Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖 4 books
Romance: 💞💞💞💞 4 hearts
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋 5 butterflies
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 4 broken hearts
Sensuality: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 5 fires
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡ 5 lightnings
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 4 peaches
Number of Sex Scenes: 🍆🍆🍆 3 eggplants
(These are all personal opinion of 1-5 except eggplants, which follows our facebook reading group's eggplant chart)

This is book 3 of the Goode Girls series. It’s probably best to read in order, as Mercy and Raphael are both in the previous book, but if you are a reading rebel, you might be content just picking up this book. The series really does flow together well (starting with Victorian Rebels) and there’s multiple character appearances throughout.

Mercy is the mischievous twin. Her sister Felicity is the calm and sweet one. She is determined to solve the murder of an acquaintance and when the police show up, she is the one arrested along with Raphael Sauvageau.

Raphael is an ultimate bad boy. Leader of a viscous gang, he’s dabbled in all sorts of bad behavior. He has some things to see to regarding his business and his brother and Mercy keeps turning up directly in his way.

Give this book a try if you are in the mood for:
- Victorian time period (1881)
- Antihero - Dark and bad hero that is utterly smitten with our heroine. He’s a lord of a criminal underworld. He’s just this looming, protective presence and I love him so much.
- Tattooed hero
- Class difference – Mercy is the daughter of a Baron and Raphael is a criminal
- Masquerades – Raphael and Mercy both attend one later in the book and it leads to one of my favorite sex scenes ever. Ever!
- Marked as childless HEA, though unsure if it will happen in the future
- Moderate to heavy steam – it’s only 214 but you get multiple full scenes and kisses
- Think there’s a tiny age gap between them, the hero is 30 but I can’t find how old the heroine is (if anyone knows, let me know!) But I think she’s younger than Pru and she’s 27 or so? The hero comments on how she’s probably too young for him (but not in a teenager way, just that’s she’s young and innocent and he’s corrupted way)
- A shorter novel – coming in at 214 pages according to goodreads
- If you don’t usually read Kerrigan Byrne because she’s too dark, this might be one for you to try. The safety warnings are minimal – there is an off page murder of a side character and on page death of a villain but I can’t think of any other safety warnings that come into play in this book.

This is my kind of book. I could just write I f****** loved it in bigger and bigger font and be done. I love a hero like this. I just adored the whole book, from the very beginning. Choose any paragraph from this book and I loved it.
Raphael is quite intense. Focused on Mercy from their first meeting (which is the prior book, so read that!), he is so protective of her safety too and it just melted my heart. I adored every kiss, every touch between them. He’s arrogant but it’s deserved. Demanding yet caring. Sigh.

There’s a scene towards the end, where danger looms and Mercy realizes his plan and it leads to such an explosive intimate scene. It will stay with me forever. I love when a man loses control over his heroine and that’s what I felt here. Gahhh I love this book.

“But I will be too distracted by my obsession with your lips to be of much use, unless you yield to me.”
He stepped closer, watching the war play out on her face, and spoke to tip the scales in his favor. “If you are to never take a husband, at least let me give you the knowledge of what to expect from a lover. Though I pity the man who next attempts to follow me.”
The sheer arrogance in his claim should have turned her off him instantly.
And yet, he said this with an odd sort of darkness. Like he pitied her next lover because he was already considering doing him violence.
“Let me have you tonight.” His whisper sizzled through her.

This is the epitome of what I adore in a romance hero.

I received this advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“I don’t know if it’s the darkness of the hour or of the situation, but I can only think it is a cruelty of fate that I found you.”

Raphael Thierry Sauvageau, Lord of the Fauves, is a trilingual professional (tattooed!) criminal. Such was the life he was born into, literally, inheriting his father’s. The only way to exit this fate was by death. Loving no one else but his brother Gabriel, Raphael was willing to be a martyr to protect him. He has come to terms with his choice, accepted his impending sacrifice… then he meets Mercy.

Mercy is the daughter of a baron and a commissioner, sister-in-law to the Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard (Carlton Morley!! 😍), and a member of the Detective Eddard Sharpe Society of Homicidal Mystery Analysis. She’s intelligent, independent, capable, and refuses to be tamed. I like that she was so honest and forthright. “I don’t know how to be coy and I don’t have time for artifice. Besides, why are women expected to be shy or tentative? Why must the fact that I am bold or inquisitive be revolutionary?” although it risks going into not-like-the-other-girls territory. “Most women are trained to act like simpering fools,” she scoffed.

My first Kerrigan Byrne book was The Highwayman from the Victorian Rebels series. I loved the first half of the book SO MUCH because it had all my weaknesses. But it let me down in the second half because there was so much going on beyond the romance. Too many subplots that distracted me, that I just didn’t care to read about. I still feel like there was too much going on in this book, especially for a short book. The murder mystery of a scandalous socialite that we started the book with, and Raphael and Gabriel’s big thing, and the romance, and the secondary romance.

