Series: Devil You Know #1
Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on August 27, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Historical, Romance, Scottish, Victorian
Pages: 464
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
A Kirkus Reviews 2019 Best Romance Novel, the first in an exciting new series by USA Today bestseller 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...Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.
LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS
Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.“Romantic, lush, and suspenseful.”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch
Bryne has managed to perfectly weave in dark, heart-wrenching situations with red hot passion and tenderness in the first book of her new series, Devil You Know. I was caught by surprise by the vicious scene in the prologue. Admittedly, the dedication reading #metoo should have been a giant caution sign for this reader. I took a short break to read a couple books before returning to Alexandra’s story. I fell in love with the dark, brooding Piers and his swoony combination of tender understanding and red-blooded passionate male. Doctor Alexandra Lane is the intelligent bluestocking we love to admire with two incredibly loyal friends.
I think one of the more impressive aspects of How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is that Bryne managed to expertly juggle the core romance storyline while still including the important side stories like Alexandra’s blackmail mystery and Piers’ unfortunate past. I did find my attention drifting a bit during the longer inner musings but that seems to be a naughty reading habit of mine. Overall, this book was engaging and a true pleasure to read. There is enough action and mystery to keep the story moving even when the romance stalls due to male idiocy.
As much as I loved this book, I did find it difficult to read. Alexandra’s trauma and secrets play a significant role in this story. I do feel like Kerrigan Bryne found the perfect balance between giving the gravity of a topic like rape and yet not allowing the intensity to overpower the true story of love, trust, and vulnerability. Even with the care Bryne took with the topic, this book contains triggering content and may not be for all readers.
I wish I already had my mitts on Francesca and Cecilia’s books. This is the sort of series that is perfect for binge reading. Kerrigan Bryne truly has a gift for writing and has joined the (illustrious) ranks of auto-read authors for historical romance for this reader. Now I need to circle back and makes sure I’ve read all her backlist books! Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR with a healthy dose of caution from one #metoo survivor to another. It is worth the discomfort to read a book that ultimately is a testament to Alexandra’s strength, intelligence, and desire to live life fully.
About Kerrigan Byrne
Kerrigan has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she’s finally able to have the career she’d decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to “grow up to be a romance novelist.” Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story.
She lives in a little Victorian coast town on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State with her wonderful husband. When she’s not writing you can find her sailing, beach combing, kayaking, visiting wineries, breweries, and restaurants with friends, and hiking…okay…wandering aimlessly clenching bear spray in the mountains.
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