Cover Image: A Dark and Stormy Knight

A Dark and Stormy Knight

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Member Reviews

Kerrigan Byrne is one of my favorite authors and this book is the epitome of why. Steamy romance, a somewhat anti-hero hero, sweet and strong MC and danger and drama throughout.

I was so excited to get this ARC and even more excited to finally read Morley’s story since we were introduced to him 6 books ago! He’s Chief Inspector of the police, but at night he’s more a vigilante meting out justice for those that slip through the cracks.

And one night while investing he meets Pru. She’s going to marry, but knows her fiancé is unfaithful and will most likely continue that after the wedding. She wants a night of passion- even if she has to pay for that pleasure. That scene is my absolute favorite!

No spoilers, but murder and smuggling and all sorts of bad happen- yet Morley and Pru have a love story that I couldn’t put down. This book was amazing!

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A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne is the 7th book in her Victorian Rebels series. This book can be read as a stand-alone. It’s very well written and you don’t feel like you’re missing anything. I haven’t read all the books in the series but this book reminds me how much I want to go back and read the ones I haven’t read! As I said the writing is amazing and there is an abundance of emotion and intriguing characters that keep you engaged from beginning to end. I absolutely LOVED the storyline. A lot happened and I didn’t want it to end. I highly recommend this book! If you read this book I know you won’t regret it. I am positive you will fall in love with the story and characters like I did!

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It took seven books to finally get Chief Inspector Morley's story. He would appear in the previous books and each time we learned a little about him and his tragic past. So it was finally his turn to fall in love and overcome the ghosts of his past. Prudence and he meet in a very sexy way one dark night. It is not until some tragic twist of fate that they later see each other again.

I loved their relationship. It was deliciously dark, hot and angsty. There was no boring parts and I really had a hard time putting it down! Morley and Pru were wonderful and holy heck it take a lot for them to finally get their HEA! As always I loved seeing characters from the previous books and how easily they all became Pru's champions when Morley was still a confused mess about his feelings towards her.

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I have been anticipating Carlton Morley’s story in the Victorian Rebels series for years! A Dark and Stormy Knight did not disappoint! It exceeded all my expectations. It is a beautiful yet touching tale of opposites attract. I was thrilled with Morley’s story of passion, betrayal, intrigue, and adventure. Prudence, our heroine, is the perfect fit for Morley. Her whimsical personality and natural innocence are great contrasts to his jadedness and dark nature.

A Dark and Stormy Knight can be read alone, but I highly recommend reading all of Kerrigan Byrne's Victorian Rebels series. You won’t regret one glorious moment of it!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Shades of Batman! Sir Carlton Morley, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard is the very face of public justice and yet at night he stalks the streets of London as a masked vigilante serving his own brand of justice.  On one such night he comes face to face with extraordinary sinner, Prudence Goode. Will she be his redemption, his salvation or will she be the ultimate downfall of all he's built?
From the first chapter that gives us Cutter's early story as an orphan and a twin on the poor streets of London to his transformation as the knighted chief inspector my head spun a bit but I quickly adapted and got deep into the story.  When Prudence decides to take revenge she goes big and decides to give up her virginity to the Stags Of St. James rather than saving it for her husband to be. Fortunately for Prudence her stag happens to to be the chief inspector who's pursuing clues to a string of murders. 
Fast forward to her wedding day and their next meeting is just as eventful as Prudence stands in a pool of blood clutching the murder weapon that murdered her husband and informs the chief inspector that he's to be a father.  Cutter or Carlton as he is now known needs to save Prudence and his unborn child and find out if Pru is truly the innocent she claims to be. 
My head spun a bit to references and characters from the earlier book in the series which I have not read yet though I do plan to correct that omission.  I enjoyed all of Cutter's friends and his wives who have earned their own brand of transformation as they befriend Prudence and Carlton payback for his help with their own romances. 
A well paced story with a good mix of suspense, action and romance. My first by the author but definitely not my last.

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Even though this one is the shortest in the series so far, I REALLY LOVED IT!!! The pace was perfect and even the events that happened. It was such a fast read that I couldn't put it down! Oh my gosh and Carlton's different sides of him. I could gush about him all day! He could be all growly/angry man one moment, but then shows his softer side. I did want more in the ending though! I can't wait to read more in this world! Definitely one of my favorite historical series.

This COVER is also one of my favs!

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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I really enjoyed this story! Despite having some tropes I don't really enjoy, I thought that the overall plot evolved quite well and I liked reading about Pru and Morley and their stubborn, strong-willed ways. The mysteries were fun to puzzle through, although I wish we could have had more clues throughout rather than mainly at the beginning and end. This book does make me want to go back and read the rest of the series now! So many reformed rakes!

