The Red Rogues are back! And this time, it’s darling, curvaceous, sweetheart Cecelia Teague who lands herself in a heap of trouble and only the Vicar of Vice—morally rigid, but still yummy—Lord Ramsey can help her find her way out of it. If only he will come down from his high horse, long enough to do so.

If you’ve read the first book in the series (and if you haven’t, why the heck not? It’s amazing!) then you will recognize Cecelia as the “mother hen” amongst the trio of friends known as the Red Rogues and Ramsay, half-brother to the previous stories hero and Lord Chief Justice of the High Court with a rather stout stick up his caboose. You may also remember a very foreshadowing scene, in which a certain curvy red-head, captures Lord Ramsay’s unwavering attention and the seed is firmly planted for a new story you cannot wait to be told.

And what a story it is…

With a quick rewind at the beginning to reveal the root of Cecelia’s utter dislike for the vicar she once believed was her father and how she ended up at the school where she meets her lifelong friends, the story jumps to the first official meeting of our Hero and Heroine, and sparks immediately begin to fly.

When our couple meets for a second time the situation couldn’t be more different.

Having only just learned that she has inherited a school that is funded by a scandalous gambling hell, Cecelia is immediately confronted by an enraged Vicar of Vice who accuses her—in the guise of the Scarlet Lady—of deeds most foul and threatens to not only shut her down, but see her meet the gallows as well.

When danger strikes, Cecelia’s deception is revealed, tempers explode and misconceptions are drawn, but in order to keep her safe and possibly uncover the clues needed to bring down their mutual enemy, Ramsey must first come to her rescue.

Undoubtably, Cecelia is the Yin to Ramsay’s Yang but neither of them can control a nearly over-powering attraction, so when living in close quarters provides them a means to truly see the true nature of each other’s characters, barriers are soon stripped away and protective walls allowed to crumble.

No one can take you on such a compelling journey as this with as much depth and passion as Kerrigan Byrne. Her dark heroes and larger than life heroines travel beyond the page to your heart every single time and the journey you take along side them is one you will want to repeat again and again!

I read this book in one sitting!

The second novel in this series did not disappoint! Cecelia is charming as ever, as she takes on her new responsibilities as mistress of an illustrious gambling hall, once owned by her aunt. She also happens to inherit it's problems.
One of those problems is being constantly hounded by her best friend's brother in law Ramsey. A staunch keeper and enforcer of the law, he wants to take down the gambling hall with everything in him, and on behalf of the Lord Chancellor.
Through their interactions, they learn there is much more at stake, including the life of a little girl, and their hearts.
This enemies to lovers is one of the best that I have read in a long while. I truly believe that I will love everything this author writes. We have met the male interest for book 3 in this novel, and it makes me all the more excited!

I am covered in tears and snot. In a good way. How is this the first Kerrigan Byrne novel I've read? GAWD. Strong, smart, sweet and chubby heroine - love it - burly, protective, "What are feelings?" hero who admits when he's wrong and apologizes. A dash of suspense, a twist, a whole lot of darkness and soul torturing, and some time spent by a cabin near a loch. How can you go wrong? Cecelia Teague is perfection. Ramsey is so hard in the beginning but she softens him, much to his dismay. There's a lot to unpack in this book but it's worth it. I now plan to go down the Kerrigan Byrne rabbit hole and read everything I've missed. The secondary characters are terrific.
Series: Devil You Know #2
Type: Victorian
Heat: 9/10
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Plus-Size Heroine, Strong Heroine, Only One Bed-ish
Premise: Cecelia, the tortured "daughter" of a Vicar, who kept her locked in the basement and blamed her for all female vices ever. Back to Eve, even. She's rescued by a smart-mouthed southern woman who works with her aunt Henrietta, who has passed away and left Cecelia everything - her fortune, her adorable ward, a school for women, and a gaming hell that comes with a slew of powerful enemies including the Vicar of Vice - Cassius Ramsey. There's a little short romp of hidden identity as Cecelia dresses up as The Scarlet Lady. But that's not important. Cassius can't stop thinking about her, nor she him. It's angsty greatness. Ramsey is the half-brother of the Duke of Redmayne from the first of this series. He's a self-made man, with an iron spine, the tall and strapping Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. He's determined that The Scarlet Lady has been an accomplice to the secret kidnapping of young girls for the sick use by those in power. He may not have noble blood, but he's noble and stubborn as hell. But there are reason's why he's this way, just as Cecelia has reasons for needing to save the girls at her school. There's twists, explosions, attempted murder/abductions, child prostitution (ick), a secret codex to unlock a list of names her aunt kept track of in her business... with royalty on it. The Crimson Council and another twist.
The Good: Steamy as hell. Great chemistry between characters and I always fall hard for guys who love big girls unabashedly.
The Bad: Phoebe, the ward, sounds like she's four in some scenes and she's supposed to be nine. The missing young girls who are given as gifts to the wealthy plot reminded me of something from Jeffrey Epstein's island or QAnon. Blech. And second... Hey St. Martin's... when a heroine is a big girl USE A LARGER COVER MODEL. That's so annoying.

**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in order to write this unbiased review.**

I was all Scot and Bothered reading this story. Cecelia is an amazing person who is strong and stands up for others even though they might not be the most upstanding of citizens and most importantly she stands up for herself. She is not shy about who she is and embraces herself as a woman. Ramsey is sigh-worthy. A big Scot who feels he must be impervious to anything immoral but who falls in a big way for Cecelia. I love that he is a big guy and is so protective even with his feelings. But they soon change as he lets love enter into his soul. Every time I read a Kerrigan Byrne book I fall in love with the characters and with the story. Everything is not always clear cut but you feel that everything is genuine. Loved it!

Five deliciously over-the-top stars! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this fantastic book.

First of all, I was never going to be able to *not* click on that cover, with the orange-red and the purple-blue gorgeous contrast, and her flowing red hair, and the fun title (which delivered on its promise), and the "all-consuming passion" quote enforcing the flame theme, and oh I love it so much.

And then in the prologue the heroine's fairy godmother slaps the horrible abusive father for fat-shaming and refusing to buy clothes that fit her, and on the first page of the first chapter, the hero is hot for the heroine because she's licking chocolate off of her fingers, and I was already a goner.

I'm delighted to tell you that everything just keeps getting better. Our heroine Cecilia is a big girl, and very tall, and with flaming red hair, and she loves chocolate and wine, and even better, our heroine Ramsay loves all of this about her and he's so into her the way she is (even if he wishes she were a little less scandalous because it's very inconvenient when he's a chief justice).

This had an amazing blend of romance with mystery and action -- there is a secret society of very powerful people trafficking young girls, so even as Ramsay and Cecilia are drawn together by chemistry he also needs her help to find out what is happening, and there are some moments of danger throughout the book. There are plenty of twists and turns and some REALLY good reveals and I couldn't put the book down.

So, this book is amazing, it is over-the-top and fabulous, and I loved every bit of it (even tropes that usually make me angry, I didn't mind!), and if nothing else you have to read to get to the last sentence because it will make you cry happy tears and give you all the feels.

This was my first Kerrigan Byrne book but I will absolutely be reading Alex's and Francesca's stories, and checking out some of her other series as well. I had heard that her stories tend to have old-school elements and very alpha heroes, neither of which I particularly enjoy, but this story totally worked for me and I'm now really excited to try more. Thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin's -- and for everyone else, set aside some reading time for September 29, you're going to need it!

I usually like Ms. Byrne's books, but this one wasn't a favorite. I was not a fan of Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, Cassius Gerard Ramsey and I didn't really connect with his obsession for Cecilia. I wish there had been more of Cecilia's friends in the story. Their appearance in this book was quite brief. While there were some good twists at the end, it all seemed to be rushed. I thought it was strange that there was a man of India descent as one of the villains. That seemed to come out of the blue. I ended up skipping chapters just to get to the end.

While this book wasn't a favorite, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Kerrigan Bryrne harkens back to the roots of old school historical romance with her latest offering!

If hansom, gold , Scottish men with an extreme sense of righteousness and brimstone are your thing, than this is your jam! Lord Chief Justice Cassius Ramsay is in a mission to stop vice at any cost… even when he discovers that the latest owner of a seedy hell and brothel is actually is sister-in-laws beautiful best friend.

Cecelia Teague was rescued and has been living off of the generosity of a mysterious benefactor, that is until they pass away and she inherits the school/ gambling hall that has been supporting her all these years. Now she will fight for the rights of her employees and the women they help to keep her establishment… even if she is at risk!

This is an enemies to to lovers in the extreme book. Ramsay and Cecelia are fighting on opposite sides of the law and genders. Ramsay starts off as a female hating suspicious man in this book and his prejudices are slowly chipped away at by our fearless heroine. Ramsay may rescue Cecelia a time or two, but she is the real hero of this story. She is strong, when all others are against her. She is kind and generous when others have not been to her. She is a fight for they disenfranchised and the leveller of men. Without her, our hero would still be a roaring beast. She literally is the precipice that makes him open his eyes to real truth and justice, not his black and white version.

Even though, it was hard to get over the hero’s character in the beginning of the story, holding out was made all the sweeter for his transition. This was an empowering addition to the series!

This book is part of a series, but can easily be read as a stand alone.

All Scott and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is scheduled to release September 29th, 2020.

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

#AllScottandBothered #KerriganByrne #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

Such a fantastic romance!
It's passionate, sweet, surprising, and had a great mystery that actually surprised me.
I loved how smart Cecelia is and how she's not afraid to enjoy life. She's the perfect match for the buttoned-up Ramsay, and every interaction between them only proves it. It was great to see Ramsay bring out the toughness in Cecelia just as she softened him.
Byrne is a master of developing the plot in such a way that you can't pull away. If it's not the pitch-perfect romantic themes, it's the gripping emotional revelations or the dangerous mystery surrounding the death of Cecelia's benefactor and the threats on her life.
Everything about this book just pulled me in and wouldn't let go. Definitely recommend it. Also, while it's book 2 of the series and it helps to have read book 1 in order to enjoy it on a deeper level, it's one of those awesome books that can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Happy thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early read.

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.
A Historical Romance with mystery and good characterization.

Even if it's quite entertaining I didn't liked the male MC and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love these kinds of books. Brave heroins wanting the same rights as men at that time. 

And if she should loose her freedom then she would likely never marry. 


This one is similar although Cecelia Teague is feary woman.  She is not only wise, she is also very kind to everyone because of her past. She's been hated and bullied enough. 

Since boarding school she has an unbreakable bond with her 2 best friends Alexandra and Francesca. Those three are more like the three musketeers one for all and all for one. 

When Cecelia inherits gaming hell which is financing School for Cultured Young Ladies she is excited to take over and help the poor and unfortunate. But the one and only man she's been attracted to wants to move hell and heaven to close the establishment as young girls went missing and Cassius Ramsey, Lord Chief of Justice is convinced the gaming hell is involved in the kidnapping. He has been pulled to Cecelia since he's first spotted her but his strong opinion wouldn't let him to believe that Cecelia is Innocent. 

How could Cecelia persuade him of the opposite and help him solve the case?  Can they overcome their belief and  fall in love? 

I loved this twisted and incredibly great written story and honestly can't wait for the next instalment in these series.

A grumpy Scotsman and an independent woman? Sign me up!

This was an engaging story with two very stubborn people trying to find their way to love after feeling undesirable most of their lives. The story took some unexpected turns, leading to a bit of a convoluted plot involving murder and human trafficking. Some events did not seem logical to me, such as a duchess and countess touring Cecelia's new gaming hell with her, and then Cecelia leaving town so abruptly not long after, with the investigation of the explosion not even really mentioned. I did enjoy the time in Scotland and witnessing the developing relationships with Cecelia, Ramsay and Phoebe.

The ending certainly had a couple of surprises - two characters who were not as they seemed and a surprise for Ramsay. I would've liked to see more at the end with the identified bad guys and the aftermath of the revelations revealed.

I enjoyed Cecelia's independent nature and Ramsay's vulnerability and how they fit together because they were actually very similar in many ways. I like characters to have to work at a relationship, especially ones who are at odds at the beginning. The journey feels more real to me than just instant attraction. This story was enjoyable and engaging, even with a few minor issues, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

This book sucked me in from the beginning! We are introduced to Cecilia as a young girl who is treated cruelly by her father and then whisked away by a mysterious saviour. She grows up to be an exceptionally smart, self assured woman who takes pleasure in things she enjoys. She is such a likable character. When we are introduced to Ramsey, he is a stern, moralistic, unlikable man - who is very attracted to Cecilia and is not happy about it.

After inheriting a gaming house from her mysterious benefactor, she learns that it is the same house that Ramsay is intent on taking down as he is sure it is a cover for a string of missing young girls. The two end up working together to solve the mystery.

This enemies-to-lovers story really worked for me! There was an excellent cast of supporting characters. The story was fast paced and I loved how Ramsay grew as a character and confronted his past demons. The love scenes were sexy and the action scenes had me on the edge of my seat! The ending set up book 3 really well too.

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

I really enjoyed the first book in the Devil You Know series, and was excited to dive into book 2 which is Cecilia's story.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love this story, I didn't as much.

It took a long while to get into Cecil and Ramsay's story, and while I thought it would speed and heat up, I found myself struggling to keep going with this installment.

I found myself not liking Ramsay at all - and I never say that about a man with a Scottish accent.

And I can't quite put my finger on what it was with Cecilia, but she irritated me a lot of the time.

It is probably just me and my weird thoughts and feelings though.

I loved the mystery part of the story, and was as blindsided as our lovelies when things were revealed.

So whilst this one missed the mark for me, I am looking forward to our lady Francesca's story.

I found this book very hard to get into. I didn’t like the hero - he’s a moody, arrogant, and disgruntled Scot. He’s also sanctimonious about forsaking all vices in order to focus on his job as a judge (natch) investigating tales of kidnapping and enslaving poor young women in London. He’s attracted to the heroine right away even though he doesn’t know her well at al. It’s just insta-lust. He’s thoroughly unlikable even when we know what is motivating him. That just lowered my interest level in their story.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

For in the eyes of her father, the sin was hers. The original sin. She’d been born a girl.

The Devil You Know series follows the self titled Red Rogues, Alexandra (How to Love a Duke in Ten Days), Cecelia, and Francesca. Cecelia lived in misery with her vicar father until she was taken away by a woman claiming to be acting on the behalf of her late mother's sister. Cecelia is sent to an all girl's school where she becomes bestfriends with Alexandra and Francesca, bonded through their red-hair and a dark secret, they carry that friendship through life. Cecelia also becomes attached to the school's caretaker and Jean-Yves becomes a father figure for her and a pseudo guardian to the Red Rogues.

The half brother of the hero from book one, Cassius Gerard Ramsay, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, meets and becomes entranced by Cecelia. He's an extremely by-the-book man who is rigid, dark, and gruff. He has a severe distrust of women due to his mother abandoning him and being betrayed by the only woman he thought he loved. However, his enthrallment with Cecelia has him contemplating marriage with her pretty quickly, until he discovers a secret that makes him think she is just like all the other women in his life.

He leaned even closer, his breath indeed hot on her ear. “Ye’ll find, Miss Teague, that I’m a man without mercy.”

Although second in the series, I do think a new reader to the series wouldn't be too lost starting here. Francesca's family was murdered and there was still that lingering plot thread from the first but I was actually disappointed how it wasn't more included here. When Cecelia's aunt dies, she inherits her all girl's school and a gaming hell that supposedly funds it. Ramsey, as the Lord Chief Justice, is investigating a string of missing immigrant girls who he thinks is being sex trafficked and he thinks 'The Scarlet Lady' is the head of this ring. As Cecelia has just inherited her aunt's gaming hell, she is the new Scarlet Lady and thrown into this investigation. Through this plot, Cecelia faces danger that requires Ramsey to sweep her away into hiding so she can decode a book her aunt left her that, hopefully, supplies the names of the Crimson Council, who her aunt thought was behind the missing immigrant girls. In the first book, the Crimson Council is mentioned and has possible ties to Francesca's murdered family.

I kissed Ramsay.

All I've mentioned probably makes this sound like a lot is happening but while this is information that you keep in the back of your mind, this story was slow. Francesca isn't around for much of the story and I missed scenes with the Red Rogue's friendship. I mentioned how Ramsey wants Cecelia fairly quickly but then he also learns about her connection to the Scarlet Lady pretty quickly too and they're off to safety for Cecelia to decode the codex. I liked Cecelia but I struggled mightily with Ramsey's character. He was a stomping around rude sanctimonious ass for a large portion of the story, uttering a line around the sixty percent mark that wanted me to place him the trash bin. He apologies fairly quickly but at that point in the book, I don't want my hero's attitude to be that poor towards the heroine. Due to me not liking Ramsey, I never really felt or believed in their romance. Even though I liked Cecelia, her character was very uneven when interacting with Ramsey. She's constantly touted as the sweet innocent one, who's shy and so forth but then when the intimate scenes begin, she's dropping down immediately to give the hero a bj. There is a call back to a dirty book she discovered but that's not mentioned until after the scene and it just made it all feel unnatural for her character. I'm not saying sweet innocent women don't want to give bjs but in this instance with this character, it came off trying to force a sexually steamy scene. There was another long bedroom scene but I honestly wanted to skim because I didn't feel the passion between these two.

She was a flame dancing in the distance across the cold tundra into which he’d been born, tempting him closer.

If you're a frequent reader of Byrne like I am, you'll know that she leans more toward the dramatic and dances with purple prose, this story definitely had those overtones but I found myself wanting a more stripped down version (could be argued I shouldn't be reading a Byrne if that is my mood). I don't know if this was due to the characters or my mood but characters and plot just weren't jiving for me. Cecelia is supposed to be keeping her identity as the Scarlet Lady a secret but she goes to the school and gaming hall with her real identity not hidden and with her two friends and Ramsey is the Lord Chief Justice but besides leading a search warrant on the school we never get a feel for him in this position. The whole plot about the child sex ring also came off wrong, it felt like using a heinous crime for some sort of fictional tantalizing hook. The care and depth I would like to see when such a topic is used in that way wasn't there for me and it felt gross.

“Christ,” he breathed, turning his head to press his lips against the thin and tender skin on the inside of her wrist. “What are ye doing to me?”

I liked the beginning and set-up but the middle dragged with Ramsey not evolving, the plot getting left behind or stagnating, and the last ten percent was a hurried dump of resolutions and reveals that came out of nowhere. I really enjoyed the first in the series and with Francesca still needing to solve her family's murder and the reveal of a Home Office spy lingering at the edges trying to take on the Crimson Council, the third is set up to be compelling.

Available Sept. 29: All Scot and Bothered

****3.5/5 stars: Liked it. If you love a good, action-packed historical romance and anything from Kerrigan Byrne - this is for you.

