who arrives with what is undeniably his baby in tow. I am okay with a wife accepted her husband's illegitimate child when it was conceived before they met/ married, but one who was conceived during the marriage?! No way, no how! All Viola does when the baby arrives is feel sorry for the fact that the mother had obviously had unreturned feelings for John, much as she herself had, and she agrees pit-pat to take on the care of the baby. I did NOT like this. Too much forgiveness and acceptance for my preference.

Rating: I probably would have given this book three hearts (maybe 3 1/2) but after that horrible ending I really was tempted to just give it one, but I will give it 2.

With Seduction in Mind

With Seduction in Mind by Laura Lee Guhrke

Daisy Merrick is constantly getting fired from various jobs for being to blunt with her employers/customers; such as telling a woman in a dressmakers shop where she works that no that color does not look good on her to telling a lawyer that no she is not required to sleep with him because she's his typist. Sebastian Grant, the Earl of Avenmore, is a renowned author whose work has deteriorated immensely from his widely praised early works to quick hack jobs that are just as widely derided. After her latest disaster at work Daisy decides to apply for a job at her friend's husband's publishing company, Marlowe publishing. She submits her own novel and begs for a job and while he reads it he sends her to review Sebastian's new play. She gives him a scathing review and the play lasts last then a week, making Sebastian furious with the upstart reviewer. Since Daisy's novel is not quite ready for publication, but shows promise, Marlowe decides that Sebastian should help Daisy polish up her writing while she keeps him on task so that he can finally finish his very overdue promised manuscript.

She follows him to his estate where he is very reluctant to get any work done- until Daisy offers an incentive: for every 100 pages he rewrites she'll give him a kiss. Daisy convinces herself she's doing it to improve the admittedly lackluster romance scenes in her novel while Sebastian is just doing it because he can't help but find the tall red-head with a "luscious bum" completely desirable. Sebastian is a recovered cocaine addiction and Daisy is the first thing since cocaine that makes writing fun and easy for him and when he begins to feel they're getting too close he runs back to London where he finds that he can't write without Daisy there. So when he heads back to Avenmore his new plan is to completely make Daisy his but he is still convinced that happy endings are impossible and that Daisy will never be more to him than an inspiration and a good bed partner. Despite knowing Sebastian's feelings about love and happily-ever-after's Daisy can't help but fall in love with Sebastian and it is only when she is forced to confront his lack of true feelings that she runs away. Sebastian needs to confront his fears of "addiction" and his own beliefs about love before he runs after to Daisy to win her back.

The first half and second half of this book were like completely different novels. The first half was slow and not in the build up to a really great relationship that most of Guhrke's admittedly slow first halves are like. There wasn't enough of the two characters together in the first half and indeed until the two moved to Avenmore all their interactions were just flat. Most of, perhaps all of, Guhrke's novels are soley focused on the relationship developing between the two characters and there is not a lot of background plot or extra-ness getting in the way. It does not make the book feel lacking or anything but it does make writing a truly complete 370 page novel very difficult and it shows in this book with the flat first half. I tend to like this lack of extra-ness in books as long as it really forces the author to flesh out the relationship and I feel like many authors are not able to do this. Guhrke does it very well in most of this novel. Once the two got to Avenomre and started working together and kissing and such the book improved immensely and I did not put it down until I had finished (except for a class of course, but even that I did very reluctantly).

All the Lady Bachelor books have featured women who are friends from their days staying at the boarding house on Little Russell street but this was the first time any mention was made of all the men in the books knowing each other. St. Cyres (my least favorite), Phillip the Marquis of Kayne, and Marlowe are apparently acquainted, if not exactly bosom buddies. It didn't detract from the story but it was just a little bit jarring and odd to me that all these male friends just happened to marry women who were also friends. At least Guhrke is very good at not continually hitting us over the head with her previous characters' happiness- although Maria (Secret Desires of a Gentleman) does make a brief appearance and we do hear about Emma (And Then He Kissed Her). As with most of the good stuff in this novel the sex and build up is relegated to the last half of the book and while not super steamy or plentiful is very well written and quite good really. The last half is also filled with some delicious angst as Sebastian guilts about taking Daisy's innocence and while Daisy worries about having fallen in love with a man who she knows will never return her feelings.

Rating: I probably would give the first half a two and the second half a 5 but I can't give a book a 4 with such a dreadful first half even if it did turn into a winner eventually. I would recommend skimming through the first part and tuning in when they go to Avenmore.

