Wow! Fantastic Story! This is the first story that I have read by Kerrigan Byrne and I am hooked. Wonderfully written with great era details. Ms Byrne created this world that at times was graphic and intense yet heartfelt and all consuming. This author's detailed descriptive narrative places the reader firmly in the late 1800's. I felt as if I was surrounded by the sights, sounds and characters of that time. Her characters come alive and jump off the page. So much tension and chemistry between Imogene and Cole. So many feelings and emotions. I struggled to put it down just because I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Consuming and suspenseful as well as filled with exquisite passion, angst, twists and turns and danger. I was enthralled by it all. Loved it. Highly Recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this historical romance.

I voluntarily agreed to received a ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

I've enjoyed this series from the beginning. Unexpected misery makes the passion, love, and loyalty soar in this one.

4.5*
This is my second Kerrigan Byrne's book and I'm in love with this author. I wish I knew about her for years. If you like dark historical romance you will love this author. This book and the last one have very dark, edgy and horrific story lines that will make your heart hurt for the main characters.
Imogen "Ginny" Pritchard and Colin "Cole" The Duke of Trenwyth at the very lowest parts of their young lives. After a night of unforgettable passion Cole leaves on a mission and is lost for a year until found in a prison almost dead. Imogen is charged with his care at the hospital until the day he awakens and demands she leaves him alone. ( he doesn't recognize Imogen as Ginny) Imogen's life spirals out of control and she does something she's never done before. Caught red handed she's given a choice, one that will change every aspect of her life. Cole is in a very dark and tormented place and in search of Ginny the only one who he thinks can save him. He's tormented by his feelings for Imogen and hates her for it at least that's what he thinks. Secrets and lies and misleading fells may just ruin any chance there is for them.
There's so many things I want to tell you about this book but it will have to many spoilers if I do. So read this book and find out for yourselves. I so need to read the first two books.

This is the fourth book in the Victorian Rebels Series. This Series is absolutely amazing in the scope of the bone chilling danger and heart stopping romance.

Imogen and Collin are wonderfully complex characters who are smart and sexy.
This story is full of surprises and we meet all the characters from the first three books in the series.

Imogen is a strong young woman who will do anything to keep her mother and sister safe and pay off her late fathers gambling debts. Collin is a grieving young man who has just lost most of his family when he meets Imogen in a tavern and assumes she is a prostitute.

This book takes place over the space of three years that brings joy and heartache to both Imogen and Collin. What is so great about this story is the obstacles that Imogen and Collin encounter on their way to their HAE.

I discovered Kerrigan's books last year and she is now one of my go to Authors. I will read whatever she writes and know that I am getting a beautiful love story with a intriguing plot that will keep you reading late into the night.

This was the best romance and I loved it. You have mystery, intrigue, adventure and of course love.
The author has written a spectacular book in her Victorian Rebels of beast of a hero and a spunky heroine that will leave you breathless. You have a glimpse of previous characters but can be read as a stand alone. This series just keeps getting better and better.
Cole Talmage is now the Duke of Trenwyth since the deaths of his mother, father and older brother. He is a soldier/spy for the Crown and has arrived at a brothel for a respite from his duties. His attention is caught by a lovely woman in the taproom and she call herself Ginny. Even though she works there to work off her late father's debts. Imogene hates it but has no of source of income.
When she sees the attractive man staring at her, she feels overwhelmed by his presence. He talks little, but is kind to her. When she is made to go to his room for the night, she is scared. But the man is very tender and very drunk. When the night is over, she leaves.
Imogene works as a nurse at a hospital during the day to support her family. She loves her job very much, but putting in so many hours of working is taking it's toll. Then one day a new patient arrives at the hospital and she recognizes him. He is the same man she slept with, but he's very ill and doesn't remember her which is good. He was tortured during his stay in prison and escaped barely alive. Imogene gets in the way of a stupid doctor who fires her for doing something he thinks was against his ethical doctrine.
Now it's two years later and Imogene is a widow who is very rich. Her late husband was very kind to her. She lives the life of a titled woman who never has to work to support her mother and sister.
Then one day Imogene finds out that Cole lives next door to her. She doesn't want to associate with him, but well, he's most arrogant man who is a snob. He is also a recluse.
They have a lot of stuff to go through to finally get to the heat, lust which ends with love.
Yay! I thought Cole was real jerk sometime, but he comes though for Imogene at the end.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

For some reason, this book did not work for me at all. I didn't believe the characters and the time period...I am not even able to say why, I just kept thinking there was no way the characters would act the way they did and this kept taking me out of the story itself.

