Just finished The Devil in Her Bed and liked it, but it seems to be like her other books in this series in that I am having a hard time warming up to our hero until about the last 25% and some near TSTL moments from our heroine but since she was kinda badass I still liked her. I will be giving it 4 Stars but this series she seems to be writing a bit more erotic than her other series (those which I like better). All things considered this is still a great story but seemed to drag a bit due to stupid stuff, still not up to the quality of the Victorian Rebels series IMHO

Lucky for me, after reading All Scot and Bothered, I had my next Netgalley read ready to go:
The Devil in Her Bed. I loved it! Though not as lyrical as the other, this one is just as good in other ways. This is not to say the book was bereft of poetry, as clearly proven with this statement: “The sound of her. A voice so wry, it rasped with deviant mischief, woven from moonlight’s melody juxtaposed with a confident derision not often found in a female.” Or this: “I knew, somehow, that you would forge someone new. Someone real. That you would scramble about the sun and stars until I could no longer find them in the night sky without your help.”

The relationship between Chandler and Francesca is completely different, on every level, primarily because Francesca is so very different from Cecelia. The openly risque banter between them upon first meeting was something in which Cecelia and Ramsay wouldn’t dare engage. I loved this exchange:

“‘I’m more stallion than broodmare, I’m afraid. I’ll never be saddled with a husband.’
A dimple appeared next to his mouth, softening the hard lines slightly with brackets of levity. ‘One need not be saddled to ride.’
She bit down on her cheek, fighting the response he so expertly evoked in her. An answering mischief, a womanly wickedness.
‘I ride with a firm hand.’ She met his eyes with a challenge. ‘I fear you’d have a difficult time keeping up.’
‘Some men enjoy a firm hand.’ He leaned down, his every muscle tense as he pulled her hips scandalously close to his. She’d branded him a hard man, and now he branded her with his intimate hardness through their unimaginable layers of clothing.”

The sex between them is not so much spiritual as it is explosive, bringing to life the nicknames Serana gave them as children: Pippa, the dragon, and Chandler, the tiger. “His sex was like a bolt of lightning, suffusing her with electric sensation that scraped her nerves raw and laid her soul bare.”

The two of them together are invincible, an unstoppable force, so when they combine their efforts to take down the Crimson Circle, they’re certain to be a success. Unfortunately, there are some unpleasant truths revealed and Chandler, in particular, has some soul-searching to do before he can forgive himself for what he feels he precipitated. After one particularly unsettling revelation, still believing Pippa is Francesca, “He ran from the soft, clinging arms of Pippa Hargrave. From her trusting, round face and toothless smile. From her peppermints and her punches and her little-girl love. From the hole in his heart that belonged only to her.”

**SPOILERS** Can there really be SPOILERS in a romance? I’ll preface this, just in case. And I don’t give away any secrets.

Francesca presents as a fortress incapable of being injured, but she is soft inside, like when she whispers to a sleeping Chandler, “Whatever souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.” Despite his repeated attempts to push her away, she intuitively responds with compassion and understanding, justifying how he must be feeling. And after so much suffering, when she is reunited with him, “The kiss opened her heart and her soul, released pain and fear and sadness and torment like a flock of dark and awful birds to dissipate to the sky. He tasted good, like forgiveness and pleasure and soft things neither of them had allowed themselves. Like home.” When he offers her his riches, she says, “I would live in the roots of a tree with you, you know I would.”

Chandler has to come to terms with the fact that the little girl he thought he loved as a child is a ghost and the woman he loves now is his real love. He clings to a memory, unable to recognize the gift he has been given. Finally, he tells Pippa/Francesca: “When I look back now, you’re all I can remember… That girl in the fireplace, clinging to me. She ran by my side. She took a bullet in the leg, meant for me. She always tried to save me, even if it was just from the dark. She set aside an extra peppermint from her father’s pockets, or an extra hour of work by laboring at my side, knowing I despised the fountain. That the water made me miserable. She spent her entire life trying to avenge my memory, and theirs.” He continues, “And...when I thought I’d found my damsel again, she tried to save me from her loss a second time… I never stopped to consider how much a secret like that must have weighed year after year. How oppressive and frightening it would be...That is love… I know that now.”

