I always enjoy this author's books. This one is not the exception. The story is so intense and the way the write tells the story is so powerful that made the story flow effortlessly. Strong emotions and powerful writing!!!

What a fantastic read! This was a new-to-me author and I'm so thrilled that I read this book.
At the age of fourteen, Lorelei finds a dying young man and she nurtures him back to health. He can't remember who he is, or where he comes from but it doesn't stop him from falling for her until he disappears from her life again.
Twenty years later and after being abused by her brother her entire life, Lorelei is "rescued" from her wedding day by the ruthless pirate of that time, The Rook, the same boy she once loved.

I adored this book from beginning to end. The angst and the ache of the missing chances and the people that conspired to keep them apart for twenty years, to the story of two people coming back to terms to who they were in the present time and falling in love again, to the quest The Rook has to unveil his true identity, it all merges together to make a beautiful story.

I loved the heroine's physical weaknesses and how that, instead of crippling her spirits, makes her a compassionate human being. I loved the hero's journey and how he doesn't shy away from his own shortcomings. There were so many wonderful moments between them.
The overall tone of the book is wonderful, as they are the descriptions and dialogues. A wonderful book and I cannot wait to read the next one!

I have not read any of the Victorian Rebels series and I didn't know this was the newest installment when I was contacted and asked if I was interested in reading this book. I loved Lorelai as she wasn't the perfect heroine and Ash wasn't the perfect romantic hero. Can I say I loved this book and now I can't wait to go read the other books in the series? This book is definitely worth a read if you love star-crossed lovers.

The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne. Known as The Rook, he was a man that had no memory of his past when he awakens in a mass grave fighting for survival. He was left for dead after being beaten and lye poured over him. He was found by Lorelai who fought to save him. She was crippled as a child by her mean brother. This story tells of the struggles he went through and how he got the name The Rook and how he eventually came back into Lorelai's life and avenged those who wronged her. It was a dynamic story that I received an advanced copy of for my honest review.

THE DUKE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO delivered on a most satisfying and unpredictable read. The backdrop for this story is criminality and abuse, that sounds super heavy and yet Kerrigan Byrne is able to narrate the story with appropriate seriousness and inject lightness and levity to counterbalance the grim context.

Lorelai is a surprising character, downtrodden, abused and yet forgiving and hopeful. There were some surprises along the way with this character, especially in the earlier part of the story. Equally, The Rook, known from previous stories in the book is so much more than I thought and I really enjoyed early Ash and revelled in the development of later Ash. The tattoos were of epic proportions and worthy of the titling the book.

The abject cruelty committed against these characters led to some emotional stunting so that their development seemed quite impossible.

“You’re supposed to heal me. Or hurt me. To save me. Or condemn me. To remind me that I am human.”

There were moments of fear for Ash’s humanity and I never quite knew where this story was going, only that I enjoyed the unknowing of this ride. Lorelai was a likeable character from the beginning and she grew on me even more as I discovered her strength.

This is probably my second favourite of the series, I want more and really hope that Kerrigan Byrne will continue these most unusual male heroes for a bit of time to come.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

I wished that i had read the previous books in the Victorian Rebels series before reading 'The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo'. Nonetheless, i loved this story and do recommend. A very well written book, which had me hooked from the beginning.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which has been freely given.

I loved this book. Loved. It.

He had dreams of finding treasure, but a case of mistaken identity ends those dreams and his life.

Lorelai Weatherstoke was just 14 when she found him, naked, burned and beaten. Crippled herself, she can't bare it let anyone suffer, she nurses him back to health, gives him a name, Ash and falls in love. He has no memory, he doesn't know what happened to him or who he is, but he knows that this girl is his light, his reason for living, she brought him back from the dead and he will not rest until she is his. He has a plan, he will come for her, his light, his love, but fate has other plans and again his life is stolen.

20 years later, Lorelai is preparing to marry, her brother has gambled her away and stand to lose everything if she doesn't marry. If not for her sister in law Vernonia, she would refuse, but since Ash left, there was no joy in her life until Veronica, she will not let her suffer. A gruesome scene takes place outside the church and she and Veronica find themselves taken captive by the notorious pirate The Rook. The Rook takes them aboard his ship and demands she marry him. She can't believe Ash is back, but is he? The Rook tells her the boy she knew is dead, there is no Ash. Heartbroken, she fights him- this monster is nothing like her Ash, or is he?