I look forward to the next title I read through you!

Laura

I was lukewarm (more warm than luke) about the first two books in the Victorian Rebels series, so it was a while before I picked up The Highlander. Because that that book blew me away, you can bet I didn’t make the same mistake with The Duke. I picked this book up the second it was in my hot little hands, and oh. My. Word. This book did not disappoint.

Ginny’s story captured me immediately, and Colin had me intrigued from the get-go. After their first ‘meeting,’ this book flipped into a steamy Hatfields and McCoys type of story with just a hint of Clue. Ginny and Colin infuriated and fascinated each other, and neither were too thrilled about their attraction. Colin was not the man he was when Ginny first met him, and Colin had no idea that his neighbor, Imogen, was the woman haunting him even after all these years. Like The Highlander, This one was a lighter tone than the rest of the series, but darker than The Highlander. And while this story probably shouldn’t have been funny, it was in parts. Hilarious, even, and I enjoyed the fact that it offset the gravity of this series so much. The pacing here was wonderful as Imogen and Colin got acquainted with each other, and of course there were cameos from the previous characters in this story. (Not to mention a sparring scene between Colin and Argent that maybe left me panting.) And while I enjoyed both aspects of the story, it was Colin’s journey that I found myself looking forward to most. He was scarred and broken, and I loved watching him come to terms with who he was. Sparks flew every time Imogen and Colin were on the page together, and that intensity never let up. I just love the epic feel each one of these stories has.

The Duke was a beautiful story of redemption and rediscovery, and I am thrilled to see there’s a fifth one planned for the series.

Cole and Ginny are two good characters but someway their story is not so compelling. The beginning was pretty good but in the end the "secret" was kept too long and the "resolution" was too fast, I think it could have been handled in a better way. I mostly gave 3 stars to this book because I'm a big fan of this series and I hope for the next book to be better.

Cole e Ginny non sono male come personaggi, ma in qualche modo la loro storia non decolla nonostante l'inizio promettente. Secondo me il problema é stato che "il segreto" é stato mantenuto troppo a lungo e quando finalmente siamo arrivati alla soluzione era, secondo me, un po' troppo tardi e troppo affrettata. Gli ho dato 3 stelle fondamentalmente perché sono una grande fan della serie ed ho fiducia per il prossimo libro.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I like how this story started with Imogen aka Ginny as a serving maid meeting Cole, Duke of Trewyth for the first time. The chemistry is already sizzling between the two.

After a while when they saw each other again, Imogen was the assigned nurse to Cole, who saved his life but, unfortunately, Cole didn't recognize the woman who made him survive for a year.

It's become more interesting when there were mysterious killing that was connected to Imogen. I was surprised with the murderer!

Imogen is such an amazing woman with a great talent, compassion and love with Cole. I love her! Cole on the other hand, might be elusive and serious, but this man knows how to protect and cherish the lady that he loves most.

I read this novel in a day. I couldn't put it down!

I squealed when I received "The Duke" by Kerrigan Byrne and for good reason.

Byrne is an author who delivers stripped-down characters - pitting their best selves against their own darkest parts. This book doesn’t back down from controversy, from the raw and gritty, from the vulnerable and damaged.

"From behind the elegant veneer of the illustrious duke, cousin to the queen, herself, peered the eyes of a predator. Calculating. Hungry. Lethal."

Collin Talmage, Duke of Trewyth, starts as a soldier in this story, newly gaining the title after the loss of his father and brother, and he’s floundering, looking for salvation. He finds it for the night in Imogen’s bed.

Imogen Pritchard is in protection mode. Her father left their family swimming in debt, and Imogen strikes a deal with their debtor. She’ll waitress in his establishment as Ginny as long as he doesn’t sell her companionship for the evening. Her luck runs out the night she meets Trewyth. He’s gentle and compassionate that night - sharing his burdens - and it stays with her.

