THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES is the first book in Laura Lee Guhrke's Dear Lady Truelove series. Henry Cavanaugh, Duke of Torquil and Irene Deverill have many obstacles standing in the way of any potential for romance between them -- including differences in class, politics, and their ideas about love and marriage. They are brought together because, in Henry's opinion, Irene's "Dear Lady Truelove" column encouraged his mother to make up her mind to marry an unsuitable younger Italian painter. Blackmailing Irene to help convince his mother of the error of her ways is a highly inauspicious beginning to a relationship, but the twists and turns Irene and Henry experience in their unorthodox romance make THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES so interesting.

There is a happy ending in THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES, but because Henry is a surprisingly complicated duke, his romance with Irene is naturally just as complicated as he is. When Irene first meets Henry after he confronts her in her office, the impression he gives is of an incredibly cold and snobbish duke. There are no miraculous changes in this story, but getting to know each other helps expand Henry and Irene's perspectives. Irene is a publisher and a modern woman who believes in obtaining more freedoms for women. I like that independence for women isn't just academic for Irene, since she has had to take the lead in supporting her family out of necessity. Laura Lee Guhrke gives Henry an interesting backstory to explain how he is the way he is. His introspection and questioning himself add humanity and something warm underneath the cool and imposing duke veneer.

THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES is about change, family, and finding love where you least expect, or desire, it. The passion between Henry and Irene overwhelms them and seems like a force of nature at times, but it's the struggle to reconcile their differences that I find to be the most compelling aspect of THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE AND DUKES. I look forward to reading stories about Henry's family members in future books, as well as Irene's former gossip columnist Josie.

Book Summary

Dear Lady Truelove . . . I have fallen in love, truly and completely in love, for the first time. The man whom I hold in such passionate regard, however, is not of my station. He is a painter, a brilliant artist. Needless to say, my family would not approve . . .

Henry, Duke of Torquil, wouldn’t be caught reading the wildly popular “Dear Lady Truelove” column, but when its advice causes his mother to embark on a scandalous elopement, an outraged Henry decides the author of this tripe must be stopped before she can ruin any more lives. Though Lady Truelove’s identity is a closely guarded secret, Henry has reason to suspect the publisher of the notorious column, beautiful and provoking Irene Deverill, is also its author.

For Irene, it’s easy to advise others to surrender to passion, but when she meets the Duke of Torquil, she soon learns that passion comes at a price. When one impulsive, spur-of-the-moment kiss pulls her into a scorching affair with Henry, it could destroy her beloved newspaper, her career, and her independence. But in the duke’s arms, surrender is so, so sweet . . .