A bookstagramming friend tells me that the next in the series, The Hunter, is even more of an emotional kick in the crotch.R/RomanceBooks is a discussion sub for readers of romance novels. Read this one when you want it to hurt, ladies. And, folks, that kind of writing is my kryptonite. Kerrigan Byrne has that ability, much like (Queen) Lisa Kleypas, to dance with BIG, VISCERAL, SOUL-DEEP emotions without making it melodramatic.

More specifically, he felt like an amalgam of Nick Gentry from Worth Any Price and Kev Merripen from Seduce Me at Sunrise.

(You know who you are, douchebag.)ĭorian gave me mega Lisa Kleypas character vibes. Be that trauma as despicable and heinous as Dorian’s or as basic as that douchebag who called you fat and ugly in sixth grade. And, even more than that, I appreciate an author who is willing to use the romance genre to highlight the trauma and baggage that so many people bring with them into their sexual relationships. I have tremendous respect for a romance author (or any author) who reminds us all that not every man is some swaggering, experienced sexual god. I am SO HERE for a story depicting a man’s sexual vulnerability.

I felt like my heart was being pounded with a meat tenderizer. (No biggie.)īut Dorian brings his own scars and damage with him to marriage and the bedroom. But not without a few demands of her own. Then Dorian makes Farah an outlandish proposition…marry him so he can protect her from those who seek her harm in exchange for using her secret to exact revenge and crush his enemies. When Farah’s safety is threatened Dorian decides the best course of action is to kidnap her and stash her away at his private home in the Highlands. And it just so happens that he is bound to Farah by a heartbreaking shared history. the the Blackheart of Ben More, is merciless, powerful, and always one step ahead of the law. But, in addition to her harrowing past, Farah also happens to be keeping a secret that puts her life in danger.ĭorian Blackwell, a.k.a.

Not too shabby, eh? This is Victorian London, after all. So let me just jump right in…įarah Mackenzie had a painful start in life but now she’s an independent “widow” who supports herself with an interesting job as a clerk at Scotland Yard. I have a lot of feelings about this book.

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne