It's no secret that I am huge fan of Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. I just love that this historical romance series has a darker theme, somewhat reminiscent of the days of the bodice ripper when historicals had more drama, action and strife than the modern historicals more common today.

Imogen Pritchard fell on hard times when she was left facing the gambling debts of her recently deceased father. With a younger sister and ailing mother to support, Imogen is burning the candle at both ends, working as a nurse by day and in forced servitude at night in repayment of her father's debt. Her willingness to work in these circumstances without complaining made her a sympathetic heroine... more so when her circumstances improve and she works to help others who are in need. Her dire situation and improved circumstances also came with quite a bit of character growth. Imogen is no longer the meek and shy young lady, but has transformed into a bold and brash woman in bright colors who is determined to have her way no matter what her neighbors think.

We met Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth earlier in the series and I knew that he was going to have a very sad story. Never expecting to become a duke, he inherited after his entire family was killed in an horrible accident. Grieving for his loss, one night Cole loses himself in whisky and the warm embrace of a serving girl at a notorious brothel. It is this memory that Cole turns to during his long stint as a prisoner of war where he suffers unimaginably. Now he is returned as a tortured war hero, with a ravaged soul that yearns for the one bright light he remembers - Ginny. But while Cole searches for Ginny, he must also battle with his hoydenish neighbor, Imogen.

The romance between our main characters was both fascinating and sad. They were both broken in their own way, but they were also both completely headstrong and unwilling to bend. Cole was unbearably rude to Imogen at times, but I commend her on the ease with which she seemed to forgive him. There was definitely explosive chemistry between the two, but there were secrets between them and Cole's pining for the lost Ginny. This put a dampener on the relationship so it wasn't quite as much of a grand passion as I felt we got from earlier books in the series. But nothing brings one of Kerrigan's heroes up to scratch like a little bit of danger directed at a woman of their acquaintance, and we see that again with The Duke.

I thought the suspense/danger aspect of this story was particularly good. Bodies of women, strangled and debased, have been found around London and Inspector Morley with Scotland Yard, and all our prior heroes, work together to find the killer. The killer's identity was not predictable and the reveal and circumstances surprised me in the end. I continue to love Kerrigan's imagery in some of her scenes and descriptions, and I absolutely loved this passage:

I will love you for your light, if you can love me through the dark times. And that love will be like the clear night sky when the moon is full. Not like the sun ... but beautiful and bright enough to find our way.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.

I've been meaning to read Kerrigan Byrne for a long time and when I saw a post about The Duke, I checked it out and decided I just had to read it! And I could kick myself for not reading her sooner because The Duke was so amazing. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I loved that - I loved it, period! 

I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with Cole, although love and hate are too strong of words to use, but they make the most sense to say. When I say that they're too strong, I mean that while I loved the first couple of glimpses that we say of Cole, for most of the book, I didn't love him. I didn't hate him either though, granted he can be an a*s, which he admits to, but I could never hate him. He would do something that would give me hope that I would fall for him because I truly did like him and there were things that I loved about him. Cole's dark and primal and dangerous, he's protective and possessive and I loved all of that about him and while I can't say that he stole my heart, I did love him in the end. 

Even though I struggled with Cole, I had no such struggles with Imogen. She's smart, brave, kind, and sweet. Imogen is so beautiful inside and out and the way she sees things is beautiful too. She's optimistic and positive and she's always trying to find the light in everything. Imogen is just so real and genuine and good - she is absolutely wonderful and I positively loved her! 

The Duke was darker than I expected - honestly, I didn't expect it at all and I might not have been surprised if I had refreshed up on the synopsis, but I just jumped right in instead. It's not really a book that you read to give you laughs, it's heartbreaking and gut wrenching at times. It's not easy, but that's what makes it so great. The Duke will capture you, make you gasp, make you laugh and smile, it will make you yell and hurt your heart as well as warm it. It is so full of depth and beauty and wisdom. It's just incredible and I can't wait to read more from Ms. Byrne. 

The Duke is a standalone, it's told from Cole and Imogen's POV, and they do get their happily-ever-after. 

~ A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia, 5 Stars

This read has plenty of drama and suspense with a brooding hero and the heroine who does what she must. I liked this historical read as well as the characters and their chemistry. The story is fast paced and held my interest throughout.

Victorian Rebels indeed -- Cole Talmage, a duke with a tragic past and a difficult present after barely surviving the battlefield. He returns, his thoughts obsessed with "Ginny," a woman with whom he spent a passionate night. He doesn't know that Ginny is really Imogen Pritchard, who works by day as a nurse to support her family and at night as a serving girl to pay off her father's debt. When he returns, wounded in mind and body, it is Imogen who figures out his illness and saves his life. For that, she is fired from her job. After all, a nurse can't presume to out-diagnose a doctor, can she? She ends up marrying a patient and becomes a countess, only to end up the duke's neighbor. She knows him, of course, but he thinks of her as a gold-digging adventurer and even thinks about trying to overturn her late husband's will. They do not reconnect. But yet ... .
What a story! I have to say that this tale is most far-fetched and full of coincidences that are hardly believable. But you don't care, because Imogen is such a wonderful, strong heroine. She is good and kind, refusing to let her harsh life beat her down and taking pleasure — finally — in having enough to eat, time to paint and the ability to help the less fortunate. Cole, on the other hand, still can't get over not being able to find Ginny, and his path to discovering Imogen's identity is slow and sometimes painful. His ability to remain faithful to his vision of Ginny and to hold out for love is heart-warming; he doesn't care who Ginny is or was, he just knows he loves her.
On top of the romance, there is a mystery to be solved and a killer to find. This part can be somewhat clunky and the identity of the killer is hardly a surprise. However, the ending is dramatic and makes it a little difficult to breathe until Imogen is safe once more.
It's a twisting, romantic tale, one that I thoroughly enjoyed. It made me want to read the other Victorian Rebel books; I came into the series cold and didn't feel lost one bit. This is a book to swallow whole over a long afternoon, not read in pieces. It captures you. (I received a NetGalley ARC. Opinions are my own. What a treat. Thanks!!)

Imogen Pritchard is working two jobs to pay off her dead father's debts. Her day job is as a nurse at the hospital. If they found out where else she worked she would be sacked. She works as a barmaid at a brothel, only because that is who her father owed the money to. Even with both jobs it's almost impossible to pay the rent and keep food on the table for her mother, sister and herself.
Collin Talmage the new Duke of Trenwyth is a spy in Queen Victoria's service. He is on his way to a very dangerous mission.
This is a marvellously complex story. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, our author twisted it around. Our severely damaged hero and heroine change beyond all recognition during the course of the book. It is part of a series, but you can read each one on it's own. However if you are going to read them all this one could give away some secrets. An incredibly good story line. I loved every page.

The Victorian Rebels series continues to slay me!

'these young wolves, were on the hunt for trouble, only waiting—straining—to be unleashed by one affirmative gesture from their alpha. As dangerous as they might prove to be, she knew at once that the young soldiers, now fanning into an arc, hadn’t been the source of her internal alarm. Their leader had.'
A coldly dangerous, heart-stopping, opening! Enough to make this reader realize that so much more was to come.
By night Imogene Pritchard has been working off her dead father's debts at the notorious club The Bare Kitten as a server. By day she is a nurse in a London hospital.
Only this night 'Ginny' as she is known finds herself I way over her head waters, charting unknown territory that would influence the rest of her life.
When Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trewyth claims her for his own that claiming goes both ways.
Cole, a crown assassin and spy, holds onto his dream of that night spent with the kitten 'Ginny' as a talisman against the most difficult of times. He continues to search for her.
Imogene runs from that night and yet never forgets the Duke.
When they both meet again, Cole is angered by his helplessness and attraction to this woman who is not his 'Ginny.'
However another problem arises, women are being murdered-and the women all resemble Imogene.
What a woman Imogene is. Fearless, strong, compassionate--and in love with a man who does not know her.
This return to Byrne's world of dangerous men and women is another winner.

A NetGalley ARC
(February 2017)

Romance and social injustice would at face value seem like strange bedfellows but Kerrigan Byrne quickly debunks that line of thought and brings another moving and emotional story to her Victorian Rebels series with The Duke. When serving maid Imogen Pritchard is ordered by her employer to spend the night with Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trewyth, for a small fortune she has no choice but to comply. Through the ensuing years neither can forget their memorable encounter. When both meet again under different circumstances Cole's lack of recognition of Imogene presents an angst filled journey to recover what both felt was the potential for a love of a lifetime.

It is always fascinating to watch Kerrigan Byrne merge the various echelons of society and bring them to a place of equality. In The Duke this author takes what would appear to be a mismatch and creates the perfect pairing with Cole and Imogene. This couple carried the burden of strength to extraordinary heights as they dealt with staggering tragedies and preserved. Their uncommon draw to each other regardless of their circumstances and various obstacles is a testament to Ms. Byrne’s writing skill. Filled with aching longing and raw candor The Duke brings a nice spin on happily ever after with this edgy romance.

The Duke is a wonderfully written story which reminds me of Beauty and the Beast with a Victorian edge. A second chance love of sorts, we find the Duke and Imogen at odds and the tension is sizzling. He becomes her reluctant protector when a serial killer targets those around her, she tries to keep her distance because he doesn't remember her, and if he did, too many secrets of her past would be unearthed. Despite subterfuge to protect her heart and family, his need to find a woman from long ago with only vague memories, his injuries in service to the Crown, and her charity work for those of lesser and questionable means, they triumph in discovering the truth and almost lose it all. The passion between them cannot be denied, and they must overcome and trust each other with everything to find true love.

I received at netgalley from the publisher. The opinion is my own.

THE DUKE is book four in Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. Just as the main characters from the previous three books appear in THE DUKE, there are some elements from all three that make their way into this latest installment while simultaneously telling a story that feels very different from the others. The story opens when Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Trewyth and Imogen "Ginny" Pritchard first meet. Between their first meeting and parting, and the moment they are thrown into each other's path again, they have both undergone immense changes in their lives and endured tragedy. THE DUKE is the kind of sensual epic love story told on a grand scale that Kerrigan Byrne is known for.

I've read historical romances that feature feuding neighbors who turn into lovers, but Cole and Imogen are so much more than that. In some ways, THE DUKE is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's film Vertigo. After a passionate encounter three years ago, and after the hero has suffered some trauma, two lovers unexpectedly find each other again. The only problem is that Cole fails to recognize Imogen, and she has good reason to not reveal herself. I'm glad that THE DUKE offers the point of view of both the hero and the heroine, because Cole is bitter and a little brusque and somewhat insulting toward Imogen when they first meet up again. There's a wonderful irony in THE DUKE as Cole pushes Imogen away even though she's one of the few people that can truly empathize with him. There is a desperation about him as he searches for someone he yearns for, partially idealizes, and who he hopes will perhaps give him back a part of himself he believes to be gone forever. As their experiences have changed Cole and Imogen in many ways, it's a struggle for them to find a new love with the longed-for lover they lost and then found.

Imogen is somebody who might have led a very simple life, if not for circumstances forcing her to be the strong woman she was always capable of being. This is a heroine who is admirable, not just because she is a survivor, but because of how she later goes on to give others the help that she once needed. Even when Cole didn't know her true identity and was confounded by her, he grudgingly admired her tenacity and strength. The weight of carrying her secrets, as well as her suppressed attraction to Cole when she meets him again, is part of what makes Imogen such a compelling character.

THE DUKE is a beguiling second-chance love story full of eroticism and pathos. I loved checking in with the couples from the previous books. THE DUKE is just as exciting as the other books in this "Victorian Rebels" series, but a drop more angst. Several of the supporting characters in THE DUKE snared my interest and have me anxiously awaiting the next book by Kerrigan Byrne.

After reading all four books in Victorian Rebels series, I can safely say that 'The Duke' is my favorite so far. Don't get me wrong! The other books are great as well, after all I gave all but The Highwayman' the highest marks, but for some reason this one touched me on so many levels and I truly enjoyed it.

I find that this author is brilliant when constructing emotional depth of her characters and it is that that keeps me coming to her stories, regardless of the predictability of the plots. She is also very descriptive and not just the scenery. She excels in taking you deep within the heart of the characters, including the sensuality she portrays.

Reading this story, I marveled at the emotions I went through as the story progressed. I was sad as the story opens and our couple meets for the first time and then I got angry at the hero for his stupidity. I marveled as our heroine's survival instincts prevail and cheered her on as she triumphs. And I laughed out loud at the heroes description of his "neighbor" and at his conundrum.

Seriously, this is one book you must read this year. It is without a doubt, one of the best stories out there today.

Melanie for b2b

The Duke is not a typical Historical Romance, this is a tale of deception, hostility, and darkness. The Duke has many different layers, but I found all of them to be disturbing on some level. The hero Collin has had a horrible life, even though he is now a Duke and his current situation has much improved. I understand why his character is so cruel, but I wished he would let up already and realize how much he now has. Imogen, also known as Ginny, was easier to like, but I wanted her to stop helping others when she needed so much help herself. The Duke begins its tale with Collin, the hero, actually purchasing our heroine for one night of sex. Imogen was not completely willing and only agreed as she was desperate for money, so from the very first chapter, I questioned Colin's character. Unfortunately for me, that situation set the tone for this novel and in my opinion, it only grew darker from there. Even the HEA was one of the most unsatisfying I have ever read. All that being said, The Duke was well written and a compelling story. I am sure others would find it gripping. This book just wasn’t for me.

