I have to start off this review by saying that Kerrigan Byrne is one of The BEST historical romance authors out there. Her books are always so amazing and the writing is absolutely phenomenal. I literally devour her books!! Courting Trouble is among those amazing heartfelt angsty books she has written to date.

It is the 2nd book in the Goode Girls series. Honoria Goode was introduced to us in the first book as a very selfish spoiled princess, but nothing is what it seems and looks can be very deceiving. The book begins with her being shot by her crazy husband. A bullet that was meant for her sister, but she heroically jumps in front of her and takes the bullet instead.

As her life flashes before her, all she can think of is her first and only love,Titus Conleith. A decade had passed since she had seen him, but all she can think about is righting the hurt and pain she had caused him.

This book is truly a favorite of mine. You will root for Titus and Nora's love. I was so moved by their star crossed lover storyline and how circumstances beyond their control forced them apart at such a young age.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Kerrigan Byrne always does this to me. I am saying that I'm only reading a chapter at 1 am and at 4.30 I am finishing the story...How do I get suckered every time like that? How?!

This is the story of Nora and her teenage love, it's a 2nd chance story and a bit of enemies to lovers on account of the 2nd chance part, you can imagine that angst and anger were a part of this... Honoria, Nora, is the sister of Prudence, the heroine from Chief Inspector Carlton Morey's story. The novella starts with how her husband shoots her and then we get the back story of her and Tituts, how them met, fell in love and ultimately how circumstances(and sucky people) drove them apart.

Nora is on of those heroines that's self sacrificing that you want to hate for how she always does that, but at the same time you also admire her... you still want to hit her though. She's had a very bad marriage with a petty, vindictive abuser who thankfully is killed off early on. Unfortunately her parents are also assholes, and I couldn't understand how all their daughters are so frigging nice and admirable.

Titus felt a little less developed since most of the story is from Nora's POV and she's so compelling! He's a genuinely nice guy, smart, who dedicates his life to healing people. I like how he's trying not to like Nora anymore, after 10 years that they've been apart, and he can't just make himself not not care, it's not in his nature.

Besides the main characters, the secondary ones made me like the story the most: Pru's and Nora's twin sisters are a blast and the intriguing guys at the climax of the story made me wish for their books as well... And he wan't ignore Carlton(A Dark and Stormy Knight/Seducing a Stranger) or Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More(The Highwayman) they and the sisters steal the scenes they appear in.

From the start I said I couldn't put it down and obviously I can't wait for the next story. If you're in the mood for an angsty read with great characters pick this book up!

Another great story of the Goode sisters. Ms Byrne never writes bland books, I thought perhaps I am biased to her writing, but no. Having read several authors in the historical fiction/romance genre, she certainly engages in great story telling, formidable and flawed characters and takes her readers seriously. Glad to have writers of such calibre.

This is the story of the oldest Goode sister, of whom we had a introduction in ‘Dark and Stormy Night- story of Carlton and Prudence Goode, grab it if you are yet to read the book). She is bought to Dr Titus Conleith after being shot by her husband in a stand off. Dr Conleith and Honoris have a back story of almost 15 years ago. Honoria Goode now, dowager Viscountess has a rough life throughout her married life with a weak almost sadistic husband. She makes no excuses for the way she has led her life. Although she is plagued with the fact that her extra marital affairs with five men led to their deaths, she is not apologetic of these affairs. This is a pretty straightforward story, here the characters and their emotions is more of the story line.
We are introduced to perhaps the next protagonist to the series in the Sauvage twins?! Even Villains turn altruistic guys for a good cause. Not all thieves are villains.
There is a happy ending to the story of course, but the journey is not without its angst.

A good book for the winter reads.

I want to preface this by saying I really enjoy Kerrigan Byrnes books and that I adored the previous book about Pru and Morley. I was looking forward to this book but it just seemed very disappointing. The romance and plot were rushed and kind of lazy. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters and there was very little shown of them actually connecting. The narrative told like a recap: this happened then this then they kissed they this happened then this then sex then this happened. And a lot of action happened off screen. All in all this book was curiously boring and unemotional. It felt like the author slapped it together and rushed it out the door. Or it felt like the authors heart wasn’t really into the crafting of the story. Disappointing. But I’ll try the next one as the next pair seem interesting. I’m concerned at how many books the author is putting out this year though and worried they all might feel as lackluster and perfunctory as this one

This book is a classic historical romance with a loving heroine and a rakish hero that has a tragic past, but there’s a bit of a twist as the hero is not who you think it is. This is book two in the Goode Sisters series and I’ll be honest, after reading book one ( which I highly, highly recommend you do) I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Nora (Honoria) as she seemed a little catty, however you soon realize that Nora is acting a part of a real-life play that has been laid out for her. When she meets up again with childhood friend Titus, although not in the best of circumstances, you soon realize that Nora has a heart of gold, always looking out for others. This book has a soft loving core but a surprising twist that makes you realize how hard historical living must be. The supporting characters are also great and I can’t wait for book three. I still like book one the best but both Nora and Titus redeem themselves by the end making this a very enjoyable book too. 4 stars. I received an arc copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Courting Trouble is the second book in the Goode Girls series and can be read as a standalone. It would have been better if I’d read the first book though because this starts off with events from the previous book.

I enjoyed reading Titus and Nora’s story. For a book actually filled with a fair bit of suffering, this was a surprisingly light read. I adored Titus. I love heroes who know that they’re in love with the heroine and don’t waste time with the whole commitment phobia this. 🤷🏻‍♀️
A kind and selfless doctor with abs of steel? SOLD!

The role reversal, with Nora being the rake was refreshing! That one romance novel conversation between Nora’s sisters, Mercy and Felicity, was one of the highlights of the book. The flashback scenes were intense and their yearning and love for each other jumped off the pages.

Overall a super enjoyable read and the sneak peek into the next book has me anticipating already!! *grabby hands* I mean, this book hasn’t even released yet and I’m already impatient for the next! That’s the magic of her writing! 😍

This is book 2 in the series,"The Goode Girls". It starts right where book1 ends with Honoria being shot and requesting to be taken to Dr. Titus Conleith.
Dr. Conleith is shocked when he sees Honoria being brought in to his surgery. The woman hes loved since he was 10 but who kicked him out of her life over 10 years ago to marry her Viscount
Titus tries to remain level headed and professional when it comes to Honoria, even though he learns her husband is dead but not before shooting his wife. Honoria is in danger and needs to be protected. Titus takes on that responsibility.
So this is a 2nd chance romance trope. Will Titus and Honoria be able to rekindle the love they had before. And will what came between them before come between them again?
I loved Titis. He was hardworking, honorable, protective and loved with his whole heart. A perfect hero.
Honoria annoyed me. She was too conscious of what others thought but yet never consulted her sisters or Titus on what they thought. She just made her decisions without them. When she finally did consult them, they finally her life started going in the right direction.
I love this series. I cant wait for Mercy's book.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

As soon as I heard Kerrigan Byrne was writing a series on the Goode girls, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. I loved Pru in the last Victorian Rebels (or first Goode Girls) book and am so glad we get to know more about the rest of them! Nora is the main focus in Courting Trouble but I love that we get to learn more about Mercy and Felicity too.

This book picks up with the end of Pru's story with Nora getting shot and Byrne does a fantastic job of weaving in Nora and Titus' history to get the reader up to speed with what happened with them and why things are a bit strained in current time. Nora is an interesting character and I couldn't help feeling such sadness for her. As the eldest daughter, she is taught early on that she must marry well and not do anything to negatively impact her family's reputation. It's definitely a lot of pressure on her to "do the right thing" all the time.

Titus...I really loved him. He comes from nothing and found himself working in the Goode household when he loses his family. As a servant, he isn't really recognized in the household but when Titus fills in to light the fires one day, he finds Nora delirious with fever and this has a huge impact on his life. Not only does he stay and help the family doctor to save her life, but the experience creates a path for him to apprentice with the doctor and become a surgeon in the future. When Nora comes home after having been gone for a while, Titus can't help being drawn to her again and this time, Nora finally notices him.

Nora and Titus together are great but when Nora's father finds out about them, and threatens Titus and her, she agrees to a marriage that isn't what she wanted. Unfortunately, because of her desire to protect everyone else, not only does she suffer for her decision but Titus is pushed into a life he didn't even get a voice in. She absolutely thought she was doing the right thing and had every hope that he would find happiness without her. Knowing his character, he would have fought for her regardless of what her father said or did and it was unfortunate that she didn't talk to Titus about what was happening.

When Nora and Titus finally come back together in the current time, Titus can't help but still care about her, regardless of what he had decided years ago, and as they end up in a familiar situation he refuses to let her martyr herself. It's also helpful that Mercy and Felicity are also there to direct Nora to do what will make her happy.

Byrne does a fantastic job of bringing the past into the current story. I love a good second chance romance and the way she built the romance between Titus and Nora was great. I always appreciate when we get to revisit with characters from other books by the author and not only do we get Morley and Pru but Dorian Blackwell makes an appearance or two as well.

If you're looking for a great new historical romance series, look no further. Kerrigan Byrne is an auto-buy author for me ever since I started her Victorian Rebels books but trust me, you won't be disappointed by any of her books so if you haven't read them yet, go grab them all and read them now. I'm absolutely looking forward to Mercy's book next and can't wait to get my hands on it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nora was a Goode girl that went bad. She fell in love with Titus when she was seventeen. He was younger and below in station, but what she saw in him was great potential. To give him up brought the biggest pain and void in her life. After years of being blackmailed by a life she didn't want, to a man who used and abused her, she's finally free... or is she. When she arrives dying at the door of Titus Conleith's surgery. she only wants his forgiveness, he wants her to live and to love.
This book doesn't give up on the emotional rollercoaster of will they or won't they be together. Great series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.