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Will he find in himself the strength to believe in her ...

Having read only the previous book in this series, and as it was some two years ago, I do not have the same expectations about the hero’s story as he is kind of a new character for me.
So it is with kind of virgin eyes I entered this book, and my, oh my!
Since my teen years I am a sucker for super hero and Morley is definitely one, a dark knight from the past, a Batman in the time of Queen Victoria reign, scouring the streets of Whitechapel like his modern counterpart those of Gotham city.
A man of two faces, who raised himself from the slums of London to become the law and its executioner.

« He was both the system of justice and the shadow of it. »

When he left his sad past behind, he married to his job, both of them, never letting someone comes between him and his devoted work.
Until Prudence.

« 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. »

She is his redemption, the salvation of his soul but first she appears for him as a trick, a siren pushing him to stray from his right path. When she only sought a short escape from her impeding doom.
And because for once she had wanted to take the matters of her own life in hands, she ends up in dire circumstances and becomes a prey as much as a victim.

When they encounter a second time, everything is different, and with Prudence’s world been turned upside down, by ricocheting his too.
It was wonderful to see them getting close, to witness Pru slowly shattering the walls behind his heart, to crumble them stone by stone, even if his stubborn self is very determined to follow his own design path.
I loved to see the heroes from the previous books visiting this one, it was fun to meet them.
Mrs Kerrigan Byrne while painting heroes with a dark past, darker than many romance heroes, she infuses them with superheroes’ fluid, showing their strength by emerging from the gutters on a mission to avenge the wrongs done.
5 stars from this dark knight and his lady light story.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher Gnarly Wool Publishing, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

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Such a great series. I loved seeing everyone band together and Morley finally getting his HEA. You coudn't have picked a better match for him.

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I have loved the mystery of Chief Inspector Carlton Morley. He has a duality to his personality, which was very intriguing and engaging. Prudence Goode was a great character. I enjoyed her innocence and free spirit. I loved the way she sought out passion and pleasure before her marriage. These two together were amazing. They helped heal each other and find something that they were missing. Another wonderful story in this fantastic series.

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Finally Chief Inspector Morley's book. It has been a long wait, from beating Dorian to the notorious Rook, this probably has been my most awaited book forever. Imagine my squeal of joy when I found it downloaded to my kindle. HE was here and what a book. Totally worth the wait.
Cutter Morley rose from the streets to become Carlton Morley, celebrated Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard. His story from life with Dioran and his sister on the streets, to a masked vigilante out at night is, as usual, a treat to read. His character develops beautifully from book 1 onwards and is exactly what I expected him to be and more.

Lady Prudence Goode is anything ‘Good’ and her marriage to Carlton is very well written about and a pleasure to read.
Visits from much loved previous characters are plenty and enough to entice me to reread the entire series again. Though I missed reading more about Liam and Mena while only their mere mention brought a smile.
All in all, it was typical Kerrigan – brilliant writing, engrossing story, well thought characters and the requisite bait for going back to Book 1.

#ADarkandStormyKnight #NetGalley

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I have been waiting for Morley’s story since The Highwayman. He has appeared in the other books in the Victorian Rebels series and we have learned about his background bit by bit. We know he walks the line between the dark and the light like all the other men in this series. Morley’s demons are lurking below a razor thin surface. He is also lonely and weary. He has given up on the dreams he had of ever having a wife and family.

Kerrigan Byrne doesn’t shy away from the brutality in the world in which these characters live. And she always brings the heat between her main characters.

Prudence Goode finds out her fiancée is not the man he appears to be. She decides she wants to have one night in which she can have a man of her choosing.

While investigating a murder, Carlton Morley finds himself in the right place at the right time to assist Prudence in her one night of freedom.

All this occurs with consequences.

My favorite part of A Dark and Stormy Knight is the interactions between the other men and Morley. You can feel the love and mutual respect in their banter.

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Books for the ARC

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Oh My God! shades of Batman! Finally we get Chief Inspector Morely’s story and it was worth the wait! This book had two of my favorite tropes that you don’t see a lot in historical romances. First, the moral, uptight hero who has been celibate for a long time❤️❤️❤️. Second is the one night stand and now the H and h need to marry because she’s pregnant. I also love a heroine who has HAD IT and decides to take control of her life. When Kerrigan Byrne is writing these tropes you get perfection!

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I cannot tell you how happy I am that Carlton Morley finally got his own book. He needed his story told.

As the “Knight of Shadows”, the seemingly straight laced Chief Inspector Morley, has a chance encounter and night of debauchery with one soon to be wed Lady of “Goode” standing.

Miss Goode, about to me married to a man whom she believes will never be faithful, and whom will never give her the pleasure she craves, decides to have one night of unadulterated pleasure before accepting her fate.

With this steamy beginning, Kerrigan Byrne takes us again into sinful and luscious world of The Victorian Rebels. Bad boys really can be good, with the right lass! Ms. Byrne has quickly become my go-to writer of historical fiction.

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I am in absolute awe at how well Kerrigan Byrne can write! This story touched my heart so deeply and I could feel the pain that Carlton felt growing up, I could feel the helplessness, the lack of hope, love and caring that was denied him. The prologue is very intense!! Yet, he rises above it all and you want nothing but to cheer him on as the Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard and as the Shadow Knight.

The way he and Prudence meet is quite unusual but oooooh my lord, it sure made me want to fan myself! lol So delicious!! Three months after that first meeting, they meet again and that's when the adventure begins. Fraught with danger and suspicions, both Pru and Carlton must learn to trust each other, something Carlton has always had a hard time with. Breaking down his barriers and unlocking the steel around his heart is what Pru wishes with all her heart. I loved both characters and she is exactly what he needs in his life!!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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I liked this book a lot. Pru and C. were really good together, and even if the plot at the beginning seemed to be not so believable, in the end it was also a fast paced story and love won :) I am wondering about the next characters, maybe Honoria and the doctor? We will see.....It would be sad if this were the last one and I'm not going to meet the old friends again...

Questo libro mi é piaciuto parecchio e Pru e C. stavano bene assieme, nonostante l'inizio del libro mi aveva lasciato piuttosto insoddisfatta, alla fine il ritmo é stato sempre alto e l'amore ha vinto, come al solito. Mi stavo anche chiedendo chi saranno i due personaggi del prossimo libro, sperando che ce ne sia uno perché mi dispiacerebbe non incontrare piú gli altri vecchi protagonisti, a cui mi sono affezionata. Magari Honoria e il chirurgo? staremo a vedere....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

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Overall - 4.5
Heat - 4

A Dark and Stormy Knight is the seventh book in Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series. Sir Carlton Morley has pulled himself from the gutters of London to be a respected Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. By day he protects the city with the law as his weapon. By night he stalks the streets as the Knight of the Shadows, a vigilante for justice. While investigating a case as his alter ego, Prudence Goode literally falls into his lap. He doesn’t have time for distractions, even beautiful raven haired distractions like Pru. However, he finds her irresistible and in her he finds his one weakness.

Kerrigan Byrne has become a one-click author for me, because she writes historicals that are full of action, passion, and emotion. I’m especially a fan of any romance that gives me a good mystery as a subplot to the love story, and Kerrigan always manages to weave the two stories together in a most enjoyable way. I came late to the fandom, so I have not read all of the novels in this series but when I saw this drop on NetGalley I had to snatch up A Dark and Stormy Knight.

Fair warning, I usually try to remain as professional as possible when I write these reviews, but I just have to exclaim one thing. This hero is literally Victorian Batman! His double life as the Chief Inspector and the vigilante gave a lot of insight into the type of man Carlton was, and I loved it. Carlon was as sexy as Bruce Wayne and as mysterious as Batman, with all the buttoned up propriety of a Victorian gentleman. After a lifetime in the gutter he felt duty bound to save those who could not save themselves any way possible. Before he meets Pru his entire being is consumed with finding justice for victims of crime, mostly out of penance for those he could not save. I am a sucker for this type of hero and Carlton sucked me in from the first word on the page.

Prudence is a typical sheltered and pampered miss from a good family. Her father has a small title and is the Commissioner of Scotland Yard, making him Carlton’s direct superior. I don’t want to spoil their meeting, but I can say that the manner is definitely not how one would expect to meet the daughter of a police commissioner and it’s probably my favorite first meeting between a couple in 2020. I struggled a bit with connecting to Pru since she was a bit more one-dimensional than Carlton in the beginning of the book. We don’t get to know much about her other than the fact she was engaged to a philandering Earl and she’s always felt like an outsider in her family. As we go along in the book, Pru eventually finds her way out of her shell and she becomes a very strong and likable character in the story.

The mystery surrounding this story was told very well, and Kerrigan kept me guessing right up until the reveal. I liked how this mystery plays a big role in Carlton and Pru’s relationship, and eventually leads Pru to demanding exactly what she deserves from him. What did bother me in a very minor way was that in the later half of the book a lot of the relationship between Pru and Carlton gets fast forwarded, I think in service to getting the mystery solved on page. This means that we miss out on 2 weeks of them bonding that I would have liked to see on page. I prefer to see major milestones and initial bonding on page, and not skipped over with a quick time jump.

Overall, I loved this book and I’m giving it a 4.5, just because I was a glutton for Carlton and Pru and I really wanted to see more of their love story get page time. This only slightly diminished my extreme love for this book, and my general fandom for this writer. If you love dark and steamy historical novels like Sarah Maclean’s Bare Knuckle Bastards series or the Highland Guard series by Monica McCarty you’ll love this series and this book. I dare you not to fall in love with Victorian Batman ;)

Review to be posted on Smitten By Books at Publish date.

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4.5 stars

Romantic, mysterious and a bit dark. This book was everything I wanted - and more than I expected.

I was hooked from the beginning and read the whole book in less than 24 hours. The way Morley and Pru's story kicks off after their first meeting got me squeaking from excitement. BANG, don't I just love it when romance is mixed up with bloody secrets and mystery! And murder.

Morley is such an interesting character it didn't take me long to fall for him. I felt like Prudence's character could have been a bit more fleshed out. For her to have more distinct personality traits would have been great, but I loved her and this book nevertheless. The writing is good, and in some parts so achingly beautiful it got me writing quotes down on my notebook.

I received an ARC trough NetGalley and hadn't read the other books in the series prior to reading this one, but you bet I'm going to buy them all now! I have a feeling I'm going to be reading a lot more books from Kerrigan Byrne in future! This book was an absolute delight.

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A Dark and Stormy Knight (Victorian Rebels, #7)
by Kerrigan Byrne

This is the good stuff. A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne is the 7th instalment to The Victorian Rebels Series but can easily be read as a standalone. It is a dark, sexy historical romance which had me absolutely hooked from the first page.

Our hero is Chief Inspector Sir Carlton Morley, a man I have been crushing on since book one of this series. He is tortured, he is a vigilante righting wrongs in the dark as the Knight of Shadows, he is the proper and unemotional policeman during the day. He is delicious. Our heroine is Prudence Goode, a woman searching for a night of pleasure before she has to marry a cheating man whom she does not love. I won't say more because of spoilers but you can guess who she finds in the night...

The pacing in this book was brilliant. So many things happen quickly, drawing the reader in immediately and getting the plot moving. I really like when I don't have to wait too long in the romance for our lovers to meet one another. If I had one complaint I think I would have enjoyed slightly more time with Pru and Morley falling in love with one another. The book was quite short but this is me being very picky and wanting more time with characters I loved.

As always the sex scenes were hot! This is not a clean romance (hurrah!) and as always Byrne delivered the steam.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark hero, a man who likes to do the right thing, gritty Victorian London or just a great sexy read.

I received an ARC from Gnarly Wool Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. This in no way impacts my opinion of the book.

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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Despite my rough start with Kerrigan Byrne’s books, I’ve come to appreciate her willingness to explore the dark side in her books, even if I don’t always love her characters. But given her tendency toward the anti-hero, I was worried when I heard A Dark and Stormy Knight was Morley’s book, given I found him a welcome presence of moral uprightness in the midst of darker characters.

But much as there is something to like, or at least sympathize with, underneath the facade of most of the other Rebels (however reluctantly I admit it), Morley as a hero gets an edge that is consistent with the character we’ve come to know: dedicated to justice. In fact, I felt for him when I learned of the skeletons in his closet.

However, I did feel like Prudence was a bit ordinary, only being fascinating due to the circumstances she finds herself in, an issue I feel is prominent with the Rebels and their heroines as a whole: the men are the bundles of issues, and the women are their source of stability, and as a reader who likes more complex heroines, especially after book one in Kerrigan’s other series, I found her a bit lacking.

However, speaking of the Rebels and the women, I did like the banter between the recurring characters. It’s especially funny how the fact that Farah and Morley once courted was handled. And while I can’t help but find it all absurd, I love how you get these little reminders of what the other men did to get with their women, when Carlton is in the thick of his predicament with Prudence.

Byrne excels at weaving suspense into her books, and this one is no exception. I spent the whole book wondering who it could be, especially since there didn’t seem to be anyone who stuck out as obvious aside from Prudence. But when all was revealed, I was in shock, especially because of the way this character was presented as largely inconsequential initially.

While not my favorite of the series, I feel Byrne’s objective strengths are on display here, and any flaws I’ve noted are due to my personal preferences. If you’ve loved the series thus far, you won’t be disappointed with this one.

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