Rating 3.5/5

If you’re looking for an action packed Victorian romance with plenty of twists and turns, you’ll probably love this latest addition to the Victorian Rebels series! If you’re willing to suspend your views on reality. it will certainly help. This is the sort of story that I enjoy escaping into, a real page turner, but one that can have you questioning things, people and events when you’ve had time to think about what actually happens.

Imogen Pritchard is working as a serving maid to pay off her father’s gambling debts. She is also working as a nurse and has no intention of ever being like the other ladies who work at the bar and becoming a whore. (No idea why no one else in her family is trying to help!) The ‘hero’ is Collin Talmage, Duke of Trewyth. He visits a local bar with some of his men and pays the landlord the then very princely sum of £20 to have a room in which to take Imogen’s virginity. Personally, that doesn’t make him a hero in my eyes, but it is key to the rest of the story . . . . When he returns a year later, seriously injured, he’s hospitalised and put into Imogen’s care. She realises he’s being treated for the wrong thing and helps save his life - so he throws her out and gives the Doctor the excuse he needed to sack her. …. Actually the rest of it is much better. You’ll need to read it yourself to discover who volunteers to help her, her circumstances change considerably! There’s a serial killer on the loose and it looks like Imogen is to be the final victim even whilst she tries to help those less fortunate than herself now. As high society are now involved, together with Scotland Yard, it turns into more of a suspense filled thriller and there’s plenty of danger and dramatic action before the perpetrator will be revealed!

Many thanks to the publishers who gifted me a copy of this book through NetGalley without any obligations. This is my honest review after choosing to read it!

I absolutely love Historical novels. They were my first foray into romance novels and a sweet genre for me to fall back on when I feel like falling back in love with the books that helped start it all for me. Kerrigan Byrne is just the thing you need if you feel like getting lost in a magical story with a badass swoony alpha male, a sassy heroine and a heartfelt and passionate lovestory.

The Duke was an amazing story. Collin Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth and Imogen Pritchard have a history together. Once considered the Empire's golden son, he is now in a dark period where he's lost everything. With most of his family dead, betrayed by a friend and gravely injured as a prisoner of war, he was at the lowest of the lows until he escaped his pain and torment one night a year ago, in (nurse) Imogen's arms where she became the light in one of his darkest times. Fast forward a year and Imogen and Collin are reunited. But what happens when he finds out that his sweet "nurse" is also a spy and they are thrown back together in a dizzying swirl of dangerous games, treason and secrets? Read this to find out!!

Collin and Imogen were perfection. I really enjoyed the storytelling and love between them and would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this novel for an honest review. 4 stars ~Ratula

"Life, with all its perils and torments, still belongs to the living. We have a responsibility to live it. You should not waste it by giving over to bleak despair."

FINAL DECISION: Once again a wonderful exploration of the darkness that lies in men's souls and the possibility of love and hope to heal. A battle between two strong characters make this a worthy addition to the Victorian Rebels series.

THE STORY: Three years ago, the life of Collin "Cole" Talmage, Duke of Talmage, seemed charmed until his family was killed and he ended up betrayed by one he trusted and imprisoned for a year in a Ottoman cell. What kept him sane during that year was his memory of his encounter with "Ginny" a sweet prostitute with whom he spent his last night in England. When he is returned to England, emaciated, recovering from torture, and missing hand, he almost dies until an impertinent nurse Imogen Pritchard risks her position to get him the treatment he needed. Now two years later, Cole has learned to live with his missing hand but his spirits reside in darkness. He has been searching unsuccessfully for Ginny. He has also been watching the widow next door, Lady Anstruther, who managed to convince an elderly man to marry her with him dying soon after. Ironically, Lady Anstruther is the nurse who saved his life. What Cole doesn't know is that Imogen is also the "Ginny" for whom he has been searching.

OPINION: Another fabulous entry in the amazing Victorian Rebels series, Byrne continues her exploration of the darkness in the human soul and how that darkness can be softened with the power of love and hope.

"I've spent so long searching for her, and yet I fear that I'd pass her in the street and not recognize her."

As the book opens, Cole has just begun to take the hits to his golden boy status. He inherits the title because of the death of his family. When he meets and beds Ginny, he doesn't recognize her as the frightened and desperate woman she is, but he does find something peaceful and comforting with her. Enough such that a year of torture and hellish conditions made her his touchstone. He has never forgotten her and is determined to find and rescue her. Perhaps because the memory of Ginny was what helped Cole keep his sanity. The year in prison changed Cole. And he is still suffering from the emotional after effects of his horrendous experiences.

"He didn't need the help of the devil. Case in point, these fits of wrath and unreasonable terror that made Cole want to do unspeakable things. These moments when what he feared the very most was himself...He was barely keeping himself together. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt peace or pity. No, that wasn't true. He could remember. It has been precisely three years ago. With Ginny."

Although people see the physical results of Cole's time as a prisoner, it is the emotional damage that is the most significant. He has been keeping himself together by way of "regulation, convention, and order." It is ironically Imogen who threatens to break Cole's will. She challenges him by shaking his control. Cole first attacks her because he believes her a villain for marrying a sick and elderly man. She is a woman who should not be living next door to him at all. She seems to be flaunting the very rules that Cole wants to rely upon. While she shakes his control, she also is giving him purpose and a sense of hope even as they argue and engage in combat.

"But the countess Anstruther met his dark look with a mulish one of her own. God, it had been a long time since he'd felt so frustrated, so infuriated. It was...rather glorious."

I loved Cole. He is a good man who was drawn far into the darkness. He has struggled to survive and doesn't know how to begin to live again. Although he has relied upon order to control his anger and pain, he really is an unconventional soul who responds to Imogen's own unconventional nature. What he really needs is for Imogen to gather him into her arms and comfort him...he just doesn't know it.

I usually love the heroes most in a romance, but in this book, I think Imogen was my favorite character. She begins the story by allowing herself to be a victim, but gains strength and purpose as the events of her life spiral out of control. By the time she and Cole meet again, Imogen has found a purpose in her life. She is determined to do all she can to help those who need a hand up -- especially vulnerable women and children. Acutely recognizing her own savior in her deceased husband, she will use everything she gained as a result of her marriage to help others. But, that comes with a cost. She must keep secret from Cole her beginnings as Ginny because she fears that the revelation of her secret will destroy all her good works. Because she must keep her secrets, there is no chance for her and Cole to have a relationship, no matter how much she wants one.

Imogen has managed to keep hold of her hope and lightness despite the pain and travails of her life. It is her kindness and gentleness that calls to the pain in Cole and it is his pain that calls to her to comfort him. From their first meeting, she feels his pain (which only increases due to his capture and torture). Her spirit is called to him to heal and protect. But I also loved that Imogen is no pushover. She is determined to do her charity work (even if it costs her Cole). She is stubborn and artistic and fierce. She will do what she must to protect those she loves.

"if she believed in everything, it was that everyone deserved a second chance."

The journey that Cole and Imogen take involves chance. The chance to reveal their true damaged selves to one another. The chance to move from darkness into light and hope. These two need three chances to actually find their happy ending, but by the time it comes, the two have earned their peace and happiness.

This was a beautiful romance and a great addition to a series that I have loved. I was also gratified to see all the couples from the previous books make appearances here. There is a real community of people developing and I hope that this trend continues in future books.

WORTH MENTIONING: For fans of Inspector Morley, there are indications that his story is turning in new directions.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE DUKE is the fourth book in the Victorian Rebels series. This romance is self contained although there are overlapping characters.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this in exchange for my honest
My Thoughts
So I am not summarizing this story for two reasons…
1. It’s a rather complicated story with many layers, persuasions and different people with different personalities.
2. I would rather not give anything away. NOT A THING. I feel like a summary would turn you off to this story, because summaries, as per the definition, don’t give details or an explanation of the whole story, which I feel we need for this one.
But anyways…
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Like as soon as I finished it, I went to the library to check out the other books with the other characters.

Usually, I see a lot of problems in historical romance. The men and women are these cookiecutter humans, with little intelligence and less personality. The men are usually magically reformed by the end, and magically forget their badboy ways. And the women…they’re usually insipid, uninspired, unintelligent, and absolutely prudish.
That’s why I was a little worried when I started this. Imogen was a barmaid and she was being seduced by the classically handsome Duke of Trenwyth.

But holy shit was I wrong. The more I read the more I loved the plot and all of the characters. Imogen was a crusader for the poor, starting a women’s shelter and not care what any of the rich bitches in the neighborhood thought. She was intelligent and calculating and didn’t put up with any of the Duke’s bullshit. (Though at the same time she could be sweet and tender to him). She also had some serious sass and could bring on the burns. The other female characters are just as intelligent, and they as well often didn’t come from wealthier circumstances.

