With Seduction in Mind by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book Description:
Her proposition...

London Society is harsh for a young woman with no family connections who has to work for a living. But when Daisy Merrick is sacked from yet another job, the feisty and outspoken miss comes up with a plan that could give her a future beyond her wildest dreams. There's only one problem. Her success depends on a man, the most infuriating, impossible, immovable man she's ever met.

His Resolution...

Sebastian Grant, Earl of Avermore, is England's most infamous author. Known for his notorious reputation, he is more interested in play than work, and has no intention of cooperating when Daisy shows up on his doorstep with a mad plan. The provoking, fire-haired beauty stirs his sense beyond belief, and Sebastian knows he has only one way to stop her. Seduction.

I enjoyed this final book in Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series except it got off to a slow start and took a long time for the hero and heroine to actually kiss! I'm all for long build ups but there wasn't enough sexual tension to sustain the story until the last third of the book when things finally start heating up.   The story itself was pretty good of two writers who are forced to work together as critique partners.  Sebastian is a well known novelist and playwright who has lost his touch.  Due to a cocaine addiction, his past eight years of writing have been utter "rubbish."  Now clean of the drug he feels he can't write a thing - he doesn't even want to try.  He's afraid to.  Daisy is a budding author, dying to get her first book published.  She accepts an assignment from Sebastian's publisher who thinks she has potential.  Her assignment is to get Sebastian to write one more book to fulfill his contractual obligations.  The problem: Daisy wrote a scathing review of his latest play that closed in less than a week.  For that, Sebastian can barely stand the sight of her, much less let her critique his writing and get him to write another novel!

Yet Daisy is relentless and if anyone can get Sebastian to do it, she can.  She's going to earn that $500 advance come hell or high water.  She will not stop until she gets him to write that book!  Finding an old manuscript of the first book he ever tried to write, he gives it to her thinking that will be the end of it and he'll be rid of her.  She reads it and makes a zillion notes and suggestions, expecting him to make revisions.  She even follows him out to the country to stay with his aunt - she is like a terrier!  She will not give up.  She has a soft spot when it comes to Sebastian, for he had once been one of her favorite authors and she can't just let him give up writing forever!  In his early days (before the cocaine)  he had been a fine writer and she's convinced he can be one again!  Unaware of his addiction and fears, she keeps pestering him, dogging him at every move until finally she gets under his skin - but not exactly in the way she expects.  He's beginning to look at her differently...  The image of that annoying drama critic is fading each day.  Daisy is now becoming more and more beautiful in Sebastian's eyes.  A red haired, sensual woman who has no idea how enticing she is.  He soon realizes that the easiest way he can get out of this writing situation is if he plays along with her.  Why not make her think he'll complete the revisions she recommends?  But secretly he'll work on seducing her instead.  She'll become so enamored of him and swept off her feet, she'll go along with whatever he wants!  Voila! Problem solved and he'll get to see more of the delectable Miss Merrick and what's underneath her buttoned up shirtwaists!  Little does he know his plan will backfire.  Instead of putting off his writing for good, he winds up re-writing the entire book after all!  How does this come about?  It's amazing how lust can can work as an incentive.  Sebastian talks Daisy into promising she will allow him to kiss her after every 200 pages of revisions.

As you can imagine, the two of them wind up longing for their post-revision kissing sessions.  Each one becomes more and more daring as Sebastian's book gets closer and closer to completion.  Naturally, this was my favorite part of the story.  He's writing like mad - and it's good - and Daisy is (as predicted) dazed and befuddled over this new sensation she's experiencing - passion.   As a virgin, she's never experienced it before.  A whole new world has suddenly opened up for her.  But, she can't seem to write anything herself because she's dazzled by his passionate kisses!  He really does sweep her off her feet!  But how far can it go?  What happens when the book is finished - is that the end of it between them?  Or does Sebastian find he can't live without his adorable critique partner after all?  And what will Daisy do when she overhears an unfortunate conversation between Sebastian and his aunt?  Will she think she's just another fling for him to discard once his book is finished and he doesn't need her as his muse any longer?  In the romance world, nothing good ever happens from eavesdropping.

This romance is wonderful if you like stories that involve authors and their writing.  It goes over a great deal of what the writing process is like: critiquing and revisions, writers block, story arcs, what it takes to make a story compelling and deep.  Not Guhrke's steamiest novel, but it kept my interest.  We see a bit of Harry Marlowe, Sebastian's publisher, and hero from And Then He Kissed Her  in it (which is a great book btw).  Also references to other heroes from the series.  Overall I liked With Seduction in Mind, but it was a weak finish to the Girl Bachelor Series which I found a bit uneven.  Two of the books I loved, and two were meh, but all in all, I recommend it.

