Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke

This conflict was never more than a pretense, leaving me to wonder why Guhrke ever bothered with it in the first place. but none of that came up in Secret Desires of a Gentleman. Love triangles of this sort are always opportunities for a lot angst, forbidden love, divided loyalties, etc.

Despite the book’s promising beginning, I was disappointed in the love triangle involving these three, because the author clearly took the easy way out and from the start there's never any question which brother Maria really loves, which brother she's loved all along in fact. And Maria certainly isn’t about to take that lying down. Since Phillip doesn’t want Maria anywhere near his brother, he tries to have her evicted from the shop. All this changes thanks to a coincidence, about as subtle as a ton of bricks, whereby the shop Maria wants to move into for her patisserie is located right next door to where Phillip and Lawrence live.

Lawrence and Maria had tried (unsuccessfully) to elope 12 years ago, and Maria hasn't seen either of the two brothers since.

Phillip and Maria already have a history together when the story opens, and I don't want to reveal too much because part of the story is the unfolding of, not only their present relationship, but of their past and the way in which Phillip's younger brother Lawrence fits into the mix. They complemented each other nicely and were well matched, I thought. But she also has a sense of humor, isn't above a little crafty subterfuge, is easy going and playful - the exact opposite of Phillip, the stodgy, virtuous businessman. She also has a career, and her professionalism is admirable and impressive.

She's independent, intelligent, hardworking, and never backs down from a fight. It was a nice concession to the historical, social circumstances of the book, and nothing that he should have to apologize for (though of course he does eventually have to see the light and recant.) The heroine was likeable, a spunky, fun type of character who is hell bent on setting up her own patisserie. He's a bit stuffy and strict, and practically everyone calls him a snob, but I thought it was realistic of him, in no way a huge character flaw. The only thing is the prince in this tale is decidedly uncooperative and adheres to social hierarchy in a most undemocratic fashion. Secret Desires of a Gentleman is something of a Cinderella story in that the heroine, Maria Martingale, is a servant, and the hero, Phillip Hawthorne is the Marquess of Kayne.

Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke