Sorry but a book about a notorious pirate just fired up my imagination particularly as the author has previously teased us with the Rook as a peripheral character. If you have a soft spot for pirates ( who hasn’t?) and a hankering for a bodice ripping romance then this is the book for you.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the whole series although sadly this one perhaps lacks action and danger but nevertheless this captive and captor story had me engrossed as previous characters are brought in which oddly enough seemed to my mind to bring a few storylines to fruition. If I’m brutal it lacked a little because I do prefer more snark from my heroines but there’s such sweetness and obvious love here that I’m not marking it down. The Victorian Rebel series has been a fabulous read but there’s a character here who I dearly hope will get his happy ending and dare I suggest I know who will tame him ? Yet for now it’s all about Lorelei and her Ash and the love that they share “always”.

I will not be posting a review on this title. I feel it would be unfair to both the author and the main target audience. I felt it had a really strong start, but I felt like insta-love took over WAY too early in the book. I think it's more a problem with me, that I really like a lot more substance in my romantic fiction...I'm sure there's a great audience for this book, but I wasn't it.
Thank you Net Galley for sharing this title with me.

Wow, so many things happened in this book. Again, even though these are standalones, I think the reader will benefit more from it if they read it in order since characters do crossover.

Kerrigan sure put the grit and OMG moments in here that I didn't even see coming. This book had a different format from the others because instead of 1 chapter being in the past as a Prologue, in this one we get about 5. So we got a more in depth view of the characters when they were kids. I can't wait for the next book!

He is known only as The Rook. A man with no name, no past, no memories. He awakens in a mass grave, a magnificent dragon tattoo on his muscled forearm the sole clue to his mysterious origins. His only hope for survival—and salvation—lies in the deep, fiery eyes of the beautiful stranger who finds him. Who nurses him back to health. And who calms the restless demons in his soul… If you like your heroes dark, then you will love this story. Lorelei is the perfect heroine, damaged but strong capable of holding her own but also able to melt even the coldest of hearts. This is a tale of criminals and pirates, heroes and villains. Tortured years apart but then the happy ever after that the reader is rooting for. An easy 5 stars from me and I can’t wait to read the rest of the Victorian Rebels series.

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne is a Regency novel that tore at my heartstrings. The Rook is a man with no past, no future and nothing but his reputation. No one knows where he came from or who he is, just that he has a remarkable dragon tattoo on his arm, which he discovered when he was taken from a mass grave. He doesn't even know who he is, just that a special girl, at some point saved him.

Lorelei, a beautiful, crippled girl remembers fondly caring for a broken soul, bringing him back to life through her ministrations and her love. While treated brutally by her brother, the memory of the kindness of this young, hurt man has carried her through many difficult times. But is the Rook really the young man who she nursed back to health? And why has he come back into her life? This epic novel will make your heart soar with its beautiful writing, well developed characters, dynamic interactions and overall action. Don't miss it, one of the best I've read this year!

Dear Kerrigan Byrne - thanks for helping me fritter away hours upon hours of my life these last several weeks! ;) I read the The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo. Then I realized that I REALLY needed to read all the previous books (I had only read The Hunter and The Highlander previously), so I went back and bought all five prior books and read them all before re-reading this one. So... this is what I've learned about Kerrigan Byrne books:
1) The heroes are all VERY dangerous and VERY damaged and have horribly painful, tortured backstories. They all are in desperate need of redemption. And therapy. Lots of therapy. I read an interview in which Ms. Byrne was talking about the difference between alpha males and alpha holes, and it's clear that she likes to skirt that line in the depiction of her heroes (really, almost anti-heroes).
2) The heroines are almost all incredibly beautiful, innocent, and profoundly good (with the exception of the super spunky heroine in #5, The Scot Beds His Wife, who was a little out there, quite frankly, and quite anachronistically atypical). Her heroines overcome the evil in the (anti)hero by sheer force of their goodness and innocence.
3) Ms. Byrne loves to torture her characters. I have come to dread the opening chapters of each of her books, if only because they set up the eventual fall so heartbreakingly. The angst is just so intense.

