THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES is the first book in Laura
Lee Guhrke's Dear
Lady Truelove series. Henry
Cavanaugh, Duke of Torquil and Irene Deverill have many
obstacles standing in the way of any potential for
romance between them -- including differences in class,
politics, and their ideas about love and marriage. They
are brought together because, in Henry's opinion, Irene's
"Dear Lady Truelove" column encouraged his mother to make
up her mind to marry an unsuitable younger Italian
painter. Blackmailing Irene to help convince his mother
of the error of her ways is a highly inauspicious
beginning to a relationship, but the twists and turns
Irene and Henry experience in their unorthodox romance
make THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES so interesting.
There is a happy ending in THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND
DUKES, but because Henry is a surprisingly complicated
duke, his romance with Irene is naturally just as
complicated as he is. When Irene first meets Henry after
he confronts her in her office, the impression he gives
is of an incredibly cold and snobbish duke. There are no
miraculous changes in this story, but getting to know
each other helps expand Henry and Irene's perspectives.
Irene is a publisher and a modern woman who believes in
obtaining more freedoms for women. I like that
independence for women isn't just academic for Irene,
since she has had to take the lead in supporting her
family out of necessity. Laura Lee Guhrke gives Henry an
interesting backstory to explain how he is the way he is.
His introspection and questioning himself add humanity
and something warm underneath the cool and imposing duke
veneer.
THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES is about change, family,
and finding love where you least expect, or desire, it.
The passion between Henry and Irene overwhelms them and
seems like a force of nature at times, but it's the
struggle to reconcile their differences that I find to be
the most compelling aspect of THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND
DUKES. I look forward to reading stories about Henry's
family members in future books, as well as Irene's former
gossip columnist Josie.
Dear Lady Truelove . . . I have fallen in love, truly
and completely in love, for the first time. The man whom I
hold in such passionate regard, however, is not of my
station. He is a painter, a brilliant artist. Needless to
say, my family would not approve . . .
Henry, Duke of Torquil, wouldn’t be caught reading the
wildly popular “Dear Lady Truelove” column, but when its
advice causes his mother to embark on a scandalous
elopement, an outraged Henry decides the author of this
tripe must be stopped before she can ruin any more lives.
Though Lady Truelove’s identity is a closely guarded secret,
Henry has reason to suspect the publisher of the notorious
column, beautiful and provoking Irene Deverill, is also its
author.
For Irene, it’s easy to advise others to surrender to
passion, but when she meets the Duke of Torquil, she soon
learns that passion comes at a price. When one impulsive,
spur-of-the-moment kiss pulls her into a scorching affair
with Henry, it could destroy her beloved newspaper, her
career, and her independence. But in the duke’s arms,
surrender is so, so sweet . . .
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