I think this book contains the best ending I've ever read. It was so satisfying and well thought out, bringing the whole story together in a few brilliantly written pages.
When Henry, Duke of Torquil discovers that his mother plans to marry an Italian painter, he's not the least bit pleased. When he finds out that she has been advised to do so by an agony aunt named Lady Truelove, he decides to seek the woman out and give her a piece of his mind. But the newspaper publisher he encounters, and whom he suspects to be Lady Truelove herself, is anything but the older, plump, redheaded, velvet-clad woman he expected to encounter. Rather, she's young, independent and beautiful. And she is not about to cower when faced with Torquil's wrath. These qualities, when combined, provoke a passionate response in the duke, prompting him to forge a plan that forces the publisher to spend one week under his roof.
Having taken over the running of her father's newspaper publication, Irene has implemented a gossip column and an advise column, both of which have become immensely popular. But when the Duke of Torquil shows up in her office, furious with her involvement in his mother's affairs, she suddenly faces an ultimatum: stop the dowager duchess from marrying her Italian painter or lose her beloved newspaper to the duke who threatens to buy it from her father. Incensed by the arrogant aristocrat, Irene refuses to notice how handsome he is or how irresistible he can be, because to do so would be detrimental to her plans. But when a private moment in the library leads them both into temptation, she begins to wonder what an entire night might be like in his arms.
The working class meets the aristocracy in this wonderful story with well-crafted characters. I fell in love with the hero and the heroine - both were fantastic - and I look forward to reading the next book Laura Lee Guhrke has to offer.
