Oh my lordy! What a book! I was so thrilled to grab up my copy. I read the whole thing in one day, sitting on a deck at the beach. Totally worth it!

Chief Inspector Morley has been a highly anticipated character. Fans of Kerrigan's Victorian Rebels series are sure to join us in rejoicing at the happy ending for the inspector. His journey has been long and thoroughly enjoyable. 

Prudence was such a fun character to fall in love with. I am so happy that we will see her sisters in future books. I cannot wait! These Goode girls are going to be a wild ride, I can already tell! 

As always from Kerrigan, the characters are lively, they feel like real people rather than cardboard cutouts. This is a fantastic tale full of adventure, danger, intrigue, romance, THE WORKS. I can't wait to reread the entire series.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I love Historical-Romance with a touch of mystery and this series has been a delight. It is also a darker, more realistic take on that time period. This book is Carlton Morley's tale and it introduces the Goode sisters who will be the heroines in their own Series late this year. These books are well written and the characters burst from the pages.

Sir Carlton Morley is Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. A more dedicated, principled public servant you won't find. His focus is bringing evil men to justice and protecting the innocent. But he also hides a dark side and many secrets. His secrets drive him in the night to become the Knight of Shadows and to bring justice by any way necessary.

Prudence Goode is about to be married to a man she thought she could come to care for until the more unsavory elements of his character come to light. Pru decides that she is going to give herself one night of desire with a man of her choosing before her marriage.

When Pru literally drops into Morley's lap and he is out as the Knight of Shadows, their encounter is both mysterious and sensual and a departure from what would be considered normal for both of them. On Pru's wedding day she comes face to face with Chief Inspector Morley, her dream lover, and together they must face the consequences of their night of passion.

❝What are you called?❞

❝It doesn’t matter. I’m just a shadow.❞

I loved this story! MORELY stole my heart and PRU earned my respect.

The prologue was magnificent! Setting the stage beautifully for Morely’s character. This tortured man had a truly horrific childhood and could depend only on himself to survive. As an adult, not much changed. Trust didn’t come easy. He learned not to love anything or anyone because all too soon, that which he loved was ripped from him.

❝Sex with him was nothing like she remembered, and everything she’d ever wanted.❞

Pru is feisty, spirited, and born before her time. Stuck living in an antiquated world where her father got to decide to whom she should marry. Love be damned. Knowing she was about to enter into a loveless relationship with a man who would surely place his needs above her own, she set out to have one night where her desires and needs were met. Little did she know, the man hiding in the shadows was not what or who she expected.

Kerrigan wrote one of the best sex scenes I’ve ever read in this book. Aside from being hot, it was tender, reverent, and full of chemistry.

What a clever story about how an intimate encounter and case of mistaken identity turned into a story about love, trust, and respect.

I think this book just healed me from my terrible reading slump. Seriously, I read like all of it in one sitting omg............... This book caused me so much pain and also joy. Please. Now I obviously have to read all of the other books in the series!!!

Prudence is stuck in an engagement with a terrible man, decides to find a lover for a night (in a public situation! you brave girl!) and ends up obviously finding (and falling for) our masked, mysterious hero. She's definitely my fave character in the book, sorry Carlton, but Pru is an actual angel and she deserves the whole world.

The dude gets murdered on their wedding day, and surprise! There's a baby coming! So of course the logical solution to taking Pru out of jail is marriage to the chief of police, right? Well. I guess it is. I have no idea about historical accuracy on anything at all in the book, but I just accepted it and kept going.

Their marriage is a mess from the beginning, because of course Carlton is a dumbass that can't even talk to a woman I guess, and Pru goes through a lot of lonely and angsty moments that made my heart ache for her. Despite the murder mystery, it's still a romance, so of course all of it is dedicated to the growing trust between Pru and Carlton, and how they learn to be with each other.

I really wanted to see more of Pru's family as well. It felt just kinda sad that her sisters abandoned her (thanks to her shitty dad) and thought keeping her in the dark about everything would be a better choice. It wasn't like the book needed any of this, I guess, I just wanted some more interactions and closure between them, since the ending left this pretty open, in my opinion.

Anyway. Seeing Prudence and Carlton's relationship, trust and love develop was absolutely lovely. I enjoyed this book SO much, wow!!!

