Secret Desires of a Gentleman

Secret Desire of a Gentleman
5 Stars

Laura Lee Guhrke is either hit or miss for me. The previous book in this series is a total dud - See my 1 Star review here. Thankfully, this one is a huge improvement and is my favorite work of hers to date.

Maria and Phillip's romance is a charming and original retelling of two classic pieces, Sabrina and Pride and Prejudice. Phillip epitomizes the arrogance and superiority of Mr. Darcy and the staid respectability of Linus Larrabee. He is shocked and appalled at his reactions to Maria and it is fun watching his control evaporate with each and every conversation. Likewise, Maria has the intelligence and wit of Lizzie Bennet together with Sabrina's charm and adventurous spirit. Her ability to stand her show more ground with Phillip and outmaneuver him at every turn is a highlight of the story.

The back story revolving around Maria and Phillip's relationship as children and later as adolescents is skillfully woven into the narrative and adds an extra layer of intimacy to the romance. They two share intense chemistry that builds slowly and surely throughout the book.

Guhrke also incorporates several more modern elements within the series in general and in this book in particular. Set just before the turn of the century, the notion of women entering the workforce with all of the associated difficulties is plausible although the disparity in social classes between the heroes and heroines is more difficult to believe. Nevertheless, Guhrke makes is easy to suspend disbelief in this regard due to the intensity of the romance.

Overall, a very enjoyable read and I look forward to the final book in the series. show less

Laure Lee Gurhrke doesn't break any new ground here. This is basically a combination of Pride and Prejudice and the movie, Sabrina, with Julia Ormond/Harrison Ford. I should be annoyed by this, but wasn't because I like both P&P and Sabrina. Plus, love-hate relationships and the starchy hero are my favorite romance novel tropes! So I gladly succumbed to the charms of LLG's retread of these stories.

This was definitely my least-favourite of the Girl Bachelor series. Maria was a great character, and I loved the detail about her owning and running the patisserie. I just had difficulty with the romance between her and Philip who, in my view, was not a particularly well-rounded character. I didn't get much of a sense of what kind of man lay underneath his rigid exterior and although pages and pages are spent on describing Philip and Maria's childhood relationship, little time was spent on how, as adults, they really felt about each other. I didn't feel that they really spent time getting to know one another again, and so while I could believe in the lust between them, I had a harder time trusting in the love. Those things, combined show more with a frankly unbelievable final chapter meant that I was altogether unsatisfied with this book. show less

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. The only thing is the prince in this tale is decidedly uncooperative and adheres to social hierarchy in a most undemocratic fashion. 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. 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 show more own patisserie. She's independent, intelligent, hardworking, and never backs down from a fight. She also has a career, and her professionalism is admirable and impressive. 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. They complemented each other nicely and were well matched, I thought.

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. Lawrence and Maria had tried (unsuccessfully) to elope 12 years ago, and Maria hasn't seen either of the two brothers since. 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. Since Phillip doesn’t want Maria anywhere near his brother, he tries to have her evicted from the shop. And Maria certainly isn’t about to take that lying down. Let the wild rumpus start.

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. Love triangles of this sort are always opportunities for a lot angst, forbidden love, divided loyalties, etc. but none of that came up in Secret Desires of a Gentleman. This conflict was never more than a pretense, leaving me to wonder why Guhrke ever bothered with it in the first place. The real concern lies with the more simplistic angle of how Phillip, it is revealed, has carried a torch for Maria since the beginning - hence the title. The repressed British peer resisting his attraction to a woman for whom he shouldn't feel anything has been done before - even by Guhrke herself, and here it seemed kind of rote, especially in light of all the creative opportunities offered by the aforementioned love triangle, all of which were never taken advantage of. Oh well. Still Phillip and Maria had good chemistry most of the time, and there were some great moments in the story - mostly involving Phillip silently pining after Maria. The book does a good job convincing me of their fundamental friendship through some touching flashbacks. And always Guhrke excels when it comes to the steamier side of their relationship - in particular Phillip's passion for Maria is pretty intense. As for their love - the jury's still out on that one I think.

