Secret Desires of a Gentleman

Girl Bachelors #3

by Laura Lee Guhrke

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 . . .

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Enemies To Lovers, Historical Fiction, Victorian, Regency

384 pages, ebook

First published September 30, 2008

About the author

From the publication of her very first historical romance, Laura Lee Guhrke has received numerous honors and critical acclaim for her novels and her writing style. She has been honored with the most prestigious award of romance fiction, the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, and she has received additional awards from Romantic Times and All About Romance. Romantic Times has proclaimed her, “One of the most natural voices in historical romance to be found today”. Her books routinely hit the USA Today Bestseller List, and Guilty Pleasures has been honored with the Romantic Times Award for Best European Historical Romance of 2004. Among her publishing credits are twelve historical romances, including her latest, And Then He Kissed Her, now available from Avon Books.

Laura is currently hard at work on her thirteenth historical romance for Avon Books. She has also written articles for various publications, including the Romance Writers Report, The British Weekly , and the Irish-American Press.

Reviews

[Rachel (BAVR) · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: GIFs, spoilers and a grumpy BAVR!

I'm confident that Sarah will agree that this Guhrke Buddy Read was as inspiring as a root canal.

You guys. This story is fucking boring. Who are the assholes in this again? Right. Phillip the snobby marquess and Maria the pastry chef. Their love does not move mountains. It may be able to move ant hills, but that's only because the ants would be annoyed by their incessant yammering and leave.

If I had to choose one thing that I found interesting about this book, I would probably decide on The Million Ways That Phillip is a Giant Asshat. Maria is immaterial to this rant because I actually felt sorry for her. She's just trying to sell her pastries or whatever, and Phillip keeps barging in and telling her to go away, like he OWNS THE ENTIRE WORLD or something.

Phillip is basically the preppy boyfriend in every 80s movie that ends up royally screwing over the ingenue. This is him in my imagination:


Phillip doesn't give a shit as long as he stays waist-deep in fashionable sweaters.

To make an incredibly long story appropriately short, Phillip's the self-flagellating type of "gentleman" who gets a boner for Maria, the daughter of his family's chef, when they're teenagers and ends up bitching at her to deal with his feelz. Twelve years before the story takes place, Maria attempted to elope with Phillip's younger brother. A 19-year-old Phillip wisely stopped the disaster in the making, not through imparting them with wisdom or telling Maria that he wanted to eat her pastries (in a sexual way), but by paying them both off just like the villains in 80% of star-crossed lovers stories. When Maria opens a bakery next-door to the lodgings where he is temporarily living until his home renovations are finished, he does the sensible thing and attempts to evict her.

And in the whole story, through all of the vapid yimmering and yammering about Phillip's hate boners and Maria's fucking baking process (and the pointless conversations - GOOD GOD, the pointless conversations), Phillip never proves that he isn't an elitist, snobby piece o' crap. He barely even apologizes, and Maria decides to accept his proposal anyway because her friends thought it was weird that she didn't want to marry a rich marquess who treats her like garbage. Also, she discovers a secret of Phillip's that proves that he loves and respects her.

What is that secret?

Let me tell you.

When Maria was younger, she had a ribbon that her dead mother left to her. Maria was POOR at that point, okay? She didn't have lots of ribbons, especially ribbons from her DEAD MOM. And there's all this talk throughout the story about how Maria cried and cried about losing the ribbon and how everyone looked for the damn thing but couldn't find it.

So where was the ribbon all along?

Phillip stole it.

Phillip, a goddamn marquess, STOLE a teenage girl's ribbon.

HER DEAD MOTHER'S RIBBON.

And he keeps it for years, even though he knows that Maria was heart-broken over losing it.

That's why Maria knows that he loves her. Because he's a heartless ribbon thief. Bravo, douchebag.



Stay classy.

[Floripiquita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi segundo libro del #RitaLaura #RetoRita3, y tercero de la serie Girl Bachelors, ha resultado ser un lectura preciosa. No solo está a la altura del primero de esta serie, Y entonces él la beso, hay momentos en que incluso lo supera.

Cuenta con una gran pareja protagonista, cuyos enfrentamientos verbales son de traca, igual que la química que existe entre ellos. Maria es un personaje femenino con mucho carácter, trabajadora, luchadora y muy moderna para su época, pero quien de verdad me ha encantado es Phillip, una especie de Señor Darcy, snob y clasista, que niega los sentimientos que alberga desde niño por ella al ser la hija de su cocinero. Su evolución, su manera de ser tan hermética al principio, pero tan apasionada cuando deja de lado la corrección a la que se siente obligado por ser un noble inglés, aunque algo brusca me ha tocado el corazoncito. Ayayayay, esos chocolates rellenos de menta, ese viaje en carruaje, esa cinta del pelo y esa declaración final!! Enamoradita perdida estoy de este hombre.

#PopSugar 2019. Reto 6: Un libro que tenga "salado", "dulce", "amargo" o "picante" en el título

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tenía abandonada este serie hace tiempo y me arrepiento porque esta tercera entrega es preciosa. Creo que, en este género, hace tiempo que no me encontraba con un protagonista masculino tan snob y clasista, que se niega con todas sus fuerzas a los sentimientos que, desde niños, le provoca la hija del chef de su familia. Por lo mismo, ver cómo evoluciona durante la novela, cuando se reencuentra con ella, es una delicia. Lo mismo pasa con Maria, que ahora mayor, también comienza a entender cuáles eran sus verdaderos sentimientos de jovencita.

A pesar de que los momentos entre ellos son buenísimos, lo que más me gustó de este libro fueron esos instantes de autoconocimiento, cuando cada uno recuerda todo lo que significaban el uno para el otro, y que con el paso del tiempo quedó dormido pero no olvidado.

Muy recomendable y no es necesario haber leído los anteriores; las referencias existen, pero no son fundamentales para entender el argumento.

Reto #6 PopSugar 2019: Un libro que tenga "salado", "dulce", "amargado/amargo" o "picante/sexy" en el título

Reto Rita 3.0 (febrero)

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The door closed behind her, but Phillip did not move from his chair, for he knew that if he stood up, he would go after her. Like a compass needle compelled by magnetic force to veer toward true north, he would follow her. He would enter her rooms. He would touch her. He doubted he could stop himself.
      The realization that he had so little governance over his own body appalled and angered him.
      He closed his eyes, striving to remain where he was, while inside him, honor warred with lust. He sat there, eyes closed, taking slow, deep breaths, waiting for honor to win. He sat there for a very long time.

This third reread of one of my favorites by Laura Lee Guhrke, a second-chance romance, unfortunately leaves me a little disappointed. This might have something to do with the fact that I read it right after the perfect and overwhelming “Lord of Scoundrels”, but for whatever reason, this time (3rd read) it just didn't click.

The story itself is exactly what I like: The aristocratic brothers Phillip and Lawrence were friends with Maria, the daughter of the family cook, during their childhood and youth. After the death of Maria's father, Phillip prevents his younger brother from eloping with Maria and marrying her, and sends her away. Fast forward twelve years. Maria unsuspectingly rents a bakery/pastry shop right next door to Phillip's house and the past catches up with them all.

