The latest installment in Guhrke's Girl-Bachelor Chronicles (after And Then He Kissed Her
) is a capable Victorian that finds an unlikely heiress and a penniless duke headed for the altar. Prudence Bosworth is working as a lowly seamstress when she discovers that her absentee father has died a wealthy man in America and named her his sole beneficiary. But in order to inherit his vast fortune, the will stipulates that she must marry within the year. Prudence is pleasantly surprised when Rhys De Winter, the duke of St. Cyres, showers her with attention and affection. Naturally, he's hoping to restore his family's coffers, but is caught off guard when a very real attraction builds between them. Though Prudence's reverent, unsuspecting attitude toward St. Cyres might strike readers as unrealistically naïve, they should enjoy the transformation it inspires in selfish St. Cyres, and the distinctive conclusion is satisfying. (Jan.)
