Tag Archives: The Duke’s Men

If The Viscount Falls (The Duke’s Men 4) by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

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IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS (The Duke’s Men #4) by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

If the Viscount Falls

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release January 27, 2015

The heir presumptive to the Viscount Rathmoor, Dominick Manton once had his heart’s desire within reach—a bright future as a barrister and engagement to Jane Vernon, a wealthy baron’s daughter. Then a shattering betrayal by his vindictive brother George snatched away Dom’s inheritance and his hopes of offering Jane a secure future. Brokenhearted, and attempting to end their engagement without destroying Jane’s reputation, Dom staged a betrayal of his own to convince her that he’s not the husband-to-be that she thought.

Now George is gone and the viscountcy restored to Dom, since his brother’s widow, Nancy—Jane’s cousin and closest confidant—never bore an heir. But when Nancy goes missing, a panicked Jane calls on her former fiancé to track down her cousin. Dom knows the mistakes of the past may be unforgiveable—but now, entangled together in mystery and danger, will they rekindle a passionate longing that was never lost to begin with?

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REVIEW: IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS is the fourth and final installment in Sabrina Jeffries The Duke’s Men historical romance series focusing on the men (and women) who work for Manton Investigations. This is Viscount Rathmoor, Dominick Manton and Lady Jane Vernon’s storyline – a second chance storyline for two people who have loved one another for a very long time. IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS can be read as a stand alone storyline but for cohesion and backstory information I would strongly suggest reading the series in order as Dom’s family history comes full circle.

The premise focuses on the rebuilding of the relationship between Dominck Manton and Jane Vernon. Twelve years earlier, Dominick had lost everything in his life including the woman that he loved through an act of betrayal and a brother’s revenge. To protect his half brother Tristan, Dom walked away from his rightful inheritance leaving him destitute and without means of income or property. Hoping to protect Jane from a lifetime of poverty and a marriage below her status Dom employs her cousin Nancy to help fulfill a ruse that will set into motion a plan to end his relationship and betrothal to the woman that he loves. Fast forward twelve years and Jane will request of Dominick and Manton Investigations to help search for her missing cousin Nancy. Dom will jump at the chance to rebuild his relationship with Jane only to learn that she is now betrothed to another man. Nancy is Dom’s former sister in law-his brother’s widow- and the woman who helped staged his betrayal of Jane.

The storyline follows Dom and Jane as they search for clues about the missing woman. Jane is a woman determined to help Dom as he examines the path of information that could lead to the truth about Nancy’s whereabouts and in this Jane places herself by Dom’s side for every aspect of the investigation. Jane and Dom will begin to rekindle their romance and love for one another-a love that has never died-but one that has stood on shaky grounds with a perceived betrayal of mistrust and infidelity. The story and relationship continue to rebuild as the couple travel cross country in the hopes of uncovering more clues. There are several developing scenarios as to what may have happened to cousin Nancy and in the end the truth is a combination of betrayal and heartbreak; greed and treachery.

Sabrina Jeffries pulls all of the previous storyline couples into the search for Jane’s missing cousin. The heroines are strong willed, determined and supportive; the heroes are protective, determined and desperate with their love. Some of the prior history is revealed; Dom’s backstory and the horrific childhood he had to withstand under his manipulative brother and absent father’s thumb as well as injuries and investigations he endured with Manton Investigations.

IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS is a heartwarming, intriguing and revealing conclusion to Sabrina Jeffries’s The Duke’s Men series but also sets up the background and premise for her new SINFUL SUITORS historical romance series. Some of the characters introduced throughout The Duke’s Men will cross over and play both primary and secondary roles giving the series a familiarity to readers and fans of Sabrina’s novels.