As the Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard, Sir Carlton Morley has made a distinguished and prominent name for himself. He’s made his own fortune independently of his police salary and his pay from his time as a decorated soldier and marksman. Now his main focus is justice, even if he has to prowl the streets at night as a vigilante to get it. In his youth, he was a different person, a thief and murderer, and that has shaped his need for both justice and redemption as well as his determination to steer clear of temptations. He’s quite successful at this up until he meets, entirely by chance, Ms. Prudence Goode.

Pru has always been a dutiful daughter, aware of what is expected of her, but when faced with marriage to a known philanderer, she is determined she’ll have a night of desire for herself and of her own choosing first. Her nighttime search for the right man leads her to a shadowy, decidedly dangerous man and she decides he’s exactly what she needs. But their surprising passion leads to consequences and it’s soon obvious that Carlton was right to fear temptation as it soon means he has a weakness that can easily be exploited.

Long have I waited for Carlton’s story and I must say I was not disappointed. Although this book was a bit shorter than the others of this series and I would’ve liked to see a bit more backstory on Carlton’s life and specifically how he earned his knighthood, it was still very satisfactory. I loved Carlton and Pru together and loved seeing their deepening connection. Beyond that, what I enjoyed most was the depiction of some of the harsh realities of being a police officer. As a LEO wife I felt Pru’s struggle with the toll the job took on Carlton very keenly and I think the author did an excellent job of depicting the stress and difficulty that comes with such a job and humanizing it, exploring some of the bad along with the good, rather than romanticizing it. I thought this was lovely and made Carlton an even more relatable and likable hero, as well as making Pru appear very sensible. This was a couple I was definitely cheering for and now I’m looking forward to the spin-off series with the rest of the Goode sisters’ stories.

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

💬 Book Review 💬⁣
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯 [𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘥]:⁣
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Sir Carlton Morley is 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.⁣
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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.⁣
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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. ⁣
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄:⁣
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Morley is an enigmatic, stalwart, sympathetic, and entirely lovable hero. Pru is a self-sufficient, smart, relatable heroine. The interpersonal conflict is understandable and never tiresome and the sex is steamy. As with the rest of the series, be prepared for some dark themes. ⁣
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I realized while reading this book that one of the things I love most about Kerrigan’s writing is the imagery. “But if she boiled the amalgamation of his wariness, mysteriousness, and protectiveness down to a reduction as thick as the wonderful sauce anointing her pasta, she was certain she would find fear the main ingredient.” I mean, COME ON! This type of imagery is peppered throughout and I am here for it.
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The dialogue between the men in this book, who are all former heroes in the series, is incredibly enjoyable. While the book can stand alone, I highly recommend reading the earlier books in order to appreciate Morley’s history and relationships with the returning characters. ⁣
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For anyone who’s been awaiting Morley’s story, A Dark and Stormy Knight will not disappoint! There are so many delicious romance tropes throughout, supported by two really likable characters and Kerrigan’s superb prose. I recommend to anyone who’s a fan of historical romance with a little intrigue on the side.

I'm so glad that this series was given some closure with Sir Carlton Morley. Morley has flitted through the series and I was happy to see that he also got to have his happily ever after, and one that was unexpected! When I originally read the summary, I was a touch skeptical since this character comes from darker beginnings and his heroine, Pru is of the upper classes. I was curious to see how these two character would be shown to have common ground. Byrne did not disappoint in this opposites-attract romance. While Morley and Pru come from very different backgrounds, they're personalities complimented each other so well.

If you are familiar with Byrne's over-the-top dramatic storytelling, you will not be disappointed with A Dark and Stormy Knight. While the author's novels, at times, stretch the bounds of belief, they are damn entertaining tales. Another winner!

I really enjoyed this book! We finally got Inspector Morley's story, and it was worth the wait. Carlton Morley, Chief Inspector and secret vigilante, is undercover when he meets Prudence Goode, a young woman looking to have one night of passion before a loveless marriage. Morley bends his usually ironclad morals to have a night with Prudence, not knowing that giving in will lead to an unexpected future with Prudence. The two are thrown together again when Prudence is accused of murder, and Morley has to solve the crime, hoping that it will exonerate the woman he loves so he can finally be happy.
Morley was such a great hero. I was kind of ambivalent towards him prior to this book, but he's one of my top favorite heroes in this series. He's just a good man, and I loved how Prudence was able to complement him. There are also great appearances by Dorian, Argent, and Farrah, and it was a lot of fun to get the gang back together. A really great addition to this series!