Years later, Trewyth shows up at a hospital - the hospital where Imogen works as a nurse. He has been tortured, left with one arm and narrowly escaping death. Imogen’s premonition about his condition saves him, but Trewyth didn't want to be saved. Nor does he recognize his nurse. The pain Imogen feels when he wakes up and hates her tore me apart. And what she loses in the process…

Both of these characters are so damaged; not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, and my heart bleeds for them both. Trewyth changes, likens himself to an animal, and his only saving grace in all this is his night with the mysterious Ginny.

"This beast was no longer dormant within him, but prowling beneath the surface of his skin, wanting to mark his territory."

There is also the added conflict of someone being after Imogen, but I thought the story simply didn’t need it. These two are so broken as individuals that seeing them heal each other - slowly and with each resisting to the end - is enough.

Every second I held my breath wondering when Imogen will reveal herself and what Trewyth would do when her identity came out. The charade goes on a little longer than I anticipated.  I know hair color and makeup can do wonders, but that much and for that long?

That being said, the tension between them is on point. Though Trewyth likens himself to a base animal, Imogen sees beneath the veneer, and her reaction always surprises Trewyth. You can't scare her, Duke!

This story stuck with me and Byrne is on my auto-buy shelf - right next to Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas - because of it. Any lover of historical fiction with a taste for a darker romance should pick this one up. Stat!

*The Duke is the fourth book in Byrne's Victorian Rebels series, but it can be read as a standalone. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are 100% my own*

4.5 - 5 stars

I'm a little undecided on the rating but I'm clear that this was an excellent read in many ways. This book consumed me for 24 hours and I was immersed in Cole and Imogen from a gripping start to a resounding finish. THE DUKE continues along the lines of anti-hero like the rest of this series but this is my favourite so far.

The book immediately reeled me in with a fascinating start and a connection between the two character. This book narrates a journey of 3-4 years and the later Cole is a man who has changed from their initial interactions. He's not particularly likeable but it's inevitable that you empathise with him as a reader. I grew to like him despite his characteristics.

"Apprarently in the time since he'd returned, he'd not only recovered from his illness and injury, he'd........transformed. The man who stood before he fell was someone entirely new."

I often chat to my friends and comment in reviews of my love for a strong female lead character. Imogen was that in buckets. I admired her resilience, her tenacity and her ambitions for her new circumstances. She had the softest heart coupled with a robust will and the ability to stand her ground for her gender. Cole and Imogen clashed like titans and their dialogue was amusing, passionate and heartfelt.

THE DUKE has ultimately made me feel good and I'm happy to add this to my favourites bookshelf for 2017, an early entry and most deserved. Kerrigan Byrne wrote this story so that I rode with the tide, not thinking, just absorbing. She did a wonderful job of taking me out of a recent historical dry spell.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

The book brings the story of a young woman, Imogen Pritchard, who works hard, daytime as a nurse at St Margaret's Royal Hospital, and by night at Bare Kitten. All this to support the family and help pay the father's gambling debts.
Still, being a person with virtually no time to live, she engages with Collin Talmage "Cole", Duke of Trenwyth, who has a troubled life and manages to be stupid with her for much of the book. She becomes his savior, even though she herself can barely save herself.
Of course, the two get into trouble and there's the part where the hero saves the girl.

The narrative could not hold my interest and I felt finished reading the book more out of obligation.
I loved the cover and liked the synopsis very much. Pity...
3 stars

The Victorian Rebels are back! And this time our hero is a duke. To be precise, he is the Duke. A man that is literally a Victorian James Bond. Collin "Cole" Talmage, the Duke of Trewyth is not only a duke, but he is a soldier and a lethal killer, and due to his close relation to the Queen, he quite literally has a license to kill. Cole never expected to be duke, but when he loses his whole family, he is left with the lofty title. There are many speculations surrounding his name. Some call him a lethal killer, some a spy. On the eve of yet another one of his mysterious assignments he finds himself with a group of his soldiers at a seedy establishment, the "Bare Kitten" . All he wants to do is forget the recent loss of his family and drink and find comfort in a woman's arms. And when he sees the serving maid, he knows that she will be that woman.