And Then He Kissed Her

And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke

The first book in the Girl Bachelor series, And Then He Kissed Her is the story of Ms. Emma Dove, the very competent secretary to Lord Harrison Marlowe, the most successful publisher in London. For five years Emma has been Harry's lifeline; buying presents for his family for all major occasions, as well as presents for his mistresses, kept his appointment book and made sure he kept the appointments, and generally kept his office and his staff from falling apart. Having grown up with her controlling army father and her fastidious governess aunt, Emma is a near expert on proper behavior and has tried for years to get an etiquette book published. Harry has repeatedly turned down her manuscripts claiming they weren't quite up to snuff, but Emma is horrified when she learns that Harry has never actually read more than a couple paragraphs of any of her books. On her 30th birthday Emma realizes that she has spent her entire life waiting and decides to take matters into her own hands. She quits her job at Marlowe publishing and gets her book published as a serial at a rival newspaper.

Harry is furious and yet he can't help but admire, not to mention feel intensely passionate about, the new Emma who is proving so much better than the stern, uptight spinster she had always appeared. For reasons he can't fathom he finds it impossible to get Emma out of his head and is determined to get her back into his life. He buys out the newspaper Emma now works for and both find their new working relationship much improved over their previous one as the two are now on more equal footing. Harry is frustrated over Emma's morals standing in the way of a romantic relationship between them and challenges her to give up her aunt's propriety. Emma knows that Harry is determined never to marry after his disastrous first marriage ended in divorce but she decides now is the time to embark on the "spring of her life" and the two spend two months together until Emma figures out that being Harry's weekend illicit affair isn't enough for her; she is ready to admit what she wants and what she wants is to spend the rest of her life with the man she loves.

Harry and Emma are wonderful characters and both were written so skillfully and their characters develop so much throughout the course of the novel. Emma is forced to confront her past of an uncaring father and an overly rigid aunt while Harry's development from the dissolute rake to a man desperately in love are both realistic and incredibly enjoyable to read. The two are perfect foils for each other as they each challenge the other to become better people, deal with their problems head on, and fall in love with each other. The scenes between the two cover the full range of emotions from gut-wrenching to laughing to passion to crying and are just so beautiful. As usual Guhrke does a stand up job writing from both Emma and Harry's point of view and the reader is always well informed about what each of them is thinking and just like everything else, it's very well written. Even the fact that they'd worked together for five years without anything happening doesn't stand in the way of my enjoyment (as it might) because her character progression is just so brilliant.

Unlike many of Guhrke's earlier works this one contained quite a bit of steam even if it did happen to be packed quite heavily towards the end. There was one very interesting scene involving peaches and honey that was especially fun and overall Guhrke just really stepped up this element of story writing. (Unfortunately this was actually written prior to the other two books I've reviewed- so perhaps a more adequate statement would be that she started slacking off. Hopefully that won't continue.) Guhrke seems to inspire quite mixed emotions among readers who either love her writing or hate her. For this review I once again read the reviews on amazon and can say with assurance that I had no problems with everything people who gave her poor reviews for. Almost all the problems had to deal with the characters actions, mainly Emma's, but Guhrke did such a splendid job giving the back ground of both protagonists, showing how and why each of them changes and grows as a person that their actions and reactions are really not at all difficult to understand.

Rating: A very character driven novel with a strong plot that absolutely sparkled. This really was a 4 1/2 heart book, but I do reserve 5 hearts for absolutely perfect books and while this book is VERY close, not quite.

Secret Desires of a Gentleman

Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke

Secret Desires of a Gentleman is the story of Maria Martingale, a pastry chef whose father had been the cook for the Kayne family, and Phillip Hawthorne, the current Marquess of Kayne. Twelve years ago Maria had been set to marry Lawrence, Phillip's younger brother, that is until Phillip convinced his brother to give up Maria and then payed Maria to leave with the promise she would never return. She had known that Phillip was protective of his family and would do anything to prevent his brother marrying a lowly servant and avoid scandal, but she hadn't know that Phillip had been harboring secret desires of his own for Maria and it was this that had made him get rid of her. Now Maria has opened up her own pastry shop right next to Phillip's residence (no building codes?) in a building Phillip happens to own. Fair being fair he allows her to keep working there but of course he gets a little hot under the collar.

