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Thursday, October 3, 2019

Review: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 2015

STEALING BEAUTY
Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of London’s wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who’ve wronged him…and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception—and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands…

COURTING DESIRE
But Farah is no one’s puppet. She possesses a powerful secret—one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he’d long thought dead?


The Highwayman opens with one of the sweetest prologues I have read in a long time.  Farah and Doogan's sweet and innocent  love story beginning was so adorable and it made me want to read more to see if they could find each other again.  The story takes place 17 years after the events of the prologue.  Farah is working for Scotland Yard when she is kidnapped by Dorian, Blackheart of Ben More.  He claims her life is in danger and she needs to marry him.  

The big twist is pretty obviuos to the reader from the second chapter. I loved the reveal scene (from Farah's perspective).  It was so emotional and satisfying.  I loved this couple.  Even though Dorian is pretty stubborn and misguided in his "cold heartedness".  What he went through in prison as a boy was horrific and gut wrenching. I appreciated how the author handled Dorian's PTSD from his trauma.  It came across as very real and believable.  The other characters that Dorian has surrounded himself with added a lot of flavor to the story.  Frank was my favorite.  

If you love historical romance with broken heroes, then I highly recommend this one.  The next book is The Hunter.  I look forward to picking it up.

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