The men are also calculating and intelligent, but they are also your cold, bears of men, antiheroes, drinking, angry and mean bastards at times. And they didn’t reform. I thought it was smart how even though Kerrigan Byrne made these men lean, mean killing machines (and they were certainly not going to reform…), she also ma
de them highly protective and tender towards their women. She showed that as damaged as some of the men are, they certainly can give and receive love. I also liked how the men were not your typical lazy, dazy aristocrats. These men had professions and a purpose, and unique ones too, which you don’t see often.

It was the plot that drew me in as well. It started out typical, then quickly changed to a multi-layer intrigue and mystery fueled story, that wasn’t ALL romance. It was quite unique. I mean it’s not everyday you get a one-armed spy Duke and his killer buddies ready to kick ass :p

This book was amazing. It cab definitely be read as a stand alone, although it is part of a series. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will try and keep to the basic details of the storyline.

When the hero and heroine first meet its in a bar where the hero

I was captivated by this story, its darkness and its beauty. The plot was intricately crafted, with deep layers of emotional complexity, palpable tension and angsty feels. The Duke is an epic romance, flawlessly written, from the amazing character development to the unique storyline. It is however a dark story, with a happy ending that felt like a relief! It’s definitely not a fluffy fairytale.

The story is set in London during the Victorian era. Imogen Pritchard has been forced to work two jobs to pay off her father’s gambling debts and keep her family fed. Her encounter with Cole Talmage, the Duke of Trenwyth will change her life. Cole is a complex, heartbroken and tortured character. He buys Imogen’s virginity, and yet she feels protected and desired. Neither one of them will forget the emotional intimacy they shared for a few hours.

Fast forward two years, Cole has been to hell and back, literally. Held hostage, tortured and abused by the Ottoman Turks, he is severely injured physically and mentally. During his captivity, Imogen has become his obsession and dreaming of her was his sanctuary. He intends to find her back, but doesn’t recognize her as his new neighbor. I must admit that I had to suspend disbelief, this non-recognition plays obviously a pivotal role in the story. Imogen’s status in society has drastically changed, she married one of her patients at the hospital and has become a dowager countess.

Cole’s captivity has altered him, he is bitter, cynical and tortured by fits of wrath and terror. In my mind, he is the definition of the tragic hero, betrayed, abandoned and broken. He is not a good man, he despises Imogen, threatens and humiliates her. She is tolerant and easygoing, but he pushes her past her limits. Obviously, they come from very different worlds and Imogen is convinced that, even if Cole did recognize her, they would never be able to overcome the divide between them.

Imogen is a strong woman who can do anything she sets her mind to, she is selfless, determined and is a free spirit. Despite his anger, Cole is attracted to Imogen like a moth to a flame, he craves her company, her sweetness and generosity. She is determined to save him from himself. I was happy to see that this character was redeemable, he was ashamed of his past actions. I definitely needed more groveling to make his path to redemption believable, though! Oh, and I would have enjoyed an epilogue, so much!

Cole and Imogen’s story was unforgettable and epic, with thrilling elements and stunning settings. This was my first read by Kerrigan Byrne, but I definitely want to catch up on her Victorian rebels series. This book can be read as a standalone. 4.5 Stars
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.

There are certain things that I have now come to expect with Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series. Such as… an opening prologue that is likely to be a punch to the gut and make me cry. And that it will maintain that level of emotion throughout the book. So imagine my surprise when this book did not start out this way. I kept double checking… did I miss a prologue? This book made me re-calibrate all my expectations for what was going to happen, and I loved it. The Duke was so different from the previous books in the series, and it highlighted just how talented Kerrigan Byrne is, and why I am constantly clamoring for her next book. There was a lot more political discussion that showed how, regardless of time or place, there are some things that don’t change much. In general, I think this author writes strong heroines, but Imogen was above and beyond all the previous heroines. She was gutsy and strong-willed, and did not back down to any man, especially this hero with a darker more violent past. He pushed her buttons and was often infuriating, but at every turn, Imogen surprised and delighted me with her reactions not only to him but to society. The Duke was different, but in all the best possible ways.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series! I look forward to all the ways I will again be surprised by this series.

