The Duke is the forth book in the Victorian Rebels series by Kerrigan Byrne and is currently scheduled for release on February 7 2017. The previous books are (in order) The Highwayman, The Hunter, and The Highlander. You do not need to read the previous books to enjoy this one, but the books are all great fun and give series readers a little extra insight on the secondary characters of this story and the missing time of Collin's life. I some how missed reading book two, which I do plan on remedying as soon as possible.

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 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 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.

The Duke covers a good chunk of time, and like the previous Victorian Rebels books features a strong broody male and a woman that has seen some of the worst ills of society and the treatment of women and the poor of their time. Imogen's struggles to pay off her father's gambling debt lead her to working to jobs to protect what is left of her family. When fate turns against her she takes steps to hide the things she has been forced to do, and to secure her younger sister's future. The fact that she cannot forget the man that took her virtue and than her job despite saving his life makes things even harder. Collin has faced loss and betrayal. He hunts for the woman that granted him peace before a disastrous mission does nothing but offer disappointment. Little does he know that she saved his life and is right next door. The secrets and danger color every exchange and keep things very interesting. I liked the level of intrigue and think that the understanding of both sides of the story make it very compelling. Stubbornness and fear are at the heart of the conflicts between Collin and Imogen- and seeing them find their way to each other was highly entertaining, though very emotional at times. I will admit to not knowing the full extent of who the serial killer was, and that aspect of the story was full of twists and turns. I am interested to see what might be next for one secondary character in particular, and fully expect more in this series.

The Duke is another solid historical romance from Byrne. Readers that are already fans will not want to miss it, and new readers who enjoy romance with secrets and strong characters will become new fans.

Summary

Imogen once knew and truly cared for Collin Talmage, and even though she had little choice when she was innocent, he showed her tenderness and passion. She never though she would see him again, but Collin came back to England damaged, and as a nurse she aided in his recovery. But circumstances forced her to make a new life for herself, where she married a man who was sickly but a good friend to her and offered her a stable future and a chance to make a difference. Now Imogen is a widow, but goes out of her way to help those in need whether they be starved children, or abused prostitutes or injured veterans or even thieves who want a different kind of life. But her new neighbor isn’t pleased with her at all. Imogen knows exactly who Collin is but he has no clue that she is the one girl he has been searching for years for, the one woman he gave his heart to. Collin and Imogen have sparks that fly between them, but Imogen wonders if she can tell this dangerous man the truth of their past or is it too late for them to have a future?
Plot and Story Line

Kerrigan Byrne just keeps surprising me with this series, with each installment I keep falling into the world she has created and what a world of danger and passion and the depth of true humanity that is divulged in these books. In The Duke, her most recent release we have a story of lost love and discovery. Imogen and Collin have a past with each other and there are some secrets too but its quite complicated so its not so black and white as it might appear to be. Imogen has a heart of gold, and she gave her innocence and her heart to Collin. But Collin has lived through a hell of his own. Returned to England, created his own fake hand for the one he lost in order to escape alive out of the hellhole he was in. Now when these two meet up again they are next door neighbors but Collin is quite hostile at first. He doesn’t realize that Imogen and the woman he knew as “Ginny” are one and the same. Tempers fly and these two go at it like cats and dogs….or some weird mating ritual because they also have powerful chemistry. I loved the bantering these two have with each other. Its quite lively and highly entertaining. Such a delight to partake of this author once again. She is unique and simply talented. She writes stories that are captivating and not what most HR authors writes now and that is what I love most about her. Its fresh and fun with dark edges that keep you coming back for more. I can’t wait to see what is up next.
The Cover

What a drop dead gorgeous cover…I swear they just keep getting better and better. I love her white flowy dress, and the way he holds her from behind.
Overall View

The Duke is evidence of the pure and unique talent that is Kerrigan Byrne. A story of love that isn’t easy and a romance that packs a punch to your heart!! INCREDIBLE!!

