Duke In Hiding by M.J. O'Shea

m-j-oshea-duke-in-hiding-coverTitle: Duke in Hiding

Series: Dreamspun Desires 09

Author: MJ O’Shea

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1st May 2016)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Blurb: Every gentleman has something to hide.

Meeting Heath Blackwood, a gorgeous English farmer, is probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to small-town landscaper Theo Brody, who has lived in quiet Maplehurst, New Hampshire, all his life. The sexy and secretive Brit shakes the foundations of his orderly world as they are swept up in a springtime romance neither can resist.

But Heath’s secrets run deeper than Theo ever imagined. He’s actually Heathcliff Pierrepont Blackwood, Duke of Kingston, in hiding from recent death threats. Suddenly there’s more separating them than the Atlantic Ocean, and Theo doubts he’ll ever fit in with English nobility. Though Heath and Theo are opposites in almost every way, their love might bridge the gap—if they’re willing to take the risk.

ISBN: 978-1-63477-148-1

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/duke-in-hiding-by-mj-oshea-5161-b

Reviewer:  Prime

Review: For me MJ O’Shea has been one of those authors who I’m always hit and miss when it comes to enjoying their books. However, I am more than happy to say that Duke In Hiding is one of those stories that I absolutely loved. I got it in the first place because I thought that it felt like some Georgian/Victorian aristocratic drama/romance that has been set in modern times with a MM story line. The only real type of MF romance that I read is of the Georgian/Victorian variety. I also loved that in this book there is the direct reference to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and her moody hero Heathcliff.

Duke In Hiding is exactly what the title and blurb says.

Heath is the moody English aristocrat (see, Bronte reference!) who goes to small town New Hampshire in order to get away from a potentially deadly situation after an attempt is made on his life. This is where he meets Theo, a landscape gardener who also doubles as a bar tender until his summer workload picks up. Needless to say, the guys start off on the wrong foot because of a certain duke’s moody behavior. Yet from the start there are intense sparks of attraction between the guys.

I think my only criticism is that the ending seemed a little rushed. There was a lot for Theo to comprehend at the end and he seemed to just let it happen and accepted everything without much of a fight. I don’t really mean fight in the literal sense. I just felt that perhaps it needed to occur on a longer time frame. However, I loved these guys. Theo was a good buffer for Heath’s gruffness in the same way Jane Eyre smoothes out Edward Rochester’s rough edges in Jane Eyre (I know, wrong Bronte sister but you get the point and I couldn’t help myself).