Review of What the Duke Desires

Amazon              B&N

What the Duke Desires (The Duke's Men #1)
by Sabrina Jeffries
3.5 of 5 Stars

Description:

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...
(From Goodreads) 

Review:

I was extremely excited when I received this book for review. I'm a huge Sabrina Jeffries fan. Her historical romances are simply sweet, fun, and quick reads.

Maximilian Cale is the Duke of Lyons and the very last person Lisette ever expected to show up on her door step. Max is searching for her two brothers, Dom (her older half brother) and
Tristan, but only Lisette is home. 
Lisette, the daughter of an English nobleman and his French mistress, is appalled by the allegations the Duke lays against her brother Tristan and since Dom is away on business it is up to her to help the Duke and prove Tristan's innocents. This situation, though unfortunate, allows her to do exactly as she has always wanted, be an active investigator like her brothers instead of an office clerk. 
Together, the will search for the truth not only about Tristan and his involvement in Max's long lost brother's reappearance, but about themselves and love.
The characters were charming together and individually. Lisette was independent while Max is not overbearing, which many historical heroes can be. They were witty and their personalities matched well. However, I have to say I felt the romantic relationship between them could have been better. To me it seems that their love suddenly appeared instead of growing over time. I also did not like Max's reason for wanting a marriage of convince void of love...and that's all I will say about that since I don't want to post any spoilers. The final issue I had with this book was the villain...or was it villains? Either way, that part of the plot was  flimsy.
Jeffries characters made this book for me. They were strong and bold. This book takes you on a journey, across England and through France. It is magical, like many of Jefferies other books and I highly recommend that lovers of historical romance add this author to their list.
(I really hope Dom will have his own book.)