Speaking of the romance – it was a very quick development. They meet, kiss, meet, kiss, spend the night together and fall in love. The entire book happened in the span of a few days. I can be okay with insta-love, but it has to be supported with a conviction of their fiery chemistry or a belief that they the forces of the universe conspires for them to be together. I can’t help but feel that perhaps their emotions are heightened by the high stakes of Raphael and Gabriel’s escape plan. What if there weren’t all these factors of urgency? And what if they didn’t succumb to physical intimacy? Would they still have fallen in love, and at this pace? At one point I wanted to sit them down and ask hey guys just checking in, are we sure about this? This isn’t just the death anxiety or thantophobia talking? 😅The conflict resolution/ending was dramatic and rushed too.

I’m super excited for Gabriel and Mercy’s twin Felicity’s book though! I have a feeling it’ll be a good one – grumpy Beast & sunshine beauty pairing. Gabriel was already falling for her in this book, aww. “Her steps are... careful. Her words are soft.”

I love this story so much! This book is everything!!! Kerrigan Byrne is becoming one of my favorites romance writers.
Mercy Goode is not a good girl like her family name would suggest. She finds mischief wherever she goes. Such as getting arrested at a murder scene with Raphael Sauvageau, a brutally handsome, ruthless smuggler with a dangerous past and a dubious future. The silver-tongued devil doesn’t deserve a lick of her confidence, but she has evidence that he’s not the killer.
Raphael has no time for obsession. He’s an empire to run, a murder to avenge, and a plan to save his brother that is likely a suicide mission. But this clever, infuriating bluestocking--who insists she’s an amateur detective--keeps showing up where she doesn’t belong. And for some reason they can’t seem to be in the same room without him yanking her into his arms and kissing her until they’re both breathless.
Perhaps what he needs is a night with her. Perhaps what he needs is redemption. Perhaps what he needs is a bit of Mercy.
Perhaps what Mercy deserves is his love.
This is a beautiful love story. There’s romance, mystery, mischief, witty dialogs, and lots of kissing. Mercy is strong, smart, so sure of herself and her goals, that every woman can feel relate with her. Raphael is one of my favorites heroes ever. He has a criminal past, but he wants out even tough that would mean sacrificed himself for his brother sake. But Mercy is having none of it.  One of the love scenes almost make me cry. He is so sweet and tender with her, so in touch with her feelings that it broke my heart a little.
Beautiful beautiful story. This book is a must! I highly recommend it! I’ll be waiting restless for Felicity’s turn.

Mercy Goode finds herself in danger, when she is arrested at a murder scene with Raphael Sauvageau, a man guilty of many sins, including smuggling. Whilst Raphael is likely to be framed for the murder, Mercy has evidence to prove that he is not the killer. What she is unsure of is what her attraction to him will mean. Since meeting Mercy, Raphael has been a man obsessed. He thinks that his obsession can be tamed by spending a night with her but even that seems to be unlikely.
This was such a fast-paced book, that I found myself racing to the end but wishing the story would go for longer.  Every Kerrigan Byrne book in this series (and all others) has been a delight to read. Whilst their attraction is instantaneous, the intensity of their emotions is obvious and yet, quite believable. Mercy, from the very beginning, is so confident in her manner, that it seems so possible for her to make the decisions that she does, without any parental guidance. Similarly, Raphael appears to be a man, who is quite passionate and yet has a gentleness that is so natural when Mercy is around.
This is a story full of action and romance! I look forward to reading about Felicity and Gabriel, in the next book of the series.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Mercy is my kind of gal. Subtlety doesn’t appear in her dictionary. I love how straight forward, and unapologetic she is. She knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to fight for it.

I do have to admit I was expecting Rafe to be a bit darker, and complex. We meet him again when he’s at a crossroad in his life. His future plans definitely didn’t include falling in love, but Mercy seems to pop up everywhere, and he can’t deny her.

The chemistry between these two was a lot of fun to read. They keep each other on their toes, and that banter is a joy to read. I would love to have seen a bit more focus on the sleuthing part as well, as that big reveal was a bit of a let down.

Dancing with Danger was fun to read, though not my favourite in the series. I am looking forward to reading Gabriel (Rafe’s brother) and Felicity’s (Mercy’s twin) story.

All the witty banter stars for this one!!

I adored Mercy and Raphael!! Their banter, their chemistry, every single thing about them! I really enjoyed how the author gave time for the characters to develop. It made their connection so much more genuine for me. It’s the very best kind of clever storytelling that had me smiling the whole time. 

I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Goode girls and bad boys.