⚠️ Attention. Mild spoilers ahead. ⚠️

I don't know what I saw in Phillip, Marquess Kayne, before, but this time I couldn't find that much sympathy for his behavior towards Maria. He's a snob and a control freak, arrogant and condescending, and the bickering between them is far too often not funny or sarcastic, but Phillip is simply mean to her and confronts her with baseless insinuations. His motives are soon clear: he desperately loves his childhood friend and is trying to push her away because he can't have her, given their class difference.

His attempt to stay away from her doesn't work, not only because of their neighborhood, but also because Phillip's completely naive brother keeps initiating meetings with Maria, which are often quite funny. When Lawrence isn't the instigator, Phillip finds his own excuses to see Maria, because he is attracted to her against his will like a moth to a flame. These scenes are wonderful because they reveal his insecurity and his weakness for her, and the more he meets her, the less he is able to follow his own moral standards. After some back and forth, he finally decides to overcome his class conceit out of a sense of duty and proposes to her, but the proposal turns out even worse than Mr. Darcy's, and just like Elizabeth Bennet, Mary rejects him, offended.

Maria is an independent, self-confident woman who stands up to Phillip and fights back against his meanness. She is sad and disappointed by his behavior, doesn't understand why he treats her this way, but obviously doesn't give up on him. She's actually a heroine I should like, but I didn't find the character that convincing this time. She lacks the warmth I love in my favorite heroines.

I still like the book, but it's not the treasure I remembered. So, with a heavy heart, I'm downgrading it from 5 to 4 stars–but if I'm honest, it's more like a 3.5. I guess I need to reread it to be sure if my taste has just changed or if Lord Dane, the Lord of Scoundrels, is to blame.

[Pepa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña completa:https://masromance.blogspot.com/2026/...

Con la relectura le daría las 5, quizás se debería quedar en 4,5 porque sí, reitero que el personaje masculino sufre un cambio brusco, aunque también la autora va dejando pequeños detalles que pueden anticipar ese giro.
Una delicia de novela, cuánto me ha gustado Phillip.... ♥ y qué bien lo hace Maria
La escena de la caja de tarjetas es memorable y tan, tan tan bonita. En esa escena se dice tanto en tan poco!!!
Lo he devorado en un par de días
No soy objetiva con esta mujer... me gusta como escribe y me ha gustado el argumento.
Es una historia muy dulce, como dice el título aunque me gusta más el título original.
Por otro lado, el giro que da el personaje masculino me ha parecido muy brusco y quizás hubiera preferido que fuera un poco más progresivo.
Al final este estirado snob ha logrado enternecerme como pocos.... y en muchos momentos me ha recordado al Sr Darcy

[Myself · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5
Por ahora el que más me ha gustado de la serie. Lo intuía desde el principio y no me ha defraudado.
Me ha encantado el personaje de Phillip, ese padentrismo que tiene es de lo que más me gusta en los personajes masculinos, que luego cuando se liberan son wow!!!
El personaje de María creo que es el mejor de lo que me he leído de la serie y juntos dan mucho juego y pueden incendiarlo todo.
Para mi gusto muy recomendable.

[Sombra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 estrellitas, pero le subo a las 5 porque de los tres libros, éste es el que sin duda más me ha gustado.

Esta tercera entrega de la serie me ha hecho emocionarme y divertirme a partes iguales con estos protagonistas, ¡menudas pullas se metían cada vez que se veían!
Una historia dulce con toques de humor y con unos protagonistas con un carácter fuerte y arraigado que han hecho las delicias de estas horas de lectura que he tenido.

Phillip me ha recordado mucho a Darcy, el protagonista de Orgullo y Prejuicio, y no solo en su carácter; esnob, arrogante, estirado y con prejuicios bastante claros con respecto a la posición social de la protagonista, que no es sino una trabajadora y muy por debajo de su estatus, sino que también en algunas escenas entre ambos, así como en las proposiciones de matrimonio. Lo que ha sido un plus a la lectura si soy sincera, porque el carácter de este tipo de personajes siempre me gusta cuando se que luego se van a ablandar…y cómo se hablanda al final, de los más cursis pero a la vez bonitos que he leído.

En cuanto a Maria, no ha tenido nada que envidiarle a Phillip, todo lo contrario, ha estado a la altura ya que al igual que sus amigas, es una mujer luchadora, trabajadora, que no se da por vencida y que tiene las ideas bien claras, lo cual es todo un cambio en comparación con algunas protagonistas de otras novelas de éste género.

Si le tengo que poner un pero, es que los pensamientos de ambos con respecto al matrimonio han sido un poco bruscos y todo se ha solucionado muy rápido, sin un epílogo en el que podamos ver esos meses después o días después de su relación, pero se lo perdono a la autora porque el resto de la trama ha sido como el propio título indica; dulce, romántico y divertido. Una historia de amor que viene desde muy lejos, desde la infancia y que ha hecho que actuaran como bobos hasta que por fin se han dado cuenta de lo que sienten

En cuanto a los secundarios, me ha gustado mucho el papel de todos; desde el hermano de Phillipe, Lawrence, hasta las amigas de ella.

Definitivamente una serie que engancha como pocas y que no quiero terminar.

[D.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love romances with the "I've always loved you" trope. I love enemies to lovers. I love stuffy heroes. A book that combined these three things should have been PERFECT for me, if only the author hadn't forced some P&P aspects that messed everything up.

Like in P&P,Mr. Darcy, the Marquess proposes while telling Miss Bennett Maria that she's beneath him socially and how he's proposing against his will. Like Miss Bennett, Maria tells him there's no force in the world that would compel her to marry him. This stupid proposal made no sense whatsoever in this book:
a) Philip & Maria knew each other as children. Didn't he realize she wouldn't take well to a proposal of that nature?
b) Unlike Mr. Darcy he didn't confess his feelings but said he only desired her. A man who had loved a woman for 10+ years should have a better understanding of his feelings.
c) Unlike many of his peers, he runs his own business so he doesn't mind flounting convention. So he why would he mind marrying a social inferior, specially when he's crazy in love with her?

The public proposal at the end maddened me even more. This could have been so freaking good if the author would have just let the story unfold.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastry Chef Maria Martingale is searching for a shop to open her own bakery when she runs into Phillip Hawthorne, Marquess of Kayne. Maria and Phillip, along with his brother Lawrence, grew up together. Her father was the cook at his father's manor house. Years ago, Maria and Lawrence planned to elope, but Phillip found out and put a quick stop to it. Phillip is not happy to see Maria at all. Since Lawrence is back from America and they’re living in the same building as the shop that Maria is renting, Phillip is afraid that she will once again get her hooks into his brother. He may even go so far as sending Lawrence away on business to avoid her. But how will he keep himself away from the beautiful Maria when he sees her nearly every day?