He has been to hell and back, twice. He still has no memory of his life before Lorelai, but she was his anchor, she and she alone is what kept him alive, but the cost was high, the price was his soul. He knows he should walk away from her, he is a killer, a pirate, a monster. But he is selfish and used to taking what he wants and what he wants is her!

This is a dark, emotional story with several twists, turns and revelations. I was 99% sure before I started the book that I knew who the Rook really was and I was right, but I was floored when I learned more about his past - literally mouth hanging open, stunned. I loved Lorelai and Ash/The Rook. He is like all Ms. Bryne's heroes - evil, bad and unrepentant, but when they love, they love forever. The story is well written and fast paced, it has steamy love scenes, cameos from previous couples, pirates, treasure, pain, tears, violence and a declaration scene that make me tear up and my heart flutter. This is the sixth book in the series and while you could read it as a stand-alone, reading the series in order will make this book all the more potent. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next Rebel!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

How do I begin? The Victorian Rebels series is a series full of darkness and broken people - and the healing power of love and being able to actually see the person behind and through the darkness. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo brings this series full circle with the story of the Rook and Lorelai. I love the intensity of Kerrigan Byrne's characters. She uses color a great deal, as a descriptive element, and I find it incredibly effective. You can see the both the light and the dark in a character, in her choice of colors - the black of the Rook, the peach of Lorelai. As with the other books of the series, the settings and the emotions are lush and full. I can't go into much detail, to avoid spoilers, but this is a great story and another success by Byrne. Fans of the Victorian Rebels series will not be disappointed.

I love Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series. I’ve only ever complained about the title of the last book (should have just been The Scot period), but the stories have all been compelling, the writing outstanding.

My favorite had always been The Highwayman. The first book, it set the bar high. Dougan and his Fairy are ❤️❤️❤️. Now, The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo’s The Rook and his Lorelai are seriously competing for the title of the series’ best couple. There's just something about them falling in love as teens and staying true after twenty years that tugs at my heart. It's the ideal of the "one true love" in fairy tales that's the basis for most romance novels and it works for both The Highwayman and The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo.

“Lorelai, there are only two indisputable facts in this world: The sun will set in the west, and I’ll come for you. Always.”

The lines in this book are so memorable, my Kindle is filled with highlights and bookmarks. Amazingly, most of them are uttered by the hero. That the hero is a pirate/murderer/kidnapper/smuggler/bad, bad, bad boy makes it even more incredibly romantic.

If I write as if the characters are real people, it's because Kerrigan fleshed them out so expertly, they come alive in my mind. The characters, both main and secondary, are nuanced. They're flawed, damaged, human.

I always start Kerrigan Byrne's books at five stars and would adjust at the end for things that didn't work for me. With TDWTDT, everything worked--the storytelling, the sexytimes, the reunion, the treasure hunt, the revelations in the end. That's why I'm giving it the full five stars.

Lush, rich, adventure, mystery, twists and turns...this book is all those descriptors and more! This is the first Kerrigan Byrne story I've read but I assure you it won't be the last. All I can say is wow!

The pirate Rook is a man with no name, no past and driven by demons he doesn't understand. Lorelai Weatherstroke, at age 14, found him as a boy-man at the side of the road beaten within an inch of his life. He she nurse him back to health not knowing who he was. The beating caused amnesia. Lorelai is a crippled noble woman who nurses animals back to health and sets them free. He is another creature to heal and give her heart to. Her weak father Robert allows his cruel son Mortimer to abuse her. Mortimer caused her broken ankle that didn't heal right. Once healthy again Robert decides to take "Ash" in to aide in his business dealings but Mortimer sees another way to hurt Lorelai. He sells Ash to be an abused slave on a sailing ship, tearing him away from Lorelai forever. We resume the story 20 years later when he finally makes it back to her rescuing her from an arranged marriage Mortimer made for her to an old abusive man.

This is the story of a tortured man on a journey of discovery of who he is, vengeance and why he has to possess this woman. The need to possess Lorelai still drives him, a man incapable of emotions. He discovers she is his heart that he's been missing. Along the journey there are so many questions about the past that reveal themselves in surprising ways. Such a lush story full of passion of all sorts. I loved every inch of this story! Thank you Kerrigan for crafting this story and thank you St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review it.

Twenty years ago, Lorelei gave her young girl’s heart away to a boy without a memory. With promises of forever, he left her and she never saw him again. Until today, when the utterly unthinkable happened. Now that young boy has grown into a man with cold hard eyes and devastation in his wake. And apparently, he has plans for her.

I really enjoyed this story. While it may have lagged a bit here or there, it was still moving forward, carrying this couple on an adventure that neither would come out on the other side without significant changes.

My heart ached so much for both of these characters as they had each suffered in their own way. However, I must confess that it was the hero’s experiences that was truly the most horrifying. My gut clinched as each piece of the puzzle fell into place and each new tidbit of his life was shared.

This is a slow read that you will not be able, nor want to, rush through. The characters are all very well developed both the hero and heroine as well as each secondary character. There is not only drama from outside of this relationship, but much angst from within, causing me to shed tears for the agony they experienced. The steam is slow in coming but there is never any lack of awareness that this couple desire each other.

Overall, I was thrilled to get to the end and find out all of the twists and turns. Freaking perfect.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The beginning of the story captivated me; Lorelai finding a very badly wounded man, naming him Ash when he didn't know who he was, her devoted nursing and their growing relationship. Then suddenly 20 years went by, and Ash returns a feared pirate and not all the Ash Lorelai has longed for all those years. I had trouble with how heartless he was, even toward Lorelai whom he returned for. They slowly find their way back to each other, even among those who don't want them together. Surprising revelations as to his true identity, betrayal by those he trusted, and finding a long lost treasure add to the elements that kept me reading to a satisfyingly happy ending.

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo was such a good read. When I got this book from netgalley I had no clue who the hero was going to be. I only requested this book because Kerrigan Byrne is one of my favorite historical romance authors. But OMG when I figured out who the hero was I was flippin' out! Ash our hero (named given to him by Lorelai) was a man with no name or memory of his past. Found beating and burnt nearly to death the only thing that gave him the will to live was Lorelai's sweet voice begging him to stay.
Ash had such a hard life and it turned him into a cold man. Kill or be Killed was all he knew. He was definitely an anti-hero. He had no problem getting his hands dirty, stealing, and killing without mercy. He had all the humanity beat and abused out of him. His only soft spot, his only weakness was Lorelai, the woman that nursed him back from the grave. Lorelai also had a hard life. Crippled by her evil brother and abused by him her whole life, Lorelai has known pain. However she didn't let it turn her bitter. She remained a sweet and caring person. Always nursing injured animals back to health, she couldn't help but put her whole heart into nursing the young man she found near death back to health too. Ash and Lorelai's love started out sweet and innocent but after 20 years of separation and abuse it had warped into something raw, and obsessive.
I loved the plot. When Ash's backstory was fully out in the open I was shocked and awed at all the twist. The way his past tied the series together made my heart so happy. OMG how I hated Lorelai's brother Mortimer. I wanted that pos to suffer so badly. Some favorites from other books in this series made cameos. Any time I can get me some more Dorian Blackwell I'm a happy woman. The Duke with The Dragon Tattoo was a great addition to Victorian Rebels series. There were a few minor things that made me take off a 1/2 star from my rating but still this read was a solid 4.5 stars!

Publisher's Description:

The bravest of heroes. The brashest of rebels. The boldest of lovers. These are the men who risk their hearts and their souls—for the passionate women who dare to love them…

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…

A LEGENDARY LOVE

Lorelai 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?

My Thoughts:
This is book number six of the Victorian Rebels Series. This story is much of what I have come to expect from Kerrigan Byrne. This entire series has been one of gritty, violent and intense romance.

