I like historical romances and read quite a few during the year. This book stands above the rest.

The back cover blurb: "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."

The characters were well developed multidimensional people. Life was not just champagne and balls. They are actual people. Overall, the book can be thought of as a road romance. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next in the series.

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Maximillian Cale, Duke of Lyons, received a message from Tristan Bonnaud saying that he may have found Max's older brother. Peter was kidnapped many years ago and has been presumed dead. The message asks Max to meet Tristan for more information; but when Max goes to the designated spot, no one shows up. Max hurries to the home of Dominic Manton, Tristan's half-brother. Dom isn't at home, but Max meets Lisette Bonnaud, Tristan's sister. She offers to help Max find Tristan, but only if he will let her accompany him. Max and Lisette pose as husband and wife while they travel the countryside looking for her brother.

This is the first book in The Duke's Men series. Both Max and Lisette are very likeable characters. Max is hoping his brother is alive and can take over the title. Max doesn't want to marry just to produce an heir. He has seen the men in his family succumb to madness and thinks that is in store for him too. Lisette is the illegitimate daughter of a Viscount who claimed to love her mother but never married her. She doesn't believe in love and has no intention of ever marrying. Of course, when two people swear off marriage, they immediately fall in love.

Both the story and characters were entertaining. I enjoyed the unexpected twist in the search for Max's long-lost brother and look forward to the next book in the series. My rating: 4 Stars.

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I am loving this series. Once again SJ writes an amazing story. I love how the story unfolds, adding layers to each character and being rich in details. Lots of little things connecting the different characters together that make you so enjoy this book and this series.

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