A DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT
Series: Victorian Rebels #7
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: June 2nd, 2020
This Knight of the Crown is driven by a painful past and a patient fury… and his entire life is a lie.
Sir Carlton Morley is famously possessed of extraordinary will, singular focus, and a merciless sense of justice. As a man, he secured his fortune and his preeminence as Scotland Yard’s ruthless Chief Inspector. As a decorated soldier, he was legend for his unflinching trigger finger, his precision in battle, and his imperturbable strength. But as a boy, he was someone else. A twin, a thief, and a murderer, until tragedy reshaped him.
Now he stalks the night, in search of redemption and retribution, vowing to never give into temptation, as it’s just another form of weakness.
Until temptation lands—quite literally—in his lap, taking the form of Prudence Goode.
Prim and proper Pru is expected to live a life of drudgery, but before she succumbs to her fate, she craves just one night of desire. On the night she searches for it, she stumbles upon a man made of shadows, muscle and wrath… And decides he is the one.
When their firestorm of passion burns out of control, Morley discovers, too late, that he was right. The tempting woman has become his weakness.
A weakness his enemies can use against him.
5 Million ‘You’re My Biggest Prize’ Stars
ALL. THE. FEELS! Mind blowingly enrapturing, heart dauntingly romantic and soul touchingly emotional, A Dark and Stormy Knight is PERFECTION in its masterful writing!!!
I believed I was prepared for this book, well I was wrong, the way I fell HARD for these two, and their utterly brilliant story, surpassed all my wildest bibliophile’s dreams!
He was the knighted war hero Chief Inspector because he had to be, and he’d become the Knight of Shadows because London had needed him to be.
So he wouldn’t have spent the past twenty odd years so acutely alone.
not be so bloody broken.
Ah, how my heart broke for Inspector Morley… I knew – at least I thought I did – already from the previous books how broken and lonely Carlton felt, but to witness it first hand, omg, I just wanted to wrap him in my arms, that’s how utterly alone he felt, how tortured he was.
Now occupying his days as Chief Inspector and his nights as a vigilant, he has no time or desire for liaisons of any kind, not that he allows anyone to get close to him, so when Prudence falls right into his lap, their insane and palpable instant attraction doesn’t allow him to turn her away…
Morley blinked down at her, suddenly wishing he’d ever thought to steal a moment from crime reports and newspapers to crack the spine on a book of verse.
Because the woman in his arms was a poem, and he hadn’t the words to describe her.The kind of siren that would dash a man like him on the rocks.
And still, he’d go willingly.Kissing her was dangerous. As was the sweet detention of her arms.
Prudence Goode had just discovered all her present and future to be a farce, and that all around her were keeping her in the dark, and even making ‘fun’ of her and her cheating fiancée, and his many affairs. As she was not allowed to cancel the betrothal, she decide to make one sole decision for herself, one night at her own terms with a lover of her choosing, and let’s just say that the fates had something more planned for her than a lover for hire, lol.
That one single night replete with passion and carnal desires and fulfillments, they never expected to see each other again – not that both hadn’t tried to find one another, but the anonymity of the encounter and their common complicated situations, didn’t allow for it to happen. Well, not until Morley is called to a murder scene on a wedding day, to find none other than Prudence, the bride, covered in blood and with the murder weapon in her hands. And like things weren’t complicated enough she announces to him she’s with child, his child. Let’s just say that Morley obsession with order was blown to smithereens, lol. His solution, marriage to him!
He was a Chief Inspector. A vigilante. A knight. Her lover. A husband.
Her husband.What a complicated man she’d married. Possessed of dichotomy between a heart capable of such unequaled valor, gallantry, and courage tied to a mind bedeviled by skepticism, enigma, and for lack of a gentler word, fear.
I absolutely ADORED Morley and Pru together! The setting of their first encounter, and then the surprise baby and marriage of convenience were the perfect stage for their passage from lust to love, and to witness their blossoming love and adoration, just made my romantic heart soar. A true EPIC LOVE STORY!
Not only were they scorching hot together – and their sexy times were epitome of steamy! – but Ms. Byrne gave them such incredible depth, and complexity, that it made me love them that much more for their fragility and their flaws as it did for their qualities. Their growth, and mature reactions even when heart broken just made me fall even hard, and the way that Carlton acknowledge his mistakes and groveled, omg, talk about a major swoon-fest. SO MANY brilliant lines – there was one there that gave me all of vibes of my favorite quote of Mr. Rochester, another of my ultimate fav – that just put him up there with the most swoon worthy of book boyfriends…
“You are the epitome of every desire or dream I’ve conceived of since before I can remember, and that is a very specific kind of torment. An unparalleled beauty, a superb lover, a woman of grace and kindness and intellect whom I can only respect and admire. A fantasy in the flesh, here in my house. With my name.”
The intimacy he felt forming between them, the bond that wove between his ribs and hers, stitching their ticking hearts together, was made of some stronger material than the steel and ice he’d encased around his heart.
Oh my, there was no chance to resist falling for this man, for this couple. A Dark and Stormy Knight left me spellbound with not only these characters but also with all the previous couples, specially with the delicious male banter and camaraderie between all the man, in particular with Dorian, Ash and Argent. I lived for those little snippets between the Victorian Rebels’ males and I was left joyous as can be.
Kerrigan Byrne had me already obsessed with her exquisite and masterful writing, and this book just proved once again why she is my gothic romance queen. The genius story setting, the passionate and intricate characters, the unforgettable love story, and the suspense background, such just right from the first page and leave us with a heart warning sensation that lasts even after days of finishing the book. That is proof of the epicness right there and I’m always here for it. Already counting down the days until the next book!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
“What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I—I love you, too.”“I want to reward you.”
“You are my greatest prize,”
ARC kindly provided by the author via Oliver Heber Books for an honest review
Kerrigan has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she’s finally able to have the career she’d decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to “grow up to be a romance novelist.” Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story.
She lives in a little Victorian coast town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State with her wonderful husband. When she’s not writing you can find her sailing, beach combing, kayaking, visiting wineries, breweries, and restaurants with friends, and hiking…okay…wandering aimlessly clenching bear spray in the mountains.