A very touching story. Alexandra is protecting herself from a painful past. She is beautiful brilliant and fierce despite what was taken from her. Piers is scarred in body and mind. This story tells a tale as old as time. Recovering from an assault is debilitating to Alexandra’s future. The author has told this story in a splendid fashion. She has highlighted the value of having friends who will stick with you through anything. She has shown what love can do to heal a body, mind and heart that had been ripped asunder. Unconditional love is front and center in this story as both Piers and Alexandra navigate the minefield that was their past.

This reminded me of a highland version of Beauty and the Beast. It's like Ms. Byrne wrapped up my favorite fairytale in tartan. What a treat!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a great story. The plot was strong and captivating. The characters were intense and alive on the page, so much so, that you can’t help but go on their adventure with them. They had highs and lows, intense emotional scenes, beautiful passion, and a really engaging conflict. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like in this book. Great read and I want more. I highly recommend this new series if you enjoy historical romance.

4.5 Stars / 2 Steam Fans

CW: Rape, Murder, Death Threats, and Blackmail

Alexandra and the Red Rouges are a group of strong-willed ladies that go to school together in the 1800's. When the three of them share secrets after a traumatic event a bond is born. Alexandra is attending a wedding when the circumstances around all of the ladies attendance comes into question after there is an attempt on one of their lives. Duke Piers has been disfigured during his adventures but he needs a wife and heirs. Alexandra and Piers start a journey in which they explore the trauma that they have both endured and hopefully find love along the way. The first part of the story is part of a setup and feels slow but once the story focuses on Alexandra and Piers the romance picks up. I really enjoyed the more modern feel of a historical romance and I look forward to reading more from Kerrigan Bryne!

This specific video review will be included in the August 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is equal parts heartbreaking and swoon worthy. I cried tears of utter sadness and then delighted joy. Seriously, this book gave me so many feels I'm not even sure I can review it adequately.

Alexandra has two wonderful friends, and seeing positive female friendships in a story was so heartwarming. The 3 Red Rouges are more than mere friends and they share a terrible secret. Fast forward many years and an engagement brings them together. These 3 are quite different from each other which was interesting as well. Alexandra is tormented by an event in her past and it has shaped who she has become-she tries desperately to hide any indication of femininity. Her meeting with Piers, the Duke of Redmayne, aka the Terror of Torcliff, is just as unorthodox as Alexandra. Alexandra got her doctorate from the Sorbonne, which I actually visited when I was in Paris several years ago!

Both Piers and Alexandra have baggage and this leads to a lack of trust in their marriage of convenience. I cried HARD when Piers finally pieced the clues together and figured everything out. I adored Alexandra, but I also fell deeply in love with Piers. Throughout their love story, there is the constant threat of danger because someone is trying to kill them. Also, Alexandra's blackmailer is demanding payment and now that she is a duchess, the price has increased.

There are times when the story is painful to read. I think Bryne does a brilliant job of making that pain real in a way that causes the reader to hurt for Alexandra. While it wasn't easy to read, its very well done and an important topic. Check the trigger warnings if you have any. I am very excited to see what Bryne has in store for Cecilia and Francesca!

This is my first Kerrigan Byrne book and will not be my last! I need to find the time to binge-read her entire backlist omg!

Byrne’s words captured me from the get-go...the circumstances that surround how Alexandra saw men as an adult... her mistrust...her fear broke my heart.

But there’s something about Piers...the Duke and Terror of Torcliff...despite his flaws and scars that spoke to her soul.

Action-packed, exciting, sexy...a brooding hero, an innocent heroine...this book had it ALL. My emotions were all over the place...Pier’s dry wit had me laughing while the hurt and trust issues had me tearing up.

I am a new fan and am so excited to read more from Byrne. I’ve always heard such great things and am so glad to finally be reading her words...so SO FREAKIN GOOD!

Oh my. Kerrigan Byrne squeezed so much heat and melodrama and yearning and cray in just ten days with Alexandra and Piers; I can only imagine what she could've done with twenty. Ten days of scars, blackmail, friendship, jealousy, suspense, archaeology, murder, and the sexiest. slow. burn. ever. Kerrigan Byrne is the reason I haven't given up on historical romance and this new series about three amazing women and their friendship may actually top her gorgeous Victorian Rebels series.

