The Victorian Rebels Book 1
This is a new to me author and highly recommend by my book club. I was very excited to read it.
Farrah Leigh McKenzie has a secret. Orphaned at an early age, she befriends fellow orphan, Dougan McKenzie, and they vow to love and protect each other. They perform their own handfasting as teenagers, but tragedy strikes, and they are parted forever.
Fast forward sixteen years and Farrah is a widow, working as a clerk at Scotland Yard. She is kidnapped by notorious criminal mastermind, Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, and taken to his castle in the Scottish highlands.
We learn that Farah is the long lost heir to a wealthy earldom that has been falsely claimed by an imposter. To further his power Blackwell offers to help her reclaim her title, but to do so she must become his wife. But Farah has her own demands. If she marries him he must give her a child.
I can see why my book club raved about this one. It’s crammed with angst and feels, topped with a nice dose of suspense.
It is so easy to feel for Dorian. He is the true, tortured hero, both physically and emotionally. The author drops hints that scarred Dorian is not all he seems. These little hints make you think one thing, then at other times you’re like, no that’s not it at all. It’s a really good technique to build suspense and keeps the reader hooked.
Farah is not a damsel in distress, despite Dorian’s desire to protect her. She is also an older heroine which makes her more pragmatic, and I love pragmatic heroines.
There’s also plenty of tension and heat between the characters which wraps it into a great sizzling read. Bring on the next rebel.
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feels: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