3.5/5

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Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book 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...  

I loved this book!  It reminded me a little bit of the movie, Sabrina and a little bit of Pride and Prejudice - how could I not love it?  Two of my favorite movies! 

This is the third in Guhrke's Girl Bachelor Series.  Set during late Victorian times in the 1890's (one of my favorite romance novel periods), Maria is a self enterprising heroine.  She is a hard worker and has a good head on her shoulders.  She is determined to make a success of herself as London's premier patisserie owner.  As far as Maria is concerned, times are modern for a young, single woman and she will not let the masculine world of prejudices prevent her from grabbing the brass ring.  Yes, she is the daughter of a chef, hardly part of the upper class, but she was well schooled.  Sent away to boarding school, she later learned how to become a top notch baker in the French style.  Her pastries are to die for - and she knows it! *grin*  We first meet Maria as she finds an ideal kitchen for lease.  With her best friend's money to back her (it's Prudence, who is now a duchess from the last book in the series), Maria can't resist the modern, clean kitchen that also has a front room for her bakery.  It's perfect!  Until she finds out who the owner is!  It's Phillip Hawthorne, Marquess of Kayne, the elder brother of her former fiance from twelve years earlier.

Phillip was responsible for Maria's broken heart and she'll hate him forever!  But, as we learn over the course of the story, was she really in love way back when, as a young and naive seventeen year old?  And why is she still so angry with Phillip after all these years?  Maria grew up with the two brothers, Phillip and Lawrence, because Maria's father was the family chef.  Scampering around, climbing trees and playing cricket, Maria was close to the boys.  But, once they all became teenagers, everything changed.  Phillip became distant and serious.  Hurt, Maria turned to Lawrence and before long they believed themselves in love and planned to elope.  As the young Marquess of Kayne, Phillip put a kabosh on the whole thing and paid off Maria to stay away from his brother forever.  Young and brokenhearted, she took the money and used it to support herself as she learned how to become a first rate pastry chef.

Now, the whole awful memory has come back to haunt her.  Lawrence is back in town from America, about to be engaged to a rich American heiress, and Phillip is doing his best to keep them apart.   I loved Phillip!  We get his point of view as well in the story and there's more to him than meets the eye.  Inheriting his title at a young age, as well as being saddled with a ton of debt, he busied himself by turning the family fortune around.  He's a businessman now and he's not about to let Maria ruin the possibility of a big shipping deal with Lawrence's future father-in law.  Lawrence, unfortunately, is a bit of a scapegrace.  Fortunately, Maria has no interest in him - she just wants to be left alone by the two brothers to run her bakery.  But, as it turns out Phillip is her landlord!  They're thrown together constantly and soon the two of them can't deny the attraction that has been simmering since they first bumped into each other!

Phillip soon cannot stop thinking about Maria, he becomes obsessed with her.  It doesn't help they share a balcony that joins their two separate town houses.  All he can think about is that she is in the room nextdoor  - undressing.  He wants her badly, but being the gentleman that he is, he does the unthinkable.  He proposes to her - and what a mess of it he makes.  Rivaling Mr. Darcy at Hunsford, Phillip makes no bones about how unsuitable a match he believes the two of them will make.  But nothing can stop him.  He must have her.  Well, Maria lets him know exactly what she thinks about that!  (Trust me, he makes it up to her later!)

Despite his disastrous proposal, I loved seeing how both of them cave in to their passion, and we get some insight into how Phillip felt all those years ago, and what was the real reason behind why he forced Maria and Lawrence to break up.  I found many moments amusing, poignant and the ending was very special, albeit, a trifle corny and totally unrealistic - I loved it!

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did - Maria is feisty and strong and Phillip is handsome and debonair with an Achilles Heel that can't turn away a chocolate tart.  Can he let loose and drop his serious side and have fun again with the pert young girl he knew and longed for long ago?  No matter how lowly her connections?  Anything is possible!

A great book!

4.5/5

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The Wicked Ways of a Duke by Laura Lee Guhrke

Book Description:
She thought she was the luckiest woman in London . . .

Surviving on a seamstress' income and a steady stream of fantasies, Prudence Bosworth has always longed for love and romance. Then she inherits a fortune from the father she's never seen, with the stipulation that she wed in one year. Prudence is determined to marry for true love, and after seeing firsthand the splendid chivalry of a certain duke, only one man will do . . .

Rhys de Winter, the Duke of St. Cyres, hides his cynicism behind a quick wit and an even quicker smile. He must marry an heiress, and as luck would have it, the pretty little seamstress-turned-heiress is exactly what he needs. But he never expected to fall for Prudence, and when his shocking deception is revealed, he will stop at nothing to win her back . . . even if it means renouncing every last one of his wicked ways.