Brothers for the Goode twins. 
Mercy Goode, doing her best Miss Scarlet, is an amateur detective aficionado, volunteering at the Lady's Aid Society when se discovers her friends murdered body. With a murder to solve, she is drawn and fascinated by Raphael Sauvageau. Because in this series, Goode girls do so love their bad boys. Raphael is a chameleon, a criminal, a rake, a murderer? 

Familiar characters return as this series moves with a fast paced and lush cadence. 
A little bit dark and a tad gritty, Mercy and Raphael spar with ease as attraction grows. 

Recommend.

This was a very well-written, entertaining book. Mercy and Raphael have met before, and they cross paths at the site of a murder. They are both intent on solving it, and they keep running into each other. The book held my attention and was hard to put down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author. This author is a must-read for me.

I absolutely fell in love with this book! Mercy and Raphael are quite the pair. Mercy is bold, full of mischief, and incredibly intelligent. When a murder throws them together, sparks fly. Raphael is a bundle of masculinity who thinks he knows what he wants until his world is upended by Mercy in all the best ways. I can't wait for Gabriel and Felicity's story. 

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, just wow! Dancing with Danger is absolutely phenomenal! I love Kerrigan Byrne’s novels, but this one is the best that I have read since The Highwayman, which is one of my favorite romance novels. In this novel, Byrne brings passion to a peak with her very intriguing main characters who find themselves entangled with one another in more ways than one.  This novel absolutely draws you in from the very first page. I can’t wait to read the next installment!

3.25/5 stars!

When a socialite ends up being dead, the heroine suspects foul play and wants to investigate as said murder victim came to her for help. She has met the hero before and there is definitive attraction between them. The hero wants to start anew but there are loose ends to be resolved, including finding the murderer. 

It was definitely a book focusing on two people extremely attracted to each other. I truly felt the chemistry between the hero and the heroine, which the author really does well in writing. I enjoyed the cameos that other couples from the previous books makes an appearance in this book, and I look forward to reading the book featuring the heroine's twin younger sister and the hero's older brother. This won't be the last Kerrigan Byrne book I read because the author really writes fantastic characters and engaging stories.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the rthe view copy.**

This book was so good and now I want to read Gabriel and Felicity"s story when it comes out in a few months. May needs to hurry and get here.

Dancing with Danger is part of a brand-new romance series from Kerrigan Byrne. 

Mercy Goode isn't afraid of anything, and she won't back down from doing what she is good at: finding mischief no matter which man tries to tell her so, but when that man is smuggler and crime lord Raphael Sauvageau, she has to rethink her convictions. 

Raphael is hiding something from her but when he propositions her she knew she'll regret it forever if she turns him down.  This book has an interesting secondary story but the main point of the book is Mercy and Raphael and their chemistry together is explosive. I was surprised at how the whole story is resolved and I found the sisters Goode and the brothers Sauvageau were compelling and interesting.

Every book in this series just gets better and better. I read the first book thinking wow and then second book going holy wow and now with Mercy and Raphael.  Just mind blowing.  Kerrigan Byrne writes these amazing characters that you root for and even with their foibles you want to see them succeed.  I adored these two characters together but also seeing the other characters from past books and looking forward to seeing what is coming for Felicity.  I think everyone should read these books and all of Kerrigan Byrne’s books.  They are just magical.

Mercy Goode strides boldly through life and is no stranger to the occasional tight scrape but getting herself arrested at a murder scene with notorious gangster Raphael Sauvageau is a bit much even for her. She’s initially suspicious of the ruthless smuggler but there is clear evidence he’s not responsible for this particular murder at least.

Raphael is in the middle of putting in motion an elaborate plan to extract himself and his brother from the dangerous life they lead, though it is likely to result in his own death. He can’t afford a distraction, but Mercy continues to pop up in his path, infuriatingly playing the role of would-be detective. The more galling she is, the more charmed he is, and the chemistry between them is so strong they can barely keep their hands off each other any time they’re together. Raphael knows he has no future and yet Mercy makes him feel alive for the first time in his recent memory and she may just be the key to his redemption.

This was a lovely, fast-paced story with an antihero I could really get behind. Raphael just wanted out of a life of darkness he never chose for himself, but he was willing to lose all for his brother. I found that so endearing and revelatory, especially paired with his protectiveness of Mercy, that Raphael had to be a hit for me as a hero. Mercy had to grow on me more, mostly due to her rather caustic personality and tendency to be argumentative just for the sake of contrariness, rather than with any real goal in mind. Her modern feminist views were a bit heavy-handed and overly repeated, but they did fit in with the Victorian age’s leaps toward progress. Her fire was perfect for Raphael and their chemistry and sexual tension was sizzling, yet their steamy scenes managed to be very sweet (the hand holding especially.) I loved that Raphael wasn’t really a bad guy, but just trying to survive the only way he knew how in a position he’d been forced into. I also loved that he accepted Mercy for who she was and in fact loved her for the traits that others found off-putting.

