IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS is book four in The Duke's Men
Jane Vernon was engaged to Dominick Manton twelve years
ago, the heir presumptive to the Viscount Rathmoor. A
cruel betrayal by his brother George, however, means
Dominick was banished from the family to save his younger
brother Travis from hanging. Without his titled family or
his family allowance, Dominick was reduced to working as a
Bow Street Runner, living just above abject penury.
Unwilling to trap his beloved Jane into a life of complete
poverty, Dominick manipulated Jane into repudiating him by
pretending to force himself upon Nancy, Jane's cousin and
best friend. While I can perhaps understand Dominick's
desire to have Jane break their engagement so she could
marry another and remain in luxury, I hate his duplicity
in
bringing this about. He didn't talk to Jane, just forced
his pigheaded plan on her, which did NOT endear him to me.
After working his way up in Bow Street, Dominick formed
his
own investigative company, Manton's Investigations. Now,
twelve years later, George has just died, and Dominick is
the new Viscount. A panicked Jane approaches Dominick
for
his help, believing her cousin Nancy has been abducted
from
the Rathmoor dowager house. Dominick arrogantly pooh-
poohs Jane's concerns, but reluctantly agrees to help Jane
locate her cousin. Jane and Dominick are forced to work
together closely as they scramble to solve the mystery of
the missing woman, and their entanglement reveals their
love and passion never truly died.
Rightly so, Jane does not trust or respect "Dom the
Almighty," as she calls him. Dominick continues to be too
controlling for my tastes, and I feel he doesn't
communicate enough. I cheered as Jane continues to hold
him accountable for his inexcusable behavior.
Eventually, though, Jane and Dominic acknowledge their
continued love. Dominick allows Jane to assist in the
investigation, and she gets to help in the apprehension of
the bad guy, which is as satisfying to me as I'm sure it
is
to Jane. I enjoy seeing the characters from the prior
books make cameos, but this book can easily be read as a
stand-alone novel. IF THE VISCOUNT FALLS is a solid
addition to Sabrina Jeffries' catalog. It offers a
perplexing mystery and great romantic chemistry, even if
there isn't enough groveling by the hero to suit me.
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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