Book two in the author's Girl Bachelor Series, I really liked this story of Prudence, a hard working, girl bachelor on the plump size, who is a seamstress for a fashionable modiste in London in 1894 that unexpectedly comes into a vast fortune when her long lost father dies and leaves it to her. Never marrying her mother, Prudence was born illegitimate and never even knew about her father. Suddenly, Prudence's world is turned upside down. The one condition of her inheriting her millions is she must marry within one year and the trustees of the estate must approve of her husband. Enter Rhys, the Duke of St. Cyres, a known fortune hunter, rake and cad who is up to his eyeballs in debt. He must marry a girl with a fortune or else... Of course, it doesn't hurt he's tall, handsome, fair-haired and utterly charming.

I liked Prudence from the start, but I had trouble with Rhys. For the first half of the book he really is a cad. After rescuing a friend of Prudence's from being raped, he winds up seducing and bedding the girl himself! Although he admired Prudence ever since the first time he saw her when she is still a lowly seamstress working at a ball one night, he sets his sights on her once he learns of her fortune, but he lies about knowing about it. Their whole courtship on his part is one big lie, all the way up to his proposal, which she happily accepts. He does it so cleverly she doesn't suspect a thing, though he does tell her the truth about himself being in debt, etc. but he makes her think he loves her when (at this point) he really doesn't. This didn't sit well with me, but by the end, he redeems himself after she breaks their engagement and he decides he must win her back, money or no.

Prudence, a spinsterish 28 year old seems to be a bit too naive for someone that has lived on their own for 11 years, and even harder to believe she's managed to remain a virign that whole time. But, she is likable and has a good heart and is thrifty and sensible. But the duke turns her head and she stops thinking rationally when it comes to him. No matter how much if was just staring her in the face that he was only marrying her for her money, and no matter how much her relatives were telling her he has a terrible reputation and is nothing more than a gold digger - she wouldn't listen! She was star struck by him from the beginning and it's not until she learns of his deceit that she turns the tables on him and gives him back a taste of his own medicine. She breaks off the engagement and lets him know just what she thinks of him. Good for her!

A cute story that does end happily with a few steamy romance scenes thrown in for excitement. I recommend this series if you're unfamiliar with it. I loved the first in it, And Then He Kissed Her about Emma and her Viscount Marlowe who return in this for a few scenes. I enjoy reading about this period as well, just before the turn of the century, not the most common time period in romances.

4/5

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And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke - a pleasant surprise!

Book Description:
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.…

I didn't know what to expect from this book, having never read anything by this author before but - I loved it! It was so different from your usual lord meets commoner girl and falls in love romance. It had witty dialogue, the hero and heroine are not strangers to one another and it ended up so happily and - romantically - a great ending!

Set in 1893, the end of the Victorian era, Emma Dove works for Lord Marlowe. He is divorced and vows to never marry again. He owns a publishing house, she is his invaluable and ever efficient secretary. Having worked for him for 5 years and paid well, she has no illusions about him and knows him for the charming womanizer and self centered opportunist he is, but she also has aspirations of being a writer herself. She sticks with him in hopes that he'll publish some of her etiquette books, but he always rejects her manuscripts as dull and she is quite disheartened when she realizes he's been rejecting them unread! She is indispensable to him but quits in a huff and goes to work for his main competitor, Lord Barringer (who seemed a bit interesting at first, but then we never see him again!) Once she quits, Marlowe sees her in another light and realizes, when her success begins as an etiquette columnist for the rival newspaper, that he was very wrong about her in many ways! Plus, he realizes how pretty she suddenly looks and eventually kisses her. From there the book takes off!

Emma has a lot of baggage from growing up in a very straight-laced household, always worrying about what people think about her. Marlowe buys out her new boss, and she finds herself working for him again - only on more of an equal level. She'll be one of his columnists as "Mrs. Bartleby" and working together closely. The form a friendship that quickly turns to passion. Their courtship is delightful to read. The dialogue is quick but very romantic and humorous. It's a pleasure to read the way he sets out to seduce her - and he succeeds! But, there's a catch. He has told her he'll never remarry again. She knows this, but passion overrules sensibility and they have an idyllic affair, but over time, Emma cannot continue with it, for she falls in love with him and feels she must end it. It's heartbreaking to read, but thankfully, it all comes to a happy -but albeit predictable - conclusion and is a very warm and fulfilling ending - I ate it up!

There are some graphic romantic sex scenes in this romance, but not a lot. The sexual tension and romance leading up to their affair is great and their frolicsome fun in bed and in the kitchen and other parts of the house are a joy to read about (although I was waiting for something to do with chocolate)! I thoroughly enjoyed this book - read it in one day, a quick fast paced read! I'll look for more books by this author!

4.5/5

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