Lorelai is a woman with a past that haunts her. She is not the perfect' untouched by tragedy heroine of most romance novels.
Known as the Rook this hauntingly handsome man has no past that he remembers. He only knows his present which includes this beautiful stranger who healed him.
How will his return to her life affect Lorelai? Can she trust this man who has been branded a killer, a rebel and a thief? And can she trust herself to resist him when she finds herself in his arms?
I gave this book 4.7 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. This angsty, somewhat violent story is another of Byrne's books that is not to be missed.
I find myself totally engaged when reading the books in this series, this one not withstanding.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and impressions are my own.

I have only no word’s adequate enough to convey how much I loved this book, this is by far one of the best book’s I have read. It really is astoundingly good! This has everything that I personally look for in a historical romance; complex and flawed character’s in need of love, intricate and intriguing storyline, secondary character’s that are as brilliant as the lead’s all sprinkled with history and romance. I have only recently discovered Kerrigan Byrne’s work, and this is only the second book of hers I have read, but I know that I have found an author’s whose work I will be reading and re-reading for years to come.

While on her way home with her abusive and manipulative brother and father, fourteen-year-old Lorelei (I absolutely love that name, it’s beautiful) spot’s a man laying beside the road, forcing her father and brother to do the right thing and stop to check on him. Finding that he is still alive Lorelei takes it upon herself to nurse the intriguing young man back to health. To her he is like a breath of fresh air in her dark oppressive life with her bullying family, she takes pleasure in nursing her broken angel back from the underworld. Even once he regained consciousness she took pleasure in trying to help him regain his memory, without much luck. She was inexplicably drawn to the damaged and devilishly attractive young man she named Ash, she had fallen in love with him. She senses deep down there is a dark and somewhat dangerous being that she yearns to help. Even at such a tender age she knew that there was something very special between them, then one day he was gone with a promise that he would he would come back for her, always

Fast forward twenty years, Lorelei on the morning of her forced marriage with a man old enough to be her grandfather she is kidnapped by the deadliest, most ruthless Pirate that has ever sailed the sea’s. But it isn’t the kidnapping that has shaken her, it is who has taken her. The tall formidable, tattooed man before her telling her that she is now to marry him, the man who calls himself; The Rook is none other then the young man she gave her heart to and who left her all those years before.

Well what can I say about Rook? What an amazing man, I will admit that while reading it I had this image of Tom Hardy in my head as Rook. Tattooed, huge, rough a bit deadly and yet with a kind heart, he has a lot of love in his cold black heart especially for Lorelei. She is the reason why he is standing breathing, his love for her is absolute and I think that if any man looks a woman the way Rook looks at Lorelei is a good man and so swoon worthy! I love this guy! He is charming in a brutal, in your face kind of way but what drew me to him rom the start was his vulnerable side, Rook has secrets and darkness that envelopes him, and yet he may be a blood thirsty pirate, but he is a good principled man.

This is book six in the Victorian Rebel’s series, now I haven’t read them all or the first in the series, but that doesn’t matter as I saw this as a stand-a-lone. These books are sexy, smart and so engrossing. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo is a thrilling, edge of your seat highly sensual romance that will keep you glued from the very first page. You are gripped by the stylish writing, the sizzling chemistry between Rook and Lorelei. I do have a real soft spot for Victorian era romances and this one is amazing, it is fresh and atmospheric, yet at the same time it is dark and dangerous

A tragic beginning in life, leaves the hero at the mercy of a young girl, Lorelai, who patches this broken boy back together after being left for dead. As the boy becomes a man known only as The Rook, his path intentionally crosses with Lorelai, who was the only one to ever reach his cold heart. Can the years apart heal her broken heart and his hardened one?

I don't how the author managed to create happiness out of such bleak circumstances that the characters were dealt in life. I was expecting just an ending that would see the characters no longer suffering but there was so much more. The journey this story takes you on is hard fought but so worth it in the end. Beautifully written, much like the others in the series.

If you are looking for a heartrending romance with angst, adventure and a super sexy pirate look no further, you have found your next read. The hero, "The Rook" has gone through an unimaginable tragedy in his life and after waking up in a grave on the verge of death, has lost his previous childhood memory. After the heroine, Lorelai saves him from near death, they both always have a special bond that connects them and even a separation of 20 years is unable to sever that bond. This is the sixth book in the Victorian rebel series and although it can be read as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend reading the previous books in the series. Firstly, because they all are so darn good and secondly, there are some threads from the previous books that are tied in this latest book from the author. In some ways, I feel like this book is very similar to the Highwayman in terms of the story but I still really enjoyed it.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Spellbinding, Love Story! This was a brilliant heart wrenching story, filled with drama, danger, action, intrigue, suspense, sorrow, sizzling chemistry, non-stop romantic tension and love. I was wrapped up into this tale like no other. As with all of her books the story pulls you in, leaves you a lit bit breathless and keeps you in its grasp until the end. So expertly written and so beautifully done.

