I just loved this story and for that I credit the characterization of Zoe, the heroine. She was everything I want a heroine to be, spunky, smart and capable of taking care of herself and business at hand.

As for the hero, I was impressed with him ever since he was introduced to us in the earlier book and couldn't wait for his story. Pairing him with Zoe was wonderful!

If you love your romance to feature a mystery and plenty of secrets, you must get this book.

Melanie for b2b
Complimentary copy provided by the publisher ( )

Sparkles!

From the get go I knew I was going to love Zoe, her energy and her fearlessness. London 1829, Lady Zoe Keene hires Manton's investigations (The Duke's men) to sort out her true parentage and the question about the inheritance of her father's estates. Even this is an amusing interlude.
Tristan Bonnaud is assigned to the case. Something Zoe is decidedly not pleased about--and neither is Tristan. He doesn't want to be bothered with a 'spoiled aristocrats inheritance problem.' In the end it will suit his purposes with his investigations into his own past.
Zoe is a woman with a mind of her own, 'sometimes her mouth just said what it pleased, and to hell with the consequences.'
Tristan, the illegitimate son of a Viscount, has his own set of secrets and worries to do with his background and parentage. His intractable, villainous half brother George is the thorn in his side. George is a man who wants to rid himself of Tristram no matter the cost.
With the vivacious Zoe, gypsies, American artists and dashing French men, Tristan's story is as enjoyable read as one can get.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

We first met Tristan in the first book, What the Duke Desires, as co-owner of Manton Investigations with his second half brother and got some of his background. Tristan and his sister are the illegitimate children of the late Viscount of Rathmoor. Tristan's father died when Tristan was seventeen, after writing out a codicil to his will that would ensure that Tristan and his family were taken care of. Unfortunately, immediately after the man breathed his last, Tristan's oldest half brother, the new viscount, threw the codicil into the fire and promised that there would be nothing for them. Tristan, being young and hotheaded, stole the horse he would have inherited and used the money from selling it to get his mother and sister out of England. Over the next years he did whatever he had to in order to support them. For the last several years he has been working as an investigator, but always with a burning need for revenge against his half brother George. He is always looking for something that he can use against George.

Lady Zoe Keane made her first appearance at the end of the second book in the series, When the Rogue Returns, when she nearly blew an investigation Tristan was working on. She and Tristan had a rather antagonistic meeting, and in promising to keep his secret, Zoe extracted the promise of a future favor from the investigators. At the beginning of this book, Zoe has come to claim that favor. She is the only child of Lord Olivier, and thanks to an unusual inheritance circumstance, will inherit her father's lands and the title of countess when he dies. Unfortunately, thanks to something her aunt has said, Zoe believes there is some question about whether she really is her parents' child. She wants the investigators to find out if it is true. Added to that stress is the arrival of her American cousin, who will inherit if Zoe does not. Her father and aunt are encouraging her to marry the man, which would keep her on the lands she loves so much, no matter what happens.

Once again, the meeting between Tristan and Zoe is contentious. Tristan thinks that Zoe is bored and making drama out of nothing. Zoe thinks that Tristan is a womanizer of the worst sort. Much to her dismay, Tristan is the best one to work on her case, as he is experienced with Gypsy culture and speaks the language. Tristan doesn't really think there's any truth to her story, but checking it out will give him the opportunity to find his Gypsy friend who bought the horse, and find out what he knows of Tristan's brother George. What neither of them counted on was the steamy attraction between them.

I liked Tristan and Zoe, though each of them had their issues. Tristan is, at heart, an honorable man who has done the things he has in order to protect the family he loves. He is also a bit of a scoundrel, in that he has quite a reputation with the ladies. But he keeps things light with them, avoiding any kind of commitment or emotional entanglement. He doesn't believe in love, having seen what havoc that supposed emotion caused in his mother's life. He also looks at the aristocracy with a cynical eye, lumping them all with his brother George. He's not happy about his attraction to Zoe for two reasons. First, it's to strong and tends to make him lose control, not something he's ever done before. Second, nothing can come of it. After all, he's illegitimate with a shady background and she's a future countess.

