What the Duke Desires

The Duke's Men, Book 1

By: Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by: Corrie James

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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....

©2013 Deborah Gonzales (P)2013 Tantor

Finding Love

A wonderful book! Lisette the illegitimate daughter of a viscount along with her mother and 1/2 brother Dom are thrown off the estate by Doms brother the new viscount. He then makes sure Lisettes brother Tristan is wanted for horse thievery. Years later Lisette moves in with her 1/2 brother. When the Duke of Lyons enters her life. He is looking for Tristian, wanting to know if he has actually found his older brother Peter. With Lisettes help they are off on a journey of discovery and love. Corrie James was a great narrator.

A must for HR fans!

"Forgive me, madam, it appears that you and I got off on the wrong foot."

"You got off on the wrong foot. I merely watched you shove it into your mouth."

-conversation between Max and Lisette


After having seen first-hand the broken promises her papa made to her mama, Lisette is in no hurry to find a husband, believing there is no good reason for one. Maximilian, the Duke of Lyons, is an austere man who keeps many at arms length. Forced to work together to uncover the truth regarding Max's brother, Lisette and Max find themselves undeniably drawn to one another. Sparks fly, tension fills the pages, these two burn red hot.

I love books where the chemistry of the main characters are off the charts and the supporting casts liven the pages further with their unique personalities. Add in a great tale of loyalty and family and this book has become a definite favorite of mine.

I truly enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. I loved how Lisette was such a strong-willed female with brains, wit, and charm. She is fierce in her loyalty and protectiveness of her two brothers even when confronted by a Duke and his demands. Max, although used to getting what he wants, is not a spoiled individual. He stands by his morals and does not like to be lied to or deceived. He is strong in command with a sharp mind and lots of responsibilities yet he is conscientious of those he is responsible for. The two of them make a fantastic pair and the progression through their love story was so much fun to read. I adored both of them throughout the entire book, each character having strengths and weaknesses that complemented each other. A true HR fan will not be disappointed with this read.

Narration
Narrator: Corrie James
Performance: 5/5
James was splendid in her narration. Reading smoothly with distinction in each character and between male and female. She also did a fine job with the British and French accents and her tone and pace was perfect at 1.25X normal speed.

Absolutely loved

Most romance novels either get the adventure right or the romance right. This book was amazing in regards to both and I enjoyed the narration as well.

Captivating

A complete story without cliffhangers, yet it leaves the door open for the rest of the series.
A plot full of twists, realistic characters, great narration. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Terrific story

This is a well written tale with an interesting plot and wonderful characters. The narrator is very talented. I intend to listen to the entire series!

What happened to the ending?

Despite great characters, a wonderful love story, and a promising plot, the whole story evaporates to nothing under the weight of unresolved plot points, making this book a disappointment for me.

This could have been a great book, and I think that's why I'm so disappointed. The author failed at coming up with an ending that made sense, and once it fizzled, I felt like I was standing around waiting for the big reveal, only to see people clearing the set while the actors all went home. It was a let down.

There are two mysteries: the unrelenting, and unexplained, murderous hatred of a stepbrother toward his step siblings, and the kidnapping and death of a young heir. The two intermingle, bringing our H and h together in a mad dash across post revolution France. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Unfortunately, we never feel as if we are in France, as most of the action takes place either in a carriage, on a steam ship, or in an apartment. (I did enjoy the scenes that took place under quarantine, but that's all I'll say about that.)

I don't know why the heir was kidnapped. (The explanation given is convoluted and strains credulity.) The stepbrother's hatred is thwarted, but never explained, or resolved. We get our HEA, which is nice, but it isn't enough to save the book from expiring into mist.

There are some steamy sexcapades that show the author knows how to write a love scene, and her characters are compelling, so perhaps with later books, the plots she comes up with will be worthy of them.

Corrie James did a great job with the narration. I would say that she is probably the reason I listened to this book, but in fact, I liked the book until I got to the end.

A delightful romance

I had not read anything by this author before, but I am glad I ran across this book. I shall look for others now. Enjoyable from beginning to end. A bit of mystery, great sexual tension throughout, and the way I like my romance stories to end: HEA. This was no cookie cutter story. Very imaginative plot.

This author continues to be a favorite

Have listened to and read several books by this author, and always enjoy them. This was another winner. The story line kept my interest as the plot unfolded. Liked both lead characters early into the book. The female had some backbone, always appreciate that. There were also a few surprises along the way. Narrator was great, accents were believable, performed the different voices well. Overall definitely worth the credit. Will be getting the others in this series.

Come Away with Me

Sabrina Jefferies pulls you back into love and loss of the 1800's. The story line keeps you wanting to listen just one more chapter then you find yourself finishing the book and wanting more. You find yourself looking into how men and women were back in the 1800's before they were liberated.
The best part is there are 3 more books in this series :)

Different kind of book for Sabrina Jeffries

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, but with a caveat that this book is slightly different than most of Ms Jeffries' other books. She did have a good authentic storyline with romance and her character development was, as always, well written.

If you’ve listened to books by Sabrina Jeffries before, how does this one compare?

It's not as good as some of her other stories, but overall a pretty good listen.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without spoiling the ending, the scene where Max "persuades" George to do the right thing near the end of the novel.

Any additional comments?

The little look into the historical treatment of madmen and the French Secret Service was interesting..