Tempting Fate by Kerrigan Byrne

Tracy’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Goode Girls, #4

Release Date: May 11, 2021

Upon the death of her parents, Felicity Goode learns that her father made her his sole heir, but has placed stipulations on her inheritance – she must marry into the nobility – nothing less than a Viscount will do and if she fails, then she will be left with nothing. Of all the Goode sisters, Felicity is the only one that can actually claim to be a “good girl”. Studious and prone to panic attacks, she is nothing like her twin Mercy or her older sisters Pru and Nora, who have all married and are all happy and in love. Felicity has secretly longed for romance, but doesn’t believe she will be as lucky as her sisters, so she will re-enter society and consider marriage to a titled man – but just the thought of society makes her break out in a cold sweat. And if that wasn’t enough, someone is threatening her and even went as far as to accost her on the street! Not wanting to bother her family, she has decided to hire a personal guard to protect her, a prospect that is almost as upsetting as re-entering society. But when she runs into Gareth Severand in her courtyard – she knows she has found the perfect man for the job!

Gareth Severand is actually Gabriel Sauvageau, a ruthless gangster and former leader of the Fauve gang. He and his brother Raphael have given up the life and “died” after the incidences last year involving the Goode sisters. In fact, his brother Raphael “Remy” eloped with Felicity’s twin Mercy and is currently waiting for Gabriel to join them abroad. Gabriel, who was horribly disfigured in his youth, stayed behind to have Titus perform reconstructive surgery on his face and after a year of surgeries and healing, he is ready to go – but he can’t resist one more glimpse of the woman who captured his heart and when he learns that someone has threatened her, he agrees to protect her, thinking that his former nemesis is responsible – but never reveals his true identity.

As they spend time together and Gabriel tries to figure out who is behind the threats – Felicity begins to fall for her scarred protector, but when her sister and Remy return unexpectedly – Gabriel’s secret is revealed and the connection he formed with Felicity may be irreparably damaged, but he can’t leave until he knows she is safe and unfortunately, he is no closer to finding out who is trying to harm her or why than the day she hired him.

OMG – I loved this book – LOVED. IT. I’m going to go as far as to say, this is the best book I have read this year! It is a well-written, nicely-paced story that is practically perfect. I have always loved Ms. Byrne’s antiheroes and this features the perfect antihero in the form of Gabriel, it is impossible not to fall in love with him. This story is a perfect recreation of Beauty and the Beast; it has secrets, steamy love scenes, some pretty graphic fight scenes, a shocking twist, and some eye-popping revelations, a make-you-cry declaration scene, and heart-lifting HEA complete with an epilogue. This the fourth book in the series and could be read as a standalone title – but the books are closely connected and I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience. I really loved this book and can’t recommend it highly enough – Read it, you can thank me later 😊.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *