How to Lose a Duke in Ten Days - Laura Lee Guhrke (Avon - May 2014)

Series: An American Heiress in London (Book 2)

They had a deal . . .

From the moment she met the devil-may-care Duke of Margrave, Edie knew he could change her life. And when he agreed to her outrageous proposal of a marriage of convenience, she was transformed from ruined American heiress to English duchess. Five years later, she's delighted with their arrangement, especially since her husband is living on another continent.

But deals are made to be broken . . .

By marrying an heiress, Stuart was able to pay his family's enormous debts, and Edie's terms that he leave England forever seemed a small price to pay. But when a brush with death impels him home, he decides it's time for a real marriage with his luscious American bride, and he proposes a bold new bargain: ten days to win her willing kiss. But is ten days enough to win her heart?

Very good book. Edie had come to England five years earlier, escaping a bad situation back in New York. Unfortunately, she hadn't found a husband during the season which meant returning to America, something she really didn't want to do. When she discovered that Stuart needed a rich wife, she proposed a marriage of convenience - she would pay the debts, care for his estates, and provide him with the funds he needed to return to Africa, as long as he stayed there. 

Stuart is more than happy to take the deal, as it gets him exactly what he wants. He spends the next five years busily exploring various parts of Africa, leading safaris, and even discovering a new species of butterfly. But when a close encounter with a lioness nearly results in his death, Stuart decides it is time to go home. He's spent a lot of time over the years thinking about Edie, and he's ready to make something different of his life.

Edie is horrified when Stuart shows up, expressing his intention to make their marriage a real one. He makes his case quite eloquently, but Edie is blunt in her statement that she has no desire to live with him or have a family. She likes her independence, her charitable works, and raising her younger sister. The thought of living with him sends her into a panic. Consulting with a lawyer gives her only one option that is acceptable to her -  a legal separation, leaving them married but living apart.

Stuart is surprised by the feelings of desperation he gets from her whenever he tries to talk to her about their marriage. He's certain he can win her over if she will just give him a chance. So he makes a bargain with her that he can get her to willingly give him a kiss within ten days. If he succeeds, she will give up on the idea of a separation. If he loses, he will grant her request. But she has to give  him a fighting chance.

I loved Stuart. He really is a very nice guy, who just wants a chance at the marriage he thinks he can have. He starts out quite gently, wooing her with picnics and conversation, and some mild flirtation. He senses that there is passion under the cold attitude, so he begins a subtle form of seduction. But Edie's resistance is strong, and eventually he figures out why. I loved his reaction and how angry he was on her behalf. He became even more determined to show her that what she experienced isn't the way it should be.

I was a bit frustrated with Edie at the beginning. She was so determined to keep Stuart away from her that she wouldn't listen to what he was asking for. For a woman who had been so independent and good at what she was doing, seeing her run away just didn't seem to fit. But as her fears were revealed, I felt more sympathy for her, and couldn't wait to see how Stuart was going to overcome them.

There were some pretty amusing scenes as Edie used her prescribed time with him. I loved tea with the vicar, and how much amusement Edie got from Stuart's discomfort. Of course, Stuart would get his revenge by using his time to tell her all the things he wants to do to her. I loved seeing the effect it had on her as she slowly began to look forward to their encounters. There is a scene at the end where it looks like it's all going to work, until a flashback ruins it. I loved Stuart's reaction and what he does with his time while he gives her the time she needs. When he returns to her, though the time for their bet is up, I loved seeing how he made his case for their future. He really bares his soul to her, showing her his deepest vulnerabilities. Even more satisfying was Edie's reaction to his return. She was able to speak of her own feelings in ways she never had before. I loved the realistic view of her expectations for the future. The epilogue was fantastic, and a wonderful lead in to the next book.

When the Marquess Met His Match - Laura Lee Guhrke (Avon - Nov 2013)

Series: An American Heiress in London (Book 1)

She's the matchmaker . . .

Lady Belinda Featherstone's job is to guide American heiresses to matrimony, and away from men like Nicholas, Marquess of Trubridge. But the charming, disreputable marquess needs a wealthy bride, and he hires Belinda to help him find one. Her task seems easy: find that scoundrel the sort of wife he so richly deserves. But Nicholas's hot, searing kiss soon proves her task will be anything but easy.

He's the perfect match . . .

Nicholas plans to wed a rich, pretty young darling to restore his fortune, and he's happy to pay a marriage broker to help him. But one taste of Belinda's lips and Nicholas's sensible scheme to marry for money goes awry, and he yearns to show his beautiful matchmaker he's the perfect match . . . for her.

Fun start to the new series. Belinda has gained an excellent reputation as a matchmaker. As a former American heiress she now spends her time helping her countrywomen find suitable husbands and steering them away from disreputable fortune hunters. She's not happy when Nicholas shows up, wanting her help finding a wealthy wife. He is exactly the type of man she doesn't like.

Nicholas is desperate to find a wife with money. His controlling father has cut him off, trying to force him to marry his choice. Nicholas has spent his adult life doing the opposite of anything his father wants, and isn't about to change now. He's certain that Belinda can find him what he needs.

The sparks flew between Belinda and Nicholas from the moment they met. She has absolutely no trouble telling him exactly what she thinks of him. Nicholas reminds her far too much of her late husband, and that isn't a good thing for him. Her determination to stop his plans leads her to pull a pretty underhanded trick, one that comes back to haunt her when he blackmails her into helping him.