I do wish we’d had time for a little more relationship development and communication between Mercy and Raphael, but this was a short book and their instant connection, especially the way it changed everything for Raphael, was still lovely and worked here with the drama and gravity of the book’s events. I really enjoyed the scene with Carlton Morley late in the book and would’ve loved to see more of his interactions with Raphael just as a tie into them both finding redemption after dark pasts. More affection and affirmation from Mercy during this scene would’ve also been welcome given how Raphael laid his soul bare for her. Either way, I still loved that scene.

I’m excited for how this series is shaping up and I’m hoping for more coverage of Morley’s handling of these gang wars and loving the gritty Victorian setting. Gabriel was a heart-wrenching character and I’m looking forward to getting his full story and super excited for Byrne to write another inexperienced hero.

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

Kerrigan Byrne has created another unforgettable antihero! Raphael Sauvageau is flawed and has a dark side, who's fallen for someone feisty and good.

Mercy Goode, an amateur sleuth is drawn to this man with dubious moral compass but came to realise ultimately that he has noble intentions.

Byrne doesn't write wishy-washy central characters. She creates a beguiling heroine and an intriguing hero. Raphael and Mercy fit each other perfectly. They are interesting and entrancing. Their narrative is compelling. This is a five star read.

I voluntarily read an eGalley copy from NetGalley. This is my honest and impartial review.

This was a quick and easy read. Not as heavy, or long, as her Victorian Rebels or Devil You Know series.

Mercy is a delight. She reminded me of Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher, with her keen eye for observation and having to deal with misogyny and sexism. I loved how she handled herself in a fight. (I've read contemporary stories where the woman is supposed to be a baddass, but she acts weak and helpless in a crisis.) The fact that Byrne kept Mercy's character throughout the story consistent was gratifying to read.

Raphael is the perfect foil for Mercy. A sensitive soul forced into a life of crime, I admired what he wanted to do for his brother at the same time I wanted to throttle him for his self-sacrificing.

My only issue is that I found the ending a bit abrupt. The epilogue does help a bit, but it doesn't quite answer as many questions as I'd hoped.

Still, all in all this was a delightful read. The pacing, characters, dialogue are all marvelous and I'm really looking forward to Felicity's story next!

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Dancing with Danger by Kerrigan Byrne is the third book in her A Goode Girls Romance series. I think this book should be read in order as part of the series in order to understand the family relationships and characters. The story opens with the murder of a woman that Mercy Goode had been planning to rescue. A confrontation with the police officer assigned to the case leads to her arrest along with notorious crime lord Raphael Savageau. Mercy is everything I could wish in a heroine, feisty, smart and not afraid to ask for what she wants. While not quite as angst filled as some of Kerrigan Byrnes previous books this one provides enough mystery, danger and steam to keep you up reading long past your bedtime. I enjoyed the book and do recommend reading the series. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: February 9, 2021. #DancingWithDanger #KerriganByrne #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalRomanceSeries #OliverHeberBooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

This is another fabulous entry in the 'Goode Girls' series that follows the paths of four sisters.  While it is part of a series, it can certainly stand on it's own.

The book is a fast read - there's action on almost every page, making it exciting and hard to put down.  The main characters are perfect foils who bring out the best and worst of each other.  This leads to some pretty steamy exchanges, so be prepared for insane chemistry.

Definitely a must read if you enjoy atypical heroes & heroines who find their happily ever after together.

This is the 3rd book in the Goode Girls Series, featuring Mercy Goode, an adventurous, high-spirited younger sister of Prudence and Honoria, with the leader of the notorious criminal gang The Fauves, Raphael Sauvageau.

Mercy loves detective work, enjoys solving puzzles, and always speaks her mind. When investigating the murder of a friend, she meets Raphael once again, after their first intense encounter from the previous book. Knowing he’s the lord of the underworld, Mercy knows she should not get involved with him, but their sparks and attraction are undeniable!

Raphael was born into the criminal world, where he had no choice but to go on with it. He has a plan in motion to finish it all, until Mercy barges into his life and gives him hopes and a possible brighter future...

While this book is quite steamy 🔥, I found myself wanting more development in their romantic relationship, perhaps because of the short length of the book that doesn’t give enough depths to the main characters, especially when they didn’t have history before. I also had a little bit of pacing issue, where the beginning was quite slow, then it rushed with actions towards the end. If you’re looking for a short read, packed with steam and surprised twists and turns, I’d recommend this book! You can’t go wrong with Kerrigan Byrne and her magic words!

Now I can’t wait for Felicity’s story. It gives me a major Beauty and the Beast vibe, and I’m a total sucker for fairy tale retellings 😂! Also, perhaps virgin hero trope?!?! 🤔

4⭐️ read for me!

*Special thanks to Oliver Heber Books for gifting me this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*