The story for Carlton Morley is finally here. From The Highwayman through The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo, Morley has been there, becoming more entwined with the other Victorian Rebels as the series progresses. If one hasn't read the other six books, there is a brief explanation contained that explains the cast of characters, enough to act as a reminder for series readers, probably enough for this to be a standalone.

The opening gives us a stark view of Morley's life as a child. Readers have always known there was more to Carlton Morely and this confirms it. Furthermore, in spite of being the consummate professional during the day, at night he is something - someone - much darker, as he follow investigations wherever they lead and finds results however he can. The real Morley lies somewhere in between those two personas and that is what has made him a compelling character throughout the first 6 books of the series.

After this harrowing introduction, which contains all the darkness of the rest of Byrne's series, we move to an unexpected and steamy meeting between Morley and Pru, the heroine. Prudence Goode is the second daughter of the man who is Morley's superior at work, but they do not know this of each other when they secretly meet. This scene is an unusual set up and while I thought it was hot and steamy, it did not quite land for me.

However, suspend belief and keep reading, The story moves on to three months later, when Pru and Carlton are suddenly thrown together. This time it's in full view of the world. Pru is now the suspect in the murder of her fiancé. An immediate marriage to Carlton ensues, to save her life and her reputation. A marriage of convenence is a common enough trope. This MOC is wild, but then, the whole series is wild. So it fits.

While I expected the story to take us on the trip to find the real killer, that becomes a vague subplot until the end. The main thrust of the book is a character study mostly about how Carlton grows emotionally, how does he trust, how does he love. He and Pru are a great couple, don't get me wrong. And it is nice to not have such a complicated and overwhelmingly dark story as with the other Victorian Revels stories. But if you're looking for the twists and turns of Byrne's other books, this is not it. The real murderer storyline and another sub-sub plot are wrapped up, of course, with scenes that last long enough to finish the storylines as well as bring Pru and Carlton closer together and to their HEA.

We see most of the heroes from the other books in the series, a few snapshots of the women, and glimpses of Pru's family. Her younger sisters seem like a likely pair for their own stories but otherwise there isn't much here in extra world building. This is Morley and Pru all the way, with lots of heat between them.

This is a satisfying series end to give Morley his own HEA. As mentioned before, there is probably enough information about the rest of the series, to satisfy readers as a standalone. I just don't know if anyone would care enough about Morley's story without having read the other books and Morley's roles in them. That's not a negative reaction to the book, just an observation as a reader who cared about Morley because I've read the other books and all his complexity.

This was my second Kerrigan Byrne novel, and my first in this series, It can be read as a stand alone, but I believe reading the other books in the series will give more background on Morley, the hero. I do highly recommend this book though because it was so much fun and had one of the most unique meet cutes (and re-meet cutes) I have ever read. I laughed, I swooned, and I never wanted it to end.

My favorite parts of the book definitely revolve around the characters and their relationships. The men are all acquainted as now reformed criminals, except Morley who is a police officer, and this results in some laugh out loud scenes. There is also a very sweet camaraderie between the heroine and previous female characters that Kerrigan Byrne is just great at writing. I also love Pru because of how strong she was. She is not perfect, but she is not annoying or whiny. She has an honesty and spunk that makes her entertaining.

The one weak part of this novel is the length and that it is was insta-lovey. It read more like a long novella, and I would have liked to see the characters interact more. Seeing the progression of the relationship and a couple more mundane scenes would have fleshed out the story and characters a bit more. Overall, this was a really strong book. The perfect word is delightful. I definitely recommend if you are looking to start reading historical romance or are already an avid fan.

I got this as an arc and totally forgot when the publication date was so I took my time before I read it. Sigh. Anyway, this was fun. I was going to start the series before I went into this but since it's out, I'll just backtrack instead after this one.

Pru and Morley met in a case of secret mistaken identity. Both left their mark on each other, and in Pru's case, a bit more real way. They did end up married but the path to love match is fraught with danger and stubbornness and lack of communication. Wanted to smack Morley in the head lots of times.

Though this book felt like it moved faster than it should. Hmm. It can stand alone, though a better appreciation of this book can come from the first six. Still...it was a fun read.

Thank you Gnarly Wool Publishing and NetGalley for the arc of this book!

Inspector Morley returns with a vengeance and we finally get to see who will tame the Knight of Shadows. The beginning of this story hits the floor running and is explosive. Then, bam, a murder and who is the main suspect? Prudence who was the Knight’s one night stand. Can Morley protect her? I loved the murder plot but wish it has been delved into more. The tension between Morley and Prudence were definitely tension filled and when they reached culmination, just wow! I do wish that we got to see Morley and Argent (my favorite character in this series) work the murder mystery a little more. It felt rushed at the end. It was great to see a lot of the characters from previous stories. Is another series in the works? A twist at the end leads me to believe so.

I was so excited to finally get Morley's story! This is a fantastic series with some seriously dark heroes. If you thought Morley would be less tortured than the previous guys you are wrong.
Inspector Carlton Morley is a proto-Batman character after suffering the murder of his twin sister during their childhood.
Prudence is a spinster who is disrespected by her family and affianced to a womanizer in order to advance her family's interests.
Their paths cross in a few dramatic scenes and we're off!

An intense, controlled, and complex hero, Carlton, loses his control over the prim heroine Pru. It was fun to read how Carlton finally falls in love. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Gnarly Wool Publishers for my honest review.

Ahhhhhhh this was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

Kerrigan Byrne is one of Historical Romance's preeminent romantic suspense writers. She brings action, suspense, mystery and sensual romance to each novel. This novel is, once again, a page turning, breath catching delight.
We have met Carlton Morley in previous books but here we get to see the total man. Characters from previous books are here to help Morley in his quest for justice for Pru. This is a well crafted mystery also. There are some early-on surprises that lead us to wonder who actually is the perpetrator.

I can highly recommend this book to all Historical Romance fans and also to anyone who truly enjoys exceptional writing and story telling. This is a standalone novel but I encourage you to read the entire Victorian Rebels Series.

Victorian Rebels
1. The Highwayman
2. The Hunter
3. The Highlander
4. The Duke
5. The Scot Beds His Wife
6. The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo
7. A Dark and Stormy Knight

I loved this book! Carlton Morley finally got his story and it was beautiful. This book pulled me out of a reading slump with a wonderful romance, a lovely heroine and an even better hero. 5 stars!

Loved Morley and Pru in this story, the way they come together is so different than the normal regency romance novel. They were a great match for each other and the story line definitely keeps you guessing as to whodunit? I was happy to see them find their HEA in the end.

Prudence is the perfect mate for Inspector Morley! Yes, it is finally Morley’s turn. Their road to HEA is a bit unorthodox and quite sexy as Morley loses his composure, just as his mates have, upon falling in love. This one may be the best in the series.

Although a lovely romance, your heart breaks from the very beginning as Morley loses his twin, Caroline in a gruesome way. Prudence’s privileged life was so very different from Morley’s. The way these two came to know each other is endearing as they share. My heart broke a little more for Prudence and the way she was treated by her sister and friend as she learns more about her fiancé. Thank goodness Morley comes into her life.

I loved that characters from the series join Prudence and Morley’s journey in a delightful way, especially Farah. Now let’s see what happens between Honoria and Titus.

London 1880
An intense story featuring the broken hero who has scraped and clawed his way, while dealing with tragedy and made something of himself. Yet, Chief Inspector Carlton Morley has a dark side as he searches for redemption. Kerrigan Byrne writes my favorite trope and with her amazing prose can bring the surroundings and characters to life until you can see the story unfold as in a movie.
Prudence Goode is about to be married to a rake. It seems the man she thought loved her, was a lotario and only marrying her for her money. So she decided to have a night for herself... for pure pleasure. So she seeks that out in a place of shadows and enticements and lands in the lap of Morley who is there seeking to solve a murder case.
The two become entwined and they are thrown into a journey that weaves a complicated emotional tapestry that pulls you right until the end. Another brilliant book by this spell binding author. I read this through Netgallery and the publisher