But on to this book specifically. All three of these points are very true of this book, but even more so than the other books (which I hadn't really thought was possible). Minor spoilers to follow here, so please be warned. My biggest beef with the book is the fact that TWENTY YEARS pass by between the opening chapters and the H/h seeing each other again. Even if nothing dreadful had happened to the characters in between (which is decidedly NOT the case), that's still too much time to elapse and too much history to overcome. Add in the fact that the heroine was abused by her brother and the hero's horrible, horrible story of what he had to overcome in those 20 years, and I felt like it was an almost irredeemable flaw in the book. No matter what happened, I just couldn't get over the fact that they had been separated for 20 years. The hero came back royally screwed up (as I think anyone would have been), and I hate thinking about all those years lost and the terrible suffering on both parts. Just so much angst and pain. Yes, all of his pain is supposed to be eventually healed by the beautiful, innocent, tortured Lorelai, but that poor girl... that is a lot to deal with (which is also what I thought about Farah, Millie, Mena, and Imogen, the put-upon heroines from the other books). There wasn't enough time and happiness together towards the end of the book to make up for all that lost time.

Side notes: I love the resolution of the Dorian storyline. I thought the subplot with the guy who turns out to be the villain was a little random, but I'm looking forward to his story down the line. :) Also, there are truly a LOT of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors in all of this author's books. Ordinarily, that would be enough to turn me off any book, but I will persevere in this case. ;)

So for Ms Byrne - a resounding 5 stars. I love her books (this series, anyway - I haven't read her other books yet) and will gobble up anything she writes. For the painfully sad Duke With the Dragon Tattoo, 3.75 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Such a perfect historical romance. I loved Lorelei as a sweet, empathetic heroine though I thought her backstory was a bit tough (TW: Abuse).

Ash is just the perfect strong, dark hero with a heart of gold. Adored him.

Highly recommend this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. From beginning to end. Lorelei was a character I had so much empathy for. Her life was not a typical privileged daughter. She was abused so early in her life that you already felt for her. Ash, was a wonderful hero to this story. This book exceeded my expectations. My biggest complaint about this book is the cover and the title. I feel that it does not do the book justice. Ash was such a strong and dark character and I think the book cover just fell flat. But I loved this story!!

Lorelai Weatherstoke knows what it's like to be injured and not receive help, so now she does her very best to help any injured creature she comes across. Her latest patient will bring heartbreak and tears along with hope. Her evil brother enjoys nothing more than tormenting her as much as possible.
The hero in this story goes by many names, none of which are his own. He will go through Hell it's self, and send many others there to get what he wants.
An exciting story with unlikely heroes. You will find yourself falling for a very BAD boy. It is part of a series of books that can each be read alone.
I loved it.

This book is not your average Historical Romance based on the Ton and Society bit more one of Pirates and Treasure .
Lorelai is kidnapped from her forced wedding to an older man and from her abusive brother by the Rook and soon finds herself on the High Seas .
Lorelai has a past with the Rook - as a teenager she found him badly injured , without a memory of who and what he was .- and nursing him back to health gives him the name Ash .
The back story of abuse and bullying , both physical and sexual , gives a dark tone to the book but is central to the story .
Ash's whole life has been one of brutality, without mercy , which he has engendered to become the man he is now .
How can he show gentleness to Lorelai when he has known none himself ……… for their growing love he must find a way .
This story could have been a difficult read with the subject matter but instead it is one of how love can eventually overcome anything if you really give it a chance .

I was given an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review .

I just looked it up and THANK GOD this is not the last of the Victorian Rebels books. I want more, but this one almost felt like the end because it tied together so many things from the other books and answered so many questions I had. The romance was tender, then tormented, then very sexy, and overall something to cheer for. But I was more excited by all the revelations surrounding The Rook's identity and his connections to other characters in the series.

It had the Kerrigan Bryne trademark angst and anti-hero, but there were times when I giggled. I really enjoyed the injection of humor into this book.

She sang to him sometimes, her voice high and sweet and... unencumbered by talent or pitch of any kind. Christ, she was really terrible. But every time she finished a song, he promised the devil his soul for one more.


"Do pardon him, Doctor, he really is working on making fewer death threats on my behalf."

