I LOVED this book. I already know I am partial to Byrne's writing, having loved most of the Victorian Rebel series and The Hunter being one of my all time favorite books. And this one was another memorable, emotional roller coaster for me.

Safety warning attached at end. (So you can avoid if you don't want to know)

Alexandra has been paying a blackmailer for well upon a decade now. With her funds running out and her family impoverished, she is waiting for the gauntlet to fall with repercussions of missing two payments. She's done well in life, protecting herself as a single, spinster woman of 28. Shes become a doctor, an archaeologist and is at home in tombs and among old bones.

I really enjoyed Alexandra's character. I think I fell in love with her during a beginning scene, where she wrangles an out of control horse. She's a beautiful character, broken but pieced together by her own strength and the friendship of her life long friends Frank and Cecil.

Piers is the Terror of Torcliff, returning to England with a scarred face and a heart full of revenge. His past love life has left pain and his only goal now is to secure the Dukedom with marriage and heirs.

Oh, Piers. I just loved him. I always have a soft spot for a scarred hero. And this man is big. Burly. Bearded (unusual for my reads). Scarred. Slightly bitter and distrusting due to his life experiences. But I thought they were just perfect for each other. The healing that happens in this story is wonderful. Kudos especially on the epilogue. I adored it. Piers is one of those heroes that falls hard for his woman. Even though there are trust issues between them, he just cannot help his draw to Alexandra. It borders on obsessive. It's jealous. It's all consuming. Its just everything I love in a romance. I loved how much I got to be in Pier's head.

This book had a ton of feels for me. (For those that have read, the laundry room scene – OMG. There went my heart. Flung against a wall. Stomped on. Cracked. Barely pieced back together by their love.) I felt the pain. The anger. The uncertainty of a new relationship. The hurt. The healing. The love. Oh, the love. I felt Pier's love for her so much. His ultimate desire to keep his woman safe and happy.

I adore Byrne's kisses and sex scenes. Just sexy, long, detailed wonderfulness. Sigh. Adored this book.

There were a few minor things that slightly bothered me, but not enough for me to knock anything in the rating.

Possible spoilers – please leave review now if you haven't read the book





My minor issues: Pier's mistrust, which he was forgiven given his family background and the revelations he had about Alexandra
I also thought the ending scenes with the villains was a liiiiittle silly how they trailed in one after the other after the other, but still nothing that ruined the book for me.

Safety warnings: sexual assault, murder, violence