Oh swoon....what is can be better than a broken man and broken woman coming together to fall in love and healing their broken? Nothing, nothing is better and this book was awesome! I have just discovered Kerrigan Byrne and I am loving all her books. The hero's that need saving and the strong women who save them, and themselves.

Piers and Alexandra were perfect! Piers the strong, scarred Duke with trust issues and Alexandra the woman with many secrets and who has been through the roughest of times. However, they found each other in this book and it was great! I was cheering all along that these two lost souls would come together as one and heal one another. This story has suspense, steam, romance, great secondary characters and a strong H and h. That is the quint-fecta (yeah I just made that word up) right there. This book had everything that makes a 5 star story and this story is definitely five stars. I was so sad when the book ended I kept swiping on my kindle wishing there was just one more page...just one more, but sadly the story had to end and I can't wait to get Cecilia and Francesca's stories! One note of warning, there is a trigger in this book, but it handled well in my opinion and there is no "insta-cure" to the issue. This was just a darn good book and I will continue to work my way through Ms. Byrne's backlog as well as wait patiently for the next books in the series! Highly recommend!

Kerrigan Byrne has started her new series, The Devil You Know with an ablate bang! From the moment I started on the first pages of How To Love A Duke in Ten Days, I was hooked and enamoured with the leading ladies of this new series. They call themselves the Red Rogues and have banded together at boarding school together. These are the girlfriends you want on your side!

How To Love A Duke in Ten Days tells the story of the strong, intelligent and beautiful archeologist, Lady Alexandra Lane as she ventures to the castle of the scarred Duke of Redmayne, in order to rescue her friend and fellow Rogue from her marriage to said duke! Ever the loyal friend, Alexandra proposes herself to the duke!

Both the characters of Alexandra and Piers , the Duke of Redmayne, are wonderfully written and immediatly relatable, both are flawed and in need of something to make them whole. I fell in love with their intimate kindnesses to each other.

I adored this story and am now anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. Also- the cover art on the book is perfect! Beautiful and taken right from the book, I love it!

How To Love A Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne is due to release August 27th, 2019.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#HowToLoveADukeinTenDays #NetGalley

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne is the first book in the Devil you Know series and I have to say, it was everything I was hoping for! If you know me, you know I have been reading more historical romance of late and having loved Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series, I jumped at getting the chance to check this one out.

Lady Alexandra Lane is our lead and I loved everything about her. She loves her friends and is willing to protect them as much as she is able. We immediately learn about what happened in her past and there’s no question it has impacted her…as it would anyone. And while she hasn’t necessarily resolved the pain and fear that came out of that event, she has continued to live her life. What it did for the story was show exactly why Alexandra and her friends are so protective of each other. I thought that while it is traumatic and perhaps some more sensitive readers might not love it, Byrne created a story that shows just how much of a survivor Alexandra is.

The friendship between Alexandra, Francesca, and Cecilia was really well built and it all starts with the prologue and when the story picks up years later, we can easily see that despite the trauma, Alexandra will do whatever is necessary to help and protect her friends. When she finds out Francesca is supposed to marry the Duke of Redmayne (known as the Terror of Torcliff), she immediately digs in to figure out what is going on and comes up with a solution everyone can be happy with…she will marry the Duke instead.

Piers has his own issues, one of which includes the fact that he needs to marry and have some heirs. When he runs into a woman at the train station who immediately takes over his thoughts, he never expects to see her again. Lucky for him, she just happens to be the best friend of his unannounced fiancé and when she proposes an arrangement that essentially gives him what he wants, a wife, he is more than willing to take the deal.

I loved the chemistry between these two characters. Yes, they are both scarred but they slowly get to know each other and trust one another. Without knowing the full story of Alexandra’s past, Piers is left to make some assumptions which are shaded by his experience with his mother and this all creates some tension. There are bumps along the way for these two as they learn more about one another and it only helps move the story along.

Alongside all of that, there is a bit of a mystery to solve too. Someone has been blackmailing Alexandra because of her secret. As Alexandra and Piers go on their honeymoon, things start to move forward with this storyline. When she finally figures out who is behind the blackmailing, there’s another complication that puts them both in danger.

