The Duke by Gaelen Foley

*Slight spoilers in this review!*

The Duke of Hawkscliffe is a paragon of virtue. So when his ladylove dies suspiciously he decides to do whatever it takes to find the killer, if there is one. When he risks his reputation by taking a mistress who is connected to his suspect, he never intends for the relationship with the beautiful courtesan Belinda Hamilton to be anything but a farce. But for a courtesan he realizes she is very innocent, and as he closes in on the killer, he also digs deep and learns who this woman really is and what horrible circumstances brought her to this profession. Before either of them know it they have broken the courtesan rule and fallen in love.

I admit I have mixed feelings about this book. There are two things I don't especially love in a romance novel -- rape of the heroine (no matter who did it), and a heroine who is a courtesan. This novel contains both elements. There were two things that allowed me to forgive the author. One, she does not go into details about the rape. It happens, you're there, but you aren't forced to "live" it. Two, the Duke is her first lover after the rapist takes her virginity, so it's not like she has been around the block before meeting him. Honestly, this was a very emotional touching story, and if I were not familiar with Gaelen Foley and already a fan of her books, I may not have read this in the first place. It has a very romantic (slightly over the top) ending, though I didn't feel that Hawk came around fast enough. It was very Pretty Woman meets the Regency, and not a bit 'o fluff, but worth the read for Foley fans.