Review: The Rogue's Proposal by Jennifer Haymore

BOUND BY DESIRE
 

Lukas Hawkins, the second son of the troubled House of Trent, is on a mission: find his missing mother and her alleged kidnapper, a brute named Roger Morton. If bringing the villain to justice means breaking a few laws, then so be it. But when he encounters a mysterious stranger with the face of an angel and a body made for sin, Luke suddenly finds his task-and his heart-in peril.

Emma Curtis knows of Lord Lukas's rakish reputation-and hopes to use it to her advantage. While most men of honor would never travel alone with an unmarried woman, Luke is quite willing to take Emma on the road . . . and into his bed. As their journey carries them to unexpected places, Luke and Emma indulge their every passion and share their most private fantasies. But just when their deepest desires are finally within reach, a secret is revealed that threatens to end their love forever . . .

The Rogue's Proposal continues the storyline set in motion in The Duchess Hunt.  While I liked this book, the major mystery subplot -- finding the Dowager Duchess -- seems to develop much more slowly than necessary.  

Lukas Hawkins is the second son of the House of Trent.  His older brother, the current Duke of Trent, newly married, has assigned him to pick up the search for their mother.  Lukas does so, and he manages to pick the widowed Emma Curtis as well.  

The pacing picks up considerably in the final third of the book, when Lukas and Emma are chasing Roger Morton to Scotland, then back to London.  And though Lukas and Emma have great chemistry, their pairing seemed too convenient and easy.  Still, I'll continue this series because I want to know what exactly happened to the Dowager Duchess and how those pieces fall into place.