Overall, this is another great historical romance from Byrne. There’s no question that she is officially on my auto-buy list and I can’t wait for the next books in the series so we can learn more about Francesca and Cecilia as I can already tell there are some twists and turns coming with their stories. If you are looking for a book that will give you well developed characters, swoons, mystery, and some heartache, consider checking this one out.

The story is well thought out and nicely written making this an exciting page turner and one which I am more than happy to recommend."

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. How To Love A Duke In Ten Days is the first book in Kerrigan Byrne’s new series The Devil You Know.
As schoolgirls three young friends are embroiled in danger and secrets that mark their lives and strengthen the bonds between them. Although Lady Alexandra Lane’s secret hasn’t prevented her from pursing higher education and becoming Dr. Lane a graduate of the Sorbonne and and well known archaeologist and historian it still affects her almost every action from her manner of dress to her ability to sleep at night and her finances. Piers Gedrick Atherton, Duke of Redmayne desires to marry in order to produce an heir or two and thwart the ambitions of his cousin and heir who is now married to the woman who betrayed him. Not overly concerned with whom he marries he has invoked a betrothal agreement arranged by his father. Alexandra arrives at Castle Redmayne in response to the urgent request of her dear friend Countess Francesca Cavendish to be her bridesmaid and because she fears she is in danger. Understanding that Francesca and the duke are unsuited to find happiness together and since she finds herself in need of a husband, Alexandra proposes a marriage of convenience to the duke. When murder, betrayal, blackmail and mysterious attempts on their lives follow these two on their honeymoon their marriage of convenience becomes something more. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the rest of the series. Medium Steam Publishing Date August 27, 2019 #NetGalley #HowToLoveADukeInTenDays #StMartinsPress #StMartinsPaperbacks #MarriageofConvenience #HistoricalRomance #Bookstagram #KerriganByrne

Three women in a very different time than my present. I don't read a lot of historical romance although it was really what started me reading the genre. I really need to read more, I have thoroughly enjoyed this journey to the past.

About to graduate from boarding school, Lady Alexandra is summoned to the headmaster's office. It's late, not the usual time one would be called to be disciplined and while he has a valid point about the infraction, what he does about it unthinkable. What Lady Alexandra does is totally appropriate, sets the scene for this story and binds the three friends Francesca, Cecilia and Alexandra together in secrecy.

Ten years later, Alexandra travels to Maynemouth, Devonshire for the masquerade where Francesca's engagement is to be announced. She and Cecilia will be there to support her regardless of the outcome. However Alexandra has a bigger problem, she has been blackmailed about the incident at school for years, but now her family is in dire financial straits and she can't pay. All their futures are at risk because of her actions so many years ago.


In very unusual circumstances, Alexandra sort of meets Francesca's soon to be fiancé. Although, he doesn't introduce himself and some assumptions are made.

Francesca doesn't want to marry anyone, her relationship with the Piers Atherton the Duke of Redmayne is prickly at best. It's Alexandra who comes up with a reasonable way out for both of them. She would marry the Duke, solving her financial problems and protecting everyone she loves in the process.

Oh, the misunderstandings, the denials, the romance, the assassination attempts and so much more will have you turning the pages to solve the mystery.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!

This book was marvelous, held me on pins and needles until the very end.
I would describe it as a mix between historical thriller and romance with HEA.
I loved every single second of this story full of twists and turns, it kept me on the edge all the time.
I fevered with both main characters, cheered them on and felt build of their sexual tension through my marrow. It was sooo good folks, although the book was on the longer side I devoured it like a starving person.
I especially loved that the heroine was woman on the modern side, doing things in that time were scandalous.
I would say if you love historical romance spiced with somewhat mystery this book is the right one for you.

This is my first Kerrigan Byrne read - I know, I know, I have been living under a rock - and now I am kicking myself that I have not had her stories on my radar before now!

I am on a historical romance kick lately, and How To Love A Duke In Ten Days is definitely a great one to add to my collection.

I loved that our main characters are flawed, and even though they are marrying for completely altruistic reasons, and that it may well be a loveless marriage, that there will be affection of some sort between them.

All is not easy in their lives, and as the story progresses there is a whodunnit that left me guessing right up to the reveal the whos, the whys and the WTFs!

I love, love, love Alexandra's friends Cecilia and Francesca - collectively known as the Red Rogues, and man, I can not wait to learn more of their stories.

I will definitely be going back through Ms Byrne's back catalogue and finding some more great reads.

What starts off as a wedding to seek vengeance for one and convenience for the other turns into something completely different. This is a adventure filled journey of secrets, blackmail, murder, love, suspense, and a unexpected fierce loyalty. Will Alexandra take a chance by letting go of her secrets and trust this fierce man who is now her husband to protect her? And will Piers forget a past betrayal that has made him bitter?

I have to say, this kept me guessing till almost the end who was behind all the misdeeds. I’m looking forward to future books in this series!! Five huge stars!!!

Kerrigan Byrne has a super start to her new series, Devil You Know in How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. I liked the two main characters, Lady Alexandra Lane and Piers Atherton, Duke of Redmayne, the Terror of Torcliff. Both had many issues from their past to overcome, especially Alexandra. The way this author developed their relationship is very interesting. I especially enjoyed the mystery/intrigue. The secondary characters are fascinating, especially Lady Francesca Cavendish and Miss Cecelia Teague. I look forward to their stories.

This is Lady Alexandra Lane and Piers Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne’s story; 1st in the Devil You Know series; a standalone, happily every after, no cheating, historical romance with a plethora of steamy romance.

With an honorable, swoon worthy hero, and a lovable heroine, this tale held my interest from the beginning to the end. Amidst a backdrop of rape, murder, danger, secrets, intrigue and revenge; both find true love. The slow romantic build between Alexis and Piers is beautifully choreographed in a sensual seductive dance; with elements of a witty dialogue, tears, trust and mistrust; two scarred souls heal each other.

The cast of characters, era and scenery are fully developed; creating an intriguing action romance that draws you in with each new character introduction. The story made me cry, fear, smile and root for the hero and heroine.
A cautionary note- the prologue has a rape scene that may be too intense or act as psychological trigger for someone who has been sexually assaulted.
I look forward to the next in this series or any works by this author.
I received a copy of this story though NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Be Aware: This book begins with a teenage rape who kills her rapist. Then follows her journey in dealing with the events. Had I known, I would not have read this book. I read historical romance for enjoyment. I read the newspaper for educating myself on uncomfortable topics. The blurb should somehow indicate this particular content. #MeToo

The author's writing is skillful. I enjoyed the mystery portion towards the end of the book.

I was provided this book to read in exchange for an honest review. These are my honest opinions.

This is my first book by Kerrigan, but it will definitely not be me last. I am fairly new to the historical romance genre, and I have to say, Kerrigan did an amazing job of drawing me in with this world and characters. I already want more in this series. Piers was the Duke of my dreams. He was alpha, hot, and overall and amazing here. Lady Alexandra, was fierce and I felt her pain and emotion so vividly. Kerrigan, wrote these two imperfect characters and made them some how beautiful together and perfect for each other. I will be buying more books by her.

Heat Factor: There is a stupendous amount of very detailed foreplay
Character Chemistry: Their chemistry carries the book
Plot: Overcoming sexual trauma, with a heavy side of blackmail and death threats
Overall: The relationship is great, but the rest didn’t quite work for me

Let’s start with the opening, because the Prologue is really intense - and was completely unexpected, given the book blurb, which made How to Love a Duke in Ten Days seem like a nice light-hearted romance. Sure, there’s some blackmail mentioned, but there are plenty of light-hearted romances with blackmail. Right? I’m sure there must be. Anyways.

So the book opens with our heroine, Lady Alexandra Lane, away at boarding school. Where she is raped by the headmaster. In the heat of the moment, she kills him with a straight razor and disposes of the body with the help of her two best friends. Her friends reveal deep dark secrets, so now the three of them are bound by blood and secrecy and a pact never to marry. I told you the opening was intense. (Squeamish readers may want to consider skipping the prologue.)