Book:The Devil in Her Bed
by Kerrigan Byrne

Series: Devil You Know, Book #3, 363 pp

Release Date: March 9, 2021

Publisher : St. Martin's Paperbacks

Overall Rating: 5/5 Star⭐️/ Saltire Flags🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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You don’t know me, but I am a monster, I am a man with dubious contacts, limitless legal protections and power in almost every corner of this city…the Devil of Dorset


London , U.K. 1892

Pippa goes from orphan to Countess of Mont Clare in a blink of an eye, a shot of a pistal, or a fatal swipe of a knife.
Twenty years ago her entire family was murdered, including her best friend and the boy she loved. Now she wants those people to pay and have her revenge and if she has to lay in bed with strangers to get her answers so be it. She cares not of the ton whispers about her lose morales after all she has her title and fortune. They can’t take it away except one person has the power to do exactly that if finds out her secret.


The Devil of Dorset was no gentleman and he stands by himself working for the Crown in the Secret Service. He was deadly in the back alleys, dark gambling establishments, brawling taverns, lowliest rookery glittering ballrooms, garden strolls, to a woman’s boudoir. He was also a ghost and knew how to control, operate, choreograph, and exploit each situation if he so desired to do so!

Now besides the Crimson council who has a huge spreadsheet of notorious crimes his target is the fake Countess of Mont Clare. He suspects she is an imposter and plans to prove it too! Of course that is after he tastes every inch of her delectable body from head to toe! Francesca does not realize he is someone from her past and thinks she is an imposter taking a murdered young girl’s title fortune and life! Chandler had no idea he met his match with this beautiful Countess of Mont Clare and he has secrets of his own,

This is the third and final book in the Devil You Know series and Red Rogue trilogy. Again, Ms. Byrne sweeps readers into another emotional, devastating, soul baring story that is filled with heartbreaking-betrayal, murder, devastating-deception ,treasonous-treachery, scary-secrets, lethal- lies and unlimited pleasing-passion. This book is superbly written with an unforgettable heart tugging tale that will long remain in your heart.


Will secrets be revealed, reputations ruined and hearts shattered into pieces? Read and find out in this phenomenal book!

Anther awe inspiring book from start to finish that I highly recommend.


The Devil You Know Series:
1)How to Love a Duke in Ten Days (Alexandra & Pier)
2)All Scot and Bothered (Cecelia& Ramsay)
3) The Devil in Her Bed (Francesca & Declan)

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy and an advance reader copy from the St. Martin’s Press publishers. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.



BuyLinks:

https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Her-Bed-Know-Book-ebook/dp/B0893SGC4H

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-devil-in-her-bed-kerrigan-byrne/1136846444

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250318886

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-devil-in-her-bed-1
…

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-devil-in-her-bed/id1515128442

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kerrigan_Byrne_The_Denoł poll In vil_in_Her_Bed?id=55_mDwAAQpBAJ

I love this series and I highly recommend you read item. Loved Francesca and Chandler they made a great romance. Unfortunately this is my least favorite of the three books. It just seemed extremely wordy. I also wished there would of been more Serena in the book. She was a large part of why Francesca was who she was.
You can not go wrong with a Kerrigan Byrne book!

The final book in the Devil You Know series, The Devil in Her Bed, for me, did not disappoint. I was waiting to learn more about Francesca, how she came to be the female she is, set on avenging the deaths of her family.

Francesca is the Countess of Mont Claire, and on a mission. Her entire life seems to focus on finding those responsible for killing her family, and making them pay dearly. Yet she comes into contact with the Earl of Devlin. A dangerous and powerful man who just might be the key to unraveling the mystery of what happened to her family.

If you've been following the series, you know that Francesca has many secrets, and the Devil of Dorset (our beloved Earl) is far from an open book.

When their histories are laid bare and their connections realized, they both must reconcile the truth- which will lead our hero and heroine through some muddy waters before they find their Happily Ever After.

As always, Kerrigan Byrne pens a sexy and gripping historical romance filled with twists and turns. Looking forward to her next historical romance series!

3.5 stars
This is a story born in tragedy and powered by revenge.

Currently Francesca Cavendish is on a quest for vengeance against the people who murdered her family and burned down in the Mont Claire massacre. She is cunning, untrusting, stubborn, brave, and will do anything she has to in order to take down the villains she is after. And she does this at the expense of her reputation and her own safety.

The Devil of Dorset goes by many names but he is really a ghost. A spy. A chameleon. A man of many disguises and names. He is currently becoming obsessed and is insanely attracted to Francesca. But he is pretty sure she is not who she says she is and he is determined to uncover the truth. But then no one really knows who he is either.

There is a lot of history fueling these two. They are both set on vengeance. They both have secrets, freely lie, and have varying hidden identities. But some secrets and ommissions may be harder to deal with than others.

But will they find common ground and enough trust to bare their secrets and work to take down a common enemy?

This is a mysterious, suspenseful, steamy, second chance love story. I will admit I was not a fan of all the lying and just wanted to shake them until all their truths were out. They had volatile chemistry, but sometimes I doubted their actual feelings and attachment to each other since they were often so guarded and mysterious. I think part of that had to do with the nature of the relationships that I cannot really talk about since it would be spoilery. I liked him, but he did royally annoy me for a bit and seemed to have a pretty quick shift to rights.

This ties up the stories for these three friends and their new mates and the underlying story of the evil Crimson Council. It brings back the other Red Rogues, Alexandria and Cecilia, and their significant others, Redmayne and Ramsey. They are a wonderful support system especially since Francesca can be impulsive and brave. I think their interactions were actually some of my favorite in the book.

The Red Rogues, three red haired beauties determined to set the world on fire with their ambition and desires. Frank, or Francesca, is the last of the rogues to claim her vengeance on the evil that killed her family. But Francesca has secrets that are vital to her revenge plot and she’s strong enough to tune out the gossip. The Devil goes by many names and has a thousand more secrets than Francesca, however she seems more skilled at keeping hers. I always enjoy reading Byrne’s books because the words flow beautifully and are full of passion. Usually they read quite quickly and the story moves fluidly, but something was different here. The story seemed to be divided amongst the two main characters for most of the book and only joined near the end. I kept waiting for that sense of urgency and craving everything to end as it should. It’s a satisfying read for the romance and mystery, but I felt it was a slower pace than normal. Netgalley provided my early copy and I wrote this review voluntarily.

I loved Francesca in the previous books and I was looking forward to see her story on paper.

She is a mysterious woman, full of secrets but at the same time she is also courageous and loyal. She meets Declan, a man who is not at all what he seems and who looked familiar.

The book had me hooked from the very first page and I couldn’t stop reading it until the very last one.

I love them both together but I didn’t like how she kept her secrets even after she already knew who Declan really was. However, he did had some big secrets too but I think that Francesca’s had a secret that basically held the whole story together. I didn’t like her deceit and that was what made me like her less. I won’t say hate because it’s a strong word but she definitely did something she shouldn’t have.

It was hard for me at the end to accept that Declan loved the real Francesca because the way he spoke about their past, I felt like he loves a ghost. A ghost that didn’t exist and Francesca kept feeding it power to exist. I don’t like heroines who are keeping their lies, who continue lying even after a hero tells them everything. It’s even worse if they slept together before she tells him the truth, like in this case. It was deceit for me.

Regardless, this was a great story, full of intrigue, action and some steamy scenes. I won’t stop reading Kerrigan Byrne even though this was the one book in this series I didn’t particularly love. Byrne is one of my favourite authors and I recommend her books to any historical romance reader. I would suggest, to better understand Francesca, to start from the first book, though.

3,5-4 stars.

Will he be able to see in time who is his true love ...

I thought the opening scene of How To Love A Duke In Ten Days was dreadful, especially as I have a hatred for all thing rape related, yet here on a different emotional level, the prologue was heart-wrenching, my heart broke for young Pippa.

Francesca is the most enigmatic of the triad composing the Red Rogue Society, she is a conundrum. A woman made of secret upon secret, a woman who shaped herself to become one walking weapon.
Until she meets her equal, a man who raises as much questions as herself.
She presents a facade to world, one she has slowly achieved by misleading everyone to see in her whom she wanted them to. She outsmarts her enemies in letting them believe she is just a fickle creature only interested in the next bed she will hop in. To further deceive everyone until she reaches her only goal, avenge all those she loved who had been robbed of their life, to render justice to the boy she adored from the moment she set her eyes on him.
Chandler is a man of many names and shadows, as time passed, he impersonated any character that might drive him nearer to his target. Now he is getting closer and closer to his finish, he must clear his path and expose everyone on his way.
And the Countess of Mont Claire is a mystery he must solve urgently, how has she risen from the ashes of her home after so many years buried under it. Is she really the woman he never forgot, the one who has lit up his dreams or is she only a fraud.
And who’s better to unmask a deceiver than a man without name.
Their relationship is one of competition and seduction, and she more oft than less bests him at his own game. She is clever and resourceful, not one to give up nor to be given order. She learned to be an unexpected opponent to those who only sought to find a weak creature, she deceives and cheats if necessary but she will not let go of her revenge. She has souls to let to rest, but only once she gave them their deserved peace. This how she deluded men, even Chandler, whom at first only acknowledged her as how she wanted to be seen. Yet as the king of deception, after a time, he realized how wrong he has been about her. Still, will he be able to discover the real Francesca...

Their love affair is one which transcends time and death, if only they give themselves the chance to let it unfold.

I have only one recrimination : Where is my epilogue!!!
I needed one!
There was one in the first book, but not in the second which is linked to this third, so where is it!
4.75 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen detailed lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher St Martin’s Paperbacks, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Wow, this book is a great finish to this series. I have read book two but need to go back and read the first book. If you have read any of this series, you will re-visit the Red Rogues and other character from books one and two. If you haven't read any of the series, please read the other books first. You will get so much more out of the story.
Francesca Cavendish, The Countess of Montclaire is a fraud. She has spent most of life living as someone else. She does this to right the horrible killing of her whole household when she was young.
She lost almost every one she loved in one night. Only Serana the healer is with her now.
She acts the part of the Countess by day and at balls but by night she is using whoever she can to get revenge for her family and stop those who caused it. She doesn't care what the ton says or about her reputation. Whatever she must do to get information she will do. She has trained to be strong and with her intelligent she is a force not to be missed with.
He is known as the Devil of Dorset, also The Earl of Devlin and a ton of other names. He has a dark, tortured past. He is the spy England calls to do the job when no one else can or will. He is powerful and at ease both in Ballrooms and back alleys. He works in shadows fighting to right the worst of evil .
He thought he lost the one girl he was attracted to as a boy. He has kept her memory close to his heart over the years as the one good thing in his life. The truth and one's memory are not always correct. Then she is back! He is sure she is an imposter.
As they meet and find out who the other is, both remember the terrible night they lost so much.
This story has everything a Kerrigan's book are known for. Tons of suspense, steamy scenes that will make you squirm, and unforgettable characters.
What both Declan and Francesca have been through but it's now over yet. Will it pull them together or split them forever?
Can they find what they really need and want without hurting the other?
The ending is absolutely perfect for this series and this book. I just can't say enough great thing about this book except grab a copy and get started.
I received and ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it. I will read any book with Kerrigan's name on it because I know I will not be disappointed.

The Devil in Her Bed was a wonderful read! I had the chance to read the previous installments in the series, and I was captivated by Kerrigan Byrne storytelling, her deep and well developed characters, the magic that seems to float in every scene she describes. But this time She has brought things to new levels of awesomeness. Not only the writing is flawless, but the story is engaging, suspenseful and addictive. I couldn't put the book down! I swear it! I was too invested in the action, in the secrets and the promise of the things to come for both of the main characters. The ending was a little bittersweet, though. Not because it didn't satisfy me as a reader, but because saying good bye to beloved characters is never easy, and my dear Red Rogues will always have a special place in my heart.
If you're considering to read this book, don't overthink it! Grab your copy ASAP! I promise you'll have a great time.

Pippa and Chandler have happy, simple lives until all is destroyed in a few hours when they are ten.
They spend the next 20 years re-inventing themselves into Francesca, and the Devil of Dorset, people filled with hatred, grief and revenge. People filled with the determination to take down the demons who destroyed their lives for power and prestige.
This is the ultimate love story of a man and a woman who work together to take down the people who viciously destroyed their family and homes. The lies, deceit and politics are as difficult to maneuver as the feelings toward each other that never went away.
I could not stop reading this book.
It is heartbreaking, devastating and horrific at times. It is also the ultimate love story of two people who were always meant to be together.

Love Love Love! Once again Kerrigan didn't desapoint the story flows perfectly and the chemistry is sizzling. A must read for any Kerrigan Byrne fan!

Another Five Star read for me!
This is the third book in the Devil You Know series and can be read as a standalone, I suggest starting with the first book.
I know going in that Kerrigan Byrne is going to have me on an emotional rollercoaster. That first chapter was quite devastating as it laid the groundwork for Francesca's tragic childhood that lead to her current mission.