Grade: B- / 3.5 stars

The eponymous duke in this fourth book in Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series is Collin Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth. We met him briefly in the previous book, The Highlander, where we learned that he is a formidable soldier, rumoured to have been both a spy and an assassin. Fans of Ms. Byrne’s will undoubtedly find everything they have come to expect from her books here; lyrical writing, strong characterisation, a larger-than-life hero tormented by the demons of his past, a self-reliant heroine who is prepared to go toe-to-toe with him, no matter how much his sheer masculinity and aura of barely leashed power attract and frighten her; and an element of mystery with a gruesome side, and a look at some of the darker, seedier aspects of Victorian London.

The Duke opens with Trenwyth – Cole to his friends – at a spectacularly low ebb. He has just acceded to his dukedom, but has done so at the cost of losing the rest of his family in an accident. Everyone insists on congratulating him while he just wants to grieve – he is under orders to leave England for an undisclosed location and his next mission the following day

He just wants to forget it all for one night. At the Bare Kitten Gin and Dance Hall, he pays a small fortune for a night with one of the girls – Ginny – who isn’t really Ginny at all. She’s Imogen Pritchard, a nurse at St. Margaret’s Hospital, who works as a serving maid at the Kitten at night in order to pay off debts incurred by her late father. Unlike the other girls who work there, Imogen is no whore, but she has no choice but to do as she is told and bed the duke. Imogen can’t deny that he’s an attractive man; he has the face of a Greek God and a body to match, but what attracts her even more is the aura of sadness that surrounds him. Their encounter is unexpectedly tender, Trenwyth tending to her pleasure as much as his own, and taking comfort from her presence.

Around a year later, London is abuzz with the news that the Duke of Trenwyth – who had been thought dead – has returned to England. He is delivered to St. Margaret’s Hospital at the request of his cousin, the Queen, but his condition is serious and he is not expected to live. After a few days, Imogen suspects he has been misdiagnosed, but the doctor in charge won’t listen to her, so she approaches another doctor – who agrees with her assessment and saves the duke’s life. Unfortunately, however, Imogen’s involvement leads to her instant dismissal.

Things go from bad to worse when, later the same night, she is attacked by a drunken patron at the Kitten. She stabs him in self-defence, and runs off believing she has killed him – then sneaks back into the hospital intending to steal some clean clothes and some money from one of the patients. She had always had a good relationship with the elderly Earl of Anstruther and hates herself for stooping so low as to steal from him, but she’s desperate. In keeping with the sort of luck Imogen has been having, things don’t to go plan – but this time, her fortunes take a turn for the better.

Fast forward two years, and Cole is back in London, restored to health physically, but inside he’s broken, full of bitterness and rage, haunted by the terrible things he’s seen and done. The one memory he cherishes of the past is of the night he spent with Ginny; his recollections of her were the only thing that kept him going after he was captured and tortured, and he is now actively searching for her. At the same time, he’s also incredibly frustrated by the antics of his next door neighbour, the lovely, widowed Countess of Anstruther, a scheming harpy who tricked her sick husband into marriage not long before he died and left her his entire fortune. Not only that, she dares to take in whores, unwed mothers and other unfortunates, using her home as the base for her charity cases – and Cole is outraged that she is turning one of the finest houses in London into a home for delinquents.

This version of Cole is not a likeable character. He’s haughty, dictatorial, rude, and sometimes downright cruel, such as when he insults Imogen in front of a dinner table full of guests at a charity event. But Imogen is no longer the scared young woman with no options who shared his bed, and while the tension that radiates from Trenwyth is alarming, she makes it clear she isn’t prepared to just put up with his insults. She is relieved that he hasn’t recognised her as Ginny, but she is also saddened because she can see no trace in him of the man who showed such tenderness to a woman he’d bought and paid for.

When, the morning after the event, a woman is found dead in Imogen’s garden, Chief Inspector Sir Carlton Morley of Scotland Yard (and Ms. Byrne, please stop referring to him as “Sir Morley” – it should be “Sir Carlton”) and his colleague, Imogen’s neighbour, Christopher Argent (The Hunter) are called in to investigate. Evidence proves the woman was murdered, and other clues point towards the fact that she is not the killer’s first victim. She also bears a certain resemblance to Imogen – and before long it’s clear that Imogen could also be in danger. While Morley, Argent and Cole are putting together the pieces of the puzzle, Cole and Imogen are gradually becoming closer, his initial antagonism towards her turning into an almost overwhelming attraction. Yet in his heart it’s still Ginny he wants… or is it? There’s an interesting dichotomy here as Cole struggles to reconcile his growing feelings for Imogen with what he feels for Ginny – although I have to say that it’s a bit of a stretch to believe that he could have been so strongly affected by one night with an unknown woman that he’d be so desperate to find her three years later.

The good things about The Duke are very good. The writing is lush and strong (if a little purple-tinged in places), Imogen is an independent, confident heroine, the murder mystery is nicely suspenseful and Ms. Byrne once again does a spectacular job of putting the reader right in the middle of the dank, dirty backstreets of London and showing the truly horrible situations faced by so many women at the time. I enjoyed the book and the storyline kept me eagerly turning the pages, but I was taken out of the story once too often; by a coincidence too far (Cole just happening to be sent to the hospital where Imogen worked, for example, or his ending up living next door to her) or because of over-long passages of introspection which meant the pacing was somewhat uneven. And then there’s the fact that Cole is so downright unlikeable for almost all of the book. Yes, he endured terrible suffering and torture, and it’s natural that he would have been changed by those experiences. But he’s so angry and so bitter that it’s difficult to see him ever letting go of those things and being able to live a normal life.

And then there’s this. I said back in my review of The Hunter that I hoped Morley would get his own story, and it certainly seems as though Ms. Byrne is heading in that direction given the hints she drops in this book about a past tragedy and Argent’s sharp observations that his boss is not at all what he seems. The trouble was that the moment Morley appeared on the page, he grabbed my attention so strongly that I wanted to read about him more than I did about Cole and Imogen. That bodes well for the next book in the series, for sure, but it’s never a good thing when a secondary character eclipses the hero in his own book.

All that said, I’m going to give The Duke a qualified recommendation because in spite of the reservations I’ve expressed, and the fact that I really couldn’t warm to the hero, the story pulled me and kept me entertained. It’s a flawed book, but this series continues to be one of the most unusual and intensely readable around; and while The Highwayman has yet to be surpassed in my estimation, there is nonetheless plenty to enjoy in this instalment.

The Duke is dark, intense, and completely addictive. Imogen and Cole captivated me from the very beginning and did not let go, no matter how rocky the road to happily ever after got. Kerrigan Byrne has a gift for penning intriguing, imperfect heroes and heroines, and Imogen and Cole are no exception.

I absolutely loved Imogen. She’s lived a hard life, has known starvation and violence, yet she doesn’t break. She looks for the sunshine in the clouds, and I loved her optimism almost as much as I loved her desire to help those less fortunate. At the beginning of the story, Imogen is a nurse who must spend her nights serving alcohol in a brothel in order to pay off her father’s debts. One night changes everything when Cole, the newly-minted Duke of Talmage, walks in and she finds herself seduced by the handsome, heartbreakingly sad man. Fast-forward to the present (so as to avoid giving spoilers) and Imogen is now a wealthy widowed countess who works hard to give others a second chance and a safe environment. She’s determined to make the world a better place, even though society may scorn her for it.

Surprisingly (for a romance), Cole is one of her detractors. He grew up privileged and was raised with the prejudices typical for his class, and on top of that war and imprisonment have shown him the uglier side of humanity. Even though he’s in the wrong, I liked that Ms. Byrne showed where he was coming from, how his upbringing and the trauma of war (and his PTSD in the aftermath) have affected him. Yes, Cole could be frustrating because he’s so scarred and angry that he can’t see what’s right in front of him. But even though Cole isn’t the perfect hero, I really liked watching him grow as a character and become the hero he should be.

Despite its sensual beginning, the romance between Cole and Imogen is slow to burn. He’s fixated on finding the woman he spent one night with, and it’s no spoiler to say that he doesn’t realize that “Ginny” is Imogen. Thus their love story is more of an enemies-to-lovers one, and it was nice to see them actually get to know one another as they (however reluctantly) fell in love. What took this story down a notch for me was the fact that I felt we didn’t get much time with Cole and Imogen as a couple. With Cole being such a harsh character, I would have loved a few more heartfelt moments between the two, something to give me the sense of tenderness or happiness from a couple in love that I’ve come to expect to see in a romance.

In addition to the love story, there’s a level of suspense in The Duke thanks to a plotline involving Imogen’s stalker. I liked the added element of danger, but as with the romance, I felt the resolution was rushed and I would have liked just a bit more to it to leave me fully satisfied. Even with these few issues, I thoroughly enjoyed The Duke overall. Ms. Byrne is a fantastic writer and I love the complex, interesting characters she creates. Every Victorian Rebels book has swept me away, and The Duke is no exception. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Byrne has in store for readers next!