I love Kerrigan Byrne and her style of dark historical romance. This book was just as enjoyable, but it has a slightly different tone from the other books in this series. What starts as almost a typical Scot alpha-hero romance, ends up being much more.

The Story-
After going through a particularly harrowing experience in America (I won’t spoil it for you), Samantha goes to Scotland to start over completely. The manor she has moved into is coveted by the one man she promised to protect it from.

My Thoughts-
I was surprised with the beginning in America and thought the American heroine was a refreshing take. She is delightfully spunky. Gavin is pretty much your typical dark, brooding Scot, but he does have a bit more going on upstairs than many of them do. The dark opening of his childhood set me up perfectly for Byrne’s style, but it took awhile for the book to get back around to the repercussions of that scene. I was initially afraid in the first third to half of the book (after the openings) that it was falling into a more “normal” rhythm of a historical romance. I felt like I had read it before. And then, everything changed and the danger ramped up and it became everything I hoped for from Kerrigan. She ties in some things I didn’t expect and brings it to a different level.

The Bottom Line-
Honestly, if someone were dipping their toe in to Byrne’s writing for the first time because they weren’t sure they wanted to start with her darker or crazier books, (which I absolutely love) I feel like this would be an excellent choice. Don’t get me wrong: her fans will still be happy as clams. I just feel like this book will win her some new fans based on the cover, title, and plot. Oh, and by the way, I am sooooo excited for the next book. We get to meet the hero in this book, and just swoon… Definitely one of my fave historical romances of the year. 5 stars