"Road Romance with a Royal Twist!"

Maximillian Ryker Sabastiani, the Disenchanted Duke, shed his royal Montebellan title years ago in an effort to obtain a little privacy and anonymity. In recent years he and his maternal grandfather have been running a top-notch private investigative service in California. He thought he'd left the illustrious life behind when he left Montebello, but it's about to come back and smack him right in his royal... ahem, behind. Soon he finds himself hot on the trail of Kevin Weber, a known member of the Brothers of Darkness. Max's mission is to return him to Montebello to stand trial for his many crimes in the island kingdom. Before long, Max finds out that he's not the only one after Weber.

Cara Rivers is a bounty hunter who's been hired by the sheriff of Shady Rock to find Weber and bring him in to face charges of breaking and entering. Cara, a product of the foster care system, has her own reasons for wanting Weber, and they don't include turning him over to a hotshot P.I. who plans to take him out of the country. When Max and Cara first meet, the sparks fly. But, sparks or not, each is not about to let the other horn in on the catch. Weber escapes and the race is on.

Watching Max and Cara try to outdo each other is the driving force behind THE DISENCHANTED DUKE, the latest installment of the Romancing the Crown series. Readers will laugh out loud at Max's confusion when Cara manages to catch him unaware and get ahead of him. When they decide to team up, as do all heroes and heroines in road romances, the tension escalates with enough force to set even the most flame resistant of tinder ablaze. But there are a few bumps along the road to a happily ever after: such as when Cara discovers Max's true identity. Let's just say that Max has a lot of explaining to do! Cara, having grown up the way she did, has a lot of insecurities to overcome before she will feel comfortable around Max's royal relatives. Max himself must learn that he is not the womanizing, cheating son of a.. gun that his father was. At times it's difficult to see them cope, but watching them slowly fall in love is a treat worth waiting for. Even if you don't like royal romances in general, don't rule out Marie Ferrarella's take on the subject.

Reviewed by Kelly Jones
Posted March 18, 2002

Summary

Undercover Royalty?
A handsome P.I. looks royally familiar...

Who was Max Ryker? The sinfully sensual P.I. had the looks of a playboy and the bearing of a king. Bounty hunter Cara Rivers could only dream of being Cinderella for a night in Max's strong arms. Because she and Max were hunting the same man--and that made Max the enemy.

Duke Maximillian Ryker Sebastlani shunned his title. But Max had a duty to his king. Even the spirited beauty who challenged his every move couldn't keep Max from bringing the bail jumper back to the kingdom of Montebello. Not even if she was the one woman to stir the secret royal's restless heart...