The Duke's Men series

Previous Reviews and Reading Order
What The Duke Desires
When The Rogue Returns
How The Scoundrel Seduces
If The Viscount Falls

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy

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How The Scoundrel Seduces (The Duke’s Men 3) by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

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How The Scoundrel Seduces (The Duke’s Men #3) by Sabrina Jeffries- a review

How The Scoundrel Seduces

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository

About the book: Release Date August 19, 2014

Investigator Tristan Bonnaud has one aim in life—to make sure that his half-brother George can’t ever ruin his life again. So when the pesky Lady Zoe Keane, the daughter of the Earl of Olivier, shows up demanding that the Duke’s Men find a mysterious gypsy woman, he seizes the opportunity to also hunt for a gypsy friend who knows secrets about George. Tristan doesn’t expect to uncover Lady Zoe’s family secrets, as well…or end up falling for the woman who will risk all to discover the truth.

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REVIEW: HOW THE SCOUNDREL SEDUCES is the third instalment in Sabrina Jeffries The Duke’s Men historical romance series focusing on the men (and women) who work for Manton Investigations. This is Tristan Bonnaud (half brother to Dominick Manton) and Lady Zoe Keane’s storyline. Zoe and Tristan were first introduced to one another in book two When The Rogue Returns.

The focus of the storyline follows Zoe as she hires Manton Investigations to search for a mysterious gypsy woman with possible connections to her family. Zoe finds herself beholding to Tristan Bonnaud (a man she once believed to be a rogue and a thief) to aid in the search for the woman. But Tristan’s need to take on this particular investigation is less than honorable when he uses the time to search for another gypsy believed to be in league with his evil half-brother George. What our couple never expected to find is a deeper connection to one another than they could ever have imagined.

The relationship between Zoe and Tristan is one of immediate attraction but Zoe’s father has other plans for his daughter. Tristan is the ‘bastard’ son of Viscount Rathmoor and believes he is not worthy of a Lady’s love and continues to push Zoe away believing she may be betrothed to another man but Zoe is a woman possessed to find the missing woman and Tristan is the man with whom she is falling in love. The sexual tension is high and the mores of the day find the couple in a compromising position that results in an admission of a possible future together.

The secondary characters are colorful and add mystery, suspense and some heartbreaking revelations to the story. Several of the previous storyline characters play an active role in both the hunt and the identity of the mystery woman. We are introduced Zoe’s American cousin Keane whose own story is a mystery with a few secrets yet to be revealed.

HOW THE SCOUNDREL SEDUCES is another well paced, romantic and engaging tale of seduction, mystery and family secrets. Sabrina Jeffries pulls the reader into a captivating story of love, loss and betrayal. There are painful revelations and an emotional fall out for two families whose lives are connected by one woman-a woman whose only sin was to fall in love with the wrong man- but a woman who sacrificed her life for the life of another.

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

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When The Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

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When The Rogue Returns by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

When the Rogue Returns

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WHEN THE ROGUE RETURNS ( The Duke’s Men #2) by Sabrina Jeffries

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 21, 2014

Victor Cale never imagined that his sweet, shy bride, Isabella, would use her talents for creating exquisite imitation jewels criminally. But there’s no denying that her handiwork was used in the theft of the Dutch royal diamonds– right after Isa disappeared into the night.

Ten years later, Victor is sent to Edinburgh to investigate a wealthy baron’s mysterious bride-to-be… who turns out to be Isa, masquerading as an alluring widow. No longer the meek girl he once knew, Isa boldly asserts that it was Victor who abandoned her, after he helped steal the royal diamonds!

Piecing together the truth of the past reawakens their volatile passions, which burns hotter than ever. But with a decade of secrets between them, Victor and Isa must trust each other to bring the real thieves to justice– without getting burned themselves.

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REVIEW: WHEN THE ROGUE RETURNS is the second full length storyline in Sabrina Jeffries historical romance series focusing on the men (and women) who work for Max Cale (aka the Duke of Lyons) and Manton Investigations. Victor Cale’s, the Duke’s half brother, latest assignment will have him come face to face with his past-a past he wanted to forget but needed answers to- before he could move on.

The premise focuses on Victor as he begins to uncover the mystery surrounding his latest investigation. To his surprise his target is his wife; the woman who walked away ten years earlier leaving him heart broken, penniless and running from the law. Hoping for an explanation, Victor realizes that he is still in love with his wife and her story defies everything he thought he believed. As the couple begin to search for the truth, a surprising revelation will bring Victor full circle with the woman that he has never stopped loving.

