Sandy M’s review of The Heir (Duke’s Obsession, Book 1) by Grace Burrowes
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 1 Dec 10

This is one of those books I just couldn’t get to when it released back in December. Ever have that happen, and then suddenly months have gone by and you think, “What in the hell am I waiting for?” Exactly! At least I got a little incentive when I received Grace Burrowes’ next book, The Soldier, to read and review. So that pushed me to finally pick up The Heir and get started. I’ve never been so glad to have been pushed to do something.

I enjoy the way Ms. Burrowes slowly but surely reveals Anna Seaton’s secrets in this book. We’re given hints all along the way, and when she finally has to reveal all to the Earl of Westhaven, we’re as ready as he is to delve into her sorrows and problems.

Anna is Westhaven’s housekeeper. She comes to his attention more than ever before when she clobbers him with a fireplace poker because she mistakenly thinks he’s groping and having his way with a chambermaid. Things are not always what they seem, as she finds out after her bungled rescue. Anna then tends to the earl each day as he recuperates from his injures – she did wallop him a good one! – and each of those days Westhaven becomes more enamored of his lovely but steady housekeeper.

He’s somewhat of a ladies’ man and just parted ways with his current mistress, but Westhaven has appetite only for Mrs. Seaton now. He takes his time seducing her, bestowing kisses and caresses whenever he can. She’s a widow after all, knows the ins and outs of the bedroom, so he keeps his onslaught constant, despite her firmness that he must cease, such a relationship between them would not be proper. And there’s a secret his distrustful employee just won’t let out, but Westhaven is determined to discover just what it is so perhaps, proper or not, Anna will be more receptive to his kisses.

I really enjoyed this relationship between Westhaven and Anna. While the seduction goes on – and what a seduction it is – they also laugh and have fun. Westhaven draws Anna into helping him seek and purchase a house for one of his sisters, just to be near her as much as possible, since he can’t seem to keep the woman out of his head. In the meantime, Westhaven hires an investigator to find out what Anna is hiding, and when she finds out, she’s not happy at all. She’s determined to take care of her own problems, and my only nitpick is she takes that attitude a tad too far for my tastes, especially when Westhaven does prove to her she can trust him. Of course, when you meet her brother and his nasty cohort, you can see why she distrusts men to the point she does. All the more reason to trust a man like the earl.

Another element to this story I love is Westhaven’s brothers, Dev and Val. Their relationship is the teasing but loving kind, they support one another no matter what. Which is especially moving due to the fact Dev was born on the wrong side of the blanket, but at least their father has recognized him, so he gets nearly equal treatment. They lost two other brothers recently, so their bond is even stronger now. Something Westhaven really appreciates because he’s now the heir, having to deal with a father who is after him at every turn to marry and start producing heirs to secure the familial line. The duke’s machinations in this area are quite trying for Westhaven and he puts his foot down to his father over and over again, all to no avail until…well, that’s something you’ll have to read for yourself.

I like Anna’s backbone and determination, Westhaven’s tenderness and equal determination, their romance and lovemaking when it finally comes. Neither can resist the other, until Anna is pushed to run as her secret begins to unravel. I seemed to have a lump in my throat throughout the end of the book when Anna keeps refusing Westhaven, his reaction to her refusals, and then when he lets her go, even after the danger is past. This is a very well-written book, full of emotion and romance, and I’m very much looking forward to The Soldier, Dev’s story (yes, I’m behind in reading it, but read it I will and I’ll have it for you soon!). He’s stolen my heart before we even get to his book.

Grade: A

Summary:

An earl who can’t be bribed…

Gayle Windham, earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the duke of Moreland. To escape his father’s inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper…

A lady who can’t be protected…

Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle Windham that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna’s secrets threaten to bring the earl’s orderly life crashing down—and he doesn’t know how he’s going to protect her from the fallout…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: