WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN is the second book in Lorraine
Heath's Sins
for All Seasons series. Gillie Trewlove is easily
one of my favorite heroines written by Lorraine Heath.
Gillie has the healthy self-esteem and steely determination
of Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre. As a tavern owner and
businesswoman, Gillie is pragmatic while also occasionally
indulging in moments of whimsy as evidenced by naming her
tavern "The Mermaid and the Unicorn" after the mythical
creatures she's intrigued by. Antony Coventry, the ninth
Duke of Thornley aka Thorne, is searching London's
underbelly for the bride who jilted him when he is attacked,
rescued, and cared for by Gillie. WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN
has an extraordinary heroine and a hero who appreciates and
loves her for her strengths and spirit.
Just when Thorne thinks he's having the worst day of his
life, after being left at the altar and beaten almost to a
pulp, his avenging Amazon comes to rescue him and save the
day. As Gillie is nursing Thorne back to health, an intimacy
forms as they talk and let their guards down. Thorne comes
to realize that if he had married Lavinia that fateful day,
it would have been a disaster. Although he hasn't known her
long, he knows more about Gillie than the woman he was
supposed to marry. Thorne and Gillie are able to reveal
themselves in a way they haven't to other people. The
attraction and friendship quickly develop into something
deeper for these characters. With each day they find the
idea of being separated harder to contemplate. I enjoy the
vignettes when they each try to blend into a world that is
foreign to them.
WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN has a top-notch heroine, a
charming hero, and a compelling love story. Gillie's young
assistant Robin adds a little levity to the story and shows
another interesting side to Thorne. Of all the supporting
characters in WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN, I am most looking
forward to seeing what's in store for Thorne's one-time
bride-to-be Lavinia and her secret lost love, as well as
Gillie's brother Beast. I eagerly await Lorraine Heath's
next Sins
for All Seasons book.
Gillie Trewlove knows what a stranger’s kindness can mean,
having been abandoned on a doorstep as a baby and raised by
the woman who found her there. So, when suddenly faced with
a soul in need at her door—or the alleyway by her
tavern—Gillie doesn’t hesitate. But he’s no infant. He’s a
grievously injured, distractingly handsome gentleman who
doesn’t belong in Whitechapel, much less recuperating in
Gillie’s bed . . .
Being left at the altar is humiliating; being rescued from
thugs by a woman—albeit a brave and beautiful one—is the
pièce de résistance to the Duke of Thornley’s
extraordinarily bad day. After nursing him back from the
brink, Gillie agrees to help him comb London’s darker
corners for his wayward bride. But every moment together is
edged with desire and has Thorne rethinking his choice of
wife. Yet Gillie knows the aristocracy would never accept a
duchess born in sin. Thorne, however, is determined to prove
to her that no obstacle is insurmountable when a duke loves
a woman.