4.5 Stars!

Lorelei was just a girl when she and her older brother found a naked man who'd climbed out of a mass grave. Chemical burns and broken bones were the least of the man's worries. He could remember nothing about the man he was before. While Lorelei and her staff nurse the man back to health, she can't help herself for falling for the handsome stranger with the unique forearm tattoo. Things were too good to be true when her mystery man leaves one afternoon, never to return. Or so she thought.

The amnesiac spends several years building a name for himself on the high seas. The Rook is ruthless and has amassed a fortune that includes more than gold. While he can't remember a thing about the first two decades of his life, he never forgot the sweetness and love he received from the beautiful Lorelei. He risks everything to come back into Lorelei's life on the day of her wedding and kidnaps her along with her sister-in-law.

Byrne is back with a vengeance for Victorian Rebels Book 6! Sometimes I think a series can't get any better, then I read the newest release from Kerrigan Byrne. This book has elements of stories you've read before, such as amnesia, woman of the ton falls for a man who isn't, evil family members. Byrne takes those elements and created something magnificent and new for the historical romance genre. Though both Lorelei and The Rook have changed in their years apart, their innocent love still burns molten hot. Through more than a few interesting situations, the couple's love blossoms again.

I hope Byrne never stops writing. I can't wait for at least six more in this universe. Her novels are just that fabulous!

I received this book for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

If I could give this book more stars I would.

The Rook, the tattooed duke, a lost brother, and first love...Ash is the tortured soul who returns for the love of his life. I don’t want to say more, because there are too many spoilers.

Byrne is an artist at painting both scenery and emotion, and like her other books this one is gut wrenchingly beautiful. Her best hero since The Highwayman.

Highly recommended to all lovers of true love stories. Suggestion is to read at least The Highwayman prior to this book (part of series).

After The Highwayman, I didn’t think Kerrigan Byrne could actually make me feel and fall for characters the way I did with Dorian and Farrah. Like ever. Well, Byrne gets multiple gold stars, because I loved Ash and Lorelai! (Granted, Dorian and Farrah still squeak a tiny bit ahead😊)

The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo had me wishing I lived next to tumultuous coastlines, gazing longingly at the horizon, looking for pirate ships and broody captains! From the zany ups and downs between Ash and Lorelai, to the crazy pirates and hidden treasure (okay, I laughed when it was discovered), and especially the ‘holy cow I can’t believe that happened’ moments, I’m ready to read this book all over again!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
My Lord , this book is Stunning and emotional, I need a stiff drink to recover .
What a fantastic and descriptive journey this has been .
I’ve always enjoyed reading Kerrigan Byrne and this has been no exception.
Ash/Rook, is probably one of the best characters I’ve ever come across, he’s so diverse in every way , it’s hard to describe him.
Tough, hard, broken , disturbing, but when he’s around one person , Lorelai , you start to see cracks in the armour, he flashes with emotions that he hides so well , she’s the one person he won’t hurt , can’t stand to see her cry or others pull her down , she the one person he can’t forget or stay away from .
This book stirred my emotions , a whole cacophony of them to boiling point
And it’s bound for the pinnacle of the bestseller lists .
Ms. Byrne is an exceptional writer and this book shows that in the extreme, it’s perfect.
I received an advance copy of this book and chose to submit a review

One of the best in the series. So glad we found out what happened to him but such a pity it took 20 years for him to get back.

This was another great read by Kerrigan Byrne. I've read many of her novels and i think they just keep getting better an better with each one. This novel kept me intrigued from beginning to end and left me wanting to run out and buy another by the author immediately, which i did.

Ash is a man with a past. Unfortunately, just what that past is he cannot remember. After an attack leaves him with amnesia that extends for years, Ash creates a new life for himself as the Rook a powerful man upon the sea and land holding many riches and titles. the first memory he has stays with him throughout those years. That of the girl who saved him and brought him back from the dead, Lorelei.

Lorelei has never given up the dreams she held onto about the boy she rescued. Ash has lived in her heart from the day he disappeared to go back to his back to his old life as her brother told her. So when twenty years later the man he has become shows up to take her captive it is with a conflicted hear that she attempts to escape.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can't wait to read the next work by Ms. Byrne.

I've loved the entire series and was so excited that another book was coming out. To finally get to know the Rook just made me even more eager. The Rook piqued my interest the first time he was mentioned in the series, he was always so mysterious. Understanding how he came to be was a roller coaster of emotions. He's this man who's been painted in a pretty bad light throughout the series and we finally get to see the world through his eyes, and see why he's made the choices he has.
Lorelei shows that strength isn't always physical, but comes from within. Being crippled as a child, she could have felt sorry for herself, instead she helps those who cannot help themselves. The relationship between the Rook and Lorelei was, at times, hard to take in. As he spends time with Lorelei, he starts to discover he may still feel after all.

