Wicked Ways of a Duke (2008)
Laura Lee Guhrke
When I was reading this, I couldn’t really figure out what was bothering me about it. Then it hit me: the hero really isn’t that admirable. Particularly in the first half of the book.
I just didn’t feel that he deserved her. I’m still not convinced.
Once upon a time, there was a seamstress named Prudence who lived in a lodging house, worked very hard, and dreamed of a better life. Then she inherited a fortune, met a handsome duke, and fell in love. Her life was wonderful, and it seemed as if she was destined to live happily ever after.
Then she found out money can’t buy happiness, handsome dukes can also be wicked, lying scoundrels, and a broken heart hurts like hell. Will Prudence ever find true love and happiness? Will the wicked duke mend his ways? Will she take him back or kick him to the curb?
Finished: Monday 14/1/08
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Book two-hundred-and-fifty-eight: Wicked Ways of a Duke
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Book two-hundred-and-twenty-six: Guilty Pleasures
Guilty Pleasures (2004)
Laura Lee Guhrke
Rating: 2.5/5
I have read The Marriage Bed earlier in the year, about some of the same characters, so I sort of knew what was going to happen (you know, as if there was any doubt), but I still enjoyed this.
For prim and shy Daphne Wade, the sweetest guilty pleasure of all is secretly watching her employer, Anthony Courtland, the Duke of Tremore, as he works the excavation site on his English estate. Anthony has hired Daphne to restore the priceless treasures he has been digging up, but it's hard for a woman to keep her mind on her work when her devastatingly handsome employer keeps taking his shirt off. He doesn't know she's alive, but who could blame her for falling in love with him anyway?
Anthony thinks that his capable employee knows all there is to know about antiquities, but when his sister decides to turn the plain young woman in gold-rimmed glasses into an enticing beauty, he declares the task to be impossible. Daphne is devastated when she overhears… and determined to prove him wrong. Now a vibrant and delectable Daphne has emerged from her shell, and the tables are turned. Will Anthony see that the woman of his dreams has been right there all along?
Saturday 15/12
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Book one-sixty-five: She’s No Princess
She’s No Princess (2006)
Laura Lee Guhrke
Rating: 1.75/5
Not that great.
A royal pain...
The illegitimate daughter of a prince and a notorious courtesan, Lucia has been confined to schools and convents for most of her life, but that hasn't stopped her from causing one scandal after another. Exasperated, her royal father decides his hellion of a daughter must be married immediately. And Sir Ian Moore, Britain's most proper diplomat, is the perfect man to choose her a groom.
Diplomacy, not matchmaking, is Ian's forte, and he vows to find a husband for Lucia as soon as possible so that he may return to important duties. Yet despite an abundance of eager, worthwhile candidates, none is a match for Lucia's spirit and fire. The more time Ian spends with the Italian beauty, the more reluctant he becomes to find her a groom. Could it be that Lucia's perfect husband is the man assigned to find her one?
Finished: Friday 14/9 more...
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Book one-hundred-and-forty-four: And Then He Kissed Her
Laura Lee Guhrke
Rating: 1.75/5
All right. But it was a bit slow – we knew from the title he was going to kiss her (and the dreaded back of the book), so just hurry up and do it already.
It was interesting, though, because the time period was later than most of the regency stuff I’ve been reading lately. Okay, so I’ve mostly only been reading. I’ll get over my current obsession eventually. I’m pretty sure.
Supremely sensible Emmaline Dove wishes to share her etiquette expertise with London’s readers, and as secretary to Viscount Marlowe, Emma knows she’s in the perfect position to make her dreams come true. Marlowe might be a rake with a preference for cancan dancers and an aversion to matrimony, but he is also the city’s leading publisher, and Emma is convinced he’s her best chance to see her work in print…until she discovers the lying scoundrel has been rejecting her manuscripts without ever reading a single page!
As a publisher, Harry finds reading etiquette books akin to slow, painful torture. Besides, he can’t believe his proper secretary has the passion to write anything worth reading. Then she has the nerve to call him a liar, and even resigns without notice, leaving his business in uproar and his honor in question. Harry decides it’s time to teach Miss Dove a few things that aren’t proper. But when he kisses her, he discovers that his former secretary has more passion and fire than he ever imagined, for one luscious taste of her lips only leaves him hungry for more…
Finished: Tuesday 21/8
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Book thirty-five: The Marriage Bed
The Marriage Bed* (2005)
Laura Lee Guhrke
Rating: 2.25/5
This is a pretty good historical. The plot is a little more original than what I have read lately and it has some good dialogue.
Although they have been married for eight years, John Hammond and his wife Viola have not seen each other for over a year. Until John’s cousin and his son – his heirs – die and force him to have his own. With his wife who refuses to be in the same room as him.
It was interesting finding out what happened to create this situation. But I do think that John’s a bit of a bastard for a bit too much of the book. He doesn’t seem to understanding why she’s angry at him. This annoyed me. But I got over it enough to enjoy the book anyway.
It had good angst and they were both likeable in their own way, I suppose.
* Finished 25/4