Well that was an action packed read. Mystery, intrigue, heat (not sure I’d call it romance), lies, scandal. It kept my attention and that says something right about now!

Cecelia has Just become the proprietress of a gambling hall, however, her identity must remain a secret. No one is supposed to know that the proprietress has died. Cassius wants nothing more than to take down the Owner of his hall who he believes is dealing in sex trafficking of young girls. What he doesn’t know is the young lady he’s attracted to is also the one he wants to put behind bars.

The push and pull between these two is great .

I received this arc in exchange for my honest review.

So good! Kerrigan Byrne draws you in and makes it impossible to put down. I love the Red Rogues and how they have each other's backs. Cecelia was strong and resilient despite her initial upbringing. Cassius was so grumpy I wondered when I was going to like him and lucky that finally changed. I did not want this one to end. I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series.

Cecelia Teague was plucked from an abusive home by a secret benefactor and sent to respected boarding schools and even university. Out of nowhere, she inherits a gambling house, frequented by some of London's more powerful people.

Lord Chief Justice of the High Court: Cassius Gerard Ramsay is captivated by Cecelia. His past has made him unwilling to give in to any of life's pleasures but Cecelia might be the one to change that.

Thanks to St. Martin's Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing this ARC

I have loved every single one of Kerrigan Byrne's books that I've ever read, but it's hard to process that in the year 2020, some of the only diverse characters are the villains: a queer woman and an nameless Indian. What kind of message does that send? I won't be reviewing this book on my blog or on GoodReads, but I'm disappointed by this book.

Cassius Ramsay deals in black and white. Either you're innocent or guilty and he persecutes you as such. Being Lord Chief Justice of the High Court it is his duty after all. Ramsay also happens to be the half brother of Piers the Duke of Redmayne. Ramsay has been on occasion in the same vicinity of Cecelia and finds himself watching her and a growing attraction to her.

Although part of the Red Rogues along with Alexandra and Francesca, Cecelia felt deep loneliness and sadness growing up. She was an orphan and the person she had thought was her father treated her so cruelly. She suddenly finds herself owner of a gambling establishment - an establishment that Chief Justice Ramsay wants nothing more than destroy. When Cecelia's life becomes endangered, Ramsay has no choice but to keep her safe while they figure out who is trying to destroy her establishment and hurt her in the process.

I had a hard time feeling the chemistry between Ramsay and Cecelia. There was simply too much going on in the plot for me to fully enjoy their romance. The last quarter of the book lagged for me, and I had a hard time staying interested in the story.

I really enjoyed How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, and although All Scot and Bothered fell short for me, I am looking forward to Francesca's book - The Devil in Her Bed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

All Scot and Bothered is the second in a series by Kerrigan Byrne. Its about 3 school friends who are closer than sisters...the Red Rogues. This is Cecelia's story. She is the brainiac, the chubby, bluestocking that wears spectacles. She is also loyal and loving. Lord Ramsey is the brother-in-law of her best friend Alexandra, Duchess of Redmayne. Against everything in him he is drawn to her. He doesn't believe in love, feels he doesn't deserve it, but succumbs to her charms anyway. They are both lonely people struggling to belong.
What follows is an wonderful, sexy and sensual love story between two strong protagonists that proves that opposites do attract. There is also a hint of underlying intrigue and a bit of a mystery to be solved.
This is just the second book by Kerrigan Byrne that I've read and I really enjoyed it. I will definately look for more! Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All Scot and Bothered is book two in the Devil You Know series which focuses on 3 fierce female friends! I love these 3 ladies and I was very excited to get Cecelia's book. She is simply charming!

I hated Ramsey for about 70% of the story. He was so sanctimonious! Cecelia is a delight. I expected no different from what we had previously learned about her. Of the Red Rouges, she was the softest. She had nothing but kindness exuding from her, regardless of how she was treated. I think her unbated kindness made me hate Ramsey even more. Being mean to her is like kicking a puppy. Phoebe is adorable as well and I enjoyed her presence in the story.

I will say there were several surprises in the story that I hadn't really predicted. The plot moves at a good pace overall and there is a solid balance between danger, humor, romance, and Red Rogue determination.

All Scot and Bothered is a wonderful addition to the series and I am very curious for Francesca's story (especially since I think one "Italian" count will play a role).

Cecelia Teague was rescued from a cruel father from an unknown benefactor and taken to a safe place to live and be educated. She’s always wondered if her real father was her benefactor, but she finds out she’s inherited a gamble den and discovers who was really taking care of her all these years. Scottish Cassius Gerard Ramsey, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court has made it his mission to bring people to justice so much so he’s become known as the “vicar of vice”. I love these two they are like fire and ice, love all the bantering between them as the sexual tension builds. Cecelia tries discover the secrets of the little black book her Aunt left her before someone murders her. Ramsey sets out to keep her safe from harm and out of the killer’s hands only to discover they have more in common than he first thought. I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent book.

I had so many issues with this book, I hardly know where to begin. And to be honest, a lot of my problems may well stem from the fact that perhaps white cishet histrom no longer holds the appeal for me that it once used to. There are inherent problems within that subgenre but I’ve occasionally been able to overlook them. However, this book is problematic because it feels like the author is trying to pay homage to old school historical romances of years passed and it falls into traps that should have no place in modern day romances.

Let's start with the hero, and I use that term VERY loosely in the context of this book. Cassius Gerard Ramsay is Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. He is the half-brother of the hero in the first book and due to a painful childhood that included being abandoned by his mother, he has grown up disliking and distrusting women. His misogyny is pretty glaring: his mother divorced his father to marry a duke and then continued to have multiple affairs and this causes him to believe that women are manipulative and power-hungry, who use their sex to control men. Yiiiiiiiiikes. Save me from a brooding hero who thinks all women are evil.

The heroine, Cecelia, is maybe the only saving grace in this book (along with her interactions with her friends, Alexandra and Francesca) although I will say, her unfortunate taste in a romantic partner really makes me question her ability to make good life choices. Cecelia has inherited a gambling establishment from the same secret benefactor who rescued her from a life of total misery and paid to educate her. She is well educated, far more intelligent than women were typically given credit for being back in those days and refuses to change her life goals to suit a man. I really appreciated her very modern stance on refusing to compromise her freedom for marriage to a man who would never do the same. I only wish she’d run from the hero.

The book was already a loss for me because when I’ve written the hero off as a viable love interest for the heroine, there’s nothing else to hang on to. It is, after all, a romance novel and if I’m no longer invested in the pairing, then what even is the point of this book? However, it’s in the second to last chapter in the book, during the very soap-operatic climax, that the book really goes off the rails. Until then, it’s your run-of-the-mill, white, cishet historical romance. But in a scene that is just so completely ridiculous, the villain is revealed to be a queer woman aided by three men, one of whom happens to be an Indian man. This is the only scene in which the Indian man appears, he’s killed a few pages later, and doesn’t even warrant an actual name beyond the descriptor of “the Indian man”.

I know we talk endlessly about diversity in romance, about what good representation really means. If you’re a white author writing white, cishet histrom and your idea of including diverse characters is to use them as minor plot devices or turn them into the villains of your story, then maybe consider the idea that writing diverse characters is just not in your wheelhouse.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. This is the second book in the Devil You Know series. I recommend reading the first book in this series to get to know the characters better. But the characters are good. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This romance is definitely steamy. This book will be in stores on September 29th for $7.99 (USD).

The ideal Scotsman has always been Gerard Butler, so I pictured Ramsay as him with lighter hair. Definitely made it fun as Ramsay stomped his way around London and right into Cecilia’s heart. Talk about two people as polar opposites attracting, big brawn Scot and the confidently intelligent woman. Once their story progresses it easy to see they have much in common in their childhood and current passions. Until you’ve read a Kerrigan Byrne story you probably thought all historical romances were fluff and pretty dresses. Hope you were pleasantly surprised by the suspense, mystery and poetry of the story. Cecilia’s story is part of three, each woman has her own but they are part of a group calling themselves the Red Rogues. They can be read independently or in order. I’ve written this review voluntarily after enjoying an early copy.

This is the second book in this series, and while I didn't love it as much as book 1, it was still great!

Cecelia Teague had a rough life in her her first many years, as the Vicar Teague's daughter. He was a horrible man and he treated her unspeakably. He knew that she wasn't his biological daughter, since he was impotent, but Cecelia's mother died in childbirth, so she had no idea of her real situation. Then one day, a savior sends someone to collect her, and sends her to a prestigious girls boarding school in Switzerland. There she meets her best friends Francesca and Alexandra, the other members of their group of "Red Rogues." She goes on to become a learned woman, and an excellent mathematician. She and her friends had vowed never to marry, so she lives on her own terms, and is happy for the most part. Then, she finds out she's inherited a gambling hell, with a school for girls attached to it, that was owned by her maternal aunt, whom she never met. Turns out it was that aunt who was her invisible savior all those years ago and paid for all her schooling. She has no idea what she'll do with the place, and that's before she finds herself at odds with the Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, aka her bestie Alexandra's brother-in-law!

