Seamstress Prudence Bosworth excels at maintaining a subservient attitude to the fashionable young ladies who frequently abuse the working class. Through hard work, Prudence is the lead seamstress at a popular London dressmaker. It's given her the independence she craves, and self-sufficiency is important to her. When her mother died, Prudence was shipped to relatives who treated her as the poor illegitimate relative. Repairing torn dresses at a ball, Prudence encounters a dashing duke who inspires dreams of fantasy. Then Prudence's world turns upside down when she inherits a fortune, with the only condition being that she marry within a year.

Rhys, the Duke of St. Cyres, is on the verge of losing all but his entailed castle. His only recourse is to marry an heiress. A horrific childhood, plus viewing other aristocratic marriages, leaves him filled with cynicism. Upon learning of the plump seamstress' inheritance, Rhys believes his luck has finally changed. Knowing her middle- class sensibilities, Rhys weaves a web of lies designed to catch an heiress.

When Prudence learns of Rhys' deception, it breaks her heart, but she refuses to give up. Instead, she concocts her own deception. Can Prudence deceive the master deceiver into opening his heart to her?

Ms. Guhrke is a creative storyteller who captures the essentials of a good romance. She tells a heartwarming story with characters who touch your heart as their raw emotions are exposed making their tale riveting. THE WICKED WAYS OF A DUKE is a wonderful read!