THE DUKE
Series: Victorian Rebels #4
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Release Date: February 7, 2017
He is noble, notorious, and takes no prisoners…
They say that now His Grace, Collin Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth has only one hand, he might finally be a mere mortal, but no one seems willing to test the theory. Rich as Midas, big as a Viking, beautiful as Adonis, and lethal as a feral wolf, he is the English Empire’s golden son. But now he’s lost everything. Most of his family died in a terrible accident, his protégé and closest friend betrayed him on the battlefield, and his left hand was cut off while he was a prisoner of war. The only thing that’s kept him going until now is the memory of a night spent in the arms of a mysterious raven-haired woman almost a year ago…
Imogen Pritchard is a nurse by day, but a fallen woman—and a spy—by night. Seduced on the job years ago by a Duke who mourned for the loss of his family, Imogen has never shaken the memory of the man’s despair—or the fathomless depths of pleasure he brought to her. But as the threat of betrayals, blackmail, and secrets abound, Imogen and Collin are thrown back together in a dizzying swirl of dangerous games and earthshattering desire. But can their love overcome the everything that threatens to tear them apart?
SOLD! I am sold on Kerrigan Byrne for life and will be reading all of her books. This was my first book by Kerrigan Byrne, and I was greatly impressed. She is such an amazing and creative story-teller. Her stories are definitely more plot-based, which I appreciate. This story has so many layers to it. She just kept peeling back all of the intricacies to the characters. Kerrigan took my heart and wove it in and out of the pages of this story.
The beginning is so hot. She did not mess around in breaking out the sexy times (woo!). But then the story takes a quick turn, and the story leads both Cole and Imogen through separate tragedies.
The beast was no duke. He was no man raised with genteel civility, with a care for the expense of things or the consequences of his actions. This beast was no longer dormant within him, but prowling beneath the surface of his skin, wanting to mark his territory.
And he’d found a delectable morsel just now, one he was in danger of acquiring a taste for.
My Cole & Imogen:
Cole is a soldier, a spy, a duke….an animal. He is many things in this book. He travels through war and pain and torture, barely making it out alive. Imogen is his savior, in more ways than one, but he doesn’t even know it. He is trapped in the darkness, and she is light. He cannot escape and is constantly fighting against himself.
Imogen has been through her own version of hell. She has fought her own war, but she is a beacon of hope and is determined to help others that were in a situation like her own. I loved how strong she was. Even when I didn’t expect it, she would stand up to Cole. The feminism in this book! Gah!
”It would take nothing to destroy you.” He tightened his fingers ever so slightly, and the telltale jump of her pulse belied her unwavering audacity.
“Better men than you have tried,” she remonstrated, her eyes blazing green with a maelstrom of her own primitive emotions. “Yet here I stand.”
THE FEELS!!!! Lawdy, the feels. I’m usually not a fan of angst, but this book was all kinds of delicious. Most of this book is sad, but I loved it (again, not my usual opinion). I felt so much in this book. The tragedies that both Cole and Imogen have to go through in order to finally be together. They are in each other’s lives, but Cole is searching and he doesn’t even know he’s searching for Imogen! Gah! And Imogen has to PINE for him! Oh, the pining! Curse you, Kerrigan for tugging at my heart, so!
If you are fan of Julia Quinn, you will love Kerrigan Byrne! They are very similar in the story-telling, character development, and the feels.
I have to say, I am sad that I did not read the previous 3 books in this series before this one. The characters from the first 3 books in this series were in this book enough that I was a little lost and wanted to know more about them! I would recommend reading this series in order (which I usually don’t say).
READ THE SERIES IN ORDER
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- The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels, #1)
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- The Hunter (Victorian Rebels, #2)
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- The Highlander (Victorian Rebels, #3)
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- The Duke (Victorian Rebels, #4)
GOOD BOY
Blake doesn’t do anything half-assed. He laughs the way he lives his life—loud and fierce and without inhibition. He fucks that way, too.
To say that I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release from two of my favorite authors may be a miiiild understatement. But as excited as I was, I was also just a teeny bit worried too. See, I remember Blake from 
You may remember Jess, Jamie’s older sister, from US. I have to admit, she got off on the wrong foot with me in that book, but she totally won me over here. This is a girl that’s having a hard time finding herself. Forever viewed as the flaky one by her overachieving family, she wants to prove them wrong. That for once she can pick a career, and stick to it. That’s how she finds herself in nursing school in Canada, and once again facing the man she’s gone through great lengths to avoid.