Loved this book can't wait until the next one. Loved the hero

4 solid stars

I devoured this book. I seriously love this series. The format is different and the struggle between Cole and Imogen are tough to watch. I seriously loved the chemistry between the two. My only complaint would be that Cole was mean. Yes, I know he's been though a lot but some things he said and did bothered me more than I could forgive. Imogen made up for all of Cole's faults. I liked the simmer of the story. Certain aspects of the story-line were a little wild to believe but it is fiction. As with the previous book in this series, (*this is spoilerish ) the main conclusion came too late for me. Thus, it makes the ending feel rushed. I do not know who the next hero/heroine is up next but I will continue reading this awesome series.

I could not put this book down! The characters, the plots, the (to the best of my memory) accurate historical facts make this a keeper. The writing is wonderful and you feel the characters’ emotions. It’s a wild ride to the HEA.

Imogen Pritchard works as a nurse by day and as a waitress at a bar/brothel to pay off her father’s gambling debts to the bar’s owner. She is supporting her mother and younger sister. One night a group of soldiers come in to celebrate. She catches the eye of one soldier, the new Duke of Trenwyth, who has just buried his family and is leaving on his last assignment. He offers enough money for her to pay a good portion of her debt and she agrees as she is attracted to him.

A very ill Cole returns from being captured and tortured. Imogen is assigned to be his nurse. His goal, as soon as he is well enough, is to find Ginny, the woman from the bar. He believes if he can find her he’ll be okay. He does not recognize Imogen as she wore a wig when she worked at the bar.

Their lives go in different and interesting directions, which I will not tell, until he settles in his London home and realizes the nurse lives next door and is now a countess. The rest of this wonderful book must be read without any spoilers from me.

I highly recommend this book, but understand that some readers do not like their books to be realistic. This is not a light fluffy Lady gets Lord read, but one that shows how the lower/middle class survived during this time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

THE DUKE – Kerrigan Byrne
Victorian Rebels series, Book 4
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 978-1-250-11824-0
February, 2017
Historical Romance

London, 1876, Victorian Era

Since her father’s death, Imogen Pritchard has been trying to take care of her mother and her younger sister, but that has also meant trying to pay off her father’s gambling debts. The owner of those debts runs the Bare Kitten, a tavern and prostitution house, but by agreement, Imogen, disguised as Ginny, works off the debt as a serving maid. Only Jeremy Carson, the bar tender, is friendly to her. The other women, who are prostitutes, don’t like her much. When opportunity arrives, her boss sells her virginity to the new Duke of Trewyth, a tall and exceedingly handsome man, for the small fortune of twenty pounds. Collin is a famous soldier and rumored spy who asks her to call him ‘Cole.’ The night was far more than Imogen expected, and remembered long afterward. A year later, during her day job as a nurse at St. Margaret’s Royal Hospital, she is surprised to find herself assigned to Cole, returned from imprisonment in the Ottoman Empire and suffering from typhus. The assignment is made because she is the only nurse who had recovered from the contagious disease, so immune.

Collin Talmage had been grieving. He had lost his father, mother, and older brother in an accident that made him Duke of Trewyth, a position he never aspired to have. His night with Ginny was filled with passion and her compassionate words had soothed his wounded soul. Now, three years since that night, he still recovers from a year marked by betrayal, followed by imprisonment and torture, loss of his left hand, and nearly dying in a London hospital. Since his recovery he has searched for Ginny. Instead he finds himself looking down from his study window to watch the young widow of his septuagenarian neighbor, a man Collin had respected and loved. Furthermore, she is a woman whose desire to save those from the cesspool of the lowest class of society threatens the reputation and safety of his upper-class neighborhood.

