Maxwell Brooke, the new Duke of Lyle, is investigating in his ancestral home a fire that killed lots of people and left him the next in line for the title. Lady Kate Fairchild’s brother allegedly knows who was involved but refuses to tell, so he has been imprisoned to extract the information from him. Lady Kate is threatening to make public some very sensitive information about various government officials if he's not released. Of course, this puts her life in danger because there are some very powerful people who don’t want her to reveal their secrets.

Max wants her help in persuading her brother to talk, so he looks for her diary where the blackmail data is written, but Kate was bluffing. It doesn’t exist except in her head. What Max accidentally gets is Kate’s diary of her secret fantasies. Talk about fueling an already smoldering attraction!

So Max develops a plan to kidnap Kate and use her as leverage to get her brother to talk. He tells her it’s for her own protection, and it turns out he’s quite right. But her body isn’t the only thing that needs protection. What about her heart?

In The Dangerous Duke Christine Wells expertly weaves a tale of danger, passion and intrigue combined with fascinating secondary characters for a juicy story you can really sink your teeth into. The interaction between Max's sister and his rival Jardine is at least as moving as that of the primary players.

I really enjoy a book where the characters communicate with each other intelligently without a surplus of unnecessary misunderstandings, and this book comes through beautifully. Add some very tricky and interesting twists, and you've got a really great read.