Review

The title of this book is very misleading.  Our hero, Victor Cale, is a soldier and an investigator, and is far from being a rogue.  Ten years ago, a young and newly married Victor and his even younger bride, Isabella, were victims of a scheme by her criminal sister and brother-in-law.  Knowing that Isabella (or Isa, as she is called) has a talent for creating realistic imitation jewelry, they convince her that they will be able to sell her copy for a decent sum.  Jacoba and Gerhart (the sister and brother-in-law) are really scheming to steal the real jewels and replace them with Isa's replica.  That is bad enough in and of itself, but they also set it up so that Victor and Isa are implicated in the theft, and their lies also make the couple suspect each other and manage to permanently separate them.  After four months, Isa, who is pregnant, realizes she needs to get away from her sister, and manages to secure a job with a kind jeweler.  She changes her name and begins a new life in Scotland.  Victor, meanwhile, has found out that he is cousin to a Duke, and works as an investigator for his cousin's agency.

Ten years have passed, and Victor and Isa have never crossed paths, though Victor has tried to find her.  His luck changes when his agency is given the job of investigating a widow with no background who appears to be about to lure a young baron into marriage.  Victor travels to Scotland to begin his investigation, and his hunch is correct, the widow is his wife, Isa, now calling herself Sofia Franke.  At their first meeting, Victor is surprised that instead of being cowed, Isa is furious with him.

I have to say that I really, really dislike books where manipulative villains cause the hero and heroine to part.  This story was even worse because the villain was the heroine's sister, and I felt that both Victor and Isa should have been suspicious, especially Isa, because she had full knowledge of Jacoba's criminal activity.

There are some things that I did like, though.  When Isa and Victor meet up again, they talk.  They discuss how they have both been deceived, and how they can straighten out this mess so neither of them can ever be accused of the theft.  I like that they slowly begin to realize they never stopped loving each other, and that they've both been faithful.

To me, this was just a fair read.  I found that I was not becoming emotionally involved with the couple, and for me to love a book, I have to do that.  If you are following this series, or if you're a Sabrina Jeffries fan, you'll probably want to pick this one up.  The first book, What a Duke Desires, surpasses this second book by a wide margin.

Reviewed by Rose