This was an entertaining historical romance that reminded me of Pride and Prejudice. Maria is a smart heroine whose goal for the last twelve years has been to open her own bakery. She knows she must tread lightly with Phillip since he has the power to ruin her business. Phillip is a snob who is worried about what the public would say if his brother (or even Phillip himself) were to marry a Cook's daughter. He is also slow to admit that he has loved her for years and wants Maria for himself. Phillip may take a long time to see the light, but it still a very good romance. My rating: 4.5 Stars.

[Nellab1984 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5
Un mix tra Sabrina e orgoglio e pregiudizio ma ben scritto e con due personaggi riuscitissimi. Consigliato👍

[♥ℳelody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy Philip Hawthorne you are confusing the crap out of me. This guy takes the cake for the most arrogant haughty uptight judgmental hero I've read about so far. Plus wishy washy thrown in there too. I just don't understand him. He loves to remind the heroine every two seconds how she's beneath him in class "Your position is far below mine" yet turns around telling her he's never treated her like a servant. Uh huh. How does that work now? She grew up as part of the working class, you PAYED HER OFF when she wanted to marry your brother at the age of 15, banished her, insult her at every turn, love to remind her on a daily basis how inferior her existence is to you, yet you NEVER treated her like a servant? Pick a damn side. Can't have it both ways there buddy.

.....Yeah 2 seconds away from throwing this out the window. There's only so much contradictory silliness I can take.

***Update: Managed to finish this but with a lot of skimming and skipping parts. The plot was very dry and dull. The blurb sounded interesting but the actual story left a lot to be desired. Besides my issues w/ the hero Philip there were two things that didn't work. First, I was a little bit confused about the time setting of this book and how the characters interacted. I thought it was unrealistic and confusing to read about an unmarried woman (no matter her station) opening up her own business, burrowing money from a rich Duchess and having a man visit her at late hours with no one batting an eye. It was completely inaccurate to the historical period this book takes place in. I had to suspend belief and try to swallow the idea of the heroine Maria being able to open her own business by HERSELF and run around alone with no one raising an eyebrow. Yeah. Right. It's the 1800s, stuff like that doesn't fly in English society. She wasn't shunned or turned away for any of it which made no sense. I understand this was a more 'progressive' Victorian era maybe? but still... it was reaching and so unrealistic.


Second, the hero in this was supposed to be secretly in 'lust' with Maria for years since they were kids and as it turns out has loved her since childhood. That was the most outrageous thing about this whole story. I had a really hard time buying it. His declaration at the end while sweet fell short and so forced considering through most of the book he was degrading her, badgering her, trying to kick her out of her shop, bossing her around and giving her ultimatums and here I'm supposed to believe he's loved her this whole time? Yeah sorry don't buy it. It was too contrived for me. His reasoning for buying her off when she was 15 was kinda reaching for me. I just didn't believe it considering the action behind his words. Or rather lack there of. If you secretly are in love with a woman you don't try to humiliate and belittle her at every turn. And he even kept admitting he didn't understand his 'attraction' to her and seemed rather pissed off by it. Um...what? Makes no sense. That doesn't sound like 'love' to me. It was very contradictory for me and so inconsistent.

Yeah so overall, wasn't working for me. It had some nice parts, I liked Maria but found myself not caring much for the over all story or the characters. Bleh.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh que injusticia de la vida este tampoco tiene epílogo bueee…

Este libro me ha gustado mucho más que el anterior, tal vez porque sentí que hubo más chispa, también porque los protagonistas eran amigos de niños tal vez sea eso I don´t know… lo que sí es que hubo más química.

He de confesar que la sinopsis no me llamaba nada la atención pues según esto doce años después de que el Marqués de Kane haya impedido que la hija del cocinero se fugara a Gretna Green con su hermano menor para casarse, vuelven a rencontrarse y él está decido volver a alejarla porque ella es una tentación.

Phillip el marqués me ha parecido de los protagonistas más odiosos, era arrogante, snob, orgullo y un montón de cosas que lo hace un imbécil su manera de pensar era de lo más retrograda y ya hablando de la época en la que estaban viviendo, algunas cosas que hizo y dijo me dieron ganas de darle un par de garrotazos en la cabeza a ver si se la acomodaban las neuronas, su manera de tratar a María fue horrible.
Soy una masoquista terrible pero me encantan las historias cuando el tipo las trata mal y luego se arrastran por perdón, pues bueno eso espere en toda la historia que se arrastra y eso lo tenía que hacer LITERALMENTE con las rodillas peladas como si de una manda se tratara. Lo peor del caso es que ni si quiera pidió perdón.

Si no fuera porque los dos crecieron juntos y eran los mejores amigos de niños y por las escenas que pasaban de esa época y se veía su amor, no me lo me hubiera creído que estaban enamorados en la actualidad tal vez por parte de ella sí pero él sólo manifestaba lujuria.

Otra cosa que también quería ver era su cambio lentamente y fue bastante brusco en un momento pensaba como un snob estirado y arrogante que ella era inferior y a la siguiente página le declaraba su amor, peeeero me gustó el final su declaración de amor y que al fin le diera su lugar.
Sé que mi calificación es ilógica porque me quejé mucho pero es que en realidad me gustó sólo que el protagonistas no y que nadie le llega a los talones a Harry.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 but since I will most likely listen to the audiobook one day, I’m rounding it up to a 3.

The book was shorter than I anticipated. I feel like their relationship didn’t develop. Their feelings for each other seemed more dependent on their young feelings for each other and a bit of lust on the hero’s side. In my opinion, they didn’t truly know each other as adults. I feel like I didn’t really know the hero (except that he’s a snob). He made a marriage proposal reminiscent of Mr. Darcy’s marriage proposal in Pride and Prejudice. The heroine has slightly more depth. She’s of the lower class, owns her own patisserie, and wants to continue working after she marries.

[Mery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Había leído hace bastante tiempo las dos primeras entregas de esta saga, por algún motivo que no recuerdo, la segunda entrega se me atragantó, pese a que el primero sí que me gustó mucho, por lo que los dos siguientes que quedaron en la estantería a la espera de tiempos mejores, hasta que llego el #RetoRIta3.

Este tercer libro comienza con Maria, una de las solteronas, preparándose para ser una mujer liberada y dueña de su propio negocio, con la ayuda de Emma, una de las protagonistas de las primeras entregas, como socia silenciosa y capitalista.

Maria ha crecido como hija del cocinero de la finca del Marqués de Kanye, siendo amiga de los hermanos Phillip, el heredero del título, y Lawrence el hermano pequeño y el más despreocupado de los dos hermanos Hawthorne. Cuando, primero los Hawthorne y mas tarde Maria, pierden a sus respectivos progenitores la relación entre Lawrence y Maria se estrecha hasta puntos que, el muy tradicional Phillip, no es capaz de permitir y se ve en la obligación de intervenir. ¿El método? Sobornar a Maria para que se aleje de su muy liberal hermano pequeño.

Así en las primeras páginas del libro nos encontramos con Maria buscando un local para su nueva pastelería de inspiración francesa, con tan mala suerte que el local perfecto para ello, después de muchos meses de búsqueda, resulta estar al lado de la residencia temporal del Marqués de Kanye. No solo eso, sino que el local es también de su propiedad y cuando se entera que Maria es su nueva inquilina hará todo lo posible para que esta se vaya, haciendo valer la condición que en su momento le puso para pagarla por alejarse de Lawrence, que nunca se volviera a acercar a su hermano, especialmente ahora, que el pequeño de los Hawthorne ha regresado de los Estados Unidos con muchas posibilidades de casarse con una heredera americana cuyo padre, ademas, podría dar el empujón definitivo a los astilleros familiares.

Con todo este punto de partida nos encontramos ante un libro ágil y divertido. El quid de la cuestión es descubrir cual es el motivo de Phillip para mostrarse tan contrario a Maria cuando es obvio que los años han atemperado los sentimientos de Maria y Lawrence hacia una relación casi fraternal y por contra, los sentimientos de Phillip hacia Maria varían del odio mas visceral, a una pasión con tintes abrasadores.

Mis experiencias previas con la Guhrke eran bastante lejanas y la recordaba bastante mas “blanca” de lo que es este libro, pero no me quejo. Las escenas tienen sentido y son los fuegos artificiales de la relación de Maria y Phillip. Maria es un personaje que la autora nos presenta como de su tiempo, de las primeras mujeres emancipadas que trabajan de manera independiente y no necesitan el nombre de hombre detrás que las respalde. Phillip, por otro lado, es un dinosaurio, que incluso en esa época, parece estar quedándose atrás, por lo que el mayor conflicto que nos vamos a encontrar es como le hace frente al hecho de estar enamorado de una mujer que considera inferior, quizás no para él mismo como hombre, pero sí para su título.

Como decía al principio, el libro es ágil y se lee de manera agradable, te hace interesarte por los personajes y la historia que presenta, y que para mi es lo mas importante en este tipo de libros, de ahi las 4 estrellas.

¿Por qué no es un libro de 5 estrellas? El conflicto es bastante flojo, en el sentido de que a poco que hayas leído varios libro de Romántica te hueles a kilómetros que el verdadero problema del protagonista no es que su hermano se case con alguien inferior, sino que se la quede Lawrence y no él. El misterio, por llamarlo de alguna manera, sobre cierta prenda queda hasta infantil, porque la autora decide aclararlo casi a mitad del libro, por lo que la intriga por la resolución se diluye un poco. Por otro lado, Maria como mujer liberada, se queda a medias, ya que en apenas cinco paginas cambia completamente de opinión respecto a cuán importante es su trabajo y su negocio comparado con ser la “La Señora De...”

Con todo es un libro amable, de los que te deja una sonrisa en la boca y bien escrito. Por lo que para mí lo hace, si no perfecto, sí tiempo bien empleado.

#RetoRita3 #RetoLaura

[Kimberly Carrington-Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuestra reseña del #RitaLaura en A la cama con... un libro
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Para que quede constancia por aquí, le doy 3'5 estrellitas. Es un nadismo sencillo y bonito, con un estupendo punto de partida, lento desarrollo pero de los que disfrutas saboreando, un secreto que se ve a la legua, un protagonista darcyano total, unos diálogos estupendos y un final flojo que deja el libro cojo, chimpún XD.

[Kitcatscratch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read for me and I totally stand by the 4 stars. Maybe 4.5. I love Guhrke's books in general and I just adored this story. The fact that the h is a pastry chef honestly made me think of Jennifer Ashley's Death Below Stairs which really has nothing in common with this one except in Ashley's book the h is a cook. I see this book has some really low reviews but each to his own. If you like Guhrke, it's worth a read.

[Coucher de soleil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please note that this review contains a discussion of adult topics. (I'm also copying this rant to my blog, because I'm nice like that, and because I'm venting.)
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Please note that this review contains a discussion of adult topics.
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All righty then.

I will first point to a fellow reviewer here by saying that they said a good deal of what I wanted to say while reading this particular book, and said it really well: a cool review of this crappy book is here.

However, I feel that a more general (but hopefully brief) and ranty segue is in order here IMO.

One thing about romance novels which never ceases to amaze me is how relentlessly misogynistic they tend to be.

Some examples from historical romance:
-Exhibit A is here: where the 'hero' emotionally manipulates and berates the heroine into sleeping with him. (Let's also not forget about the wonderful, lovely former fiancé the heroine was pining for at the beginning of the novel... who wound up stalking her. But hey! Everyone goes through bad patches sometimes, am I right?)

-Exhibit B is here: where women don't have a sex drive unless they are (knowingly or not) in love with a man.

-Exhibit C is here (another really good review by a fellow reviewer): the '"hero's" magical penis can instantly heal the heroine's rape trauma. (!!)

-Exhibit D is here (more reviews by other reviewers): see here and here. As these reviewers mention in passing
(and as I can attest to since I read the damn thing -which is yet more time in my life I'll never get back), the 'hero' undergoes a complete personality change around the time he and the 'heroine' are married, and he becomes emotionally abusive towards her.

-Exhibit E is here (by a fellow reviewer): see here. Again, our 'hero' is abusive to the heroine. Anyone see a pattern here???

-Exhibit F is here (I hadn't read the previous book in the series before reading this one, unfortunately): see here (again by a fellow reviewer). The so-called 'hero' of this book actually kidnapped and tried to rape the heroine of the previous book in this series (i.e. number 2 in the series). Yep. And when he marries the woman in the current novel (i.e. number 3 in the series), when she is uncomfortable with sleeping with him once they are married (because she doesn't know him) he insults her and calls her a bitch. Lovely. (NB: As a later note, please note that the review in question has been deleted from Goodreads, probably due to the attacks on the reviewer which you can still read in the comments (i.e. the comments are still there despite the review having been deleted). Gosh, I love Goodreads! /sarcasm)

-Exhibit G is here. The 'hero' of this lovely book knows that a vulnerable young woman he has just met is married to a much older man. He realizes that there is an attraction between them. He also realizes that she has come from a difficult background and yet he pursues her regardless (i.e. he actually makes out with/kisses her).He pursues her despite the fact that an affair between the two of them might cause her irreparable harm. He also treats her like garbage throughout the book, because she is never good enough for him. So she's good enough to sleep with, but not good enough for anything else! Good times.

-Exhibit H is here. (Review written by a fellow reviewer, not yours truly.) Basically the 'hero' spends the entire novel trying to force himself on the main female character. (More details are in the excellent review in the link.)

-Exhibit I is here. At (approximately) the three quarters mark, the 'hero'/main male character discovers a secret which his wife was keeping from him (i.e. I will preface this by saying that while she kept a secret from him, it was regarding a situation in the past where she had been a VICTIM). His reaction to finding this out is to become both emotionally and physically abusive towards her.

-Exhibit J, where it is implied that a man is not responsible for his actions when he really 'wants it'. I kid you not (see here and here for discussions of this, by fellow reviewers.)

-Exhibit K is here, where the main female character is essentially brainwashed by the 'hero' into fitting into a particular mould (which includes giving up her business and any independence), and where said 'hero' doesn't realize that rape exists until it is right in his face (in other words, that it has almost happened to the woman he considers his and therefore his penis is involved so he has a sudden epiphany...).

-Exhibit L (see here and here): the 'hero' marries the main female character and then cheats on her. He is never really sorry for anything except having been caught but his wifey forgives him anyway. The fuck??? (Also a reviewer made some really good comments about the treatment of indigenous peoples in this book.)

-Exhibit M (see my discussion of this here). Full disclosure: I started out enjoying the Starz television series version of Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' (at least partly because I didn't remember the books). I don't anymore: once I realized what was in the books I did prefer the series to the books, but I still thought that it was better to quit watching when I honestly feel that the main (male) character is fully deserving of a combination treatment involving both castration and lobotomy. (This character is worse in the books, btw, hence my increased dislike of the latter. PLEASE also note that I am referring to the CHARACTER and not any person(s) portraying said character.) Did I mention that this character (1) beats his wife and (2) rapes his wife? Good times! Also, the book is also massively homophobic. (Some other reviews which raised the same issues are here, here (as this review points out, this book is also really, REALLY homophobic), here (read the tags for this review, they are gold), and here.)

(I will be listing all additional examples here, because apparently Goodreads caps the length of book reviews, thanks, Amazon/Goodreads!! /sarcasm)

(Also, I give you an example of problematic sh*t from more 'contemporary' romance, where the 'hero' (and the narrator) spend their time belittling the main female character by constantly reminding us of how ugly she is and how he is almost doing her a favor by marrying her. Also, the 'hero' is a chauvinistic pig. So ugh.)

(Also, here is an example of yet another historical romance novel which does not have the misogyny I discuss in this post, but which is massively homophobic and ableist. Good times!)

More examples, reviewed by yours truly, in paranormal romance and urban fantasy (i.e. I am listing these two genres together because there is a lot of overlap between them) as well as from novels combining fantasy and romance:

(1) Here (Female werewolves -or were panthers *gag*- are super duper rare so of course they have no rights and are treated like possessions! yay! Also, the following great review by another reviewer actually explains the problematic nature of this book much better than my review.)

(2) Here (The heroine is raped but it's not that bad because she winds up having an orgasm!)

(3) Here (Another one with the rare female werewolves/were-whatevers who are treated like doormats trope!)

(4) Here (One of the most misogynistic novels of all time IMO, with female werewolves again.)

What the f*ck is it with were (werewolves, were-hedgehogs, were-mice, were-mosquitoes) novels, anyways? You tell me.

(5) Here (The passive female who must be rescued! This of course is ANOTHER were-gnat/were-something novel.)

(6) Here (A good penis is what all women secretly crave -the magical penis will always save or otherwise transport a woman. Another example of this trope is here.)

(7) Here (Women being treated like doormats for no good reason in the story.)

(8) Here (If a woman finds a good penis, she'll be saved from the darkside!!)

(9) Yet another example of misogynistic crap in the paranormal romance genre is here.

(10) Another example is here, where the main female character first gets with the main male character/'hero' in a massively non consensual and problematic way.

Hey romance and urban fantasy (and other genre) authors, here's a message:

DO BETTER.
-------------------
My review of this particular book is as follows.

The characters: The 'hero' is an emotionally abusive asshole, who thinks that the heroine is beneath him. He broke up her engagement to his brother years earlier because she wasn't good enough for his brother, apparently. When she opens a bakery next to where he's been (temporarily) living while his London house is refurbished (or something -she had no idea he was living next door, and it's been years since the failed engagement) he goes ballistic and tries to have her evicted.

...Was I supposed to like this guy? Yeeeech.



The heroine is an independent woman -she has become an expert pastry chef and simply wants to work at her art... for most of the book anyways. This is before she realizes that what she really wanted all along was the 'hero's' penis and she gives up on her bakery and her dreams, in order to marry a guy who has treated her like dirt all along.

So much for being an independent woman, I guess. (I also call bad characterization here, because really.)

Plot: I've pretty much detailed this bad boy above, so there isn't much to add regarding the plot, really, except that much of it involves the 'hero' acting like an entitled douchecanoe.

Setting: It's pretty thin, which is another problem with historical romance novels, to my mind. This could have been set in the present day, really without it affecting the story much: think Sabrina.

[Océano de libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me leí la primera novela de la serie (me encantó) pasado un tiempo me salté la segunda y acabé con esta porque me atraía más su sinopsis y tengo pocas (ninguna) cosas malas que decir de ella.
María Martingale es una mujer independiente que se quiere labrar un futuro montando una pastelería lo que no espera es encontrarse una década después con Phillip Hawthorne, marqués de Kayne, el hombre que evitó que se casara con el hermano de éste y la echara de sus vidas.
La novela ha sido una delicia (nunca mejor dicho), ya necesitaba una novela que me mantuviera entretenida o más bien enganchada a su argumento y es que la trama es “más moderna” y la pluma de la autora no se queda atrás, es fluida, sencilla y con diálogos con fuerza.
Tenemos a una mujer de clase pobre que no quiere vivir de un hombre, María es independiente, con carácter y tiene un objetivo en mente que su constancia le ha logrado alcanzarlo pero todo no iba a ser sencillo puesto que en su camino se cruza Phillip. Phillip ha sido un personaje que nos traerá de cabeza: es clasista, esnob, estirado y al principio no será de nuestro agrado...
Continúa la reseña en:http://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/20...

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 - Una pasticcera, alla conquista di Londra, si ritrova ad aprire il negozio dei suoi sogni proprio accanto alla casa del marchese che l'ha accusata di essere un'arrivista dodici anni prima (quando erano ragazzi).
Leggero e divertente, tra seduzioni a base di crostatine alla melassa, sfide urlanti tra chef, grandi balli visti dal tavolo dei dessert.
Adorabili i bisticci tra i due e adorabile Lawrence, fratello un po' svagato, anche se non protagonista.

[Pikolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues esperaba bastante mas ... con lo cual no puedo pasar de 3*

[Camille · Rating 1 out of 5]

I honestly feel this was a waste of time reading. The author does little to make you form a connection or root for the main characters. While reading I often felt completely removed from the story, like I was watching a bad movie, but stayed to the end because I already paid my admission.

When the "gentleman" of Secret Desires of a Gentleman blames the heroine for making him kiss her and accusing her of being some sort of witch because he couldn't "control" himself around her, I wanted to stop reading, but I soldiered on.

I could not find any redeeming qualities to this story and was further abashed when the author had the gall to let the said gentleman of the story declare his love for our heroine in a very ungentlemanly way, in front of others (gasp, that's just not done in Victorian times [sarcasm:]). I'm talking, professing love, going on bended knee the whole shtick... and of course our heroine said yes. Ugh.

This is a miss folks. This author can and has done better... I recommend His Every Kiss.

[Nabilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh... The character portrayal in this story, particularly that of the hero, Philip Hawthorne, the Marquess of Kayne, is rather erratic. He comes off as a living paradox, displaying thoughtless and self-centered tendencies that translate into cruelty, particularly towards the heroine, Maria. It's frustrating to witness his inconsistency and lack of empathy.

