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.

WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN

by Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath has been an auto-read for me for years now. I adore the poetry in her words, her wonderful, swoon-worthy heroes and her beautiful, strong heroines. She has never, NEVER let me down. I love how she pulls my heart strings with every single one of her books. I’ve been a fan-girling over her books forever and it’s so satisfying to see that new readers discover her artistry.

In WHEN A DUKE LOVES A WOMAN we meet Thorne when he is being assaulted and robbed by thugs. His savior comes in the form of a lovely tavern owner. Gillie takes the gravely injured man to her home and nurses him back to life. Nobody can’t know that there is a man in her apartment – her brothers would force her to marry the man and that’s the one thing she doesn’t want: marriage. That the gorgeous man is a duke and would never marry below his station doesn’t even matter. Marriage would mean handing over ownership of her tavern to her husband and that just can’t happen.

Isn’t it refreshing? A heroine so content with herself that she doesn’t need a man to make her happy? Gillie was everything I love in women. Independent, brave, kind, smart, sweet, strong yet gentle. She’s sunshine, love and wisdom and backbone. I loved her dreamy side, the one that had her collecting unicorns and mermaids and naming her tavern after those fabled creatures.

There was an innocence to her that belied her rough upbringing. Yet at the same time there was a worldliness to her that indicated she had a far deeper understanding of human nature than he.

Being born on the wrong side of the blanket she doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as her parents who she never met but that comes with a little bit of loneliness that definitely tugged at my heart. The attraction she feels for the duke becomes stronger with every minute she spends in his presence so it’s only a matter of time until she gives in.

Gillie never had a chance resisting Thorne. He had an open personality that admired Gillie’s independence rather than cursed it. He loved that she was so different from every other woman he knew. He was warm, sweet and for a man who’d never known love he gave a lot of it.

This woman had every right to complain about her life, the harshness of it. Instead she met it head-on and worked hard to make it better for herself.

I admired him for realizing his mistake in not getting to know the woman who he was supposed to marry, that he did both of them a disservice by just accepting his fate. Thorne is responsible, aware of is station and the promises he makes. He is fascinated by Gillie’s spirit and kindness, her love for the people in Whitechapel, the way she shows kindness and it was so easy to see why they would fall in love with one another. Despite their difference in social standing they were inevitable.

Still she felt like a mermaid following a unicorn into the woods, all the while knowing that at some point, she would have to return to the sea.

Gillie’s colorful brothers give this story even more depth and I expect that I will fall in love with them just as easily as I did with Gillie and Mick. I have my eyes on Beast in particular. He is one of those deep waters that you need to prod and dive into to reveal its secrets. Having said that I’m looking forward to finding out about all of them. Next up is The Scoundrel in her Bed – Finn’s story who will meet his match in Lavinia, Thorne’s former fiancee. This sounds already quite angsty and I’m really excited for it!

While I found the first half of When a Duke Loves a Woman a little on the slower side I did enjoy it as a whole. Again Ms Heath touches me with her story. Her ability to make me fall in love with her characters is the reason why she will remain one of my favorites in Historical Romance.