All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

All Scot and Bothered is the second book in the stunning Devil You Know series by USA Today bestselling author Kerrigan Byrne!

They are a dangerous duke, a fierce lord, and an infamous earl—dark, bold, brave men who know exactly what they want. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees...

He is first and foremost—at everything. A man who’s made his own way through ruthless cunning and sheer force of will. A strong and imposing Scot who can turn on the charm but does not suffer fools. His title: Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. His name: Cassius Gerard Ramsay. His mission: To investigate the goings-on at London's most notorious gaming hell, owned and operated by one of the most intriguing and desirable women he’s ever met.

IN THIS GAME OF LOVE, THE RULES DO NOT APPLY

Cecelia Teague was an orphan facing a rather dire future—until a secret benefactor from her mother’s scandalous past swept into her life. Sent to a prestigious boarding school and later to university, Cecelia believed high society was at her fingertips...Then, from out of nowhere, she became the inheritor of a gambling establishment. Now Cecelia must live two lives: one as a proper lady who finds herself undeniably drawn to Lord Ramsay and the other as a savvy gaming hell owner trying to save her business from the very same man. He has no idea she is both women...and Cecelia would like to keep it that way. But what happens when consuming passion and escalating danger threaten to reveal the truth?

"With the Devil You Know series, Byrne once again delivers the beautifully nuanced characters and seductive storytelling her readers have come to expect."—Booklist

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REVIEW

Kerrigan Byrne's All Scot and Bothered (The Devil You Know 2) is a lovely historical romance.  Cecelia Teague, the second book of a trio of friends who call themselves the Red Rogues, finds herself wrapped up in a possible scandal upon the death of her aunt.  To make things worse, she finds herself drawn to Cassius Gerard Ramsy is spearheading the investigation into her new inheritance.

Cecelia and Ramsy are a wonderful couple.  Their insecurities equally get in their way at times, but their friendship and passion for each other help to balance that out.  Any story has a certain amount of conflict for the couple, but it did not get drawn out to the point that I was questioning the characters' intelligence.  

I love Ramsy's sense of duty.  He seems a bit stuffy at first, but it quickly fades away.  Cecelia was a woman with her own mind, which is refreshing, and I honestly appreciated she was voluptuous.  

There was a great mystery also present in All Scot and Bothered, one that I did not fully suss out before the reveal.  I appreciate when there is something else going on in a romance other than an internal struggle with the characters.

I would highly recommend All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne for any historical romance fan.  I cannot wait for the next adventure of the Red Rogues.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne Blog Tour Stop, Excerpt and Review August 27th

ABOUT THE BOOK

These men are dark, bold, and brave. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees...

Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.

LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

“Romantic, lush, and suspenseful.”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch

Excerpt

Chapter One

Maynemouth, Devonshire, 1890 Ten years later

Alexander,

Accept the invitation to Castle Redmayne. I’m in danger. I need you.

—Frank

Alexandra Lane had spent the entire train ride from London to Devonshire meticulously pondering those fourteen words for two separate reasons.

The first, she had been unable to stop fretting for Francesca, who tended to give more than the appropriate amount of context. The terse, vague note Alexandra now held was more of a warning than the message contained therein.

The second, she could no longer afford a first-class, private railcar, and had, for the last several tense hours, been forced to share her vestibule face-to-face with a rough- featured, stocky man with shoulders made for labor.

Alone.

He’d attempted polite conversation at first, which she’d rebuffed with equal civility by feigning interest in her correspondence. By now, however, they were both painfully aware she needn’t take four stops to read two letters.

It was terribly rude, she knew. Her carpetbag remained clutched in her fist the entire time, except when her hand would wander into its depths to palm the tiny pistol she always carried. The sounds of the other passengers in adjoining vestibules didn’t make her feel safer, per se.

But she knew they would hear her scream, and that provided some relief.

For a woman who’d spent a great deal of the last ten years in the company of men, she’d thought these painful moments would have relented by now.

Alas, she’d become a mistress of manipulating a situation so, even if she had to endure the company of men without a female companion, there would be more than one man. In the circles she tended to frequent, people behaved when in company.

It had worked thus far.

Alexandra braced herself against the slowing of the train, breathing a silent prayer of relief that they’d finally arrived. She’d been terrified that if she’d glanced up once, she’d be forced into conversation with her unwanted companion.

Rain wept against the coach window, and the shadows of the tears painted macabre little serpents on the conflicting documents in her hands. One, a wedding invitation. The other, Francesca’s alarming note.

A month past, she’d have wagered her entire inheritance against Francesca Cavendish’s being the first of the Red Rogues to capitulate to the bonds of matrimony.

A month past, she’d assumed she’d had an inheritance to wager.

Their little society had seemed destined to live up to the promise they’d once made as young, disenchanted girls to never marry.

Until the invitation to an engagement masquerade— given by the Duke of Redmayne—had arrived the same day of her friend’s cryptic and startling note.

The invitation had been equally as ambiguous, stating that the future duchess of Redmayne would be unveiled, as it were, at the ball. Included in Alexandra’s particular envelope was a request for her to attend as a bridesmaid.

The subsequent plea for help from Francesca—Frank— had arrived in a tiny envelope with the Red Rogue seal they’d commissioned some years prior.

Alexandra hadn’t even known Francesca had returned from her romps about the Continent. Last she’d heard, the countess had been in Morocco, doing reconnaissance of some sort. Nothing in her letters had mentioned a suitor. Not a serious one, in any case. Certainly not a duke.

Francesca had a talent for mischief and a tendency to interpret danger as mere adventure.

So, what could possibly frighten her fearless friend?

Marriage, obviously, Alexandra thought with a smirk.

A risky venture, to be sure.

From How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. Copyright © 2019 by Kerrigan Byrne and reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

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Review 

What I liked: I don't read a lot of historical romance novels. I was pleasantly surprised by How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. The main female characters were not timid creatures driven by the rules society deems appropriate. Lady Alexandra Lane attains a respectable profession and becomes independent. Likewise, the Piers Atherton the Duke of Redmayne is not a stuffy aristocrat. He feels more at home away from the other nobles and is not looking to gain more prestige. 

At its heart, this book is the story of a woman reclaiming peace after a horrible experience causes severe PTSD. *Warning, anyone who has a trigger involving sexual abuse should tread cautiously.* Alex finds a way to overcome her fears of intimacy and comes out better in the end. Her journey is profound and inspiring.

What I didn't like: In a nutshell, secrets. Misunderstandings, when one could have just been completely honest from the beginning, does not endear me to the characters. I felt the decision to hold things in so long really drew things out unnecessarily. I will say that it opened up room for character development, so I get where it came from.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this early copy of How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. I could easily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good historical romance.