After losing her father and then finding out about his gambling debts, Imogen Pritchard is forced to take care of not only her younger sister and mother, but to pay those debts off. She works as a nurse during the day and as a serving maid at the "Bare Kitten" at night. The owner has agreed to let her work off her father's debts without having to sell herself. But when the enigmatic Duke of Trewyth walks in to the bar and offers to pay 20 pounds to spend one night with her she doesn't have much of a choice.

Cole might have been drunk that night, but he has never forgotten Ginny and has scored all of England, Europe and America to find her. After three years he has almost lost hope. He has lost more than that on his last mission. And even though fate has thrown them together again, it seems that Cole doesn't recognize the woman who has haunted him for the last three years.

You would think that a romance that started out in this fashion wouldn't be romantic or emotional, but you would be wrong. Imogen has a heart of gold and a spine of steel, making her the perfect heroine for a rebel like Cole. These men surely know how to protect and love fiercely and sweep the woman that they set their eyes on, off their feet. A great series! Not to be missed!

Here is my review at Goodreads.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1853456672

Wow, another thrilling and exciting romance in the Victorian Rebels Series by the ever brilliant penmanship of Kerrigan Byrne. I couldn't put this down, and I also loved the fact that it also contains the appearances of her much loved characters from the other books in her series. However this book may be read as a stand-alone.

This is the story of Cole, the Duke of Trenwyth and Imogen Pritchard.

His neighbour the Countess Anstruther does nothing but vex him at every turn. Not only did she marry the old Earl on his deathbed, more than likely for his money but now she's turning her home into a refuge for all those women of ill repute,
He's fighting the darkness that the brutal captivity sent him to, the only thing that calms him is the image of Ginny, and the one night he had with her, if he could find her, maybe she could bring the calm. Meanwhile he needs to expose the Countess as the fraud he thinks she is.

She's no longer the girl the Duke of Trenwyth brought that night, whilst working to pay off the debt at the establishment her father owed money too. She was no longer the nurse that saved his life at the expense of her career. She's moved on, her saviour is gone, and his legacy is helping those less fortunate but the past is never far away.

Not as good as the previous books in the series but still enjoyable.

Collin "Cole" Talmage is now the Duke of Trenwyth after the death of his mother, father, and older brother. The crown still has need of him and his spy capabilities but for one night at a brothel, he's going to forget it all in the arms of a raven haired woman.
Imogene spends her days as a nurse and nights as "Ginny”, a barkeep in a brothel. When Cole and his soldiers walk in, he instantly captures her attention. Their one night together will never be forgotten but the next two years will shake up both their worlds.
Cole and Imogene now live next door to one another but will pain and pride keep them miles apart?
 
The man had been scoundrel and saint. Heathen and hero. A dangerous man and a deferential lover.
 
Fourth in the Victorian Rebels series, The Duke, could be read as a standalone. The couples from the previous books all make extended appearances but while readers of the series will enjoy getting glimpses of favorites, newcomers will enjoy how they help to fill out the world the author has created; you might wonder how some relationships were formed but you won't be lost here. The author's talent of creating strong characters with dark pasts continues but I felt this one was a little slower paced. The sometimes leaning toward purple prose and tendency to wax poetic stood out a bit more in fault because of the slowness. The repetitive comparing of the hero to a beast also became redundant and left me wanting more emotional and interaction scenes instead of lines of telling me what the hero looked like.
 
"You haven't any idea the strength it takes to be a woman."
 
I really enjoyed the premise of the story, Cole and Imogene sharing one night, circumstances keep them apart, hidden identities, danger, and then coming together. This is somewhat of an enemies-to-lovers trope story, however, Cole doesn't recognize Imogene but she knows who he is the whole time. Cole's story of being captured, tortured, and then shutting himself off from the world isn't anything new to the romance genre. Yet, he's a little different because we don't usually see our heroes be on the snobby side of classism, which he is. He never crosses an unredeemable line, and is in fact probably more historically accurate, but you might want to throw your sherry in his face a time or two. Imogene also follows some trope lines but again, feels slightly different. She has to work in a brothel to work off money her father owed, deals with a sexist doctor as a nurse, and becomes a bit of a Cinderella by marrying a patient. Anstruther is Imogene's elderly patient, an earl, and ends up marrying her to save her. The glimpses we get of him here have me wanting a novella of him and his former wife Sarah; he was so kind and funny.
 
