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This is book seven in the series Victorian Rebels.

Prudence Goode is engaged to be married, and she was quite excited about it, until she heard her sister and a friend talking about her husband-to-be and his reputation. Suddenly the usually well-behaved Pru wanted to have a night just for her own pleasure before she binds the rest of her life to one unfaithful man. She happens upon Sir Carlton Morley, who was in the middle of an investigation, and mistakes him for a Stag of St. James. Morley was only too happy to oblige the lady. Fast forward to three months later, and Pru and Morley meet again at her wedding, where she is found holding the bloody knife that had killed her fiancée. The evidence is stacked against her, and after being released from prison, Pru finds herself married to Morley. The marriage will help quell any scandal, and also enable Morley to keep a close eye on her.

This was a very exciting read. The first chapter showed us Morley as a teenager, and the heartbreaking story of his twin sister’s fate. It gives us a lot of insight into the inspector and his motivations. Morley is a wonderfully multi-faceted character. Pru appeared to be very dutiful, and obedient. But she had her moments of rebellion, such as her night of passion with Morley, and deciding to fight for their marriage.

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is well done, the characters are complex and there was a lot of history to unpack. It also had its fair share of suspense, trying to figure out who really killed Pru’s fiancée. Characters from the previous books also made an appearance and added to the general feeling of the story.

I can definitely recommend the entire series.

Thank you to Gnarly Wool Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Was I hooked by this book? Yes, for sure.

Genre: Historical Romance