WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN – Lorraine Heath
A Sins for All Seasons Novel , Book2
Avon Books
ISBN: 978-0-06-267602-3
eISBN: 978-0-06-285926-6
August 21, 2018
Historical Romance

1871 in the Whitechapel District of London

When a kindly widow was left without means, she was hired to raise a duke's illegitimate son. Soon, presumably unwed mothers heard about her, and before she knew it she had four boys. And then another baby was left on her doorstep…a girl. To keep the young girl safe as she grew older, her “Mum” shortened her hair and dressed her in the boys' outgrown clothes. As the widow Trewlove was a loving woman, the family was a happy one, with everyone working to pick up what earnings they could from an early age. Nearly thirty years after being abandoned by her birth mother, Gillian Trewlove is a successful and generous owner of her own tavern in the poorer section of town. She lives above her tavern, The Mermaid and the Unicorn.

Now Gillie is a tall, attractive woman who can take care of herself; she has no use for a man other than her staff and brothers. Then one night she hears a brawl outside her upstairs apartment. Not one to stand by uselessly, she runs down to attack the miscreants, a gang of thieves beating and stabbing a man who is losing the fight. They run when they see who is after them. She finds their victim in a bad way, fighting for his life. She helps him up the stairs while sending young Robin, an urchin who has moved into the tavern, for a doctor.

So what is the Duke of Thornley doing in Whitechapel behind a tavern after hours? He's looking for his would-be bride who left him at the altar that morning. They were never a love match, but their fathers had arranged the marriages years ago.

Gillie nurses the stranger back to health, and for the first time, she understands what other women see in men's bodies.

Readers who enjoy historical romances with strong, independent women ahead of their time will love Gillie Trewlove. Besides her strength of character, they will admire her kindness and generosity. And if they also enjoy long, explicit love scenes where both parties awaken to strong, forbidden desires they must fight, they will certainly love WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN. This is the second of the series about the four baby boys and one baby girl who consider themselves brothers and sister. The first book is BEYOND SCANDAL AND DESIRE, the tale of the duke's bastard who was to taken in by the widow Trewlove.  

The depiction of Victorian times and other characters add much to the story. The duke is a complex character with a rich background in which love was scarce. He has a lot to learn. But so does our heroine.

Jane Bowers