When the Rogue Returns

The Duke's Men, Book 2

By: Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by: Corrie James

It had been a decade since Victor Cale, first cousin to the Duke of Lyons, had seen his wife. After some royal jewelry went missing from the jeweler's shop where they worked, Isabel Mertens disappeared. When Victor gets word of a woman who fits his wife's description, he sets out to confront her. But he discovers that nothing is as it seems-and revenge is never as sweet as true love.

©2014 Deborah Gonzales (P)2014 Tantor

loving this series

I am loving this series. Sabrina Jefferies stories are great and Corrie James is great in narrating them. Can't wait to listen to the next book in this series. Love love love these books

Interesting & Heartwarming

I loved this book. It was different! The story was a little bit different - it held my interest and I was definitely looking forward to what was going to happen next. There were a few times in the book that I was a little bit frustrated and I felt like it was dragging just a bit... but I feel like that's probably because I was so excited for the characters to get together.

Issa and Victor are great together. I wasn't sure I was going to like Victor as much as I ended up liking him.

There were many times in this book fit my heart clenched for this couple and I got choked up a couple of times - so it definitely had a moving affect every now and again. I think it was better than the first book and I can't wait to move on to the third and fourth and see how it stacks up in this wonderful series.

SJ KNOWS JUST HOW TO WRITE A CAPTIVATING HR

SJ has delivered yet another all consuming, action-packed, heartbreaking romance and this time it's about true love, betrayal, revenge and the gift of second chances. Victor and Isa (Isabel) were very young and happily in love but a couple of greedy family members had an evil scheme which tore them apart and deprived them of 10 years of being together and so much more..... that is until fate stepped in.

Within the many hours of this enjoyable, tense and frustrating listen you will be captivated by the drama, mystery and intrigue as all the secrets, lies and treachery eventually comes pouring out when an older Victor and Isa finally come face to face. They are suspicious of each other through no fault of their own, they're very likeable, there's once again instant attraction and great chemistry between the two as they both learn to trust each other as the true devastating events are painfully unearthed. Old passions ignite, there's sex (not too explicit) and they finally take a chance at love again because there's just too much for either of them to lose.

But they must stand together as old enemies return to threaten their new found love and try, once again, to tear them apart with yet another scheme and this time they resort to kidnapping too. Luckily Victor and Isa are helped by the love and support of willing friends and the loveable members of The Duke's Men ride to the rescue to help in a plan that will deliver justice and vengeance so the lovers can eventually get their hard won HEA.

Worth a credit? Predictable? sometimes, historically correct? doubtful, but for any HR lover (such as myself) SJ's books are an auto download because you know that she'll give you just what you want - an unusual plot that will chill you and a romance that will thrill you. Held in the Netherlands then Edinburgh there's no fancy Balls, no colorful gowns, no ton and no virginal Lady or scandalous Rake to save but despite this it is still an enjoyable and creditworthy listen. Finally, although this is book 2 of a series this could easily be a stand-alone listen.

Not bad

This book wasn't bad. It is a little different from the other historical romance novels I've read. I like the way the heroin took charge of her life and go away from her horrible sister and brother in law.

Good, but not going to be a favorite

A good story, but definitely not my favorite from this author. The two main characters took way too long to be honest with each other--their initial hesitation made sense, but after a while it got to be ridiculous, especially since they both got hugely upset when they found out the other one was hiding something from them. (Hello? Pot? Kettle? You're equal in your blackness, so get over it already!) Other than that, Victor and Isa/Sofie were likable characters overall.

Ultimately, the last third or so redeemed the book for me. At one point I was afraid they were reverting back to their old ways, but they proved me wrong so nothing got tossed across the room (I was listening on audio, so book tossing would have involved earbuds being ripped out of my ears. I was very glad to have my fears proven wrong, believe me!) The ending is immensely satisfying, and helped me to get over much of my frustration with the book.

Some of the secondary characters' immense likability helps matters as well--Amalie, their daughter, is charming; Rupert and Mary Grace's secondary romance is adorable; and Sofie's business partner Mr. Gordon is an all-around great guy. Tristan and Dominick, the brothers who run Manton Investigations, are as entertaining as ever, and I cannot wait until they have their own books.

The science too was interesting, both of Sofie's artificial gems and Rupert's studies. I didn't quite "get" it all, but it sounded impressive. ;) Ms. Jeffries's afterword showed that she had clearly done her research in that arena.

Part of my dissatisfaction with this novel stemmed from the audio performance--I couldn't stand the voice the narrator used for Isa/Sofie. It always sounded as if she had a mouthful of marbles when she spoke, and it was distracting. Perhaps if I'd have read it instead of listening, I would have rated it higher.

So far the first book in the series is still my favorite. I wouldn't go so far as to say this one was a disappointment, it just didn't quite live up to the standards of book one. Hopefully the next offering from The Duke's Men will be more consistent in its execution.

Rating: C+/ 3.5 stars

A good read to continue the series.

Genre: Historical Romance

Main characters:Victor Cale & Isabel Mertens

Isabel: She is meek during the first chapter in the book (when she and Victor first marry), however after years of fending for herself, she has grown a spine and has made a comfortable living with her talents as a jewelry maker.

Victor: In the first book, he finds that he is cousin to a Duke and is now considered a peer. However, his life spent as a working-class citizen makes him uneasy to the privileges and expectations of the upper-class.

Synopsis:
Newly weds, Victor leaves his wife, sick in bed, with a promise to return once his shift as a security guard is over. When he comes to collect his wife, he finds she has deserted him. Years later, Victor has not forgotten his missing bride and her deception. When a case surfaces regarding a viscount(?) interested in an older lady who fits Isabel's description, Victor follows the lead and comes face to face with his wife.

What does this book have?
I loved the first book in the series because I enjoyed the banter between the main characters. This book didn't hold the same awe for me and I found it to be okay. What does set this book apart is that the main characters were already married and have spent the majority of their married life apart. They were married young and didn't fully understand each other. When they come together, they are matured and experienced in life and are able to appreciate the better qualities in each other. Although there is resolution to the romance (and a twist in the tale to add to the story), I felt it could have been done better. Overall, I anticipate the next installment as it revolves around Tristan and Lady Zoe and as brief an exchange as these two had in this book, it promises to be feisty and rude with lots of fun banter.

Narration
Narrator: Corrie James
Performance: 4/5
Speed: 1.25x
Consistent narration with good character distinction and accents. Her pace was good and the tone and volume of the narrator's voice was steady and clear.

Good story.

Good story line but the author gets so wordy at times it makes certain scenes drag on and it gets frustrating.

The Best!

I love S.J., she is a wonderful author, I can not wait for the next one in this series.

Gotta love the Duke's Men!

I really enjoy Sabrina Jeffries books because they have humor and usually a mystery. The Duke's Men series is very entertaining!

Lovey story and great narration

This is a great story. Just when you think the heroine is going to make a stupid move - she doesn’t. That doesn’t always happen. I liked how both came to reconcile the past. The accent may not have been authentic but it was different enough to be entertaining