Phillip is nervous that Maria intends to take back up with Lawrence, who is romancing the daughter of an influential businessman Phillip would like to have on his side. The book is filled with references to Maria and Phillip's past and how his feelings have never gone away. The problem that needs to be overcome is Phillip's arrogance, or snobbery, as he has to come to grips with the fact that he is falling in love with someone beneath his station. And Maria needs to come to grips with her belief that Phillip will always regard her as inferior. There is no "side-plot" just the growing relationship, which is both nice but also leaves the review, but definitely not the book, feel somewhat lacking.

Imagine how much amazing angst ensues when a man is forced to send away the woman he loves because he can not bear to believe she loves someone else. And then add her realization that he will never feel she is good enough for him and you get perhaps the best angst in a romance novel ever. A particularly fun bit of angst centered around a hair ribbon she had thought was lost, but was in fact taken by Phillip, who has kept it for fourteen years and taken it out every time he missed her. I know that probably wouldn't appeal to some people, but I thought it was great and showed a lot about Phillip and how much he was hiding and how much he needed Maria. I also liked the steamy scenes in the book- there were far too few in my opinion but the 1 (and maybe a half) was definitely good and the buildup to it was perfection.

This book also did a great job of showing both Maria and Phillip's perspectives on what was happening and explaining their motives. Most of the time it seems as though writers focus far more attention on the heroine's POV (which confuses me as wouldn't it be the male perspective that would be more confusing or interesting to the female readership), but a relatively equal amount of time was given to Phillip and that's a huge part of why he was just as relate-able as Maria. Lawrence- the main secondary character- was very likable and played the perfect role as he sorted through his emotions for Maria and discovered his brothers'. My weird complaint would be the time of the book; I couldn't really figure it out. Phillip wore a top hat and a cane and she wore a shirtwaist (which I'd never read about) so I was thinking it was early 20th century, but in reality I had no clue. Why couldn't she have just told us? Also- the cover? It... is not good.

Rating: I loved the angst and the characters, but I don't feel like it deserves five hearts. Still a great read.

The Wicked Ways of a Duke

The Wicked Ways of a Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke

The poorly named Prudence Bosworth (yes of course her nickname is Pru) is scraping by as a seamstress, living in a woman's boarding house, taking abuse from the spoiled bitches of the ton, but obviously she leads a fulfilling life because she has True Friends who love her for who she is. In strolls the equally poorly named Rhys de Winter, the Duke of St. Cyres, (apparently pronounced to rhyme with sincere) who is gorgeous but penniless and is out to snare an heiress.

Suddenly lucky Pru finds herself an heiress! Yep- she inherits a fortune from the father who never married her mother and left before she was born with the stipulation that she marry within one year. Well, duh! St. Cyres is excited because he can now satisfy both his desire for our little heroine and his desire for money. He manages to convince Pru that he loves her but that he has no clue about her recent good luck, despite the fact that EVERY newspaper in London, and apparently the continent as well. The pair become engaged, but of course Pru is destined to find out about his dastardly deception and angst begins. It doesn't take an imagination to answer the question: Will the two manage to work things out in time for a happily ever after?

I was frustrated by the books handling of the inheritance and Pru's own lack of ... brains really. Despite her ability to realize her relatives are taking advantage of her because of her new inheritance, she is completely fooled by St. Cyres. Completely and utterly taken in. And the book plays on the old adage that money is the root of all evil, with said money bringing out the worst in everybody until Pru realizes that it's only the people who loved her before she gained the inheritance who are her true friends. Almost as if we are supposed to feel sorry for Pru. The book featured two, yes only two, steamy scenes which is in my opinion is a deplorably small amount for a book of over 370 pages especially when the two characters seem to have little going for each other except a physical attraction.

The books' main strong point is the demons that haunt St. Cyres. I am so sick of the tortured gentleman haunted by a mistress who didn't love him, a father who sent him off to boarding school, an older brother who took all the credit, etc. They've been overdone, way overdone. St. Cyres' problems are much more interesting, more original, more realistic, more tragic, and unfortunately ultimately dealt with much too easily. The ending is also fulfilling, if not unexpected, and I found myself glad that Pru finally grew a backbone even if it was a backhanded, insignificant way. I was also glad that the character had a full(er) figure and the book mentioned it quite often, and how attracted St. Cyres was to said figure.

Finally Rating: