Books › Secret Desires of a Gentleman
Secret Desires of a Gentleman
376 pages
A deliciously tense battle of wills between a rigidly proper aristocrat and the spirited baker who tempts him to break every rule.
What it feels like
Reading this historical romance feels like stepping into a sunlit London bakery, warm, inviting, and utterly irresistible. The narrative thrives on the crackling, slow-burn tension between a fiercely independent working-class heroine and a delightfully stuffy aristocrat whose rigid sense of duty is slowly dismantled by his overwhelming desire. Guhrke's prose is elegant yet breezy, delivering sharp banter that masks deep, lingering vulnerabilities and years of unspoken yearning. The mood balances cozy domesticity with the high-stakes emotional angst of crossing rigid societal lines. It is a deeply satisfying, character-driven journey that will thoroughly delight readers who love watching a buttoned-up, rule-abiding hero completely lose his composure over a woman he was never supposed to want.
- Mood
- warm
- yearning
- cozy
- romantic
- Tone
- witty
- earnest
- swoony
- playful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- class differences · forbidden desire · second chances · societal expectations
- The writing
- Elegant and accessible, balancing sharp, spirited dialogue with tender internal monologues.
- The arc
- Moves from prickly resentment and guarded secrets to a vulnerable, passionate surrender to long-denied love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love a buttoned-up, aristocratic hero losing his mind over a capable, working-class heroine.
Content notes
- classism
About the book
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.
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
Description from Open Library.
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