The relationship is a second chance at love. We know very little about our couple in the beginning and the storyline takes shape a decade after the initial disappearance of Isabella. Ten years later, their attraction to one another is palpable but acting on their feelings would admit that there is still something there. Isabella and Victor continue to harbor anger and resentment for the perceived betrayal but the love they once shared is stronger than the lies and deceit brought about by greedy family and knowing relations. Trust must be something that is earned and to our storyline hero, trust is something he does not give easily. The romance and sexual side of the storyline is limited. Our couple ruminate about the past; blame one another; and Isa is continually self-deprecating. But Isa has a secret and one that will affect Victor in more ways than one.

WHEN THE ROGUE RETURNS is a fast paced storyline that follows Victor’s investigation into the woman he once knew. There is a little bit of mystery and suspense; betrayal and lies; forgiveness and love. Our storyline couple has missed ten years together; newlyweds and virtual strangers in the beginning, but a decade later-maturation and a world of experience –will open their eyes to the reality that love does sometimes conquer all.

Reading Order
What The Duke Desires (Jun 2013)
When The Rogue Returns (Jan 2014)
How the Scoundrel Seduces (Aug 2014)

Copy supplied by the publisher.

Reviewed by Sandy

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What The Duke Desires (The Duke’s Men #1) by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

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WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES (The Duke’s Men #1) by Sabrina Jeffries-a review

What the Duke Desires

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble / The Book Depository /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 18, 2013

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

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REVIEW: WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES is the first storyline in The Duke’s Men historical romance series by Sabrina Jeffries with the introduction of Maximilian Cale aka The Duke of Lyons and the woman who will steal more than his heart but his soul and the very air that he breathes-Lisette Bonnaud.

The storyline focuses on the Duke’s search for the man who claims to know the whereabouts of Max’s missing and presumably dead brother and how this search will bring Max up close and personal with Lisette. When it is discovered that Lisette’s brother Tristan is also missing, the couple will embark on a cross continent journey that will force Max and Lisette to pose as husband and wife to ensure her reputation stays intact.

There is much family background history revealed throughout the storyline including the introduction of Lisette’s brothers and extended family of Maximilian Cale. Lisette is more than conscience and aware of her lack of social standing within society and therefore entering into any sort of relationship with the Duke, she fears will tarnish his reputation. And the Duke’s family history, although most of it not public knowledge, has the man denying his feelings for the woman with whom he has fallen in love. A history of secrets, betrayal and lies will be revealed forcing Max to walk away from a future with Lisette. When spiteful and heartbreaking words are exchanged, Max knows he has damned himself to a life without the woman he loves.

The sexual tension within the storyline was hit and miss due to the continuous battle of words between the couple and, in particular the Duke’s (Max) occasional snippy attitude and highbrow manner. His constant need to use words in anger, against Lisette, made him a difficult character at times to embrace even though Lisette was more than willing to forgive the man every time. In many novels, the back and forth banter fuels the sexual pressure but there was something missing in this particular story. Max’s attraction to Lisette was cooled with thoughts of his own family secrets, and Lisette knew that her mother’s reputation would push away any thoughts of a future with the Duke as her own reputation by tarnished by association. Whenever the couple appeared to make headway in their relationship, painful memories and potential legal liabilities would interfere.

Most of the storyline focuses on the developing relationship between Max and Lisette and, the build-up to discovering the truth behind the Duke’s missing brother. The big reveal and identity of everyone concerned read like a who’s who in the family tree. There were so many different branches the family tree started to look like a forest-but for the trees.

What The Duke Desires is a fast-paced introductory storyline that reveals the tainted history behind two different families, yet very similar on many levels. Money does not make one immune to gossip and disease, and a life of struggle will soften a woman’s heart towards a man who has lived an entire life built on a lie.

Copy supplied by the publicist.

Reviewed by Sandy

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