The characters are fabulously crafted and gloriously complicated. This had me practically drooling with anticipation from one page to the next. The author balances the dark with the light, witty humor and a sexual tension that adds sizzle to every scene.

The Duke With The Dragon Tattoo is intense, satisfying and cleverly unpredictable. This was a slow burn romance that simply charms the reader. Wonderful heroines. Likable heroes. And Romance that made me swoon. You do not want to miss this one. Exquisite! Not enough stars for this one.

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

“In the Orient, they call me the Black Dragon. In Africa, I am known as the Sea Panther. A warlord along the Persian coast once granted me the title, the Djinn of Darkness. I have many names, and even more titles, but first I am Capitan of the Devil’s Dirge, more commonly known in this part of the world simply as… The Rook.”

An infamous pirate without name, past or memories to bind him, lays claim to the girl who once freed him from death’s vise in THE DUKE WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Author Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series is my favorite new obsession—every story wildly coming to life with its tortured hero, fierce heroine and their against-all-odds love story. And perhaps there is not greater example of the latter than with the story of The Rook—a man hardened by his past, insentient by reputation, notorious for his ruthlessness as the pirate king of the seas.

“He’d been born a man in a mass grave. His midwives were named fire and torment, delivering him into an unfamiliar world. His siblings had been ravens, feasting on the dead.”

He once awoke in agony, mere breaths from death only to be saved by a stranger with a soft voice and caring hand. While his identity and past hid in the locked, dark recesses of his mind, a young Lorelai Weatherstroke nursed the boy with the dragon tattoo back to health, giving him a name, her love, and a new lease on life. She never imagined the promises he made would be so callously severed.

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

Twenty years later, The Rook sweeps in to take his revenge, to claim what’s always been his—her. He isn’t the same man Lorelai fell in love with, his eyes are hard and dark, no softness to be found. A maelstrom of emotion surges at his touch, at his every word and she struggles to make sense of the man he’s become, of what happened to the boy she’s yearned for throughout the years.

And as secrets are revealed and desires surge, she questions whether traces of his humanity remain, if she’s more than just a prize to be won. And moreover, she wonders if she can fall in love with a merciless pirate whose promise to her years ago finally proved true.

I was held utterly captive by Lorelai and Rook’s story. Suspenseful and sensuous, poignant and heart wrenching, wicked and deliciously fun, Byrne’s masterful writing captures it all, bringing to life a story of love, friendship, freedom and redemption.

I adored it—every word, every page, every character. Read it, I promise you’ll fall in love with this book too.

“She’d found him in the nightmares she wished he didn’t suffer. She found him in the darkness he ruled. In the storms he summoned. She found him, and was determined not to lose him again.”

This series gets better with every book. First off, if you haven't read this series yet, I do recommend reading in order (if you want to read them all) as certain books have characters whose pasts (and present) are intertwined. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo is a perfect example of how an author can weave a storyline across several books but still give all of them a unique feel.

The Rook is a perfect anti-hero, as are most of the men in this series and Lorelai is a great heroine with a heart for healing animals and lost souls. This book touched me with the fierce love these characters have for each other and have maintained for years (even if they don't realize it yet!). There's a lot of tension, definitely some mystery, a a great climax where old and new characters come together in what I feel is the biggest moment of the series. At least the biggest moment thus far. The past of all of them comes forward and I cried so hard. Gah!

Kerrigan's writing is flawless as usual. She masterfully weaves a tale of intrigue and desire and I adore how this historical series is darker than many of my other favorites. It's gritty, dirty, there's nothing 'nice' about most of these stories. I don't remember now how I first learned about Kerrigan but I'm so very glad I found her because I will be stalking her books forever, waiting for whatever she does next!