As for Maria, she appears too passive in the face of Philip's mistreatment. I find myself wishing she would assert herself more and show some backbone. Ms. Guhrke's talent is evident, as she has demonstrated in her previous works, but this particular novel falls short of her usual standard. Overall, it's a disappointing read, leaving much to be desired in terms of character development and coherence.

[nurmawati · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT !!!

sungguh buku yang bagus sekali....5 bintang deh ^^

Maria Martingale seorang spinster 29 tahun yang pingin banget punya toko roti...
maria cantik dan sebenernya gak kekurangan suitor cuma ada hal yang nyebabin dia belum mau menikah, salah satunya ya keinginannya jadi wanita karir yang pada zaman itu lumayan susah di terima masyarakat.

12 tahun yang lalu maria yng tinggal bersama ayahnya yg bekerja sebagai chef di kediaman Marquess of Kayne jatuh cinta pada anak ke 2 keluarga kayne yang terpandang, lawrence...
sempat maria dan lawrence mau kawin lari ke gretna green (saat itu usia mereka masih 17 tahun)
tapi renccananya keburu ketauan phillip, kakak larence yang udah menjadi margquess yg menggantikan marquess sebelumnya yang meninggal..
phillip memaksa maria menerima uang pemberiannya dan pergi selamanya dari hadapan lawrence...
lawrence pun gak berusa menahan maria karena takut hak waris nya di cabut..
akhirnya maria yang saat itu yatim piatu pergi meninggalkan keluarga kayne...

12 tahun kemudian maria yang mau buka toko roti dan menemukan tempat strategis pilihannya, bertabrakan dengan phillip di jalan...
ternyata phillip tinggal di sebelah toko roti maria karena estate nya lagi dalam perbaikan...
maria menegur phillip tapi phillip pura2 gak kenal dan bersikap dingin..
phillip kira maria ke sana sengaja karena mendengar lawrence akan kembali ke inggris dan mau mendekati lawrence lagi..
padahal maria udah melupakan lawrence dan sadar kalo waktu 17 tahun mau kawin lari itu bukan krn cinta tapi karena maria talut hidup sendiri tanpa apapun dan gak punya orang tua...
dia baru kembali dari boarding school dan menemukan phillip yang dianggap sahabat dari kecil bersifat dingin ...
phillip menganggap setelah dia jadi maerquess dia gak bisa lagi berbicara atau bergaul dengan org2 yg lebih rendah derajatnya...
so maria yg sedih dan gak tau mesti gimana akhirnya dirayu lawrence...
larence selalu baik ke maria sedangkan phillip bener2 memutuskan komunikasi dengan dia....

eniwei....phillip yg tau maria mau menyewa gedung di sebelah rumahnya untuk dijadikan toko roti menolak dengan tegas...bahkan berusaha mengusir maria krn gedung itu sebenernya punya perusahaan phillip juga...

maria yg gak rela terusir akhirnya mencari cara supaya dia bisa tetap disana..
terpaksa maria broke promise 12 tahun yang lalu untuk gak bertemu lawrence lagi....
pas tau kabar dari surat kabar kalo lawrence datang ke inggris dan bakal tinggal dengan phillip, maria menunggu lawrence dan pura2 tabrakan dengan lawrence...
lawrence yang kaget senang ketemu maria, maria yg pura2 kakinya terkilir dijak masuk ke kediaman phillip...
so phillip kaget pas pulang dari jalan2 menemukan maria dan lawrence negobrol di ruang tamy nya...
lawrence minta ke phillip membantu maria tetap bisa menyewa tokonya...dia gak tau kalo sebenarnya phillip yg arrange supaya maria diusir..
akhirnya mau gak mau phillip menyanggupi di depan lawrence...

phillip masih mengira maria mau mengejar lawrence padahal saat itu lawrence sudah bertunangan dengan heiress kaya dari amerika...
phillip gak suka maria ada di sekitar mereka....
tapi semakin hari dia semakin mikirin maria....
di luar sifat dingin dan snob nya, phillip sebenernya dari kecil punya perasaan tertentu ke maria...
tapi krn dia seorg marquess dan harus bersifat proper dia menolak perasaan itu walau dalam hatinya dia cemburu banget setiap melihat lawrence dan maria..

setiap hari mau gak mau phillip ngeliat maria...apalagi kamar philip dan maria bersebelahan dan mereka berbagi balkon...
phillip melihat bayangan maria yang pakai gaun tidur....langsung bikin dia turn on gak bisa tidur dan mandi air dingn :p

besoknya pas tengah malam phillip mendatangi maria di toko nya..niatnya pengen ngomomg ke maria...tapi malah dia mencium maria yg kaget...gak nyangka kenapa tiba2 phillip yang jahat dan dingin mencium dia...
setelah phillip pergi maria membayangkan ciuman itu dan merasakan sesuatu yang berbeda....ciuman phillip berbeda dari ciuman2 lain yang pernah dia rasakan...
phillip sendiri galau terus..selalu memikirkan maria dan gak bisa tidur nyenyak....

larence menjanjikan pekerjaan buat maria untuk menyediakan pastry di setiap pesta2 keluarga kayne tentunya tanpa sepengetahuan phillip...
maria dan larence berjanji akan bertemu buat membahas pesta besar keluarga kane yg kurang dari 2 minggu lagi...
tapi ternyata lawrence malah pergi mengurus perusahaan pekayaran atas suruhan phillip dan lupa memberitahu maria...
akhirnya terpaksa maria harus menemui phillip buat membahas pesta tersebut...

phillip akhirnya juga terpaksa menerima karena waktu pesta udah mendesak dan gak bisa cari pastry lain juga karena lwrence udah menandatangani perjanjiannya dengan maria...
akhirnya maria tetap jadi pastry chef di pesta kane..
tambah nelangsa deh phillip....;p

usai pesta di mansion kane, tiba2 hujan turun deras....
maria merasa sebagai pelayan dia gak bisa keluar dari pimtu depan, memutari gedung sambil hujan2 an buat mencari cab...
karena udah malam dan hujan pula gak ada satupun cab disana...
tiba2 maria di tarik paksa masuk ke sebuah kereta...
setelah meronta2 dan menendang2....dikira mau di culik akhirnya maria tau kalo itu phillip..
phillip sangat marah kenapa maria pergi hujan2 an....
maria bilang karena ada yang mengambil jas hujannya dan dia mesti memutar supaya gak lewat pintu depan...karena dia tau kalo sesuai peraraturan society pelayan gak boleh liwat pintu depan...
phillip bilang dia bukan pelayan...
dan maria balas kalo kan phillip sendiri yg bilang derajat mereka berbeda...dia seorang bangsawan dan maria keluarga dari kalangan rendah (jitak phillip)....