THE DUKE tells Collin’s and Imogen’s tale of dark and terrifying pasts, lost dreams, and their growth into very different people from their first encounter. There is violence, anger, and sex, and the romance is anything but smooth, but their story is very moving and compelling. The Victorian setting is portrayed as a savage and violent time in a very realistic way, but also as a time of change. Author Byrne’s use of very evocative wording enhances the reader’s sense of setting and sympathy for these two very unusual characters. This is the fourth book in this series, and characters from the previous stories have strong supporting roles in this novel, although this does not impinge on the understanding of THE DUKE. Previous books include THE HIGHWAYMAN, THE HIGHLANDER, and THE HUNTER.

Robin Lee

Collin “Cole” Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth, inherits the title when an unfortunate accident claims his parents and older brother’s lives. He treats his fellow soldiers to a night out at a brothel before leaving them to assume his new responsibilities. Cole encounters a woman there who assuages his grief. Thoughts of her help him endure being a prisoner of war. Free of his captors but mentally and physically scarred from the ordeal, Cole searches for his precious pure-hearted Ginny when his annoying, upstart-of-a-neighbor distracts him from his goal. Can Cole battle the ugly monster inside to protect Imogen against her would-be attacker? Will Cole figure out Imogen is in truth his Ginny?

Imogen “Ginny” Pritchard works two jobs to pay off her deceased father’s debts and to support her mother and younger sister. While working her night job, she meets an anguished Collin Talmage and spends one memorable night in his arms. Imogen sees a much-changed Collin a year later when he is brought to her hospital, but he unfortunately does not recognize her. With her circumstances greatly improved, she decides to dedicate her time helping other women in need. Imogen is forced to rely on a surly Collin to keep her safe from a murderer of women who resemble her? Can Imogen help heal Cole’s inward darkness without him revealing her secrets?

Cole is the first maimed hero I have read in the regency genre, something I discovered that I enjoy. He has seen and experienced the worst of the world’s ugliness during his career as a soldier. I empathize with him as he wars with his inner monster, fighting daily to keep the darkness from fully consuming him. Cole accepts the inward and outward scars he received as a prisoner of war, learning how to use his new weaknesses as strengths. There were moments when I wanted to smack Cole for his conceited airs and meanness, especially towards Imogen.

Imogen is such an inspirational heroine. She deals with many hardships and indignities to provide for her mother and younger sister without complaint. I adore Imogen’s compassion for her patients, doing all she can do to make their stay in the hospital comfortable. I love how she remains passionate about her charity to help the less fortunate, her way of paying-it-forward to give back the kindness she herself received. What I like the most about Imogen is her refusal to cowl down in the face of Collin’s bullying. Instead, she recognizes it as a defense mechanism and takes him to task regarding his haughty rudeness.

THE DUKE is book four in Kerrigan Byrne’s historical series, VICTORIAN REBELS. I love how the author brings back beloved characters from the previous books to play helpful and important roles in the current one. The story can stand alone, however, to understand the characters’ connections and histories, it is best to read the prior books in order.

THE DUKE is a dark yet promising tale of love quelling one’s inner darkness enough to enjoy all that life can offer. I hope Inspector Morley will be the hero in the next installment of Kerrigan Byrne’s delightful series. I did not care for the Scotland Yard inspector at the start of the series, however he steadily grew on me with each book.

Unfortunately, I hit a major bump in the road in the very first chapter of this book. Actually, it was more like an Everest-like mountain, which is really not something I can personally handle. I hated - and yes, I know that is a very strong word - the fact that the hero purchases the heroine, takes her virginity and really doesn't acknowledge it at all, and then somehow I am supposed to be okay with it as a reader because he's a poor soul and he makes it pleasurable for the heroine. Still not okay in my book. He bought a girl he must have known was not willing and, quite frankly, did not care. I can't get behind a couple when their relationship starts out as a prostitute and customer. It's not something I am capable of giving a high rating and recommending, even if I could finish the book.

Loved this book so much. Pacing is excellent, hero and heroine have amazing chemistry and a complicated history that makes their pairing that much more rewarding at the end. They really have to fight for their HEA, and the plot twists keep the reader guessing who's responsible for the series of rape/murders plaguing the town. For historical romance fans, this one's a little dark but so worth it.