I also loved that it didn’t follow the formulaic romance novel with the crazy misunderstandings in the end. It was perfectly paced and unfolded naturally.
MENACE
Want to know a recipe for a whole lot of awesome?
Morgan aka “Scarlet” was easily my favorite heroine that this author has written to date. This is a woman that’s running but with a purpose and using any means possible to get what she wants. She’ll pick pockets, lie, and use her body if she has to. She’s full of nails and vinegar. She’s sassy, sarcastic, snarky and everything I love. She’s broken but not defeated. If anything her weakness just make her that much stronger. She was a fascinating combination vulnerable and deadly.
I loved her internal monologue almost as much as I loved Lorenzo’s
RIVAL
Why the hell did it take me this long to read this book?! Why? WHY I ASK YOU?! I’ll admit that reading a few reviews made me a little nervous to pick this one up. I should have known better. Other people’s pet peeves tend to be my catnip. What? I never said I wasn’t a 
The Danger of Desire
Warren is a rake (of course!). What good is a historical romance without a rake? And Warren does not disappoint. He wants nothing to do with Delia, but his cousin is pushing him to look after Delia. He soon discovers how intriguing Delia can be. She is intelligent and mysterious. There is something about her and he is determined to figure her out. After following her, he soon discovers her mysterious outings are at a gambling club trying to find the man that ruined her brother. And I absolutely loved all of this! The banter between these two is priceless!
Perfectly Paired
Lexi Blake brings the feels with this one. Big time. So sexy and swoony. I adore everything this woman writes. She has a knack for writing a romance that not only scorches but packs an even more solid punch of emotion. It’s perfectly balanced. It’s perfectly written. It’s has a couple that’s perfectly paired.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog int eh world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
Consolation Prize
There’s just something about this series for me that seems to hit the spot each and every single time. These characters have become like family to me. I’ve grown to love them and root for their HEA and I have to admit that no one tugged at my heart strings more than Brandt and Colton Gamble. Brandt got his HEA in 
After their failed date that barely made it halfway, Julianna find herself at Brandt’s wedding, pining after what could have been. Sent in as the distraction, Colton is all too eager to hit on the beautiful woman that he’s been lusting after since he first laid eyes on her and who has been thwarting each and every single one of his flirty advances.
PREPPY: The Life & Death of Samuel Clearwater, Part One
Damn you T.M. Frazier! Damn you and your evil genius! What are you doing to me? I can’t even right now. First you shatter my cold black heart in 
Ready to end it all, Dre’s attempt gets thwarted by a man that may be her savior or her new form of hell…
If you loved Preppy in the previous books, you will absolutely fall in love with him in this one. He’s just as potent and just as charismatic except MORE. I couldn’t get enough of him
Submission is Not Enough
My heart! MY COLD BLACK HEART! It hurts dammit! It hurts so bad. This book twisted me inside out. Never have I been more invested in a character since Theo Taggart. I can’t tell you the amount of tears I’ve shed over this man. As much as I love every single book in this series, this was easily one of my most anticipated. We’ve been getting teased with Theo’s book for what feels like forever, and I felt like my heart would damn near explode if I didn’t get my grabby little hands on his story soon.
First of all, if you’re reading my review and you haven’t read 
Lexi Blake is one of my go-to authors when it comes to sexy romantic suspense, but with this book she proved that she can wring emotion from her readers like no other. It’s so much more than just romance. Twelve books into the series and I’m still as invested as ever if not more so with these characters and find myself eagerly anticipating the next book. It’s so far beyond just sexy BDSM romance and high octane action. Starting one of these books is like getting reacquainted with a gang of friends. I fall hard for each of them every single time and with the snippet of the next book I’m practically salivating for Nick already.
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
BETWEEN HERE AND THE HORIZON
The way this story builds up is nothing but true perfection. You fall in love with each word they say to each other. Out of hatred or out of love, it doesn’t matter. You are enthralled in this journey with them wondering what the hell is really going on sometimes, as if you are missing something and just waiting for it to happen.
Nothing is better than two people hating each other and avoiding each other in every way just to find themselves in each others company far to much and learning their inner workings even though they find each other insufferable….It’s seriously the BEST!!!!