di kereta maria kedinginan....sama phillip tiba2 di peleuk dan din pangku....
maria yang kaget tadinya berusaha buat mengelak tapi phillip mengeratkan pelukannya dan bilang kalo dia melakukan itu supaya maria gak kedinginan...
tenyata gak bisa kalo cuma peluk2 an buat mengusir dingin...akhirnya maria dan phillip berciuman lagi :p
kissu2 nya berlanjut sampe akhirnya ada fingering dan mereka hampir ML....
pas maria lagi O dan phillip siap2 buka celana nya tiba2 kereta berhenti...udah sampe rumah :p
damn...damn...damn....kata si phillip hihihihi....
mau gak mau mereka merapikan pakaian dan turun dari kereta...phillip langsung pergi ke rumahnya dan maria ke toko nya..
phillip merasa bersalah dan menyesal...
tapi tetep dia gak bisa tidur (lagi :p)

maria gak ngerti gimana phillip...satu saat phillip menciumi dia menggebu2, disaat lain philiip kembali dingin dan proper...

besoknya phillip mendatangi maria...dia mau melamar maria karena menurutnya apa yg dia lakukan di kereta itu gak pantas dan satu2 nya cara dia mesti menikahi maria walau sebenrnya dia gak mau karena maria dari status yang rendah dan seharusnya dia menikah dengan org yg sederahjat..
demi proper phillip rela menikahi maruia...yg tentu aja bikin maria esmosi...ini mo lamar apa menghina...
kayaknya phillip terpaksaaaa banget...
padahal maksud hati gak begitu, cuma phillip gak bisa ngomongnya dan gak pandai merendah..
dia kira maria bakal senang akan jadi marchioness dan gak kerja keras lagi ngurus toko roti,,
phillip kira obsesi dia ke maria akan berhenti setelah dia berhasil meniduri maria sebagai istri nya...
maria menolak dan mereka bertengkar..
maria gak abis pikir kok phillip mau melamar atas dasar proper dan bukan cinta..
phillip juga gak abis pikir kenapa maria menolak menjadi marchioness dan meanikan status nya...

phillip pun pergi ke mansion kayne tempat dia dulu tinggal....
berniat melupakan maria...
beberapa minggu disana dia yakin udah melupan maria....

akhirnya dengan lawrence dan calon istri lawrence phillip kembali ke kota...

malam2 phillip yg galau bertemu maria di balkon..
phillip mau pergi tapi maria memanggil nya....
phillip ternyata tetep gak bisa melupakan maria..dia bilang untuk kebaikannya maria mesti masuk kembali ke kamarnya kalo gak mau kehilangan virtue nya...
maria bilang dia gak mau dan siap melakukannya........
akhirnya phillip menyebrangi balkon dan menarik maria ke kamarnya....
sambil kissu2 very hot phillip membuka baju tidur maria (yg berlapis2....tidur aja pake korset ckckckck )
dan maria bilang mestinya gak cuma dia aja kan yang naked ? akhirnya maria juga ikutan buka2 baju phillip :p
dan mereka uhuk2 demikian seru nya sampe pas pelayan maria mau membangunkan maria, dia ngeliat phillip di ranjang maria....

phillip kira abis uhuk2 pasti maria mau kawin sama dia...
phillip minta maria melupakan toko rotinya....
maria gak mau....bukan karena dia mencintai sangat toko rotinya..tapi dia gak mau phillip menikahi dia karena keharusan...
phillip akhirnya pergi ...

tapi phillip merenungi sikapnya selama ini....sampe pada kesimpulan kalo dia mencintai maria..gak pernah berenti mencintai maria dari kecil sdaat mereka main sama2..
bahkan selama ini phillip menyompan pita maria yg hilang..pita pemberian almarhum ibu maria..dan selama bertahun2 pula phillip hanya tidur dengan mistress or courtesan yang penampilannya ternyata mirip maria..mereka hanya pengganti karena phillip gak bisa melupan maria....

akhirnya di acara makan malam di hadapan puluhan bangsawan teman phillip, phillip memanggil maria....
phillip mendeklarasikan perasaannya di hadapan org2 kalo dia mencintai maria..
dia gak peduli kalo mereka beda rtingkatan..
gak peduli maria punya toko roti...
gak peduli orang mau bilang apa...
nago phillip maria yg terpenting......
phillip bilang entah sampe berapa ratus lamaran dia akan tetap melamarrmaria sampe maria menerima....karena phillip gak bisa hidup tanpa maria...

at the end maria menerima lamaran phillip dan bilang kalo bagi dia bukan toko roti yg penting, bukan impian nya juga..tapi dia mau selalu bersama phillip dan mencintai phillip juga....

phillip mencium maria di depan para bangsawan tamu....gak peduli kalau di dalam lingkungan bangsawan...proper gentleman itu gak boleh menunjukan afeksionis ....dan phillip gak peduli....very happy maria menerima lamarannya....*sigh*


maria

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A light, enjoyable and quick read. Maria and Phillip spent quite a lot of time as enemies, with Phillip in particular finding himself, as a marquess, unable to seriously pursue a woman who was a 'mere' cook. Maria was more 'modern' in her outlook (it's set in 1895) and didn't see their differences as such a problem. But Phillip, always the proper gentleman, took longer to give in and admit he was in love with Maria.

A couple of plot points didn't fully gel with me. The coincidence of Maria finding the perfect shop to rent which was literally next door to her childhood frenemy Phillip. And Lawrence, who'd been in America for years, was living there too, having just arrived back in England a week earlier. Yeah, very convenient for the plot. The scene with Maria and the other girl bachelors and friends later in the book seemed a little unbelievable to me too. Why would she admit Phillip had asked her to marry him to this disparate group of older and younger ladies, some of whom she hardly knew? Hmmm. It felt unlikely. Also, Phillip's realisation he couldn't live without Maria felt very abrupt, and his established behaviour for most of the book was flipped on its head a little too suddenly for me. And in the series as a whole, Maria is the third (out of three) to marry a titled aristocrat, way above her class. Yes, it happened, probably more frequently as the twentieth century approached. But three out of three feels a bit too contrived by the writer.

Oh well, in spite of these minor reservations that kept me from giving 4 full stars, I still enjoyed the read overall. I have one more to go in the quartet, which I will probably read at some point.

[Katyana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was really disappointing.

I mean, come on. The hero was a complete dickbag. Let's run down the series of events.

Phillip has never had respect for Maria. From his appalled reaction at their first meeting (she was freaking SEVEN YEARS OLD and he was vaguely appalled that a servant child was daring to speak to him... and the fact that he had that level of arrogance as a 9 year old speaks volumes), to the way he casually discarded their friendship without a word when she was 15, he made it clear that he had less than zero consideration for her.

That brings us to the key problem: I do not believe Phillip has ever cared for any human being but himself. I don't know that I've ever seen a more self-centered character. And not only does that never change, he's never even called on it. From just deciding to be cruel to Maria in their childhood, snubbing someone who was supposedly a friend... to breaking up her relationship with his own brother because he was jealous? Stealing a hair ribbon - the ONLY token this poor girl has from her dead mother - and not even caring that she cried about its loss for days. This bit was from his own POV, mind you. He says that he never once even thought about returning it, even when she cried.

What the fuck is wrong with him? I don't believe he loves her. He's like a damn sociopath.

