What the Duke Desires
Grade : C+

I started writing this review a day or two after I finished reading What the Duke Desires, and was poised to give it a B or B-. Then a couple of days went by, and I got back to writing this review, and... I had nothing. I didn't remember this book at all. And that was within a week of finishing it. What the Duke Desires is one of those books that was pretty run-of-the-mill. If you put aside the tally sheet (Wealthy and attractive duke with family baggage? Check. Improbable adventure scenario? Check. Feisty heroine with a great rack? Check.), though, there's a lot in this novel that can sweep you away if you let it. Until, that is, you finish it -- at which point it quite easily disappears from your memory.

Lisette Bonnaud is the illegitimate daughter of a viscount and his long-time mistress. The viscount had four children -- an heir, a spare, an illegitimate son named Tristan, and Lisette -- but after he died, his heir ignored his deathbed provisions for his children, and cut everyone off, including the younger son for siding with Lisette and Tristan. He put a warrant out on Tristan for stealing a horse, a crime for which he could be executed. Years later, the three of them are still close and helping support each other. Tristan, Lisette, and their half-brother Dom are all involved in investigating things in varying degrees. Tristan works for the French police, and Dom is a private investigator. Lisette recently moved back to London to stay with him, and shortly after Dom leaves on a job, the Duke of Lyons barges into his home and office. The duke says that he received a note from Tristan implying that his older brother, kidnapped as a child and later declared dead, was alive. But Tristan never showed up for the meeting he promised, and Lyons assumes that Tristan was trying to swindle him and wants revenge.

Lisette knows her brother isn't the type to do this. One, he wouldn't take advantage of a grieving man for profit. Two, he wouldn't return to London and risk his freedom in France unless it was really important. So she tells Lyons -- Max, as she starts calling him -- that the only way she will help him find her brother is if she comes along. Tristan's position with the French police is precarious, and Lyons could easily get him fired by asking the wrong questions. He reluctantly agrees to Lisette's plan, and the two set off to France to either find her brother, or find out where he went and why. To prevent gossip from spreading, they travel as husband and wife, with Lyons going by his much-lesser-known birth name, Max Cale, and posing as a land agent. Max, though, refuses to ever marry someone he cares about. Both his father and uncle both went insane later in life, and he's certain that he will have the same fate.

The biggest problem with this book is that it is run-of-the-mill. This doesn’t make it a bad book, but it does make it forgettable and, for the most part, predictable. There is a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting, but part of the reason I wasn’t expecting it was because the author didn’t really set it up that well. It made sense and it worked, but it also felt a bit forced.

I enjoyed seeing Max get a dose of reality. Though he wasn’t born the heir, he still has a lofty sense of self-importance, and grew up very privileged. His role as Max Cale exposed him to the realities of the lower classes. I appreciated both his willingness to commit to his disguise, and that he began to acknowledge that he had things pretty easy, apart from his family difficulties– which, of course, knows no financial bias.

Lisette was a bit more archetypal. She is very much “the feisty heroine who gets herself into trouble.” She very much wants to be a secret agent, but the truth is, she’s not particularly good at it. Max is actually quicker on his feet at adapting their story and answering awkward questions. At first this seemed inconsistent, but then I realized it was meant to be that way. It still troubled me a bit, that Lisette is so eager to defy the traditional female role, and then, “Whoops, sorry, not good enough.”

I can’t say that I recommend this book, but I also can’t say that I specifically don’t recommend it. This is one of those many, many books that fall into the category of “mildly entertaining, not particularly memorable.” Make of that what you will.

Reviewed by Jane Granville
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : July 31, 2013

Publication Date: 2013/06

Review Tags: the Duke's Men series

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