What the Duke Desires: Volume 1 (Duke's Men, #1)

by Sabrina Jeffries

"Maximilian Cale, the Duke of Lyons, long ago buried his grief for his missing elder brother, Peter, who was presumed dead after being kidnapped. When a mysterious note arrives from Tristan Bonnaud asserting that the Duke's brother is alive, it leads Max straight to the winsome Lisette Bonnaud, illegitimate daughter of a viscount and Tristan's sister. Soon he and Lisette are traveling to Paris posing as husband and wife, in search of Tristan, who has disappeared. And the longer he spends with Lisette, the easier it is for Max to see that the line between dukedom and desire is easier to cross than he imagined."--Publisher's description.

• ISBN10: 145169346X
• ISBN13: 9781451693461
• Publish Date: 18 June 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

So good! I think this is my first historical where the characters are chiefly the illegitimate children, left with nothing. Loved Lissette and the way she was so independent and determined. Max is a lovable character, even if he was a pro at putting his foot in his mouth. The travel elements were so fun, especially as Lissette's scheme fell apart (as they always do!)

The narration was fantastic, with the French accent mixed in. And the nods to historical accuracy with the French Vedoc (spelling?) was cool. Look forward to reading more.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of What the Duke Desires from Pocket Book via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review*

I was so engrossed in What the Duke Desires from start to finish that time just flew away!

Full review to come soon.

This and other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.

[EBookObsessed]

Very enjoyable story. I have been wanted to try a Sabrina Jeffries story for a while. I like the way she writes.

Will be back with full review once I can catch up.

See more at http://ebookobsessed.com

[kimbacaffeinate]

4.5
The players in this new series are quite delicious, flawed and yummy! First we have Max Cale, the handsome and intimidating Duke of Lyons. His childhood has left him with serious trust issues and a real fear concerning his future. Traveling in disguise with the outspoken Lisette shows him an entirely new world. He finds himself intrigued and drawn to Lisette. She awakens new fears in him and astounds him as she treats him as an equal. I loved how he was undone by her and how she made him review his fears and ideas. We see both the ducal side of him and the tender. Lisette has always been aware of exactly who she is and her opinion of Dukes and the ton aren’t very high. She loves her brothers and will stop at nothing to protect them. Her reactions to Max were fun to watch and I enjoyed this strong, stubborn woman. The romance developed slowly and the chemistry felt genuine. Tristan fled London after the death of his father and works for the Paris police. While we didn’t get much time with him I am looking forward to hearing his story. Dom is their half-brother and owns his own private investigative service. His interaction with Lisette was delightful and I am already in love. Secondary characters were memorable, and helped propel the tale forward.

I have always loved arranged and pretend marriages within a plot as it makes for delicious situations. Jeffries has this remarkable gift for taking a story line and crafting her own unique take on it. The Duke’s Men is the perfect title for this series and I giggled when it clicked in the story. The character’s banter felt genuine and each was well-developed. The romance was fun with some hot moments that sizzled the pages. The tale is fast-paced and filled with danger as they search for Tristan. I found this thread of the tale intriguing and while the tale focuses on the couple the other threads do not suffer. This is one of the things I most admire about the author. She can skillful weave a mystery and romance together giving me that book high I chase. I read this in one sitting as I giggled, cheered and sighed for the characters. If you are a fan of The Hellion of Hallstead series you will find a connection and I thought it was cool how she linked the worlds.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review​. ​Full review​ originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer