The Highwayman (Victorian Rebel #1) by Kerrigan Byrne

They were the best of friends as children in the orphanage in which they were tossed and where they were often mistreated. Their friendship so strong that even at so young an age, they pledge themselves to one another. One fateful night, all goes awry when Dugan comes to Farah's rescue and they are separated for what seems like a lifetime. So many things happen to these star-crossed would-be lovers in their time apart that shape them into the people they will become. 

Dugan Mackenzie winds up in prison where he must fight tooth and nail to survive. Along with some misfits he gathers along the way, these prisoners stop at nothing to watch each other's backs and when they are finally free of the prison walls, the friendship they have forged through their adversity. Dugan takes on the persona of Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, who's name insights fear for many.

Now it's seventeen years later and Farah known to her co-workers as the widowed Mrs. Mackenzie works as a clerk for Scotland Yard where her superiors have it out for the crime leader, Dorian Blackwell, who the agency believes controls much of the ill goings on in the criminal world. When Farah witnesses Dorian Blackwell by her boss, she is unsure that her of her Superior's tactics which are similar to torture. 

When Farah is kidnapped by the Blackheart and taken to his estate where she is guarded by his motley band of convicts, she comes to realize there is so much more than meets the eye. Her captors regale Farah with stories that Dugan Mackenzie told them while they were all imprisoned of the "Fairy" (Farah). Farah is no less than an idol for these men, who survived their worst days with tales of their Fairy. Dugan's ruse for using the name of Dorian Blackwell is short-lived when Farah realizes that the Blackheart of Ben More is none other than the one man she hand fasted to when they were barely in their teens, but Dorian is now a hardened and cynical man bent on vengeance for all who did him wrong. Is it possible for Farah to find the Dugan she met deep down inside the mess that is now Dorian? Will he finally open up and allow his heart to once again accept was has always been his? Have a peek at THE HIGHWAYMAN to find out! 

THE HIGHWAYMAN by Kerrigan Byrne is one of the best stories I have read this Summer. This tale evokes so much emotion it was hard to not shed a tear. Farah's dedication to Dugan is amazing. All her years without him, using his surname and searching for him make her one of my favorite heroines. She has a heart of gold and and will of steel. The tortured hero, Dugan/Dorian has lived through such acts that would have fallen any other, but his loved for his comrades and the love he still holds for Farah, even though suppressed by anger and pain, make him a beloved hero. There is no doubt that THE HIGHWAYMAN is one of my top recommendations, a truly wonderful read!

~KIMBERLY~