The book derailed when it came to Phillip's first proposal. Maybe it's just me and I'm reading something into it that's not there, but their whole argument during that scene had strong echoes of Pride and Prejudice - the tone, what is said, the progression of their conversation, its outcome. I felt like the author wrote it right after watching Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle hash it out on screen, and part of me is delighted at those overtones - anything having to do with Pride and Prejudice can't be a bad thing. But then again, the episode didn't really ring true at the same time, as if the characters were being forced into a role that didn't quite fit, and it seemed like a poor imitation of the original (assuming there even was an original – though other reviewers have noted the Pride and Prejudice connection as well.)

Whatever the case, the end result is I started liking the book less and less, particularly when Maria makes a certain decision regarding career vs. marriage. I think the whole girl-bachelor group is a poor representation of pioneering feminists/working girls, and I am not impressed with their little Sunday tea-time ritual of telling whoever the one whose story is at hand that she must be in love, she must marry, etc. They don’t seem to care about anything else, and I hate the “advice” they give each other. Prudence especially. I know I'm being picky, and it's not like she shows up for more than a few pages out of the whole book, but still good old Pru really gets on my nerves. All this (but mostly Maria’s sacrifice and a very cheesy, clunky final scene) put a major damper on things for me. Even though I mostly enjoyed the book while I was in the midst of it, I can’t say that I find Secret Desires of a Gentleman all that memorable. show less

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Oct08

The end of the Victorian era brought about many changes in public and private life. Women were becoming more visible as other than wives and Laura Lee Guhrke’s latest historical romance gives us a closer look at one woman’s struggle. “Secret Desires of a Gentleman” is Guhrke’s salute to pastries and working women…and what a delicious story it is!

Maria is finally ready to open her patisserie with the help of a sponsor. All that’s left is to find the right location. When she comes upon the perfect kitchen in the perfect place, she’s giddy with glee…until she bumps into an old acquaintance while exiting the shop. When she was a young girl who’d just lost her father and show more was now all alone, the horridly upright and uptight Marquess of Kayne used his position to break up a marriage between Maria and his younger brother. While Maria has gotten over the younger brother, she still misses the older brother who was her dearest friend and playmate…until he inherited the estate and became lost to her forever. But it’s been twelve years now and surely they can all be adults?

Phillip was forced to leave behind his childhood at a young age and his friendship with a servant was just one of the casualties. But he recognizes Maria immediately…how could he not when visions of her have haunted him all these years? Phillip quickly realizes he still cares for Maria and now burns for her with all the ardor of a man. Yet she is still beneath him in station and how can he allow himself what he denied his brother?

What did I like about this story? I liked that Maria is a strong character who didn’t wait around for a man to ‘save’ her. She knew what she wanted and worked her butt off to make her dreams come true. I also enjoyed Guhrke’s ability to describe her characters so accurately that I think I would recognize them if I met them on the street!

What didn’t I like about this story? Phillip is such a snob. I still don’t understand how Maria could continue to love someone who so blatantly demeaned her. He doesn’t change until the very end of the story and had I not been reading to review, I likely wouldn’t have finished it. His arrogance and feelings of entitlement came through loud and clear, but I would have liked to see him mellow a bit sooner…but it’s not my story, is it?

I enjoy reading Laura Lee Guhrke. Her stories always evoke strong reactions in me and “Secret Desires of a Gentleman” is no different. This time her hero was (unfortunately) someone I ‘love to hate’…that would be great for a villain, but doesn’t make me happy when he’s the hero. show less

Con este libro ya me despido de esta autora que veo que no logra engancharme y me parece en muchas ocasiones absurda en sus historias.
En esta historia me gustó mucho Maria la heroína , pero Phillips es totalmente detestable.... cuando la mete en el carruaje a la fuerza, tanto que ella se cae y angustiada cree que la están secuestrando me dije : hasta acá llegamos.... esta historia no se puede remontar! Una no puede enamorarse de una persona que constantemente la está denigrando y menospreciando... es demasiado hasta para un enemies to lovers...

Cute story--Laura Lee Guhrke did a nice job developing the characters, easpecially Phillip's, by slowly revealing the truth about what had happened twleve years earlier (and even earlier than that, actually). Toward the end, it's a lot easier to understand why his character has behaved the way he has--even if he still needs a bit of a smack upside the head from time to time. My only real complaint is that the end was pretty abrupt--the rest of the novel had a much more leisurely pace; it's almost as if she suddenly realized that she had to wrap it all up and BAM! it's done. I would have liked a bit more there, but I suppose I'll manage.