Fast forward to ten years later. Alexandra is heading to the castle of some duke who is engaged to one of her friends. For various reasons (she needs money, someone is blackmailing her about the murder and she wants the protection of his ducal name, the duke and her friend would make each other absolutely miserable), she proposes that she marry the duke instead. Even though she is terrified of men, especially of being alone with them, and even more especially of the thought of having sexual intercourse with one.

The duke, however, is special. Piers excites Alexandra in a way that she doesn’t completely understand. Which one might find confusing because Piers is the quintessential example of The Devil Duke (link). He’s known as the Terror of Torcliff (of course). He is enormous (of course). The villagers whisper than maybe he was attacked by a werewolf, because he has disfiguring scars all over his face. (Actually, it was a panther.) He is gruff and foreboding and everyone is afraid of him, and he’s getting married purely out of revenge on the Woman Who Wronged Him (of course). It’s so over the top, we have comedy gold here - and Byrne leans into the comedy in writing Piers’ inner thoughts. However, despite all the dangerous alpha vibes that he absolutely exudes, he is all about Alexandra taking the lead in their relationship. Plus, animals like him, so he can’t actually be that bad.

So they get married, and the twin plots start to unfold. There’s the question of how they will negotiate the consummation of their marriage and the question of who is trying to kill them.

The relationship portion of the book is really well done. Alexandra was severely traumatized by her rape, so she wants to ensure that her sexual interactions with her husband won’t remind her of that experience. And Piers goes with it, in a great example of an alpha male who makes sure that he has consent - but also keeps things sexy. So their physical relationship builds slowly, though not in a “slow burn, yearning but not touching” kind of way; it’s more of a “let’s do a lot of foreplay until your ready for penetration” dynamic. Their interactions strike a nice balance between seriousness and humor, in a way that felt real. Admittedly, there is a stupid thing where Piers finds out that Alexandra isn’t a virgin and gets all annoying about it, but I guess if that didn’t happen he would be too much of a paragon, so at least this gives him something to apologize for.

On the other hand, I found the mystery plot tedious. Every time Alexandra started angsting about her blackmailer, or thinking about her two besties and how she has to protect them, or worrying that Piers could accidentally get hurt when she’s the real target for all the accidents that kept happening, I started reading faster and hoping that we could get back to Alexandra and Piers spending time together. The balance in tone between seriousness and humor also worked less well here because the seriousness sometimes veered towards melodrama and the moments of levity seemed out of place.

Despite the problems I had with the book, I still think How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is worth a read because of the really thoughtful portrayal of one way a survivor of sexual assault might approach relationships.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

This is a glorious historical romance. This is also the beautiful, powerful, and emotionally satisfying read that the romance world needs as society finally faces the destruction revealed by the #metoo movement. This book is a love note and ovation to survivors.

To be sure, there are some difficult and dark moments in this book, and there is a rape storyline. But please don’t let me leave the impression that this is a gloomy depressing read, because that is not the case. It is ultimately a story of triumph and joy.

The hero, Piers, the Duke of Redmayne, is among the best of dark, bold, and brave men to have ever graced the page. You simply must read this book if his unofficial title Terror of Torcliff sparks your interest. A dark, scarred, intelligent, fierce, and passionate duke is he. What I love the most about him is his ability to recognize and comprehend situations women may encounter, and more specifically, he unhesitatingly accepts and adapts to what the woman he loves needs.

Alexandra Lane, both Lady and Doctor, is that woman. She is as brave, intelligent, and remarkable as you can imagine, and still utterly relatable and likable. Alexandra and Piers have a chemistry that is absolutely believable. There are insanely passionate and steamy scenes.

Another highlight is the friendship between Alexandra and her two best friends, Cecilia and Francesca. They formed a trio as young girls away at school and dubbed themselves the Red Rogues. Yes, they all have red hair and are unconventional and #FriendshipGoals.

This is the first book in the new Devil You Know series. I am not sure how I will be able to wait to read the next book scheduled to be released, All Scot and Bothered. I am all in on this series.

