ARC Review: Courting Trouble by Kerrigan Byrne

Title: Courting Trouble

Author: Kerrigan Byrne

Series: Goode Girls Romance (Book 2)

Page Length: 220

Publication Date: Dec. 8, 2020

Publisher: Gnarly Wool Publishing

Synopsis: Doctor Titus Conleith emerged from his time as a battlefield surgeon with a mysterious fortune, a lethal secret, and a demon on his back. Ruthlessly intelligent, he was able to lift himself from his beginnings as a coal-stained bastard through merciless discipline and inexhaustible skill. Alone by choice, he swore never to open his heart to another. Not after Honoria Goode. The heiress who shattered his hopes and then tread upon the shards of his heart with her bejeweled slippers. The beauty with whom he shared his first taste of passion before she gave her hand to another.

The woman whose life he just saved from bleeding out on his table…

Honoria’s life as a Viscountess has been nothing but a misery she’d brought upon herself with her own cowardice. Trapped for years in a loveless marriage to a cruel rake, she has been widowed by the consequences of his villainy. Now, she must face the man with the blazing golden eyes of the boy she once worshiped, and the dark past they both share.

As their passion reignites with the same fervor of their youth, Honoria can’t help but begin to wonder…

Will he allow her the second chance she doesn’t deserve?

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

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My Review:

A wonderful second-chance historical romance riddled with miscommunication, Courting Trouble is the second book in the Goode Girls series but can totally be read as a standalone. The story begins when Nora is taken to Dr. Titus Conleith with a gunshot wound. Titus is stunned to see his old love wounded and in his clinic. He’s never gotten over his first love and still feels the sting of rejection.

When Honoria, or Nora, wakes up in the clinic of her first love, she learns that her horrible husband is dead and she is free. However, her husband’s shady dealings, as well as her father’s unforgiving demands, haunt Nora. When Titus offers to keep her safe, Nora must face her past and confront the obstacles in her present before she can move on.

I love the romance between Nora and Titus. Their feelings for each other span years and their love is strong. Neither really emotionally moved on after their break-up, and their desire to be together is palpable. However, neither feels worthy of the other. Titus because of his non-noble standing in society, and Nora for her questionable past. She doesn’t excuse her behavior but feels tremendous guilt over how her actions detrimentally affected others. Titus tries to remain impassive and unaffected by Nora’s presence, but his life-long love for her is hard to squelch and ignore. Their chemistry is fantastic, and it is clear that they are made for each other.

The flashbacks, which detailed Titus and Nora’s relationship when they first met as teenagers and into their late teens, add so much depth to the characters and the story. You can understand why Nora feels so compelled to follow her path. You also realize how deeply Titus loved Nora and continues to love her. Theirs is a love that’s enduring and true, and the flashbacks show where that love began.

This is a quick-paced and captivating historical romance with dynamic characters and a fascinating and complex mystery. Danger, thievery, potential death threats, and more make for an intriguing read, as do the well-developed characters. I’m excited to read future books in the series to learn more about the Goode sisters and the shady events that they become unintentionally embroiled in. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Gnarly Woods Publishing, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Rating:

Favorite Parts:

The romance, of course! This was a fantastic second-chance romance!

The intrigue. Where is the missing crate? Who might want to silence Nora?

Favorite Lines:

Love, the purest love, was diving into the lake of brimstone and hellfire, and drowning in it willingly, if only to gain freedom for the one who owned your heart.

He became a hollow creature, only separated from the object of his yearning by the space of a breath. And the chasm of a decade.

You loved a construct. An image of perfection manufactured by your own desires and my fabricated behaviors. You loved your idea of who I was. Because you didn’t know me, Titus. No one ever has.