Tag: Kerrigan Byrne

Tempting Fate by Kerrigan Byrne

On By TracyIn Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

Tempting Fate (Goode Girls, #4)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. *

The Devil In Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

The Devil in Her Bed (Devil You Know, #3)The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne
Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Devil you Know #3
Publication Date: 3/9/21
Number of Pages: 416

WOW! What an exciting, page flippin’, edge-of-your-seat ending for the delightful series featuring the three lovely ladies from the Red Rogue Society. Each of the ladies in the society – Alexandra (How to Love a Duke in Ten Days), Cecelia (All Scot and Bothered) – and now Francesca have all found their Happily Ever After. While finding those HEAs, they have also managed to put an end to the evil Crimson Council. The story is excellently written, excellently plotted, and so well delivered. You will absolutely love the main characters and the visits by the other ladies of the Society make this wrap-up book even more special.

Francesca Cavendish, Countess of Mont Claire, has spent the last twenty years of her life in pursuit of one thing – REVENGE. She spent her youth training with every master, in every country. She’s skilled in every defensive (and offensive) art you can name and now she is ready – and she’s very, very close to bringing down the Crimson Counsel because they are responsible for the deaths of her entire family – everyone she loved as a young girl. They tried to kill her too – and they would have if it had been for the young boy, Declan Chandler, she loved – the one who saved her just before they killed him. The Crimson Council will pay for those deaths – especially Declan’s – and they’ll pay for all of the harm they have done in the last twenty years while she was preparing herself. She’s ready – her fighting skills are finely honed – her seductive powers are legendary within the ton – and now she knows who the leader is. He’ll go down and he’ll go down hard – right along with the rest of the Crimson Counsel!

Chandler Alquist, the Devil of Dover, is everybody and nobody – a ghost, because he doesn’t exist. He works for the not yet officially formed Secret Service and he’s lethal. He knows his way around every skill known and used by the covert services – from seduction to the lethal. He has names, identities, and homes all across London and England for that matter. If the Crown wants someone eliminated, Chandler is the one they send because he’s as ruthless as they come. Chandler is a lost soul who has lost everything and everyone he’s ever loved – twice over – and now, he’s just an empty shell – a ghost of a man.

If you read the second book in the series, you’ll remember Chandler as the man Ramsey brought in to help save the young girls being held hostage. After reading that, I couldn’t wait to read Chandler and Francesca’s book. Goodness, it was worth waiting for. I loved watching Francesca best Chandler – quite often – in both fighting skills and in planning skills. I loved how completely and fearlessly she loved Declan. And – goodness – when all of their secrets were finally revealed – how differently they each reacted.

Watching Declan and Francesca work together – and separately – was a pure delight and really made the story believable. I think the two things that might have made the story better would have been for him to reconcile his feelings for Pippa earlier and for there to have been an epilogue featuring all of the couples some years in the future. I hope you will give the book a read and enjoy it as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.