Review - How to Love a Duke in Ten Days

Title:   How to Love a Duke in Ten Days

Author:  Kerrigan Byrne
Series:  Devil You Know #1

Genre:   Historical Romance

Publisher:  St. Martin's Paperbacks

Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   448

Date of Publication:  August 27, 2019
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

These men are dark, bold, and brave. 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. 

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

Lady Alexandra Lane, with two very close friends, Francesca Cavendish and Cecelia Teague, have formed a little group called the Red Rogues. The name is partly due to their varying color of red hair, as well as their rather unorthodox behavior. The girls are away at school and. under certain circumstances, refer to each other as Alexander, Cecil and Frank.

One day after class, the headmaster has caught Alexandra out. He knows of their nefarious activities and threatens to expose the girls. Before he can do that, he does unspeakable harm to Alexandra, and she defends herself, and ends up killing him. They manage to cover the crime up, and go about their lives. Before I go on, I will admit to feeling rather broken while reading this scene.

It is now ten years later and Francesca is about to announce her betrothal. Alexandra and Cecelia travel to Devonshire for the announcement. But, Alexandra has received a note from Francesca that indicates she may be in danger, so Alexandra knows something more is up.

There is something else. Each girl is bond together by a dark secret. As this is Alexandra's story in this trilogy by Kerrigan Byrne, the turn of events becomes rather interesting. One of the first people that she sees is going to be rather significant in her life. During her years away, Alexandra became a doctor, an archaeologist, but her past has traveled with her. She has been blackmailed all of these years and her family is now destitute.

Meanwhile, the stranger Alexandra meets, Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is actually soon to become Francesca's betrothed. Piers is badly scarred and has the moniker, Terror of Torcliff. Nonetheless, sparks quickly fly between him and Alexandra. Therefore, things end up completely different, and before long, Alexandra and Piers are together.

The story shifts to their honeymoon in Normandy, where the couple go on an archaeological dig. While they get to know one another, Piers must work feverishly hard at keeping her safe. In all actuality, her blackmailer will stop at nothing.

What a story! After what Alexandra experienced as a teen, marriage was the furthest thing from her mind. She faces quite a bit of adjustment. Piers is a true hero. His compassion, understanding and gentleness shine through. Between watching the relationship develop, all while with danger continually escalating, made this quite an impressive, fast-moving story. I adored this book and cannot wait for the other two stories.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and to NetGalley, as well as Edelweiss, for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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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