Who Would Like This Book:
If you love your historical romances dark, brooding, and packed with angst, this one is a feast! The chemistry between the tortured, powerful Dorian Blackwell and the steadfast, compassionate Farah Leigh absolutely sizzles. Kerrigan Byrne’s storytelling dives deep into trauma, healing, and redemption, while never shying away from the intense emotions. Fans of “Beauty and the Beast”, anti-heroes, dramatic backstories, and steamy tension will be right at home. Plus, if you like stories where the heroine matches the hero’s strength and depth, you’ll be rooting for this pair.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This book goes heavy on the melodrama, darkness, and tormented emotions - which isn’t for everyone. The alpha male hero can be abrasive, and some readers found his behavior needlessly cruel in places. There are also intense triggers, including childhood trauma and past abuse, so sensitive readers should tread cautiously. If you’re not a fan of very possessive heroes, melodramatic plot twists, or slow, brooding angst, you might lose patience. And if you prefer lighter, fluffier historical romances, this might be a bit too intense.
About:
The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne is a gripping historical romance novel set in England, featuring the characters Farah Mackenzie and Dorian Blackwell. The story delves into the past of the protagonists, exploring their childhood connection in an orphanage and how it shapes their present lives. As Farah, a widow working at Scotland Yard, encounters the notorious criminal Dorian Blackwell, a complex relationship unfolds, filled with dark secrets, kidnapping, and a marriage of convenience. The writing style of the book is described as intense, touching on psychological themes of trauma, redemption, and the power of love to heal wounds.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The Highwayman includes content warnings for themes of childhood abuse, sexual assault, trauma, and violence.
Has Romance?
The Highwayman prominently features a romantic plot, with the core of the story focusing on the relationship between the main characters.
From The Publisher:
A Library Journal Best Book of 2015
A Library Journal Summer Spotlight Title
They're rebels, scoundrels, and blackguards-dark, dashing men on the wrong side of the law. But for the women who love them, a hint of danger only makes the heart beat faster, in the stunning debut historical romance The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne.
STEALING BEAUTY
Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of Victorian 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?
Ratings (49)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (20) | |
Liked It (9) | |
It Was OK (7) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (109):
Read It (53) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (25) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (28) |
2 comment(s)
Vivid writing, but the direction of development really just makes it trauma p*rn. This book could’ve really unpacked things more respectfully, but it did not do that imho.
Angsty, in the best way. A love story to remember. Definitely Beauty and the Beast vibes.
What can you read after
The Highwayman?
About the Author:
Whether she's writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast.
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