One big warning: Kerrigan Byrne's heroines are usually survivors and fighters, but Alexandra's assault was exceptionally brutal and painful to experience on page. I actually started reading this ARC two months ago but had to put it down after the first few pages to find my emotional bearings.

Alexandra was amazing from the start but I had my initial doubts that Piers, Duke of Redmayne and the "Terror of Torcliff" could be her equal. I shouldn't have doubted. Redmayne is openly in awe of Alexandra and it is gorgeous to witness:
Don’t you know by now, Alexandra, that everything you do pleases me? To look at you pleases me. To touch and kiss you pleases me. The scent and taste and shape of you is the greatest pleasure I’ve ever known.
So the sequel bait is strong with this one. I actually didn't mind because Alexandra's friends and fellow members of the Red Rogues, Francesca and Cecilia, are just as intriguing and amazing. I have a feeling the Red Rogues may be every bit as marvelous as the Victorian Rebels, maybe more.

4.75 stars

Note: I voluntarily read and reviewed the eARC generously provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Series: Devil You Know #1
Publication Date: 8/27/19
Number of Pages: 448

I LOVED this book, but I want to start my review by telling you that if you have triggers to which you are sensitive, you might want to skip at least the prologue because it is quite graphic. It is very well written, gripping, intense, and breathtaking, but it is also graphic and heart-wrenching. I’m mentioning the trigger because it is not mentioned in the blurb as I believe it should be.

You’ll love the characters in this book. They are so real, so sharply defined, you’ll feel as if you know them: Emotions are so well described that you don’t feel as if you are reading them – you feel as if you are experiencing them: It is wonderfully written with descriptions so crisp and clear that you will feel the fear, anger, heartache and love yourself. The book perfectly sets up the series and introduces the characters for future books while focusing intensely on the mystery and romance of the current stars. The heroine is exceptionally well done. She’s strong, intelligent, and resourceful without being selfish and self-centered.

The Red Rogues Society was formed by three very intelligent, strong-willed, and adventuresome young ladies who were attending the Ecole de Chardonne for girls. They chose Red because each of them had some shade of red hair. Being unhappy with the limitations of the education girls were given, they would hide away and read materials (like war reports and lascivious poetry) they weren’t supposed to read. They taught themselves Latin, algebra, and other subjects they were normally denied. They were sworn friends forever and would protect each other no matter what. These young ladies were Francesca Cavendish, Cecelia Teague, and Alexandra Lane.

Each of the young ladies of the Red Rogues Society has ample reason to distrust men and each has her own secrets to protect. They share those secrets with each other, but with no others. Alexandra has been paying a blackmailer to keep her secret for the last ten years. She has no idea how they learned her secret, but she has to pay to protect herself as well as all of those she holds dear. Her family has lost all of its wealth and she has no idea how she’ll manage to pay the blackmailer – until the opportunity presents itself just perfectly – IF she can manage to swallow down her fear and seize that opportunity.

Piers Gedrick Atherton, The Duke of Redmayne, the Terror of Torcliff, is a scarred and flawed man. He’ll never, ever trust another woman and love is something that is totally foreign to him. Others view him, and he views himself, as a monster – scared on the outside and the inside. As a duke, he finds himself in need of an heir because there is no way he wants his cousin, Patrick Atherton, to inherit. His parents set up a betrothal for him when he was a child and he now intends to implement that betrothal. It will be two people living their own separate lives except to create an heir. He has no desire for love, affection, or caring – he doesn’t even have to particularly like her. Then, he meets her friend and wishes things could change.

Excellently written and filled with drama, excitement, danger, and love, this book will provide you with several hours of highly emotional entertainment. It reaches out and pulls you in and absolutely will not release you until long after you’ve read the last page. Speaking of that last page – the Epilogue is absolutely wonderful and gives you a very small peek at the characters for the next book.

This is definitely a book I can highly recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
💋💋💋
Passionate, tense , beautiful, heartbreaking, a book that’s will warm the heart after tearing it to shreds.
Poetically romantic adventure that is steamy and emotional, Kerrigan has produced another stunning book equal to the Highwayman.

Piers is tough , scarred and bereft of emotions unless they are hate and anger, then he meets a brave and beautiful lady at a train station and his life changes direction.

Alexandra has a secret as do her close friends, one that could ruin them all .
One that will stop her from ever loving and passionately touching the man she’s starting to have feelings for .

Can the two help and heal each other , will their enemies take everything away from them before they can find each other.

A wonderful book, stunning writing, addictive reading.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

What an absolutely amazing historical romance. It grabbed me immediately and I just couldn't put it down with complex characters and an intense drama that was fast-paced, emotional, suspenseful, bold, and included a touch a humor, secrets, lies, betrayal, twists, turns and so much more.

I was captivated with Lady Alexandra Lane who carries a deep secret from her past and her strong friendship with her dearest friends Francesca Cavendish and Cecilia Teague. I loved her instant attraction and undeniable chemistry with Piers Gedrick Atherton, Duke of Redmayne.

Parts of this book may be disturbing to sensitive readers but I loved every minute of it and feel it is a wonderful debut to the Devil You Know series. Ms. Byrne blew me away with this book and I can hardly wait to read more by this gifted author.

I received a copy of "How to Love a Duke in Ten Days" from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

I have had a hard time writing this review. Not because I didn’t like the book, because I absolutely loved it, but because of the prologue. I loved Alexandra and her loyal friends. I loved Piers. There was nothing not to like about this book. Kerrigan Byrne has been a favorite of mine from the very beginning. Her hero’s are my favorite hero’s out there. There is something special about them. They remind me of a time when men were men. Piers is no exception. He was an excellent hero and I loved his and Alexandra’s attraction to each other.

So my issue with writing this review is because of the prologue. I should mention spoilers/triggers here. Even now I’m stumbling over what to write. This was the realest portrayal of rape I’ve ever read. I felt Alexandra’s anguish and shame. She knew what had been taken from her and she knew she would never be the same. I was shaking and had to put this down when I first read it. When I read the line about feeling something running down her leg afterwards I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. No author that I have ever read has been able to so completely convey what it feels like to have this happen to you. It’s been over twenty years since it happened to me and it’s something I almost never think about anymore. This brought all those feelings back and I wept. I’m crying now just writing the review. I have since read books where the heroine had been rapped without a problem but I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish this book. It was for review though so I picked it back up and read it in one sitting. I was glad I did and I realized something. This is the way rape should be portrayed. Too often in this genre of books it’s glossed over as something that just happened especially in older romance novels when it’s the hero who is the rapist. It’s not portrayed as the devastating act it is, it’s not mentioned how there is a before and after and how everything changes. This book did that. But maybe a trigger warning in the blurb wouldn’t be a bad thing.

An entertaining book. Fun to read. A romance with a twist. The standard handsome hero and delightful heroine. .

This is the first book in a new series that centers around three female friends. An act of violence at their boarding school changes the women's lives. Ten years later they come together when one of them is to be engaged. This book centers around Dr.( Lady) Alexandra Lane, an archeologist, and Piers Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne. Piers is out for revenge. And for that he needs an heir. Alexandra sees a solution to her money problem by marrying Piers. Ten years of blackmail have taken a toll. But can she keep her secrets hidden from the man known as the The Terror of Torcliff?

I enjoyed the character of Alexandra! She was very smart and held her own with Piers. She was strong and brave in dealing with her past. Piers was a guy who had issues with trusting women after several hard lessons. However, Alexandra brought out his protective nature. It was good to see how these two gradually came to understand each other, and finally love and trust each other. Also, it was a nice change to have part of the story at an archeological dig. One thing I found odd and distracting was the three women calling each other by male names.

This was a very steamy read! Thanks to a small teaser in the epilogue, I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series in the spring of 2020! 4 stars

Trigger warning: sexual assault

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

"How To Love A Duke in Ten Days" by Kerrigan Byrne is a great book. A love story with a mystery/thriller feel. In the very first chapter you become attached to Alex. Her 2 friends are wonderful support and you end up wanting only the best for all of them. I have never read a book before by Kerrigan Byrne, but I am definitely going to be looking for more of her books.

How To Love a Duke in 10 Days, or alternatively, How to Lose Oneself in Metaphors, is the first book in Kerrigan Byrne’s brand new series. I love most of KB’s books from her Victorian Rebels series, so I was really excited to embark on a brand new journey with a new set of characters. But as much as I love the characters, I really wish I liked the story a lot more than I do. Spoilers below the cut. I am also including a trigger warning in there.

Let’s start with the good things. I think KB did a pretty good job developing the romance between Alexandra and Piers. The timeline of their story is tight – it really does take place within 10 or so days. But because the timeline is so tight, there is a lack of trust building between Alexandra and Piers. Oh, they definitely talked to each other and got to know each other better during their marriage. Piers was also open about his past and his childhood. But Alexandra hid important things from Piers up until the very end of the book. Listen, her reasoning makes sense to me. I get why she wouldn’t divulge her secrets so easily. But what I couldn’t understand is why she was unable to fully trust him about being blackmailed even after significant emotional and physical development. I also really wish that the plot and ridiculous climax didn’t detract so much from the romance, which I talk more about in the next paragraph.

My main complaint about this book is that there are way too many things happening.The series was set up really well, as expected from a writer like KB, who is so talented and creative. I love the concept of three redheaded girls at university who become lifelong friends and protect each other from the world. Trigger warning: Alexandra gets raped by the headmaster of her school in the prologue and she ends up killing him. This entire scene is graphically described. When they find out what happened, her two best friends, Cecelia and Francesca, help her bury the body. This tragic event changes the girls, most especially Alexandra, and their friendship becomes stronger than ever in the aftermath. Fast forward 10 years later, we find out that Alexandra is getting blackmailed by someone who knows the truth about that night. That’s one plot point. Francesca also has a bit of drama related to her past going on. Then, there are multiple assassination attempts that take place throughout the book, leaving the reader befuddled as to who the actual target is and what the motive is. And there is a nasty former lover that comes into the already complicated equation and makes everything messier. It is crazy how these threads multiply at a rapid pace and finally amalgamate during the absolutely ridiculous climax, where villains upon villains are unmasked and lots of shooting and injuries occur in the process. It. Was. Way. Too. Much. Not to mention that the mystery blackmailer’s identity and motive were both so painfully obvious from the very beginning. The climax almost felt like a dark comedy – that's how ridiculous it was.

A couple of oddities:
1) Alexandra's parents never make an appearance. It was so odd. Their opinion and reaction to Alexandra's wedding was completely ignored and not mentioned at all.

2) Alexandra leaves her friends to go on her honeymoon even though she isn't sure who among them is in true danger. What happened to sticking together to ensure safety in numbers? Who was protecting the girls while Alexandra was being protected by her husband? Weird.

3) Pretty sure the whole hymen part of the book is not scientifically sound (correct me if I'm wrong though!)

Writing:
The writing is strong, as expected from KB. But there were sooooooo many repetitive descriptions and metaphors. The hero and heroine were pining for each other so much that they lost themselves in poetry and weird metaphors that made no sense at all. Some of the metaphors were perfect and beautifully written, but the author definitely went overboard with the others. I love KB's prose, but I think her writing would be much stronger if she cut down on the metaphors.

If I were to conclude my thoughts about this book: I love the characters, but I was not a fan of the plot overall, despite the amazing tropes (scarred hero, beauty and the beast, and marriage of convenience). There were times where I found myself completely enthralled with the story, but then there are times where I was just bored out of my mind. That being said, I am SO excited for the next book! Cecelia and Cassius are going to be SO hot together. I'm sweating just thinking about their dynamic. I need it now!!!!!!!

P.S. It annoyed me so much how the girls had masculine names for each other. Literally, what is the point of this??

How to Love A Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrnne
Devil You Know #1

Excellent book ~ Once I picked it up I could not put it down!

Kerrigan Byrnne is an author I eagerly await books from. Every time I have read one of her stories I am moved. The characters are strong, complex and people I can relate to. The romances are rich. The descriptions make me feel I am there. I get swept into the story and hate leaving the characters behind even though I am eager to pick up the next book in the series as soon as it is available.

Three young girls at boarding school form a club. They are young and silly and adventurous and very very intelligent. They would do anything for one another. The headmaster of the school is someone the students are leery of as they know he enjoys handing out punishments and relishes the pain he delivers. In the prologue we find out just how evil he is and how he impacts the heroine of this story.

We pick up the tale ten years later and Alexandra, Francesca and Cecelia are still best friends and single as they are nearing thirty. When Francesca requests Alexandra’s assistance she heads immediately to help her friend and finds that Francesca is betrothed to a man she doesn’t want to marry. An alternative might be available if all parties are willing.

Piers Gedrick Atherton, Duke of Redmayne is a man among men. He is everything one looks for in the hero of a story. He is strong, intelligent, capable, protective, generous and scarred. When he meets Alexandra there is instant chemistry but with the backstories they both have their journey to a HEA will not be easy.

What I liked:
* The three female friends – what a wonder it would be to have such strong friends forever
* Alexandra – he willingness to do what she needs to to help her friends and family. She is also a person I would love to have had as a friend.
* Piers – oh my! I can’t think of anything I did NOT like about him!
* The flow of the writing that swept me in
* The introduction to people that may show up in later books in the series
* Everything...I mean...I am rating it five stars and really really enjoyed it!

What I did not like:
* The people I was meant not to like...and there were more than one or two.
* The pain that Alexandra and Piers suffered

This is a story that is to be savored. The romance is exquisite and the relationship between Alexandra and Piers so very well crafted. The evil people were truly evil and to be despised and I did so with relish. I can’t wait to find out happens in book two of this series...I believe it will be Cecilia’s story and do look forward to reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Paperbacks for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Received in exchange for a honest review.

The book started off slow. We have Alexandra’s past and what has made her so edgy and distrustful. We see why she doesn’t trust men and want one in her life. We also see why she is being blackmailed. From there we are in the present where Alex’s life isn’t great but isn’t bad. Her family is in dire straights. She is being blackmailed and at the end of her tether. NOw she is at a strange place with one of her besties in a situation that is unexpected. And an old classmate shows up as well adding to the issues in Alex’s life. Suddenly she is meeting a man that is rough and gruff but also kind and gentle.

Alex is a smart, edgy and interesting character. She was very independent and loyal as well. I love how she deals with things in such a analytical way.

Piers is fierce, smart, gentle and kind. He is adventurous and respectful of women. You fall in love with him and is gruff exterior.

So meeting Piers she is not exactly nice to him and she isn’t exactly mean either. She was wary and distrustful. She also speaks her mind. This intrigues Piers. He has had a rough time. He doesn’t trust many and has a adventurous spirit-like Alex. He has met someone who challenges him and awakens him inside and loves it but is wary as well.

Now we have two people with attraction but one in denial and one intrigued. We have people wanting harm to both and neither the wiser to the other’s reasons for being in danger. And Alex proposing a soltuion to both their issues. For Alex he can give her protection from her blackmailer and for Piers she can give him a heir. Meantime, people are in danger and some are dying as secrets are kept. I see Piers being more upfront and honest than Alex. We see them growing closer and closer and their attraction grows. As the danger around them ratchets up we see them learn to trust one another and Alex sees who Piers really is.

The story is entertaining as you see these two have great banter, a mystery that is intriguing and alluring and romance that is built from wariness, to friendship and finally trust and love. A great romance with a wonderful suspenseful mystery.

This was a bit of a diversion from her "Victorian Rebels" series which I love, this one did a couple of things I dislike in a novel but in the "exception to every rule" they were an integral part of the story. Her usual stories are what I consider adventure romance stories where there is a major romantic plot built within a adventure of some sort with a few erotic scenes.

This book which is the first in a new series and this story is a bit more erotic but without giving away the plot the sexual nature of this story is an integral part of the story.

Piers and Alex are a perfect match of somewhat broken people and the volatile nature of their relationship adds to the story. There is violence, blackmail, secrets abound and a passionate love story that has trouble getting its footing . 4.5 Stars which I rounded to 5 since I could hardly put it down.

This book is so much more than the fun and flirty title suggests. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be one of the best books I’ve read this year and one of the best historical romances I’ve ever read...period. Kerrigan Byrne takes on a very heavy topic with great sensitivity and grace. The love and trust that develops between Alexandra and Piers is some of the best I’ve ever read. The romance and suspense in this is top notch and Byrne has seriously outdone herself with this one. She keeps getting better and better and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Red Rogues.

How To Love A Duke in Ten Days Kerrigan Byrne Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. This feels like a very promising start to a new series - a rebellious group of teenage girls who grow up and are fiercely committed to one another. The start of the book was quite dark and a little hard to get through, but it was needed to understand Alexandra's story and the obstacles she and later Piers have to overcome. The villain was a little obvious - having hand-delivered blackmail notes should have narrowed it down the for her..but it didn't detract too much from the real story, which is Alexandra and Piers learning to trust and love each other. He had a lot to figure out, and it was a lovely and emotional story. I'm really looking forward to reading the other girls' stories!
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Happily Ever After Easy-to-read Entertaining Romantic Page-turner Tragic Great world building Wonderful characters Action-packed