Kerrigan Byrne writes the kind of stories that you never want to end and The Duke is no exception. I wasn't sure how she would redeem these characters, especially the hero since he wasn't very likeable in the previous books, but I never should have doubted. Now I'm hopeful that a few characters we were given glimpses of in this story will get their own tales told as only she can. Romantic, intriguing and completely worth five stars.

Wow, not sure what I'm feeling or how to put it into words for this review.

Kerrigan Byrne is a talented writer and can tell an emotional story. Unfortunately this one was too dark, heavy and sad for my reading enjoyment.

Imogen the heroine has suffered a lot in her life. She a strong women with a determination to help her family at any cost. She works at a brothel/bar at night and a nurse during the day. She is trying to pay off her fathers debts and support her family. One night while working at the bar the hero Collin walks in and attempts to "buy" Imogen or "Ginny" as he comes to know her. The bar owner informs Imogen that it's a large amount of money so she agrees too. Collin and Imogen have an incredible night and know that one they will never forget. That night Collin had gone to the bar to drown his sorrows and find some pleasure as he just learned he's lost all his family and he is now a Duke. Collin leaves the next morning and heads to the West Indies to work for the Crown.

During the time away Collin is captured and tortured. He's rescued by a friend but deathly ill and taken to a hospital, a hospital that Imogen/Ginny is a nurse at. Imogen disagrees with the doctor on treatment and diagnoses for Collin. She saves his life with the right call but is fried and thrown out and he is part of her firing (Collin didn't recognize Imogen because she wore a wig as a bar maid). Collin is a bitter and angry man, with good reason.

Years later a lot has changed in Imogen and Collins lives. Imogen after being fired as a nurse marries a older man who was a patient at the hospital, he died and she is now a widowed Countess. Collin, he never forgot his Ginny/Kitten (he had that nick name for her, Kitten) and had searched for her but never had any luck (again Imogen was super thin, wore a wig and used a fake name). Again I have to stress, Collin is a very angry and bitter man now. The irony of it all is Collin and Imogen have now become neighbors. Collin has distain for Imogen and her giving heart in helping people but yet he finds himself attracted to her also. Imogen see how much he's changed but yet her heart is pulled towards him. There is a party that the two attend, a women is killed and it's connected to Imogen and her past so we have some mystery thrown into the mix.

Gosh how do I put into words all the emotions that I experienced in this book (it's a positive and love the emotion Kerrigan Byrne pulls from me with most of her books). In the past when I've read her book/books there was a full circle of emotions that I felt and experienced. What I mean by that is there was angst, sorrow but hope and romance with positive feelings evolving, but I found that missing in this story. It was too dark, dismal, cruel and sad with no underlining sense of hope and warmth, that I found anyway. Collin, I realize he suffered and that is part of his cruelness but boy he needed something that redeemed him. The things he said and did was just too much for me personally. Imogen was strong, determined and had a good heart. I felt for her and wanted more for her after all she's endured. I know this was a romance but I found the sparing, cruelness and length of time that it took for Collin to realize who Imogen took away from the romance. This was a dark and heavy read. I love this author and will continue to read her books, but sadly this one just didn't do it for me

A winning historical romance. Good solid plot. Excellent writing.

After her father's death left the family indebted to the owner of a whore house, Imogen Pritchard was forced to work as a nurse by day and waitressing at the house of ill-repute by night, where she was known as Ginny. There she encountered the newly inherited Duke of Trenwyth, Collin Talmage, grieving for his dead family and facing a dangerous pre-scheduled war mission abroad. They had a night of passion, somewhat coerced, but of course, given the masculine enticement that was the Duke, she was naturally persuaded to give up her innocence to him.

A year or so passed and she encountered Collin again, more dead than alive, at the hospital where she worked. She managed to save his life and lost her nursing job in the process. Bad turned to worse later that night, when she nearly killed a man who tried to rape her and thereby had to do a runner away from her only other paying job, the brothel. Fate finally intervened positively when a patient, an elderly earl, stepped in to save her from destitution in appreciation of her kind nursing care.

