The Dangerous Duke

by Christine Wells

Book Overview

A duke hunting ruthless killers steals a lady's erotic diary and spirits her away to his country estate. Now, their sizzling affair must weather danger, deceit and intimate betrayal.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425223264
• ISBN13: 9780425223260
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 3.9" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Dangerous Duke Is Definitely Delicious!

What a great sensual, witty read! Right from the first scene where our world-weary, sophisticated hero is dangling one of the bad guys over a balcony by his ankles, The Dangerous Duke is a rollercoaster of a ride. I really enjoyed Christine Wells's debut historical romance Scandal's Daughter and this is a more than worthy successor. All the wonderful qualities that made the first book such a compelling read are still here. The vivid feel for the period. The witty dialogue. The deep emotion. This book is such a treat. There's a compelling romance between the Duke of Lyle and the headstrong, smart and brave Lady Kate. I love romances where love is found through a battle of wits between two clever, complex people and that's exactly what you get here. They battle each other right up to the end so you give a great sigh of satisfaction when they finally work everything out. And the plot is such a hoot - Lyle steals Lady Kate's diary which he thinks reveals embarrassing political secrets. Only to discover that he's stolen her secret erotic imaginings, the fantasies that kept her going through a loveless marriage and a virtuous widowhood. With a premise like that, how can you resist? I highly recommend The Dangerous Duke!

The Dangerous Duke

Newly minted Duke of Lyle, Max Brooke, is a former spy whose new mission in life is to discover who set the fire that destroyed his home and killed off most of his family. He is known for taking the dirty jobs no one else can handle, but despite his rough past, seems to have a kind enough heart. When a job included the death of a man who peddled women and children for sex, Max became a mentor to the man's young son. Max's only lead on who set the deadly fire is the brother of Lady Kate Fairchild. Kate is an interesting blend of strength and innocence. Widowed, yet seemingly innocent, she is full of secrets. Kate is desperate to get her brother out of jail, and when all avenues seem closed to her, she threatens to release a tell-all diary about the scandalous exploits of the politicians whose company she keeps - a diary that does not exist. Once Max hears about this alleged diary, he knows he has a problem. His attraction to Kate only serves to muddle his renowned instincts, as he steals the fictional diary Kate kept as an outlet for her sexual frustration, kidnaps her, and uses her as ransom against her brother. As Max and Kate spend more time together, they discover a real chemistry, which only complicates things further. I really enjoyed The Dangerous Duke and the characters. It was a quick read, enjoyable and sweet, without being cloying. The characters were layered and real, making the plot seem plausible and fun. Niki Lee Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A great book! Mystery, Romance, Lies, Murder and KIdnapping....

Maxwell Brooke, Duke of Lyle has had Lady Kate Fairchild brother arrested for murder and arsen. Lady Kate decides to tell Max that she has diary with blackmail of some of Ton and oovernment in hope to get her brother freed. It all falls apart when someone tries to kill Lady Kate after she as already be kidnapped.

exciting Regency romantic suspense

In 1817 the fires devastated the Duke of Lyle family killing almost all of them and leading to Maxwell Brooke inheriting the title he never expected. He vows to find the arsonists who murdered his family. Clues lead him to Reverend Stephen Holt, who knows the identities of the arsonists, but refuses to reveal them; he locks Holt up and decides to use the man's sister widow Lady Kate Fairchild as bait to make him talk; that is after he learns why a stalker is in her garden. As a reaction to her loveless marriage, Kate kept a fantasy diary that highlighted her desires. Max assumes it contains scandalous information that will damage reputations so he steals it. When he reads it, he vows to pleasure Kate in every way she vividly described. However, an unknown adversary tries to harm Kate leading to a desperate Max kidnapping her to keep her safe and for him to show her reality beats fantasy when love is involved. This is an exciting Regency romantic suspense as Maxwell has two mysteries to solve; that of who killed his family and why someone stalks the hostage he loves. The story line is action-packed yet filled with passionate romance as neither Max nor Kate welcome love. The dual detecting mysteries are entertaining and enhance a fine tale starring THE DANGEROUS DUKE and courageous Kate. Harriet Klausner

4 Kisses, TwoLips Reviews

Maxwell Brooke, the new Duke of Lyle, is investigating in his ancestral home a fire that killed lots of people and left him the next in line for the title. Lady Kate Fairchild's brother allegedly knows who was involved but refuses to tell, so he has been imprisoned to extract the information from him. Lady Kate is threatening to make public some very sensitive information about various government officials if he's not released. Of course, this puts her life in danger because there are some very powerful people who don't want her to reveal their secrets. Max wants her help in persuading her brother to talk, so he looks for her diary where the blackmail data is written, but Kate was bluffing. It doesn't exist except in her head. What Max accidentally gets is Kate's diary of her secret fantasies. Talk about fueling an already smoldering attraction! So Max develops a plan to kidnap Kate and use her as leverage to get her brother to talk. He tells her it's for her own protection, and it turns out he's quite right. But her body isn't the only thing that needs protection. What about her heart? In The Dangerous Duke Christine Wells expertly weaves a tale of danger, passion and intrigue combined with fascinating secondary characters for a juicy story you can really sink your teeth into. The interaction between Max's sister and his rival Jardine is at least as moving as that of the primary players. I really enjoy a book where the characters communicate with each other intelligently without a surplus of unnecessary misunderstandings, and this book comes through beautifully. Add some very tricky and interesting twists, and you've got a really great read. 4 Kisses, 1 Pepper ~Lindy Reviewer, TwoLips Reviews, LLC www.TwoLipsReviews.com