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I have no idea how to explain my thoughts. But here we go.

This is an intense story with some difficult content to read. It practically opens with a rape scene. Then, Alex has to deal with that throughout the story and her life. That’s what made it so hard to read. Here life and reaction to what happened was so raw and heartbreaking.

Alex is a compelling character I enjoyed reading about. Piers was also great. I love a strong and big hero who has a gentle heart. Their romance was sweet and decent. Toward the end it did feel a little rushed.

Alex has two friends from school which I loved. I’m a huge fan of positive friendships in my fiction. These three care so much about each other. I assume the books in the series will be about those ladies and I’m definitely excited to see where their stories go.

There is a mystery and suspense element to the story. It kept me guessing and I felt the tension. It isn’t my favorite thing in my romance, but it worked and I don’t have any complaints.

I’m happy to have spend time with these characters and am excited to read more.

I liked this book a lot, even if the topic is not one that I usually like. The characters were pretty good together and the plot was not the usual one, and now I have to read the other 2 installment in this series....

Questo libro mi é piaciuto parecchio, anche se l'argomento non mi ha mai particolarmente ispirato. I personaggi principali "stavano bene assieme" e la trama era piuttosto diversa dalle solite, e quindi ora devo leggere i prossimi due libri della serie....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

[spoilers. CW: sexual assault]



I'll be honest, this book started out in a way that was really upsetting for me and I had a super hard time getting past it. I have a lot of feelings about it---OF COURSE young women are raped and have no recourse and have to figure out their way in the world, but I just....well, there's a reason I read romance and not Game of Thrones.

I just struggle A LOT with the fact that it was put right there on page in the prologue. I had every intention of keeping reading, but the truth is I didn't want to. I just didn't want to keep reading.

This is the first book in a new series by Kerrigan Byrne. I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review.
The set up of this series is explained in the prologue. Three friends, 3 redheads, away at school, who form a club. The Red Rogues Society. I lived the premise for this club and the 3 girls, Alexandra, Francesca and Cecilia.

This book starts with a very disturbing, graphic opening scene. I almost didn't read any further. But I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

The story itself starts 10 years later. Alexandra , the heroine, daughter of an Earl, and Piers, the hero, a Duke. They are 2 people who have been greatly affected by their past, having great trust issues in the opposite sex.
There is an instant attraction between them. And in 10 days, spending almost day and night together, they have formed a very caring and finally trusting relationship. I loved seeing it day by day.

Kerrigan Byrne always writes a very strong heroine. That is no different In this case. Alexandra has made so much of her life, despite her past If I had any criticism of this story, it's that I thought Piers was a little wimpy in his attitude, with a poor me complex. You can have a strong heroine and a strong hero.

I give this book 4.5 stars, taking off a half star for the opening scene. I know these things happen and it was very much apart of this story but that doesn't mean I like to read about it. And, I've expressed this opinion before, but there's no place in Regency novels for the "F" word. Totally unnecessary.

Oh sighhhhh! I loved this story! Hotttt-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have to say I absolutely enjoyed this book thoroughly. It definitely is something special that seem to be above and beyond the normal historical romance.

I think what the differences is that this one focused more on the attraction between the two characters and not endless stiff conversation that slowly built into something by the end of the book.

In this story, the two main characters felt their connection quickly and we are treated to all of the hot glances, teasing and tantalizing descriptions, and the build up that got even better the further we get into the story.

Piers was from solid Viking stock and full of unexpected pleasures. He certainly gave Alexandra unexpected pleasures too! Tender and sensual, dominant, and possessive in all of the right ways.

Alexandra was brilliant, courageous, and oh, so innocent. The best part, she was not afraid to go after what she wanted to hide her secrets, namely Piers!

This author charmed me with over top creativity, heated descriptions, and tense but passion-filled build up. Plus, the main events were enough to make your temperature rise a bit too!

I just really enjoyed the story completely. In fact, I don’t recall the last time I gave an historical romance five stars. But I’m certainly not letting that hold me back today.

If you are looking for something different and unique, interesting and captivating, that will tickle your fancy while reeling you in completely, this author certainly has nailed it.