And so another two year passes by and now Imogen emerges as a countess, somewhat ostracised by the peerage for her less than stellar background, but with the support of a few powerful friends, she is starting to make an impact in society and her charitable plans to assist those in needs are gaining much needed support. That is until Collin steps back in her life, one hand less than before but nevertheless very much alive this time and more potent than ever. Collin has been trying to hunt down the elusive Ginny since his recovery, never realising that she and the annoying, unconventional, over-reaching commoner next door to him is one and the same. Collin is a cantankerous, judgmental snob, nearly unlikable if it wasn't for his occasionally sentimental softie moments, cleverly injected in by the author at moments, when I just wanted to scratch him off the e-page. Imogen is a better character, but probably too soft and forgiven towards Collin, when he needed to be taken down a notch or two. Although their chemistry is intense, the love scenes I found not quite comfortable. Imogen was not entirely in a position to say no to him in their first intimate scene and the later one where he took her in anger and with barely restrained violence and left her humiliated and heart-broken afterwards, that was a bit troubling. But like these usual types of scenes, everything was okay as long as the heroine climaxed. The author writes well, emotive and powerful prose which somehow transcended any plot and character deficiency.

Oh My Goodness!!! I did so thoroughly enjoy this book!! It is part of a series, but can certainly be read as a stand-alone book.

This is the story of Collin Talmage, Duke of Trenwyth and Imogen Pritchard and both of them have very tragic stories to tell. His is far more tragic than hers, but only because she found help through a wonderful person and his was endured alone.

Collin's (Cole) story begins with the loss of his entire family in a train wreck -- mother, father and much loved older brother. He isn't even given time to grieve for them before he is sent off on a secret spy mission where he is captured due to being betrayed by someone he trusted entirely. He was in prison and tortured for over a year. When he's rescued and returned home he's more beast than man. Nobody even expects him to survive a day once he's returned and in the hospital. But he does survive thanks to Imogen. How does he repay her -- he throws a cup at her and she is fired from her job. Once he is released it takes all of his energy and concentration just to keep the beast within him contained. We all have to remember that there was no mental counseling back then, so he had only himself. Dealing with that sort of mental and physical trauma is something that most people wouldn't even have survived. So, while it is very easy to dislike Cole, we need to remember what he was dealing with and ask ourselves if we could function nearly as well if we had gone through that.

Imogen is almost too good to be true. She is all sweetness and light. Everybody seems to love her. In the beginning, she's in a really bad situation because her father died owing a lot of money to a brothel owner. When he died, the owner called Imogen to come to him and told her she had to repay her father's debts. She made an agreement with him to work off the debt, but only as a serving girl and not one of the whores. However, when Cole came in and offered the owner 20 pounds for her -- he sold her to him. Colin didn't know she wasn't one of the working girls and when the owner threatened her sister, Imogen complied. Thus the love story began.

I can't believe that Imogen's sister and mother were as unaware (read that as stupid) as they were portrayed. Imogen was working as a nurse during the morning shift and then she went to the brothel to work until the wee hours of the morning. She was wafer thin, constantly tired - yet they never questioned her? She'd told them she was working double shifts at the hospital. Now, as a mother, I can tell you I would never allow that of my child -- I'd be out there working too!

I'll not tell you the whole story because that would spoil the read for you and I don't want to do that. It is suspenseful and just sucks you right in. I couldn't put it down!

"I requested and received this book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

I thought the synopsis was a bit misleading. It made this novel seem like a spy novel and it's really not. It is however a really thrilling read. I devoured this book and one setting and cannot wait to read more of this series. These characters were so entertaining (which is odd considering that so many of them are supposed to be violent and deadly). I especially enjoyed the mystery that kept me guessing till the very end

This book is not filled with the witty banter that I am drawn to in stories but does have one element that I cannot resist – a hero with mega amounts of angst. Cole is arrogant, snobby and brave and not very likeable. He is also looking for salvation. Imogen is strong and brave and has a heart of gold. I love characters that are not perfect and these two are definitely not perfect. The relationship between Cole and Imogen is not all hearts and roses but a relationship that develops into respect and love.

