Wow, just...wow. Amazing book. Fairly unpredictable, dark, sexy, heart wrenching for sure.

Farah was a wonderful heroine. Sweet yet spunky, I loved hearing her story and watching her fall in love. I loved her dialogue.

Dorian. Oh my. I know my explanation will not do him justice. His first scene, when he meets Farah while incarcerated at Scotland Yard just totally captivated me. He is so dark, abused, just sucks you in and you can’t turn away.

The side characters are all amazing. I loved quite a few of the side characters and it really helped bring the story together.

The love scenes were unlike any I’ve read. Long, descriptive, I burned when I read these.

This was such an emotional book. Loved going through the feelings with them. Dorian may have ruined me for many other “lesser” heroes in my future books I read. This was my first by Kerrigan Byrne and I would love to read more from her.

My expectations were very low for this book. I think I had heard that it was boring, drawn out, just not an exciting and passion inspiring read.

I can see why people think that. It’s almost 400 pages and there’s a lot of internal unsaid dialogue. I felt that way about her A Rogue By Any Other Name. But I didn’t feel that way about this book.

I took my time with this book and let it unfold with me. The beginning was a little confusing for me with trying to establish the bastards history without really saying too much to give away details. The character development, I felt was deep. This isn’t a book that’s action packed running here, this happens that happens...you are in their heads, you are feeling their feelings. Just over a hundred pages in I realized this book had wrapped its tendrils around my heart. I wanted to know what happens. Every second I wasn’t reading this book I was thinking about it. It held me and I wanted to know.

I thought this book got better and better as it went on. My heart hurt. I even cried. It was just, different. I loved her Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and The Rogue Not Taken and this book has a different feel from that. It’s a slow burn. It’s a love story. It’s broken and real. It’s a broken hero that needs this heroine. Not that the previous titles weren’t like that, but this one was just, darker? I don’t really know how to describe it. I loved it though. I enjoyed the heroine overall. I loved the hero. It’s a lot in his perspective. I want to know what happens next. It’s not my favorite by her but it’s one that broke my heart and will be kept forever.

Very enjoyable story! Loved the characters. Loved the dialogue. Soooo funny. As it was an audiobook I was usually doing random things while listening and I
1. Almost fell of the treadmill because I was laughing 2. Giggled to myself in bed with headphones in while my husband gave me weird looks 3. Listened to a passionate love scene with all my windows open while apparently my neighbors were walking by 🤣

I love the beauty and the beast/damaged hero trope a lot. One of my favorites probably. I loved both the hero and heroine, and really all the characters (like the butler!)

The narrator was Mary Jane Wells, who did fabulous. Honestly I feel like experiencing her reading, and her inflections really made the story so much better. I think reading it myself, Ash (hero) would have come across as more of a harsh character in my mind. She did a great job of portraying his personality in the perfect way: hurt, damaged, somewhat hopeful with his interactions.

So many amazingly funny parts. The CAT 😂 Oh I loved Breeches. Ash and Emma’s conversations were hilarious. I loved the conversation Emma has with her father when he comes for her forgiveness (“He insulted my CURTAINS!” 🤣🤣)

I do want to buy a physical copy at some point and reread this. I don’t know if I will do a lot of audiobooks. First of all, it took me over a month and half to finish. I read 26 books “on the side” while listening to this which is another reason I want to reread it and really focus on it. I feel like if I’m reading I focus more. My mind tends to wander a lot if I’m listening to something (probably why I never bother to watch tv) and I found numerous times I had to rewind the audio. If I had a solo commute I would totally be into it. But my children are always on me so I didn’t have as much listening opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book. It is the second book in the Hathaway series, the first being Amelia and Cams story, Mine Til Midnight. This is Win and Merripens story. While it can be read as a stand-alone, you will get more of Win and Merripens feels and background if you read Mine Til Midnight first.

I feel like this series seems a lot more...intertwined with all the siblings than say, the wallflower series. In the wallflower series I felt like while the characters were together, each book really focused on the main couple. With these two books from this series so far there seems to be a lot of page space for the other siblings. Like in the first book there’s quite a bit about Leo and his struggle, and he is in this book quite a bit. I’m assuming this story is the third book. Cam and Amelia are also in this story a lot. I usually don’t like the focus being taken off the main couple but somehow it hasn’t bothered me yet with these. I am actually really enjoying getting to know the whole family on a deeper level. I didn’t love Mine Til Midnight (it was okay but I had higher expectations for Cam I guess) but this book has made me really want to continue with the Hathaway’s story.

Merripen is a gypsy that has been basically adopted by the Hathaway’s. He was rescued and recuperated with them at a young age and never left. Win is the second eldest sister of the Hathaway family. I found their story ever so sweet and heart wrenching. The love Merripen has for Win, it is beautiful and raw and just all consuming. She loves him too of course but I really felt Merripens feelings in this book.

He’s a frustrating character at some points because he refuses Win repeatedly and you just want to shake him. He believes he is tainted, broken and not worthy of her, and I just always fall hard for male characters like that. You’re really rooting for him to find that self love and when he finally comes to her and says, “Youre mine”....total goosebumps.

The Hathaway’s are just not doing it for me overall. I loved the wallflowers so much more. I know I’m in the minority. Especially with this book, which has such high ratings. I did find it pleasant but it didn’t stir any strong feelings for me. I gave 🌟🌟🌟.

Poppy Hathaway is intelligent and sweet. She catches the eye of the ruthless Harry Rutledge and he proves he will do anything to have her, whether it hurts her or not.

At first I thought I was going to love this story. I loved the beginning scene with the two of them. I loved how Harry was very caveman-ish with his desire. He KNEW he wanted Poppy and that was all there was to it. I started to lose interest through the middle of the book and towards the end I was just so annoyed at the lack of feeling I felt for either character.

I found a lot of the middle boring, and saw so many missed opportunities for character growth, conversation, and closeness between the main characters. Eventually when the conflict comes to a head it’s all solved with sex and no discussion...Poppy hears of Harry’s past through someone else and I felt it was left unresolved between them both. Harry was a totally jerk so many times and I felt like he didn’t really make up for it.

So, not for me, but I know it’s a hit with many others.

I give 4.5 stars rounded to