Secret Desires of a Gentleman (Mass Market Paperback)

by Laura Lee Guhrke (Author)
Key Phrases: treacle tarts, Secret Desires, Laura Lee, Miss Martingale (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Once Upon a Time . . .

Maria Martingale was going to elope. But Phillip Hawthorne, Marquess of Kayne, put a stop to those plans when he learned his younger brother intended to marry a cook's daughter. Now, twelve years later, Maria discovers that the man who holds her fate in his hands is none other than the haughty gentleman who sent her packing—and he's as handsome and arrogant as ever.

Happily Ever After?

Always the proper gentleman, Phillip will do anything to protect his family from scandal, and when Maria dares to move in right next door, he knows scandal will surely follow. She is as tempting as he remembered . . . and the more he sees her, the harder it is for Phillip to keep his own secret desire for her a secret . . .

About the Author

Laura Lee Guhrke spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business, and managed a construction company before she decided writing novels was more fun. The New York Times bestselling author of numerous historical romances, Laura has received many literary awards, including romance fiction's highest honor, the RITA^® Award, and her books routinely appear on the USA Today Bestseller list. When she's not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura spends her time relearning how to ski, mastering the wakeboard grab, and trying to actually hit a golf ball, much to the amusement of her friends.

Laura Lee Guhrke spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business, and managed a construction company before she decided writing novels was more fun. The New York Times bestselling author of numerous historical romances, Laura has received many literary awards, including romance fiction's highest honor, the RITA^® Award, and her books routinely appear on the USA Today Bestseller list. When she's not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura spends her time relearning how to ski, mastering the wakeboard grab, and trying to actually hit a golf ball, much to the amusement of her friends.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061456829
• ISBN-13: 978-0061456824
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #431,777 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, November 26, 2008

By	C. Cox "MarineMom" (Georgetown, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've said before that I love Laura Lee Guhrke's work so it pains me to give one of her creations anything less than 5 stars. However, if I'm perfectly fair I have to. This book has a lot of good points, but the not so great points seem to overpower them at times.

I thought at first it was going to be another homerun for Ms. Guhrke, but it soon became clear that it had problems. One of which was the attitude of the hero. Yes, he changes his tune in time, but he spends quite a bit of the book pontificating on how he is so much more superior than our lowly pastry chef heroine. And while that is true from society's perspective, considering their history it makes him seem uncaring, snobbish and sometimes downright mean. It would have been nice to see him show a little more appreciation for his 'true north'.

In some ways it was refreshing seeing him come to realize that he had always been in love with Maria, the chef's daughter, but it took just a little too long for him to realize it. For her part, I really liked Maria, except for those 3 or 4 times when she sounded like a card carrying suffragette. The 'you must respect me, I'm an independent woman' routine didn't seem appropriate for the time period and made her seem a little unreasonable. Not that Phillip helped anything with his stark proclamations and demands.

But it was all interesting enough that I might have gotten over all that if the ending hadn't been so rushed. It could have used another chapter or an epilogue at the very least. I was not crazy about the public make-up scene either. Totally out of character for the straightlaced Marquess of Hawthorne. I'm sure that was intentional to show us how much he had changed and how much he loved Maria after all, but it didn't ring true to me.

Not the worst book I've read, but it could have been better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breezy Read... A Nice Addition to the "Girl-Bachelors" Series, November 16, 2008

By	fantasmic - See all my reviews

Wow, such a diversity of opinion on this book! Secret Desires of a Gentleman is the third book in Guhrke's "Girl-Bachelors" series, which focuses on heroines forging their way though Victorian London and finding romance on the way, of course! I enjoyed this book immensely and devoured it in one night, unlike the second book in the series, which I gave up on halfway through. It was a light and frothy read, with a spunky and savvy heroine and sizzling chemistry between the protagonists.

Maria Martingale, like Emmaline Dove in the wonderful first book of the series And Then He Kissed Her, goes into trade, opening up her own pastry shop. Of course, the perfect location for her shop is right next door to the Hawthorne brothers, with whom she has a complicated history, to put it mildly.

What ensues is a charming homage to the seminal romance novel, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with Phillip Hawthorne as a nice stand-in for Mr. Darcy, as well as the classic movie Sabrina - The Centennial Collection. Guhrke does a great job of integrating these two timeless plots and bringing them alive during the Victorian era, a unique time for women in history when "girl-bachelors" did indeed start to "mess with typewriters and latch-keys" (from A Room With A View ... although E.M. Forester's Howards End (Dover Thrift Editions) is probably a more accurate and sober depiction of the era).

Honestly, the only reason why I couldn't give this one five stars is because of the overly sappy ending, which was totally cringe-worthy. But the rest of the novel more than makes up for the ending!

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sabrina meets Pride and prejudice in Victorian England, October 1, 2008

By	L Burke (Pittsburgh,PA USA) - See all my reviews

This lastest installment of the Girl-Bachelor series though well-written and an easy read really missed the mark. I wish the end was more balanced to the beginning and middle because I felt robbed of a truly good love story at the end.
First, I did not like that 12 years had passed since Philip had sent the Maria away. (I guess all the girl bachelors have to be pushing 30) From a plot point of view, it bothered me because the way Philip was portrayed,it to seemed to me implausible that he would not have married during that time span. Second,the potential for the previous girl bachelors to meet, dish and advise Maria was wasted! I would have liked it better if Emma and Prudence would met at Marias shop and talked as the independent women they were, but no we had to go back to their old boarding house for tea and have the landlady, Mrs. Morris,lecture Maria on the importance of virtue and reputation. I felt the whole time I was reading this scene that the only reason for Maria to be there at tea was to introduce the reader to the next girl bachelor for the next book in the series. Third, the love story had such potential, but the time spent between the Philip and Maria as they were opening up, revealing their true feelings and admitting their love for each other was too brief. The author built up the story and in my opinion let me down with a final scene that I truly hated!!! *Spoiler Alert* in comments if your interested in why I hated the ending.
This book really disapointed me. I loved "And then he kissed her" the first Girl-Bachelor book. Emma and Harry were such great characters, the story was fresh and plot held my attention. The second book in the series. Wicked ways of a Duke was subpar.I have yet to read the whole thing though I read parts of it and the end because it could not keep my interest. I hope that Laura Lee Gurke gives us something new in the next book in the series and gets away from the aristoracy, please champion a captain of industry or a Military officer for god sakes. I will have a hard time believing if the next book follows the formula of the first three books that four women from Mrs. Morris boarding house would all marry into the aristoracy. If that is the case Mrs. morris will be a rich women because she will be able to charge whatever rent she wants because girls be flocking to her door since her establishment seems to be the hot spot in London to marry and aristocrat!