The mystery had me – I did not figure it out until the very end. I am hoping a story comes out of Scotland Yard. Who is Carlton Morley really? Who is The Rook?

As with the other books in this series, Kerrigan Bryne’s writing style is beautiful and engaging and hard to put down.

I was really happy when Netgalley granted me this book to review!!!

When I started reading it the first chapter was promising!

We see Imogen as Ginny - mistreated, overworked and sold like a sack of grain.

Still, at the same time, there was something that grated. I kept asking myself why Imogen was the only one working in her family? OK, I thought, her mother could be ill, but her sister was 16 and healthy. So why didn't she contributed?

But, since during the whole novel we don't see any of them, I couldn't judge, but neither could I understand.

Then we skip a year and our hero (??? how can he be a hero when he buys a girl who clearly is not willing, I don't know...) is back from a brutal war. He's gravely ill, he's been tortured, he lost his hand, he's emaciated.... And Imogen is his nurse.

She's never stopped thinking about him and is half way there to being in love with him (another think I couldn't understand...).

And this is where the story went downward... when Cole wakes up, he treats Imogen, who saved his life diagnosing his illness and going against the main doctor orders, like garbage, insulting her and denigrating her, giving the main doctor an excuse to fire her and throw her out from the hospital.

Ok, OK, he's just woken up, he's still out of his mind, but I started hating him then and there.

I'm not going to tell you the whole story: first because the book has not been released yet and second because you'll want to find out yourselves, but to make it short I hated the hero.

And I'm so sorry to say it, because I loved the heroes in the previous books who were also tough, broken and dangerous men, but they were also intelligent, while Cole was just plain stupid and very, very classist: he's a Duke and therefore all other people are just dust under his boots. God has given him the right to do and say whatever he wants and that's that!

And that attitude goes on and on and on... Not only towards Imogen, but also all the others without exclusion! It was intolerable!!! His arrogance was so OTT that's not even funny!!!

Imogen was slightly better. At least she was not a snob! She had positive ideas and wanted to help others. She didn’t treat others like garbage!

Another thing I didn't like was an over-abundance of flowery paragons that didn't make much sense (at least to me) like: <i>gentle violence</i>.
Also repeated comparison to Greek statues and wolf, bear, panther, etc...

It's OK to make remarks like that once or twice, but they were all over, on almost every page!!! It was tedious! I wanted to shout: <b><i>"OK, I got it! He's a sleek, David statuesque, dark, brooding, huge, wolf!! Stop repeating it!!!"</i></b>

I was tempted with DNF several times, but since I love <b>all</b> the other books written by Ms. Byrne, I kept reading and hoping that something will change...

And it did: in the last chapter and in such a hasty and abrupt way that my head was spinning!

We don't see the <i>ass</i>-Cole groveling. He just orders Imogen that they'll get married and that she doesn't have a say in it! Ah, and, by the way, he's in love with her!!!

If I were Imogen I would have shot him! But, no what she does? She says she loves him too and they f*ck even if she's just woken up from a drugged sleep/attempted abdution/murder!!!

Well, my friends, I know that my review is actually a rant and it will be unpopular since many people here loved it, but that's how I felt... sorry... :(

I hope the next book will be better!