Zoe is a woman who has grown up knowing that her father's lands are going to be her responsibility and she doesn't mind at all. She loves the land and the people. She is devastated to learn that there is some question about who she really is and is determined to find out the truth. If she really isn't her father's daughter, she may have no choice but to marry her cousin if she wants to be able to continue to care for her people. She's also stubborn, and isn't going to just sit back and wait for Tristan's report, she plans to be involved every step of the way. But that puts her in his company far too often for her peace of mind. Her attraction to Tristan makes her realize that marriage to another man would be a miserable life.

I loved seeing them together. Tristan is excellent at pushing her buttons and they are constantly in verbal battles with each other. But those battles turn into kisses when the sparks get to be too much. They also get to know each other better and realize that there is more to each other than had been apparent in their initial impressions. I really liked seeing Zoe fall for the man Tristan is now and not letting his past affect her feelings, though she's unsure of his. Tristan realizes that Zoe isn't just a spoiled society miss, and his feelings for her continue to grow. But he's a bit insecure because of their differences, and doesn't know what her feelings for him really are. It takes surviving a dangerous situation for them both to realize that only by risking it all can they have it all.

I really enjoyed the mystery of Zoe's background. As she and Tristan get further into the search for the truth, her search and his begin to follow the same path. There is a very interesting twist to the identity of Zoe's mother and it adds to the building tension. Pursuing information about Zoe's natural father involves Tristan's Gypsy friend, and creates the possibility that a huge scandal could erupt. I loved seeing Zoe's adoptive father get involved, now that the cat is out of the bag, and his presence is vital during the final confrontation. It was quite intense as all the players came together, and I wondered how everything was going to work out. I thought it was pretty realistic, with believable actions on all parts. I enjoyed the reaction of Zoe's cousin at the end, and how everything worked out. ( )

Sabrina Jeffries knows how to write a great historical romance. I've read quite a few of her books, but somehow I've skipped this series. I really thought that I had read the first couple in this series, but it seems as if I have them buried somewhere in my TBR pile and started with the wrong book. It wasn't too bad by starting with this one. It has a lot of information from the previous books, but it was easy to follow along. I'm definitely going back to read the first two cause I'm hooked on this family. Loved Tristan. Loved Zoe. Loved everything about this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. ( )

Lady Zoe Keane has good reason to believe she is not really Lord Olivier´s daughter and if this turns out to be truth, then she has to marry her cousin Jeremy in order to preserve her title and estate. She doesn´t want that kind of marriage unless it is strictly necessary and so, she hires The Duke´s Men(who ended up owing her a favor in the previous book) to find the truth about her origins. Tristan Bonnaud is assigned to her case given that he speaks romani and is familiar with their customs. He is the bastard son of the Viscount Rathmoor, and because of being mistreated his whole life for it, he now resents nobility which makes it difficult for him and Zoe to get along in the beginning. However, as he get to know her, he revises her opinion on her and without them wanting it, sparks fly between them.

Thoughts:
I absolutely loved “How the scoundrel seduces”. It was a great addition to the Duke´s Men series and so much fun.
Tristan is an interesting character. He hides all his insecurities behind a mask of sarcasm and aggressiveness, but he still is very funny and you get the feeling that he really is a good guy. I couldn´t help but loved him given all he has been through.
Zoe is also very likeable. She is very spirited and not afraid to speak her mind. But she´s also very compassionate and I just adored her in a scene where she shows Tristan he´s more than he thinks he is. I also liked her loving relationship with her father,and how in the end, Lord Olivier also becomes sort of a father figure to Tristan.
“How the scoundrel seduces “ is currently my favourite in this series. Now I can´t wait for Dom and Jane´s story!
Thank you very much Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold , Pocket Books for the chance to review it ( )