The sparks aren't all antagonistic. Nicholas is, after all, young, handsome and charming when he wants to be, and Belinda is horrified to discover that she is attracted to him. For his part, Nicholas is just as attracted and delights in trying to get to Belinda. There is constant back and forth between the two during the first half of the book, as Belinda puts forth the worst possible candidates for Nicholas, and he gets even by being even more outrageous around her. Their confrontations come to a head during a house party, when a young woman accosts Nicholas, who has to deal with the man who is interested in her for himself. Fortunately, Belinda is on hand to protect him from the consequences, but the attraction between them nearly gets out of hand. Belinda is rather blunt when she tells Nicholas exactly what she thinks of his actions, his reasons for them, and her opinion of him. 

Up to this point I had some issues with both of them. I thought that Belinda was a bit too judgmental, especially since she didn't really know him. She was basing her attitude on his perceived similarities to her late husband and her brother-in-law. She took a lot of joy in making things as hard as possible for him. She also gave off a lot of mixed signals, sometimes giving in to his advances and other times pushing him away. Nicholas also came across as rather immature. Yes, his relationship with his father was terrible, thanks mostly to his father's manipulations. But Nicholas didn't help matters by doing the opposite of whatever he knew his father would want. Then Nicholas looks at taking the easy way out of his problems by marrying money. He also makes his advances to Belinda, knowing that nothing can come of it if he's going to marry someone else.

But their confrontation at the house party becomes a turning point for Nicholas. Once he gets past his anger at the things Belinda said to him, he has to admit that she was right about him. He also realizes that she means more to him than just someone he wants to sleep with, and is determined to find a way to earn her respect and her love. I loved the plan he came up with and how he went about implementing it. The difference in him was amazing. I loved the effect it had on Belinda, as she realized that there was more to Nicholas than she had expected. I loved seeing them grow closer through letters as Nicholas worked on his project. Once again, things are going wonderfully for Nicholas until his father finds out what he is doing and once again uses his power for evil. I ached for Nicholas as once again his father tries to destroy his dreams. But this time, dear old dad didn't count on an upstart American and the love she finally admitted she had. I loved seeing what Belinda did and both the Earl's and Nicholas's reactions. It was a fantastic ending.

Catch a Falling Heiress - Laura Lee Guhrke (Avon - Feb 2015)

Series: An American Heiress in London (Book 3)

She's an American heiress. He's a devilish earl. When these two collide, the sparks ignite a shocking scandal

Linnet Holland wants nothing to do with fortune hunters. No, she's determined to marry a man who loves her. But just as she's about to accept the perfect marriage proposal from the man she wants, the rakish Earl of Featherstone interrupts and ruins everything, including her reputation, with his smoldering kiss . . .

Jack Featherstone knows all about Linnet's "intended," and he's determined she won't fall prey to that villain as other women have in the past. But when his attempt to save Linnet ruins her instead, he knows he has to make things right. So he sets out to win this golden beauty . . . and prove to her that being ruined by him was the best thing that could have happened to her.

Good book. Jack has spent a year in the US, working a sting that he and his friends set up to take down a really terrible man. The scheme is just days away from its culmination when the bad guy sets his sights on a rich young woman who would enable him to wiggle free. There's no way that Jack can allow the man to succeed, so he butts in. Unfortunately, his actions create a scandal for the young woman in question, so he does the right thing and proposes.

Linnet has spent the last year being paraded around Europe by her mother, who was a titled husband for her daughter. Unfortunately, most of the men who were interested were fortune hunters. Even the one that she thought wanted her for herself, turned out to be just like the rest. Now that she's back home, she wants an American man who will love her for who she is. She's happy when her childhood crush is about to propose, and furious when everything is ruined by the brash Englishman. She doesn't care what anyone says, she's not going to reward him by marrying him. With a ruined reputation at home, she heads back to England to try again there.

I liked Jack. He's an honorable man, and a pretty nice one too. I liked the way that he was all in for helping his friends bring down the bad guy. I loved the way that he tried to protect Linnet, and how he stepped up when his methods brought trouble to Linnet. He had never planned to marry because he doesn't have the means to support a family, and he wasn't going to marry for money like most of his family had done. Unfortunately for him, in order to support her, he'll have to take the money that comes with her, making it hard for him to convince Linnet that he isn't a fortune hunter. He had to propose because of the scandal, but what he found was that he really did want Linnet for herself.

I was frequently a bit frustrated by Linnet. I really did understand her problem with the way her mother was pushing her toward a man with a title, not caring if he actually had feelings for Linnet. Her hurt when she discovered that the one man she thought wanted her for herself was just another fortune hunter was understandable, as was her desire to leave it all behind and go back to the life she knew. I couldn't believe it when she fell for the bad guy's sudden desire for her, to the point of agreeing to meet him alone. She wasn't happy with Jack's supposed rescue of her, especially when it landed her in the middle of scandal. She didn't want to be forced into marrying him, but just when she thought she'd have the support of her father, she discovered that he had his own agenda for her marriage. I liked that she had the strength of will to stand up for what she wanted and to go after it.

I loved seeing their relationship develop. Linnet was adamant in her determination to marry on her own terms. She was also determined to resist all of Jack's attempts to convince her to marry him. She didn't count on the fact that he was just as determined that she would marry him. There were two things working against him. First, that she believed he just wanted her money, and second, that she didn't trust her own judgment when it came to any feelings she did have for him. I loved seeing all the things that Jack did while trying to court her. Some were sweet, some were not, but all of them were aimed at breaking down her resistance. There were some terrific scenes that involved him showing her how the other contenders were wrong for her. There were also some places where he was very good at stoking the flames that were there between them, using them to show her that they belonged together.

Not everything goes smoothly, and Jack manages to make a few mistakes along the path to matrimony. The final one looks like it could put an end to all his hopes, but in the end he is able to make her understand. Linnet has to face her own mistakes and fears before she can bring herself to trust Jack and trust herself. I loved the final scene as they open up their hearts to each other and talk about their plans for the future.