The Devil of Dorset is just one of the many names he goes by. He is a man of undeniable power. Moving in and out of shadows, back alleys, and ballrooms, he is unstoppable and one of the Crown’s most dangerous weapons. When he sets his sights on the undeniably beautiful Countess of Mont Claire, Francesca Cavendish, he doesn’t realize that he has met a match like no other.

Francesca is a countess by day and stalks her prey—those responsible for the death of her family—by night. What she does not expect is to be thrown into the path of the devil himself, the Earl of Devlin. She has secrets of her own and he seems determined to lay them bare. Can her heart survive finding the love of her life and losing him when all is revealed?

Thanks to St.Martin's Press, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC to review.

Oh. My. Word. This book has it all. Action, adventure, mystery, romance, chemistry, friendship. I think one my favorite things about a Kerrigan Byrne book is how she doesn't hold back. The Devil in Her Bed opens with a James Bond style of opening where you're thrown right into a high-tense action sequence. I loved our main characters right from the start. Francesca is not simply one of those independent, free-thinking women. Byrne takes her further. She can literally take our hero down and does so more than once. As the hero says, she is "magnificent" and I couldn't agree more. Chandler is pretty amazing himself. A literal spy, I love his focus, power and strength. The chemistry between these two is off the charts and their backstories really got to me. The way she ties the end to the beginning made my heart sigh. I loved every part of this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a historical romance with an adventure aspect to it. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

CW: violence, parental abuse

The three red rogues have honoured the pact that they made years ago. They look out for the each other. This is the story of Francesca, and it's just as enticing as Cecelia's and Alexander's journeys.

Francesca has hidden her secrets from society very well, but Chandler who has been watching her has his doubts. She has taken on this persona who contradicts everything that she was. She has also created quite a reputation. Her ultimate goal is vengeance for those she loved and lost. She knows that she is threading on dangerous grounds, but doesn't realise how much until she finds herself in some obscene situations.

Chandler is after the same thing as she is. Vengeance! Once they find out that they are after the same enemy, they try to work together, but he becomes very protective. He is just as stubborn as she is, and this makes some interesting interactions. The deeper the story goes, the more is revealed about their pasts, but the real kicker is when his true identity is revealed.

The romance between them is believable, but at the end I wasn't convinced about the true love of Chandler. It's an interesting concept where there is mystery, intrigue, danger, suspense and romance. It's been a great series and I have really enjoyed the journeys of the three red rogues.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Passion. Deception. Tragedy. Revenge. Love. Danger. This book is a riveting combination of all those things and a whole lot more! Pippa was just a young girl when her entire world was taken from her in a most horrific passion. 20 years later, she is still seeking justice for her loved ones, and in those years she has become cunning and brave and strong. When her path collides with the man they call the Devil of Dorset, feelings are ignited, hearts are exposed, but lies threaten to blow it all apart. My heart was in my throat throughout this book, where danger lurked around each corner, even as the sparks flew between Francesca and Chandler. This has been a fantastic series, and I’m sad to see it end!

The devil in her bed is the third and last volume in The Devil You Know series. I was a little disappointed by the previous volume but in spite of it, I couldn’t wait to read this one because I found the character of Lady Francesca, the last friend, intriguing.

Let’s say that The devil in her bed is not only the volume I disliked the most in the series, but it will clearly be part of my worst read books of the year (and yes I know we’re only in march 2021…)

The first chapter takes place in 1872 and we understand quickly 1) the ins and the outs of the evolution of the volume’s suspense, and 2) the future interactions of the characters mentioned in this part.

My first failure to understand begins with the choice one of the protagonists offers to the heroine, then very young. Until the end, I didn’t understand why this need to take another one’s identity when she could have planned her revenge in being herself.

The second chapter takes place 20 years later and takes us some time after the end of All scot and bothered. We understand quickly that the resolution of the previous’ volume suspense will go on in The devil in her bed. However, it’s not the only thing at the origin of the relation that develops between our heroes.
The hero, called the Devil of Dorset, is very attracted by Francesca for diverse reasons, the most important is that he knows her. The latter, however, has no idea of the hero’s true identity at the beginning.
And that is where my real problem lays. As much as I appreciate a hero actually attracted by a heroine, I hate the subject of the false identity done this way by an author. Indeed, both main characters are guilty of dissimulation but at different times.
The problem is that in the case of our heroine, everything is revealed towards the end of the book. It’s perhaps where my opinion will differ from other readers who won’t have the same problem as me.
Indeed, in a very personal note, I’m disturbed when a heroine hides her identity from the hero, and vice versa. But in this story, it’s even worse because our hero thinks he’s falling in love (again) with another woman for whom he had begun to fall when he was younger.
What’s more, I didn’t appreciate the hero who had a good potential in the previous volume as in the beginning of this one. The worse for me was his reaction when he learns the truth. In spite of the end when he explains his so-called feelings to the heroine in order for her to forgive him, he never goes up in esteem.

Therefore, The devil in her bed is a romance in which I really don’t believe in the HEA and that prevented me from loving the rest of the book, namely the other characters including the previous heroes who appear here, the suspense and even the research done by the author about the beginning of the telephone in everyday life.

In any case, the Devil you know series was my first test with Kerrigan Byrne and will be my last.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date March 9, 2021.***

4 stars

I WANT TO BE A RED ROGUE!

The Devil in Her Bed is the 3rd book in the “Devil You Know” trilogy by Kerrigan Byrne. I found this to be a very satisfying end to an intriguing series. Francesca has been a favorite of mine since the start of the series, so was excited to finally get to her story. I was a little put off by some of the Devil's reactions, but not enough to really take away from the story (for me).

Once real life slows down some, I REALLY need to try some of Kerrigan's other books. :)

This is the final book in the series, and while I've loved these 3 friends and their stories a lot, this one didn't work for me as well as the others. 3.5 Stars.

Francesca Cavendish, the Countess of Mont Claire, has been hunting for her family's killers for her entire life. But, she's also been hiding an even bigger secret (which the reader has already known since book 1): She's actually Pippa Hargrave, the daughter of the estate's butler & cook, and the real lone survivor of the massacre at Mont Claire when she was a child. She took on Francesca's name and title, with help from a friend of her mother's, in order to have the money and power to find those responsible for the deaths of everyone she loved, and make them pay for it. She's getting close to all the answers she's been seeking, when an unexpected player shows up in town and scatters her wits with the attraction between them.

The Devil of Dorset, aka Chandler, is a spy for the Crown. He's done horrible things, without regret, to rid the realm of monsters of all kinds. But, he's always been on a personal mission as well, and he's close to finally bringing the culprits down. Chandler is drawn to Francesca for many reasons, but he doesn't expect her to have such a profound affect on his life, and his investigation. They find they must work together to bring down those responsible for the crimes against them.

Francesca and Chandler's chemistry was white-hot, even before either of them really knew who the other was. Francesca has NEVER had a reaction like that to a man before. She's always been solely focused on her revenge, and what she needed to do to get it. Chandler has always known his service to the Crown precluded him from having a wife or family, so it's never even crossed his mind before now. They both had to come to terms with their unique connection, and how to use it to their advantage, before it caused them to lose sight of their goals instead.

The Red Rogues, Francesca, Alexandra, and Cecilia, have such a ride-or-die, amazing friendship, and I love them so much. They are what made this series so special, and I could've done with more of them in this book. Also, now that Piers and Ramsay are married to Cecilia and Alexandra, respectively, they are part of the gang as well, which was fun to see. I will always appreciate how THERE they all are for each other, through everything that's ever happened to them in their lives. Anyone would be lucky to have such friends.

I loved the mystery plot of this story, and finally seeing all of Francesca's investigating starting to bear fruit. But, I think my main issue with this story was the connection between the main characters. Chandler basically thinks Francesca is someone else throughout almost the entire book. That would be bad enough for me personally, because I don't love it when the characters are constantly lying to each other. But, here it was even worse, and more hurtful to me, because he loved Francesca in childhood, and so it was hard to believe in his connection to this "Francesca", as she was really Pippa. Pippa had loved Chandler since childhood, and knew all of this, so it hurt her too, every time he brought up something about his feelings for her back then, and Pippa knew he wasn't really talking about her. Then after the dark moment happens, it was hard for me to see how they could ever really be together after all that had transpired. I also think an epilogue would have really helped with this. I needed to see them together and happy down the road, in order to believe in their HEA a little more I guess?

So, this one didn't work as well for me as the prior 2 stories, and I'm sad about it. But, I still really love Francesca, and I came to love Chandler too, and I think that others might not have the same issues I had with the story. Overall, I would still highly recommend the series, and most especially my favorite of the stories, book 1!

CONTENT WARNING for on page murder of the main character's family members when she was a child (in Chp. 1), talk of (off-page) ritualistic child murders ("sacrifices") within the bad guys' secret society.