Ok, this is a great series and this is the best book in the series so far. It has it all, great hero with a sweet heroine not as sassy. There’s action, and some laugh out loud humor. But, what I like most is it’s likable. Fun, enjoyable read.

I have not read the first five books in this series so this can be read as a standalone and still be very enjoyable. I do plan on going back and reading them as I absolutely adored this book! I simply fell in love with story and the many compelling characters found within. This author has a way of bringing her story and characters to life that paints a vivid imagery in my mind. I felt like I was there with them. Definitely a must read!

I adore this author. Absolutely, positively adore. She writes bad boy, tortured anti-heroes like no other. Before reading The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo I could honestly say that the first book in this series, The Highwayman, was my favorite, but now I don’t really know. Both books have a hero with a dark, twisted, tortured past, each of these heroes have conquered their respective kingdoms despite (or maybe because of) their past, and they both have a love story that transcends time and distance.

If you’ve read the previous installments in this series than you’ve met The Rook. He is the enigmatic pirate captain mentioned and even briefly introduced, but who still remained a huge mystery. Turns out The Rook is no other than the missing Dorian, the man who befriended Dougan (hero of The Highwayman) while in prison and whose death set the Blackheart of Ben More on a lifelong mission of revenge and power. He’s been alive all this time, just without any memory of his true identity. All Dorian knows is the young woman who nursed a badly burned, beaten man back to health and captured his heart in the process. Lorelei is his whole life and the only thing that matters to him is getting back to her.

This story is told in parts, just like the previous books in the series. Ms. Byrne goes back in time to set the stage and then brings her readers along as Dorian becomes Ash and then becomes The Rook. Lorelei as a young girl, trapped in a household with a psychopath for a sibling, then fast forward to twenty years later when her first love comes back to claim her. Lorelei and her pirate captain are amazing together. Forging a unique, lovely connection as teenagers and then carrying those memories through the years in order to keep themselves sane during dark times. When The Rook comes for Lorelei twenty years later, he’s a much more violent, haunted person than she remembers. But all he still needs or wants his her and her acceptance. Even if he doesn’t quite know how to communicate that with her. How do you not fall in love with a heroine who takes the cruelty aimed at her and turns it into a desire to fix and nurture broken things? She is such a strong, kind woman and just what a man as damaged as The Rook needs to find a path to happiness.

Several characters make appearances, Farah and Dougan (the original Dorian) being the most important. You’ll see why. Several new characters are introduced, mainly Lorelei’s sister-in-law and The Rook’s second in command, who I have this strong feeling will show up in a future book as unwilling love interests. There is also a huge revelation regarding a pesky, enemy/ally, Scotland yard inspector that is sure to have fans of this series all excited and on the edge of their seats for what comes next. I know I am.

All in all, this series remains on my all time favorite list. If you love a darker historical romance and can’t get enough of a broody, damaged anti-hero, then this is absolutely for you. Highly recommend. Final Grade-A

Favorite Quote:
There are only two indisputable facts in this world. The sun will set in the west, and I’ll come for you. Always.

Wow, where do I start! If it could happen it happened to Ash! But his will to get back to his lost love Lorelei has made him what he has become. This is a very intense and sometimes very dark read. But you’ll get hooked so fast you can’t put it down.

I must say, I'm not a big fan of pirates romance. I loved the prologue but not so much 20 years later into the story. The darkness of the book wasn't for me. This was my first book from Kerrigann Byrne and certainly not the last.
I voluntary review this ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

This is the first book I've read by this author. It is also the first book I've read in this series. I have to say it won't be the last of either. This is a flat out fantastic book. The writing style is remarkable. I found myself re-reading passages just to better absorb what was written.....there were passages that were truly beautiful. I absolutely enjoyed the story line and the characters. The H would not appear at first glance or any glance thereafter to be considered a hero by most. But deep inside there was a tiny part of him that held goodness, a goodness that he did not display to others, and that part was Lorelai's hero.

Although this book is part of a series, it is definitely a stand alone. I am finding it hard to express how much I enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it!

Holy plot madness. Kerrigan Byrne should be crowned the Queen of Plot Twists because I literally did not see any of this deliciously delirious drama coming. Amnesia, pirates, murder, tattoos, kidnapping - and that’s just the beginning. Then she threw in obsessive love, treasure hunt, and certain familiar faces, and my Victorian Rebels-loving head almost exploded. I absolutely loved how Lorelai and the Rook fit into this crazysauce world.

