Title: What the Duke Desires
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Series: The Duke's Men #1
Source: Edelweiss
EDP: June 18, 2013, Pocket Books
Amazon
|
Goodreads
Rating:
★★★★✩
Maximilian Cale, the Duke of Lyons, accepted long ago that his kidnapped brother was dead. When a cryptic note from investigator Tristan Bonnaud claims otherwise, Max seeks out Tristan’s sister, Lisette—and is infuriated to learn that Tristan has also mysteriously vanished. Have the siblings perpetrated an elaborate hoax? Or is the fiercely protective beauty as innocent as she claims them to be?
Fearful that the powerful Duke will destroy Tristan’s career in his zeal for the truth, the clever Lisette convinces Max to accompany her to Paris in a joint search for their loved ones. But their journey takes a seductive twist when they pose as an ordinary husband and wife—not an English Duke with a tarnished family name and the illegitimate daughter of a viscount—and discover an exhilarating passion free from the damning secrets of the past. With the line between danger and desire enticingly blurred, they discover that some mysteries, like those of the heart, are answered tenfold in the bliss of a true and trusting love.
Sabrina Jeffries had me reading till the wee hours of the morning. The Duke's Men is another series to truly watch out for.
What The Duke Desires revolves around the search of the brothers of the main characters. Travelling from London to the streets of Paris, Max and Lisette searched to get into the bottom of the mysterious note received by the Duke of Lyons.
The lofty, imperious Duke of Lyons will never, ever marry especially the woman who will catch his heart. Oh he will marry, but it will only be to a lady who will agree to a practical marriage and can give him an heir. After receiving a note telling him that Tristan found his long-lost brother after being kidnapped for several years, he immediately went to Manton's Investigations and demanded that they produce Mr. Bonnaud or he will call the authorities.
Lisette grown up wanting to be independent and would never want to be in a mercy of a man. She had seen how her mother had suffered after their father suddenly died and left them with nothing. They have lived in poverty and her mother was forced to go back on stage. Marriage was also far from her mind since her birth would make it almost impossible for her to find a suitable husband. She was resigned to her ambition of becoming a lady agent. But first, she had to convince her brothers to allow her. But when an arrogant duke suddenly barge into her brother's office - she saw a chance.
I like their characters as individuals and I adore them even more when they are together. They prove to be an entertaining couple. Lisette is not afraid of the duke and doesn't really care about his position in the society. As for Max, he had never found anyone as refreshing as Lisette - she was unlike any other woman he encountered. She was not afraid to speak her mind. However, both of them should be careful not to fall in love with each other. Lisette knew Max would never marry her because of the difference of their station and Max has his own dark secrets he's not yet ready to divulge.
Can they stop themselves from falling in love when they could hardly keep their hands off each other? Can the lofty duke fell in love with the bastard daughter of a viscount?
Sabrina Jeffries will once again awe you and make you fall in love in this first book of her brand new series. Just like the Hellions of Halstead Hall (by the way, some characters were mentioned in this book as well!!), I think the Duke's Men will be on my list of my favorite Regency Series. Looking forward in reading the rest of the books!!
“Has it ever occurred to you that married couples endure watching their spouses grow old and feeble and senile all the time? That it's part of marriage? A hard part, to be sure, but not so hard that one just gives up on the institution altogether.”
Sabrina Jeffries
Raised amidst the rubber plantations in Thailand with missionary parents, Sabrina Jeffries likes to say she rode to her bestselling success on the back of an elephant. In truth, Jeffries has earned numerous placements on the New York Times and USA Today lists with Regency historicals that readers savor for her trademark sexy blend of witty dialogue and enterprising characters. It’s no accident she has been dubbed “The Queen of the Sexy Regency Romance.”
About that plantation business—living in the boonies of Thailand afforded Sabrina endless hours to read Jane Austen novels and other classics voraciously. Not surprisingly, back in the States, she went on to earn a doctorate in English literature from Tulane University—and a craving for Cajun food.
While Sabrina is at ease with refined academia types, she enjoys using her literary skills to pen novels of romantic fiction. She sold her first book in 1991 and has 35 published novels to her credit. Whenever she struggles with a plot point, she shuts off the computer and tackles a jigsaw puzzle, and before long, bingo! Problem solved. Another stress-reliever for the inventive author: creating her popular Will and Jane’s Excellent Adventure comics. Displaying Sabrina’s fine-tuned sense of humor, the comics feature a William Shakespeare caricature figure and a Jane Austen action figure.
Caffeine addict, Third Culture Kid, chocoholic, and popular novelist with more than six million books in print, Jeffries defies labels. Her biting humor and simultaneous warmth endear her to her 10,000 Facebook fans, Pinterest followers and loyal Goddess blog readers. At home in front of a crowd—any crowd (no really, just hand over the microphone and get ready for some fun)—Jeffries is a sought-after speaker, as evidenced by her 2010 gig as emcee for the National Romance Writers of America’s 30th Anniversary Awards Ceremony.
While Sabrina treks through remote locales in the name of research and rubs elbows in the big cities with other industry professionals, she says her favorite destination is home. She lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her two best guys—husband, Rene, and adult son, Nick, who has inspired her to actively champion the cause of autistic children.
Thank you Pocket Books through Edelweiss for the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.