This amazing bit of dickery is followed up by ... her father dying. The only person she has left in the world. He can't be bothered to comfort someone who was once a friend (and someone we're supposed to believe he secretly loves) through this horrible experience that is not only emotional for her, but also terrifying, because now not only does she have no family, she has no money, and no idea what to do. And he gets jealous that she and his brother get close because her brother is actually a decent human being and tries to care for his sobbing friend. So, despite the fact that nearly everything that means anything to her in the world has died, he decides to take the last little bit of anything she has, and cast her out into the world to do... whatever. He doesn't care what, as long as she doesn't do it near him or his brother.

He is the Marquess of Assholery.

Then, when he trips over her as she's finally accomplishing her dream and opening her shop, he casually evicts her from the building, while casting aspersions on her character. That was so fucking out of line I don't even know where to begin. Being a woman in that era was hard enough. Assaulting her character? That could DESTROY her. (The irony here is that later he claims that they must marry to protect her reputation. Since when does this fuckbag care about her reputation?)

The shit cherry on top of this diaper sundae is his first proposal. I am hard-pressed to even begin to imagine a more condescending speech. It was so horrible I actually gasped aloud reading it.

**Here's a key thing. Up until this point, I was pretty into the story. I thought Maria was a great character: strong, intelligent, independent, marvelous. What she said while throwing his proposal back in his face was fabulous. I will admit that I couldn't imagine what Guhrke was going to do for Phillip's come-to-Jesus moment, to redeem him, but I really love her as an author, so I was excited to see.**

Then she went to have tea with her friends, and it all fell apart. This was about the 80% mark.

When she told the story to her friends, rather than be appalled at the shitty stuff Phillip said (I'll be frank - if someone "proposed" to my friend like that, I'd be headed to his place to make him pick his teeth up off the floor), they decide that it is terribly romantic, and wonder if Maria doesn't actually love him. They simply can't imagine why Maria would decline to marry this rich aristocrat who treats her like garbage and gives long speeches about why she's so far beneath him.

I was stunned. Stunned.

And from there, the book went down that trite, crappy path. He secretly loved her (though I don't buy it... I don't buy anyone doing what he did to someone they LOVE, because that's not what love is). She secretly loved him. Her dream of 12 years, the cake business she'd poured her heart into, was worthless, and she'd give it all up in a minute to be by his side always.

*vomit*

The only reason this book has any stars is because of how much I liked Maria, right up until the moment she decided that she would happily toss out her whole life to meekly follow whatever Phillip wants her to do... and I guess hope that he doesn't decide to randomly stop talking to her, send her packing, evict her, and/or otherwise repeat any of the horrible things he's done to her repeatedly throughout their lives. Thereby utterly gutting her character and making her into a caricature... the meek woman who never really wanted to have her own life at all, but simply wanted to be some strong man's kept woman, so she can flutter through her life without a care in her empty head.

Appalling. Terrible. Fucking disappointing.

[ByMamis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela que se lee rápida pero saboreándola.
Amigos de la infancia de distinta clase social. Él el típico snob de la época que finalmente cae rendido, claro.

La historia es bonita, con detalles muy dulces, como los pasteles que hace María, la protagonista 🍥🥮🍩🥧

Lo único que me ha resultado al final muy rápido el desenlace respecto a lo que ella quería. Deseaba tanto y mostraba en las conversaciones con él tener su negocio por el que tanto luchó en un mundo dominado por hombres en pleno siglo XIX, que de repente más o menos decir , vale, lo dejo todo por ti...muy bonito y romántico pero me ha descolocado un poco tal como ella actuaba páginas atrás al desenlace. En la serie de Las modistas de Chase continúan con el negocio...pero en fin, es el final que a la autora le gustó escribir jeje.

Leído para el retolove4romance.

[Ana María · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una relectura pero antes no había escrito la review.

Me encantó, me encantó, me encantó.

Es verdad que no recordaba que Phillip era TAN imbécil, pero le perdono todo.

Reconozco que le debería poner 4 estrella y no 5 (por el final abrupto), pero digamos que es una puntuación emocional.

Tenemos aquí la historia del lord y la plebeya (me suena) que se reencuentran doce años después de no verse pero, en este caso los protagonistas se conocen desde niños ya que María era la hija del chef del marqués de Kayne (el padre de Phillip) y eran amigos. A lo largo de la novela vamos reconstruyendo el pasado a través de conversaciones, recuerdos, confesiones, reproches entre María, Phillips y Lawrence (el hermano menor de Phillip).

Con tono de comedia romántica.
Dos escenas hot, más un beso apasionado.

María es una mujer independiente, bella y alegre, que tiene un sueño: poner una pastelería en donde vender sus dulces creaciones. El problema es que el local que alquila está justo al lado de donde vive Phillip, el nuevo marqués de Kayne, que la echó de su casa hace doce años cuando pretendía huir a Gretna Green para casarse con su hermano. Por determinadas circunstancias.

Phillips es insufrible, peor que Darcy de "Orgullo y prejuicio": "un noble no puede casarse con alguien de menor posición social y bla, bla, bla" Pero en realidad, detrás de ese discurso oculta una gran pasión por María y una terrible inseguridad. Piensa:

(A PARTIR DE AQUÍ FRASES DE LA NOVELA)

"Quería decirle que lo recordaba todo.... Se acordaba de la rabia cegadora que sintió cuando las burlas de los niños del pueblo la hicieron llorar; de la alegría que lo inundaba cada vez que recibía una de sus cartas en el colegio; o cada vez que podía oler el aroma a vainilla que desprendía su pelo...".

Y lo de la cinta <3 <3 <3

Y Lawrence, el hermano, un divino. La primera vez que leí esta novela no le dí mucho valor, pero lo tiene. Es despistado pero con un gran corazón. Me encanta como le toma el pelo a Phillip:

"—Sí, supongo que eres snob. Lo siento, hermanito —añadió (Lawrence) al oír la consternación de Phillip—. Pero eres muy puntilloso con las normas de conducta… Y sí, eres un poco altivo... Y también está el modo como caminas, claro.
—¿Qué tiene de malo mi modo de caminar, si puede saberse?
—Cuando estás con gente, te desplazas dando por hecho que los demás van a apartarse para dejarte pasar; cosa que hacen, por supuesto —añadió—… Pero verlo desde fuera es espectacular. Como ver el mar Rojo separándose, ¿sabes? Y todo el mundo te hace reverencias. —Se quitó el sombrero y llevó la mano con la que lo sujetaba a la espalda, colocó la otra plana en su abdomen y se dobló por la cintura—. Haced paso, haced paso para el marqués de Kayne, el amo del universo."

JA JA JA

[Antonella · Rating 3 out of 5]

the author is on the roll..
this book's hero is also an asshole like the second book's hero...
how about that?

I was sort of okay with everything. This was a 3,5-4 star read. I liked it until we get the proof of his love. He stole her ribbon. That was the only memory she had of her dead mother. She searched and cried about it. He never said the word about it and kept it for 12 years, so that means he loves her, right?! That negates all the shit he did and we get redemption.

2,5⭐

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 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.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 ½ stars – Victorian/Historical Romance