All of the Victorian Rebels are insanely devoted to their ladies and the Rook is even more so. A vicious, hardened killer feared by everyone, the Rook would burn down the world just to make Lorelai happy:
All this time, had Lorelai Weatherstoke been the Rook’s one weakness? Did she have in her small, elegant hand, the one thing the whole world feared didn’t exist? The Rook’s fabled heart. If so, she’d just become the most dangerous woman in the world.
As always, the dangerous demonic hero can only be tamed by his one true love. Just like the Blackheart of Ben More and the Assassin, the Rook is helpless before his Lorelai:
"Out there, I am Captain and I am King. In this chamber, you rule me. You command me... You own me."
I'm afraid to discuss any more for fear of giving away too many spoilers, except to say that this was an amazing installment of the Victorian Rebels world; one that tied up so many unforeseen threads. I'm really in awe of the author's world building.

Also, Kerrigan Byrne is one hell of a tease with her epilogue and provocative side characters. I can’t wait for more Victorian Rebels!!

4.5 stars

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC generously provided by Netgalley

I received a free copy from netgalley for an honest review. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo is the sixth book in a series by Kerrigan Brynn. You don't have to read the previous books by series in order to enjoy this one although it couldn't hurt. I have read all of six books in the series and I love each and every one of them I love the way this author kind of developed her characters that are really strong and try to overcome difficult past with the love of a good woman of course. The Duke with the Dragon tattoo tell us the story of Rook who has been including other stories. Rook was rescued by Lorelei when they were teenagers once I got separated Rook made a promise to Lorelei to always return to her. "There are only two indisputable facts in this world: The sun will set in the west, and I’ll come for you. Always.” I love The Rook and I love Lorelai and I highly recommend this book and this author.

This book was EVERYTHING I ever wanted and didn't know I needed. Everything.

Kerrigan Byrne brings it again with The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo. Nothing is as it seems and it's a wild ride. We've met or seen glimpses of the mysterious Rook in other Victorian Rebels books. He's a hardened criminal, only hardened through the experiences he's been forced into. Lorelei fixes broken things. Broken animals. Broken people. She herself is broken from her experiences in the past. Her warm heart and open spirit is a true testament to her character.

Their love is hard won. Through so many trials and tribulations, they stand together as they figure out their way. Truly, this book was an experience. I couldn't put it down.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the Victorian Rebels series, or basically anything Kerrigan Byrne will write. This is going to be one of my top books of 2018.

This was a surprisingly moving and touching story of second chances and reformation. I loved all the characters and there was a perfect blend of emotional connection between the Rook and Lorelai as well as passion.

The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo features a dark, dangerous pirate and the innocent that holds his heart. Broken herself and left with a permanent limp, Lorelei rescues anything in need from orphaned animals to lost dark souls. Fourteen year old Lorelei finds Ash under an ash tree, burned with lye and barely alive. Her family falls to her pleas and brings the injured stranger home for her to nurse back to health. Ash does not remember who he is but knows he is ruthless with blood on his hands. Still he finds love and a sense of home with Lorelei until betrayal steals him from her side. Since the sun stills sets in the west, Ash fulfills his promise to always come for her even across twenty years and many oceans. With a little murder and kidnapping to halt her forced but pending nuptials, Ash spirits her away to his pirate ship for some nuptials of their own. Lorelei finds the new Ash hard, broken, and cold. Now the battle is on to find Ash's heart in a fast paced and often violent tale where family is not always blood and treasure is not always gold or precious stones. The story feeds the reformed bad boy images we all love and ends with a sweet HEA that is both sexy and happiness inducing. My voluntary, unbiased review is base upon a review copy from Netgalley.

After the long buildup to the infamous Rook’s story, both the character and his love story were quite different from what I was expecting. Given his notoriety as a ruthless pirate, I thought there would be a lot more action and adventure, but it starts off with an endearing (and very extended) flashback and then spends most of the second half with a lot of talking and internal dwelling. The Rook’s reputation as a badass pirate never really is put on display except through glossed over stories from his twenty years apart from Lorelei. Lorelei, for her part, is a very different heroine from Byrne’s other leading ladies in this series. I hoped that she would grow a backbone and call the Rook on his BS, but instead she remains almost frustratingly naive and cowed by everyone around her. This makes sense initially given her violent upbringing, but I had hoped for more character growth from her as the book progressed.

I still very much like Byrne’s writing style and her unapologetic darkness in some of her characters. Moncrieff’s anticipated story in a future installment looks to be very interesting. I also liked that we got to see more of Farah and Dorian/Dougan, and that a few surprises were thrown in about other longstanding characters. I figured the Rook’s identity during his short appearance at the end of the prior book but seeing it all fit together was fun and interesting.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I devoured this book in two sittings, staying up WAY past my bedtime to finish. This series is sooo good and this book has given me the biggest book hangover! It’ll be tough to find another romance to beat this! Gah- I just loved it so much!