I love historical romance, especially if it takes place in the 1800s. And if there’s a touch of mystery and intrigue, the darker the better, then I’m even more here for it. When I signed up for the blog tour of A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne, I knew it was Book 7 in the series, but figured, as with most romance, it would function well enough as a stand-alone. This book did live up to that expectation, and to top it off it was filled with all of the tropey goodness I love about historical romance! Update: A Dark and Stormy Knight has been retitled Seducing a Stranger.

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The summary:

A Dark and Stormy Knight
Kerrigan Byrne
(Victorian Rebels #7)
Publication date: June 2nd 2020
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance

This Knight of the Crown is driven by a painful past and a patient fury… and his entire life is a lie.

Sir Carlton Morley is famously possessed of extraordinary will, singular focus, and a merciless sense of justice. As a man, he secured his fortune and his preeminence as 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.

Now he stalks the night, in search of redemption and retribution, vowing to never give into temptation, as it’s just another form of weakness.

Until temptation lands—quite literally—in his lap, taking the form of Prudence Goode.

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.

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.

Goodreads / Amazon

50 Romance Novel Reading Challenge

I chose this book as my first choice for my 50 Romance Novel Reading Challenge, created by Love, Sawyer. The prompt was Week 3: Mistaken Identity. This book employs the proper romance trope of “mistaken identity” when Pru mistakes Morley for a prostitute.

Buy Seducing a Stranger on Amazon.

If you love romance novel tropes, this book is for you. Gosh, this book had them all, and it was just so lovely and fun. We have Pru, a virginal spinster finally about to marry. She overhears that her betrothed, George, is unfaithful and a bad lover to boot, and decides that she wants a night of passion. In the same eavesdropped conversation, Pru learns about a brothel with male prostitutes, intended for female clientele. Pru decides to pay a visit.

Meanwhile, Sir Carlton Morley is engaged in his self-appointed night job as a vigilante. There has been a string of killings of young men that has led him to the same brothel. Pru is looking for her mate for the night and when she stumbles upon Morley, she decides he’s her man. Morley can’t reveal who he is, and is also completely thrown by Pru. The two share a night of passion, not knowing who the other’s true identity.

Three months later, Morley is attending the society wedding of his coworker’s daughter when he is called to the back by the priest just before the ceremony. The groom has been murdered, and the bride is holding the knife. The bride is Pru, and the two immediately recognize one another. And to make matters even more strange: Pru insists that she is not the murderer (and we see from her POV that she is not), and she reveals that she is pregnant with Morley’s child. These two are forced into a marriage, all while Morley must solve the crime and the couple must deal with their attraction to one another.

So, you can see all of those fabulous tropes just in the first few chapters: mistaken identity, a vigilante, accidental pregnancy, one night stand, a woman scorned, a marriage of convenience. It’s absolutely delicious. To top it off, it seems the men in this series are all incredibly complex, fully embracing the fun even further. Morley grew up an impoverished thief. Now a law enforcement officer, a vigilante, and a knight. He’s friends with assassins and former crime lords and pirates. It’s just so fun. I also loved the writer’s use of alliteration. At one point she describes some of the men as having been through a “menagerie of miseries and misdeeds.”

There were SO many side characters, many of which were previous heroes and heroines from the series. The main side characters were easy enough to keep straight, and I know if I had read the other books, I would have had an easier time remembering who the other couples were. They weren’t too important to the plot, though – more like fun cameos for Byrne’s dedicated readers. That being said, Byrne may have made a dedicated reader out of me. When I get myself that Kindle Unlimited subscription I’ve been eyeing up (which I am planning on doing soon), I will remember to revisit this series. For me, this was a 4 star read. Absolutely lovely, but functions better as a series read, and I experienced it as a standalone. My thanks to Kerrigan Byrne, Gnarly Wool Publishing, and Xpresso Book Tours for hooking me up with a copy.

Find out more about how I rate books here.

A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Byrne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this romance, even thought I hadn’t read the previous six in the series. It was steamy and so delightfully tropey. Thank you to Kerrigan Byrne, Xpresso Tours, and Gnarly Wool Publishing for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review. Look for my full review at bitchbookshelf.com on June 4!

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About the Author

Kerrigan Byrne is the USA Today Bestselling and award winning author of several novels in both the romance and mystery genre. Her 2020 releases include A Dark and Stormy Knight in June, All Scot and Bothered in September, and A Treacherous Trade in December.

She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington with her wonderful husband and Willow the Writer Dog. When she’s not writing and researching, you’ll find her on the beach, kayaking, or on land eating, drinking, shopping, and attending live comedy, ballet, or too many movies.