Lady Zoe Keane has received information from her aunt that
she may not actually be the biological child of her parents.
She is in line to inherit the title of countess upon her
father's death because he has no other children, a rarity
for a female. Zoe actually approaches her father, and asks
for the truth, but he won't even discuss it, and tells her
to forget it. In an attempt to find out her true heritage,
she contacts the investigators known as the Duke's Men, who
owe her a favor. Tristan Bonnard is the man assigned to her
case, much to her dismay, as they have had a somewhat
antagonistic previous encounter.
Tristan is the illegitimate son of a viscount, and was
raised with his two legitimate half-brothers until his
father's death. At that time, the heir, George, destroyed a
document that bequeathed a horse, among other things to
Tristan, leaving him and his mother and sister destitute.
George also had them removed from his land. Enraged and
powerless, the then seventeen year old Tristan took the
horse, and sold it to get enough money to transport him and
his family to France. Because horse thieves are hanged, and
George is very vindictive, he's unable to return to England
until a friend who is a Duke forces George to drop the theft
charge against Tristan.
It's now thirteen years later, and Tristan is partner in the
investigative agency with his other half-brother, Dom, who
was also disowned by George. He is the logical man to
handle Zoe's case, because the trail leads to gypsies who
were Tristan's friends as a child. Sparks fly immediately
between these two. At the beginning, Zoe sometimes acts as
the toplofty countess-to-be, and doesn't give Tristan much
respect. In turn, he plays the scoundrel, baiting her, and
not bowing to her superior social status. When they aren't
bickering, they are sharing stolen kisses.
HOW THE SCOUNDREL SEDUCES takes place in a relatively short
period of time,
but there is a whole lot of action packed into it. In
addition to the search to find out the truth of Zoe's birth,
Tristan is trying to find a way to be free of his odious
half-brother, George, who is still intent on destroying him
and his business. Sabrina Jeffries has very cleverly
crafted this story to have ties to Tristan's past, as well.
The plot is very well written and holds your interest. I
found myself hating to have to put the book down, and read
it in two sittings. Despite all this, the romance was the
focus of the book. I particularly liked watching Tristan
develop from a true scoundrel to a hero. His vulnerability
as he fell in love was touching.
The first two books in the Duke's Men series have
related
characters, and in particular, What the Duke Desires will
enhance your enjoyment of HOW THE SCOUNDREL SEDUCES, though
it can be read alone. I feel this is one of Sabrina
Jeffries best books -- it's exciting, romantic, sexy, and an
all around satisfying read.
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.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy