The Hunter (Victorian Rebels, #2) by Kerrigan Byrne Series: Victorian Rebels #2
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on February 2nd 2016
Genres: Historical
Pages: 432
Goodreads
I Loved This Better Than the First in the Series
“Christopher Argent was a creature born of nightmares, a man who looked evil in the face and challenged it to a duel. Millie acknowledged that in this instance, she didn’t need a white knight, but a shadow that could traverse the darkness with the cunning and speed of that lethal viper.”
FINAL DECISION:
THE STORY: Christopher Argent is a hunter, a hired killer and assasin. Born and raised in Newgate Prison, Christopher is the “coldest, deadliest man in all London.” He is hired to kill Millie LeCour, an actress and mother and supposedly a whore and thief. When he arrives at the theater to kill her, he finds himself entranced by Millie and unable to bring himself to kill for the first time. Instead, Christopher offers Millie a bargain — a night in her bed in exchange for his protection. Millie will do anything to protect her son and her attraction to Christopher makes their bargain palatable and perhaps even desirable.
OPINION: Oh, I am a sucker for these dark, dangerous and damaged heroes. Christopher is a man who has lost so much that he desires nothing. He survived a monstrous childhood by shutting out all emotions and being a cold killer. When he sees Millie, her vivacity changes him. Even as he finds himself fascinated, he doesn’t understand what is happening to him. This book chronicles his journey from cold killer to a man who can love. The ability to make a man who kills without remorse a hero is a difficult task, but Byrne does a marvelous job of allowing readers such insight into Christopher that his transformation is believable.
Millie is a heroine to admire. Practical, accomplished, ambitious, professional, loving and willing to risk everything for Christopher and her son. She is a professional actress and this book depicts that life in a way that feels organic and real. I especially enjoyed how Millie is not waiting for a man to rescue her. In both this book and in THE HIGHWAYMAN, Byrne depicts women who are making their own way through life by way of their own work and efforts.
Dark, romantic and complex, the romance between Christopher and Millie is not for readers looking for a light and humorous read. But for those of us who love our heroes on the edge of being the villain with must angst and drama, this book is for you.
WORTH MENTIONING: There are significant appearances by the hero and heroine from the first book in the series, THE HIGHWAYMAN. I was pleased to see how their marriage was going.
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HUNTER is the second book in the Victorian Rebels series. It can be read as a standalone but is better read after the first book in the series.
STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.