Lorelei will never forget the night she rescued the broken dark angel in the woods, a devilishly handsome man who haunts her dreams to this day. Crippled as a child, she devoted herself to healing the poor tortured man. And when he left, he took a piece of her heart with him. Now, after all these years, The Rook has returned. Like a phantom, he sweeps back into her life and avenges those who wronged her. But can she trust a man who’s been branded a rebel, a thief, and a killer? And can she trust herself to resist him when he takes her in his arms?
This story starts at the beginning of the Rook’s tragic life. The reader is given the pieces to the Rook’s life that is taken from him. The entire story, as it unravels, is really about all of the horrors the Rook has went through and what he goes through to get back to the angel that saved him early on. My one complaint is that it seemed like the author had to find every possible bad thing that could happen to the Rook and make it happen, not to mention the crappy life that Lorelei had. This has happened in other books that I’ve read by this author and it tends to bring down the books just a little for me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Any historical romance lovers? I will admit that I once turned up my nose at the idea of reading a HR. And the covers would always make me roll my eyes. But at the beginning of this year, while spending some time in the Netherlands, a dear friend convinced me to read a book by Kerrigan Byrne, and I was schooled in the errors of my ways. Perhaps it is just Byrne’s writing and storytelling, but I was hooked and read the whole series as fast as I could. HR has never been so exciting with danger, roguish characters, and strong willed women.

I was READY for The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo!

In my humble opinion, an opinion I believe everyone should share, I have decided to name Kerrigan Byrne the queen of historical romance. Her consistency in both intricate storytelling and beautiful writing captures the reader, taking us on an adventure that will consume.

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo is a fantastic addition to the Victorian Rebels series. This story brings back some favorites from the series before and dives head first into the mystery of who the Rook is and how he is tied to the series. Watching the story unfold is both breath taking and heart breaking, and I loved every minute of it. Seeing how to dots continued to connect had me riveted.

I refuse to spoil the story but your expectations will be met. We have a dashing alpha hero, one who is rough around the edges and hardened due to life’s brutal mistreatment, and a stunning heroine, one who is misjudged by the world as weak, a woman fierce in her protection of those she loves and unwavering in devotion. There are so many exciting revelations between the covers of this book. The pacing is perfect and the story runs smooth. Add to that pirates, rouges, danger, and tension you can feel to your bones and you have a page turner I could not put down.

If you are a historical romance reader and have yet to grab this story, you are missing out. Byrne delivers a story that will enrapture you in such a way that stopping for a moment is not an option. I can’t wait to see what is next!

I'm enjoying this series. Interesting adventure. Pirates. Intriguing. Angst romance.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Prison. That is where Ash's story takes place. Sent there for theft he has made a name for himself while trying to serve his time. Has it been easy? No, he has scars both mental and emotional but he is almost out. Then, his plans will begin. He is going to find the treasure and use the map he has to get it.
Everything was on course for him as his friends until one night when he was left for dead by the guards. Found by the Weatherstroke family he is nursed back to health, only one problem with still being alive...He has NO idea who he is, just that he isn't a good person.

Lorelai, the tortured soul who has been helping him has a history of her own. Her family mistreats her and Ash doesn't like it. He has developed feelings for her, and she him. Lorelai's brother has other plans. He sells Ash. Ash works for years to get back to Lorelai, but keeps his distance until he can no longer do so because he wants her.

Forced into Ash's new life Lorelai must decide what she is going to do. Will she still feel the same as she did at 14 or is he a completely different person? Why didn't he come back, will he save her if need be?

Great story about overcoming your past and proving that despite your life you can be a good hearted person willing to sacrifice everything for the one you love.

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

Love Kerrigan Byrne's novels! This one will make you swoon. Just the right mix of action, romance, and naughtiness.

Amazing amazing amazing. Kerrigan Byrne never ever disappoints. Her plots are always intriguing and her characters draw you in and make you feel as if you know them. Loved this book. This series is phenomenal and I cannot wait for her next book! Kerrigan is a wonderful author.

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo starts out with such vivid pain and emotion that it would be difficult to not fall under its spell. The descriptions of both physical and emotional pain brought tears to my eyes. They were heart heartbreakingly realistic.
Ms. Byrne has crafted a masterpiece with her words. The characters (both main and secondary) are vivid and real.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book even when scowling at the atrocities visited on good people.

With a title like this, you just know The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo will be a juicy one! This is the sixth book in Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series (my first from this author), and I ended up I bingeing the novel in about 10 hours. But, perhaps more importantly, even after I finished reading, I couldn’t let go of this book. I reread The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo over and over and over again for days. I have such a book hangover that I really haven’t been able to pick up another romance since this one. That’s how compelling this book is. I highly recommend The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo, which is definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

(Full review @ link)

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

My review is going to be short and sweet - this was an awesome book! It wasn't what I expected, not sure what that even was, but if you want a rather gritty love story set in the Victorian era, pick this book up and you won't be disappointed!

I now have to acquire the other books in the series and get caught up!