I'm not a huge reader of historical romance but last year The Highwayman by this author caught my eye with its sumptuous cover and interesting synopsis. Realising that it was part of a series has only upped the ante as far as this reader goes and the mixture of tortured heroes that have survived dark places in their psyche mixed with remarkably capable women truly elevates this series from romantic fluff to something a lot more exciting and powerful.
I found it difficult at times to empathise with Cole as he goes from being a creature of privilege to an almost sanctimonious and abrasive character. Yes he has truly suffered and gone beyond what many could never hope to endure but he really needed to get down off his high horse and see a much bigger picture. Perhaps though that is the authors intent? For readers to want the happy ending but question if it's truly deserved as after all right from the start Cole did use his wealth and privilege heinously to take control .
Imogen will go to the wall to protect her family and her situation when first introduced is almost intolerable and yet I never felt pity for her only a fervent hope that somehow she could rise up. Well rise up she certainly does but there's a huge fly in the ointment as her new neighbour is the huge blast from the past Cole, who doesn't recognise her and in point of fact thoroughly disapproves of everything that Imogen believes in!
I think I missed the action and verbal sparring with this story . Whilst the romance was one I cheered for it just lacked something for me and I found it difficult to become excited by most of it. I'm still loving these outrageous rogues dreamed up by the author and I'm so excited to see where she will take this series yet. There is some suspense in play here with a villain to look out for but its all over very quickly which took something away from it for this reader. The romance is incendiary as this couple practically burst into flame around each other but those scenes are never overdone . What this author excels at though is giving us vibrant lively characters that we relish seeing confound both each other and indeed the society they find themselves in. Whilst not my favourite by this author this whole series is a delight to read and I'm already clamouring for more!
I received an advance copy in exchange for a fair review

In one word: devastating
In the best possible way.
Devastatingly beautiful, slow, heartbreaking, moving and statisfying.
This is my favorite in the series so far. And the fact that I am going to have to wait for the next novel until October 2017.. rather devastating as well.

I adore this series. In fact I started reading it because it was compared to Monica McCarthy's novels. And while this is very different, it is similar that it is extremely well historically researched - while the characters are fictional it feel very authentic and real.
And it's really really well written. Byrne's prose is as I said before devastatingly beautiful. Her language is rich and descriptive reminding me of some of my favorite classics. Her descriptions are evocative.
I found myself stopping every now and then and marveling over how to a point a scentence was or how beautiful a scene was described.
It's an utter pleasure to read! Byrne is a master of her craft.

The story line is a insta-attraction turning into slow burn star-crossed lovers. Let me warn you, the romance is very slow burn, so much attraction and so little action. And we all know I am not huge on smut. BUUUT after like 3/4 of the book I was wondering when oh when they will finally get their act together. I was desperate for at least some smut... or something other than the devastating gap, yearning and attraction.
But there is way more to this than romance. There is an account of the dark side of Victorian times and a mystery as well. So I kept anticipating, guessing and enjoying any kind of sparing during all this immensely. It's if you put the slightly insta thing in the beginning aside: It's absolutely perfect it you ask me.

And yet I would say this is character driven. Or maybe it's just that the character building is so very masterfully done. And I am totally take by each one of them. The entire cast feels real. It's interesting to revisit the characters from previous books as well. Just like I expected, this is about a dark, tortured hero, that is strong, kind, lonely,disillusioned and extremely stubborn. And a strong, sweet, charming heroine, who is carving her own path in the Victorian era. While this is the overall similarity of all the MCs in the series, they each one unique. Their stories while each one delves into the dark side of the time, unique. It think Imogene is the reason this is my favorite , because she is incredibly brave. I connected with her through her love for art. But more than anything I fell in love with her, because she despite her difficulties she faced in live she was moved on and not only that she uses her advances in life to protect the ones who are not as fortunate. She is a brilliant light in the middle of darkness.
But she comes with her own insecurities and her own past, which makes her relatable and realistic.
Cole is has a whole lot of past to deal with. He is such a hot, tortured and arrogant prick - he totally broke my heart. But his POV steal endeared me and broke my heart all over again. A fearce man with such tenderness. Totally swoonworthy!

I am dying to hear what and more importantly who the next in the series is about. I am atm rooting for the inspector.. but then again I don't really care as long as Byrne keeps writing these novels I will read them!

A MUST READ for lovers of the genre!
4.5 Stars