Secret Desires of a Gentleman

Victorian “working class women” series about women in trade and the peers who love them.

Having just finished The Secret Desires of A Gentleman, I have to say that I enjoyed this series as a refreshing deviation from the norm.

Secret Desires is the familiar Sabrina story about two brothers and the woman caught in the middle.  Although not sticking religiously to this plot (as other books I have read did), the story is comfortable enough to sink right into.

The emotional conflict is strong, the scenes good, and the characters interesting.  Where Guhrke really shines, though, is in the dialogue.  Conversations from the characters jump off the page and you can almost hear them laughing, arguing, loving…

The ending was a little disappointing, if only because I was hoping for less of Disney woman-sacrificing-her-own-dreams-for-love ending.  But generally, hist-ro devotees will find this a well written Victorian love story.