Cassius Gerard Ramsay had a terrible childhood as well. After his mother left him and divorced his Scottish father to marry a Duke, then his father drank himself to death. Ramsay was alone and caring for himself for years until his stepfather sent for him, and then sent him to the same boarding school as his half-brother, Piers (the hero from book 1). Ramsay and Piers managed to forge a relationship, and Ramsay leveraged his education and position to get into society's upper echelons, becoming Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. Now some young girls have gone missing and he's convinced the owner of the "school" has something to do with it. Little does he know the owner's heir is someone he has already met.

Ramsay and Cecelia were attracted to each other from the first time they met. But Ramsay basically denies himself any pleasures in life, afraid to turn out like either of his parents, with their many vices. Cecelia rarely denies herself pleasures where she can find them, especially not chocolate! She knows she's "plump," and a bluestocking, and thinks that a man like Ramsay would never really look her way. She doesn't even consider it, until their business interests intersect and she has to figure out what her aunt might have been up to. That is, if someone doesn't get to Cecelia first!

The side characters here were many of the same ones from book 1, and I loved seeing them all again. We get a clearer picture of Jean-Yves, Cecelia's hired man/father figure, who was the former groundskeeper at their boarding school, and I loved having more of his story. Also, seeing Alex and Piers happily married was truly lovely as well. I liked the ways that the 3 ladies are always there for each other, literally no matter what. Their friendship is true #squadgoals, and I love seeing them interact together.

The mystery plot here involved the missing children, and Cecelia and Ramsay trying to piece together what happened to them, and what bombshell secrets her aunt was hiding prior to her death. Cecelia believes that her aunt was murdered, based on the letter she left to her, and she's determined to get to the truth. They had some stops and starts between them, especially when Ramsay discovered her connection to her aunt. He could be very cruel with his words in anger, and Cecelia never let him get away with it, even when she was hurt by it. I liked watching her come into her own and not letting anyone get in the way of her goals.

There were a couple of subplots here that I wasn't a huge fan of, for multiple reasons. But they would both involve major spoilers, so I can't get into them here much. Two things I can think of in particular are what has this book at 4 stars for me (where book 1 was 5 stars): one involved the divulging of info and secrets, and who did (and didn't) do the divulging, and the other involved Cecelia's inherited ward, Phoebe.

Ramsay felt more for Cecelia than he was really comfortable feeling about anyone or anything, and sometimes it made him mean. Not to mention his issues trusting women, though he had reasons that made him feel justified in that. Cecelia was wary to trust Ramsay, or really any man beyond Jean-Yves, after all she'd been through. They both had really tough issues to face, and had to find ways to work through them, before they had any hope of being happy together. I adored watching them figure it all out.

I really wish this book had an epilogue, as book 1 did. Though book 1's epilogue did include a bit of info about this couple in the future as well. I am highly looking forward to Francesca's book next. She is pursuing vengeance against the killer of her family, and she is determined to find those responsible. I believe a new side character from this book will be her hero, so I'll be anxiously awaiting their story!

CONTENT WARNING for child abuse (emotional, verbal [including fat shaming], and deprivation), and mentions of child trafficking.

All Scot and bothered is the second volume in the Devil you know series by Kerrigan Byrne. I read and wrote a review for the first one, How to love a Duke in ten days and I couldn’t wait to read this one as I liked a lot Cecelia and I wanted to know more about her. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Cecelia Teague is a very optimistic young woman and after a painful childhood, she was able to get back on her feet and she decides to always be true to herself. Throughout the years, she has been keeping this state of mind and she has been facing her critics when it was necessary. She’s a very intelligent, nice and gourmand woman. About this, she has some curves and I would have liked a cover more coherent.

ASAB takes place a few months after Piers and Alexandra’s wedding, who were the heroes of the first volume. The book starts with a prologue where we see a young Cecelia, then in the first chapter, we see our heroes during a ball in Piers’ house. Piers is our hero’s half-brother.
We have straight away the mood between Cecelia who is savouring some chocolate and Cassius Gerard Ramsay, our hero, who is very attracted by her but he thinks she is socially inferior and her only quality is to be one of his half-sister-in-law’s best friend, the latter is the new Duchess.
From the beginning of the book, I wanted to shake him as well as take him in my arms because I was so sad for him sometimes.
Ramsay is all in contradiction but we quickly understand that he fights his feelings for the heroine. Sometimes, he’s going to be very hard with her and the next he holds her in his arms when she is in danger. Kerrigan was very great with his evolution and I loved this step in the book because that way I could appreciate the love story and believe in the HEA. Also, there are not a lot of hot scenes but the attraction and the sensuality are present.

A short time after the ball, the same day, Cecelia knows at last the name of her benefactor, that she was her aunt and she is now dead. She also inherits a very particular establishment : the night it’s a house of game where most employees are female who often offer sexual services ; the day, it’s a school for the children of those women and other poor ones.
Our hero is Lord Chief Justice of High Court and one of his main goals has been to dismantle this establishment since a few years because he considers it as the height of the vice. To make matters worse, he’s investigating the disappearance of some foreign little girls and everything lead him to the house of game.

Cecelia’s aunt’s death lead some questions about its circomstances because she could have been murdered. Other events will encourage the heroes into working together to sort out those multiple schemes.
I have to say that there are a lot of twists in this book, the suspense is well lead and its resolution is unexpected. The writer succeeded in guiding the reader on false leads and it’s well done.

About the secondary characters, I was happy to see again our previous heroes and I loved Phoebe, our heroine’s ward, as well as Jean-Yves, the handyman we met in the first volume.

The last volume will tell Francesca Cavendish’ story in The devil in her bed, which will hit the shelves in 2021. Francesca is the last best friend of the trio and although we have more information about her in ASAB, for now, she’s not very interesting for me. I’ll wait and see.

To conclude, I liked this book a lot but not at first because of the hero. I believed in his strong attraction to the heroine and his evolution is believable, that’s why I recommend the book and the series.

Bryne delivers a fabulous tale full of adventure and romance. While I felt like the initial character development was somewhat stilted in the first few chapters, if you stick with you you'll be delighted with the relationships that unfold!

3.5/5⭐

All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is the next stand alone in her Devil You Know series. A historical romance with secrets, mysteries to uncover, and steamy romance.

Going to be honest up front, I adored the first book How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, so I went into expecting to love it just as much or maybe more. Sadly that didn't quite happen. It took me much longer to really get into this story than the previous book, it was a bit confusing and disjointed in my opinion. I struggled to feel anything for our hero Ramsey. His accent was swoon worthy ( I love the brogue accent😍) , his backstory was sad but adult Ramsey left much to be desired in my opinion. On the other hand, Cecilia was an absolute gem and young Phoebe was a doll. Pretty much the females kept this story alive and moving for me.

Overall, All Scot and Bothered was enjoyable and by the end I was rooting for Ramsey and Cecilia to make things work. However, its rocky start and sections that seemed to drag kept me from loving this book. Either way I look forward the next book to come.

Whilst I don’t read a lot of historical romance books, I’m glad I read this one! It got me right in the feels! I really enjoyed the character development, the chemistry and the overall storyline. 5 stars!

While this took a little to get into and the plot was very complicated, I ended up loving this historical romance. Kerrigan Byrne writes great historical romances and this had some great tropes. Really enjoyed overall!

Before she met Alexandra and Francesca and became a member of the Red Rogues, Cecelia Teague led an awful life – hated and tortured by the man she called father until she was rescued by a beautiful woman named Genny on behalf of a mysterious benefactor. Genny tells Cecelia that she is beautiful and that she should never deny herself again. Words Cecelia takes to heart. She leaves and never looks back. She goes to school and meets Alex and Francesca and her beloved Jean-Yves, she goes to college and travels the world. Never knowing who her benefactor is until they pass on. Cecelia learns her mother’s sister was the one who saved her and has left everything to her – including Miss Henrietta’s School for Cultured Young Ladies. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that the school is in fact a gaming hell and she is reunited with Genny. She is given a letter from Henrietta and learns that no only was her aunt murdered, but she has inherited a ward, Phoebe, in addition to several properties and a fortune. But she doesn’t have time to absorb this information – Genny gets word that the police are on their way to raid the club and she needs Cecelia to pose as the “Scarlet Lady” - she is quickly disguised and is stunned that her friend Alex’s brother in law – Sir Cassius Gerard Ramsay, the Lord Justice is the one conducting the raid.

Ramsay has a tip that some missing girls are being held at Miss Henrietta’s and he will stop at nothing to save them and see those responsible brought to justice. Ramsay’s life is all about justice, he has no time for vice or women, he refuses to be tempted, so he is frustrated that the Scarlet Lady is eliciting a lustful reaction – it has been years since he has been with a woman and in the space of months she is the second woman to cause his thoughts to turn to sex – her and Cecelia Teague, his sister in law’s best friend. He pushes aside his lustful thoughts and threatens hellfire to the Scarlet Lady if she doesn’t tell him where the missing girls are – Cecelia stands her ground and sends him away, shaken by the incident. After he goes, she tries to figure out what is going on and how she will be able to decode the journal her aunt left her.

It doesn’t take long for Ramsay to figure out the Cecelia and the Scarlet Lady are one in the same, he is not happy, but when he realizes her aunt’s enemies will stop at nothing to prevent Cecelia from uncovering their secrets, he whisks her away to Scotland. There they will explore the passion that is barely contained between them, but between his stubbornness and her enemies – HEA seems like just a dream.

I loved this book, it was a wonderfully well written, fast paced follow up to the Alexandra and Piers book with the same level of heat, danger and intrigue with a fresh storyline. I liked Cecelia and Ramsay in the first book and loved them in this book. Ramsay was a bit hard to warm up to, but when his painful past is revealed I was in tears. I was a bit worried that Cecelia might end up being a doormat because she is a genuinely sweet person – almost Pollyannaish – but behind that sweet, kind, empathic heart is a spine of steel. This book was just a treat to read, it has wonderful characters, cameos with the Red Rogues, action, mystery, more than one twist, a villain that wasn’t a huge surprise, but still caught me off-guard, steamy love scenes, a lovely declaration scene followed by a sigh-worthy ending. There were a couple of inconsistencies and title errors, but nothing egregious enough to disrupt the story or ruin my reading enjoyment. This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title. I am happy to recommend this title and can’t wait for Francesca’s book!!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*

Kerrigan Byrne has outdone herself with this one! All Scot and Bothered is by far my favorite book she's penned to date. My heart is still pounding and it's been two hours since I finished. **While this can be read as a stand alone, it's more enjoyable if you've read How to Love a Duke in Ten Days since those characters make several appearances in this book as well. I devoured this in one sitting, not even wild horses could make me put it down. From characters that will steal your heart, plot twists you won't see coming, and a genuine romance, this thrilling book will keep you on the edge of your seat!

All Scot and Bothered is capital D Dramatic and I am so here for it! I’m increasingly picky when it comes to heavy angst, but Kerrigan Byrne always manages to sweep me off my feet. I couldn’t put Cecilia and Ramsay’s book down – even going so far as to wake up early before work to read more of it (a mark of a truly addictive read since I am not morning person).

Cecilia Teague had a terrible childhood with an abusive father before she was rescued by a mysterious benefactor. Until she found the Red Rogues, her best friends Alexandra and Francesca, she was a lonely girl and there’s a part of her that is still a bit lonely. She’s a gorgeous, intelligent woman that many have beaten down because of her gender, looks, and incredibly sharp brain. I adored Cecilia and she tugged on my heartstrings more than once. When she finds out she’s inherited a scandalous gambling establishment as well as a school it funds, Cecilia has little time to settle in and take stock before chaos erupts. She’s inherited secrets she must decode along with the building and in order to protect herself and everyone else she has to figure it out quickly. With her life in danger, help comes from the most unlikely of sources: Cassius Gerard Ramsay, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court.

Ramsay is large, hostile, and carries deep scars that have made him suspicious of many. He’s a fierce hero who is tempted by Cecilia even as he is determined to take down the gaming hell he’s unaware she has inherited. Sparks fly and Cecelia and Ramsay clash, but the chemistry between them is undeniable. I loved the sexual tension, the push-pull between logic and desire…everything about their love story worked for me. Ramsay can be cold and angry and his walls are miles high, but I loved watching them come down. He’s been hurt so badly in the past that even when I wanted to shout at him to trust Cecilia, I understood why it was hard for him. I also loved that Cecilia doesn’t try to fix Ramsay, but knows he has to change on his own. She is perhaps the only woman who can go toe-to-toe with him. And I loved that he was someone she could lean on. Ramsay has a huge protective streak and even for a woman who is used to solving her own problems, it’s lovely to see Cecilia find someone who will take some of the weight off of her shoulders. The two of them are a fantastic match and it melted my heart to see two such lonely souls find each other. Though their romance is rocky, I was glued to it from beginning to end.

Danger and mystery round out All Scot and Bothered, keeping things moving at a quick clip all the way through. There’s an ongoing mystery that I cannot wait to see resolved in the next book, The Devil in Her Bed. But for now, I was more than satisfied with Cecilia and Ramsay’s story. I loved the angst, the passion, and the chemistry between the two well-drawn, complex leads and Ms. Byrne’s writing had me spellbound from the first page to the very last.

I loved this book wholeheartedly, Cecilia is feminist icon. I love the slow burn enemies to lovers between Cecilia and Ramsey. The two coming from tortured childhoods adds wonderfully to the angst of the relationship. This book has a beautiful example of found family, supportive friendships and plus size representation. This is the first boom I’ve read by Byrne and I’m looking forward to everything else she has.