Recommended readers:

If you’re a fan of Historical Romance
If you like Kate Bateman, Kerrigan Bryne
And if you like a fast-reading romance

Here's my Rankings:

4/5 for characters
3/5 for plot
3.5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:

Cecelia was an orphan who was sponsored and raised at a prestigious boarding school and on her way to being welcomed to society, when she inherits a gambling hell. She hides her identity to stay welcomed in society and meets the rigid, strict Cassius Ramsey, Chief Justice of the High Court.

It's easy to escape into the second book of the Devil You Know Series from Kerrigan Bryne. Building passion, challenging personal situations and interpersonal struggles combine to make this a fast-reading, enemies-to-lovers romance. If you love anything from Kerrigan Bryne, this is another winner.

Available Sept. 29: All Scot and Bothered

All Scot and Bothered starts a little slow in building the relationship between Cecilia and Ramsay as there are only brief interactions between the two early in the story, but there is signs of that spark of attraction if also a fair bit of uncertainty and hesitancy to go with it. There is, however, still plenty occurring during this period as Cecelia’s life takes an unexpected turn providing revelations and new danger. We are given an early glimpse into Cecilia’s childhood, it is much later that we get to see what influences Ramsey’s ambition, goals, and attitudes. Once Cecelia and Ramsey’s lives fully collide and uncertainties yield to the spark, the romance between the two steadily grows as they begin to open to each other and the possibilities. Ramsey turns into a charming if still a bit gruff and broody hero and Cecelia’s sweet but sassy shows a caring but not push-over personality to cheer on. Together, they make a delightful couple and a story to enjoy.

All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is an amazing read! I was captivated from the start. This heroine, Cecelia, is one of a kind. She's more curvy than the usual heroine, she loves sweets, enjoys eating food, and has the heart of gold. She goes out of her way to help others. In fact, she puts herself in danger every time. It is driving one particular man crazy. He can't get her out of his mind. Cecelia tempts him so many ways, he has to grind his teeth and hope she doesn't notice how much he's turned on by her. Lust, desire, and something deeper pulls these two characters together. Both have suffered alone in the dark as kids and as adults they've become heroes to others. Cecelia is in danger because of something she inherited and might possess. Lord Chief Justice Ramsey is investigating the place Cecelia has inherited and from there both of them are in more danger than they wanted.

This novel was epic. Plenty of action to keep my eyes and hands glued to the book. I did not want to leave this fictional world, Kerrigan Byrne has created. A masterpiece of love, betrayal, and desire. There was enough humor to make me laugh constantly. I loved the heated banters between the two heroes. They made for an interesting duo. The cast of characters from the main protagonists to the minor ones like the gardener that works for Cecelia and the other clever ladies made this a most enjoyable journey. I loved them all.

This story had a little of most things that I like; some mystery, a romance, a love story (not only about a man and a woman; but, that of friends that become our family), good vs. evil, and obviously historical. The female main character, Cecelia Teague, is an uncommon woman. She is strong of spirit, and smart; something frowned upon by the men of the century this takes place in. She comes from a very inauspicious background and was mercilessly teased and snubbed due to her intellect and personality. She is also not one of the rail thin and short women mostly depicted in the usual stereotypical romance; she is a woman of substance in more ways than one. I loved her huge heart and forgiving nature, as well as her intellectual mind. She is a heroine that any girl would be proud to have in her life and look up to. The male lead is Lord Cassius Ramsay, a Scotsman from humble beginnings, who now has earned the title Lord Chief Justice; a position that has only the Lord Chancellor as his boss; just below the monarchy. Lord Ramsay has a distrust and distaste for all women; thanks to the way he was treated by his mother and what he saw her do to the other men in his life. Cecelia Teague is a conundrum that he can't seem to figure out; she doesn't fit the mold he's created and forced all other women into. Can these two hurt souls figure things out and realize that they share the bruises and burdens based on each of their harsh pasts? They also need to figure out who is kidnapping young girls and then leaving them for dead, in the cruelest of ways.