She was a woman of desire, of spirit and determination.
 
Cole and Imogene have fire and emotion but after their initial meeting, it takes a while to get there. Cole is an extremely bitter person after his capture and torture with the Ottomans and persists on being fairly rude to Imogene for more than half of the story. I think having him discover her as his "Ginny" earlier on, would have given me more of the loving time I craved between the two. I really enjoyed Imogene as a character from her strength to her compassion but I feel like we missed some parts of her by never really seeing her family. It felt extremely odd to show her working in a brothel for her mother and sister and never getting to meet them (we briefly glimpse the sister). The family dynamic would have added more emotional dimension to her character.
 
The ending felt extremely rushed with the reveal and wrap-up of the villain almost giving me whiplash. I really enjoy this author's writing but the execution felt a little off here with too much focus on overwriting Cole's physical stature, a meandering middle, and not enough love between our couple. However, even when this author uses tropes, she still manages to put a spin that have them feeling new and intriguing. Plus, if you're missing all your favorite couples from previous books, their appearances here will have you smiling. I'll still be anticipating books from this series, especially a certain Inspector as he seems to have some secrets to tell.

So easy to get swept into a world with monstrously strong men capable of killing for revenge and loved ones. With scary pasts and devilish dealings these men couldn't possibly show love or compassion, but the love of an equally strong woman can change any man. The Duke and Imogen weave a story of love, second chances, and a serial killer could be after one of their own. A truly gripping story with plenty of emotions and intrigue. After four books and four couples connected by blood or bloodshed I am dying to know about Inspector Morley. Maybe next time? Thank you for my advanced copy, this review was written voluntarily to support a fantastic book.

Kerrigan Byrne is a master at writing the tortured hero with the strong heroine and THE DUKE is no exception. Book 4 of the "Victorian Rebels" series does not disappoint. It has all the wondrous aspects of a bestselling story you'd expect from Ms. Byrne. The plot is interesting and well thought out. The characters are very well written, I could definitely feel the tension.
Imogen (Ginny) is a nurse by day and bar maid by night trying to pay off her father's gambling debts. On this fateful night in February 1876 she meets His Grace, Collin Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth better known to his friends as Cole, who has recently experienced a personal tragedy of epic proportions. He is leaving the next day in service to Queen Victoria on his final mission before taking up his seat as the Duke and just wants a night where he can forget all his troubles.
We also get to revisit the characters from her previous books which is an added bonus. They are intricately weaved into the 2nd half of the story.

In short....I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! In fact, I went back and reread the entire series after I read THE DUKE so I've already read this book twice!

The Duke by Kerrigan Bryne
The Victorian Rebels #

5 Stars…all the way…wish I could find book one of the series but where I live…probably won’t happen. So…with books 2-4 now read I want…book 5…and any other books that will appear in the future.

Okay…I saw a review that made me question why I rate this series so highly and the star points the reviewer gave made me rethink BUT come away believing this author gives more than an easy read to those that find her work.

Will she give you romance?
Yes

Will she give you hearts and flowers?
Not in this book but perhaps in others…perhaps.

Will she make you think and question and feel?
Definitely

Will you come away feeling you have read something worth reading?
I did – hope you will, too.

So…this book…

There is a woman trying to provide for her sister and mother after her father gambles away whatever they might have had if he had not been so feckless. She works to pay back his debt - as a nurse by day and a serving wench in a brothel at night.

One night a Duke walks in and her life changes…for the better?
Maybe but … perhaps not.

Can she question or refuse?
More than likely…not

The fact that the man who deflowers her is gentle and kind lingers in her mind and a year later when he appears in her patient lineup she saves him but it does not save her…it is another of her patients that changes her life…a perhaps once young and swainish type that helps her overcome her horrors and leave her better off than she was before…except…there is a murderer on the loose and her neighbor is someone she remembers warmly but…he is no longer that man…and she is not the woman he remembers…

This is a book that intrigued me, caught me and kept me to the end.

I liked the characters, the plot and a lot more.

Was the hero perfect? NO
Was the heroine perfect? NO
Did they grow? Yes
Did they suit one another? YES

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

NOTE: I can hardly wait to find book one in the series and am looking forward to book #5…as I ponder WHO will star in it when it appears ;)