3.5 STARS

This book felt as if it were a modern romance, plopped into a historical setting. It reminded me why I tend to shy away from this genre. I prefer more historically accurate romances; not that one way is better than the other, just my own preference. I enjoyed the romance itself, especially the banter

I have adored all the other books I've read from Byrne, so perhaps this is just a snag. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it, as I seem to be the only person who didn't love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy.

I started this book over the summer and it was heavy. I put it down but I think I will pick it back up this 2020. I like this author's writing. It just was too dark and heavy for when I was reading it..

How to Love a Duke in Ten Day is the first book by this author I have read, and a great start for a new series. I loved meeting the Red Rogues, I found them to be a colorful group of women, who brought their own individual characters to the story. I loved reading Alexander and Pier's story, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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.

Alexandra is an archaeologist and is living a good life. She has an issue with men due to a trauma while she’s at school. She truly wants nothing to do with them but when she finds out that one of her best friends is marrying a man Alexandra’s never heard of or met, she’s concerned! Alexandra is being drained financially from her family and a blackmailer who knows what happened to her 10 years earlier when she was traumatized at a boarding school and took matters into her own hands. She needs money to keep her family’s good name and not be in the poor house. Despite her distrust of men, she offers to marry Piers in place of her friend. (Her friend didn’t want to marry Piers, she was just trying to get info on the murder of her family.)

Piers is shocked that the woman he’s so attracted to is taking his fiancé’s place. He can’t wait to get her into bed, but when he finds out she’s not a virgin he’s devastated. His previous fiancé betrayed him and he insists that they wait 10 days before sleeping together. (The ten days is when her period is due.) During this 10 days the pair get to know each other and fall in love.

There are other things happening during the story – Piers’ previous fiancé’s betrayal, someone trying to kill either Alexandra or Piers, Alexandra’s friends Francesca and Cecilia and their issues – there was a lot going on. Even though this was all A LOT, I really liked the story and how it unfolded. The friendship between Alexandra and her friends was heart-warming and I loved how they had stuck together through all of their many horrid trials.

I wasn’t a fan of the end of the book, unfortunately. It started dragging at the end and the revealing of the villain was a bit OTT for my liking. Despite my issues with the ending, I really liked the story and definitely recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5

I have read a few stories written by Kerrigan Byrne and I so love her!

I was surprised at how the story started. I love how strong is Alex and her personality fit perfectly with Piers.

Alex is not the typical heroine because she is smart and independent too! Piers' protectiveness is very sweet!

I can't wait to read the other Devil You Know series!

Thank you very much to St. Martin's Paperback and Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved this book!! This is the second book I read from this author and loved! Historical Fiction is my favorite genre and this book is one reason why!!

This was my first book by Kerrigan Byrne and it was an outstanding read! This was not the typical historical romance. There was darkness and depths of emotion that I have not read in many HR books before. I look forward to reading more books by this author!
Thank you to NetGAlley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Overall: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Romance: 💞 💞 💞
Emotional Depth: 💔 💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️
Sensuality: 🔥 🔥 🔥
Sex Scene Length: 🍆 🍆 🍆

I kind of don’t want to review this book. Because I just want to be done with it. It took me like two months to read and I just want to move on. Why? Because here we have a case of great characters nestled within an i exciting and unoriginal mystery plot. And I really do hate to say that because I adore Kerrigan Byrne.

If this book had been done with different characters, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it much at all. Piers and Alexandra were the saving graces here and I only wish they were given a story as amazing as they were. But the mystery plot was thin and kind of boring. It didn’t compel me to keep reading. The end was a little absurd and unclever and it was missing the darkness that I have come to expect and love about books from Kerrigan Byrne. Overall, the book just didn’t feel like her. I wouldn’t have known I was reading a book by her outside of the first chapter. I’ll say no more on that subject because I am not a person who likes mystery plots or villains. If you are, you may want to disregard the above.

As for Piers and Alexandra....they were what kept me reading. In the first chapter Alexandra suffers a graphic rape. That’s what sets this book off and we jump 10 years later to when she meets Piers. The whole of Alexandra’s life has been altered by her rape. You see how the impact and devastation of it has woven through every aspect of her life, but mostly into her persona. It influences how and who she trusts. It changes how she interacts with the world. It has left her only half alive. And because of this she has idiosyncrasies and neuroses that manifest themselves, at least to Piers’ perspective, into tender and adorable personality traits.

Piers has suffered his own traumas. His face is half deformed from an attack he suffered before the book begins. I won’t say how because I don’t want to include a spoiler. Unlike Alexandra, whose attack changed how she sees the world, Piers’ attack changed how the world sees him. According to everyone, he’s a beast. A terror. Yet, underneath his intimidating exterior, is a tender and softhearted man, full of invisible scars that he’d gathered throughout his life from events that have left him distrustful and suspicious.

Piers and Alexandra are exactly what they each need at exactly the right time. Their relationship is what made the book for me. How they learned to trust each other and to bear each other pain. How they began to erase that pain and turn their dismal worlds into ones of happiness and faithfulness. The way Piers supports Alexandra, was so touching. I loved him for that. Even when his inclination to be suspicious propelled him in the wrong direction, he found himself wanting nothing more than to give her everything she needed. That’s not to say he doesn’t make mistakes. He makes huge mistakes. But when he does, he owns them and atones for them.

The best example of this is when he realizes that Alexandra had been raped. It was the best scene in the book. As he works through the realization and processes it you see first his shock, then the devastation, then anger, the weight of it making him sick and then blind with rage. As he puts the pieces together and recalls some of her behavior, his regret and his emotions were palpable. I’ll not be able to do that scene justice, so I’m not even going to try beyond this. But the whole book was worth reading just for this one moment.

You might think a book with a heroine that had been traumatized by a rape wouldn’t have much of a chance to be steamy. But this book was. And it was handled so well. Piers was so gentle and understanding with Alexandra. Even when he didn’t know what had happened to her. He only knew she was hesitant and so he was patient. So very patient. They worked up to things in increments and by the time they get to the first love scene, a whole 330 pages in!, the sexual tension is so thick that it made that scene so damn hot. I loved Piers’ need, how badly he wanted her, how he still reigned his desire so as not to scare her, and yet seemed fierce with passion.

Overall, I got a ton of feels from the moments spent on their relationship, especially from Piers. I was pretty bored reading the mystery parts. I would have loved this book a lot more inside a different plot line. I still enjoyed it and will remember the characters fondly.

Thank you to St. Martin's press and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I feel like I could go back and forth between a 3 and 4 stars here - but 4 stars for me is a five star rating for everyone else (my five stars are saved for the ones I truly am obsessed with) so I feel happy with a 3 star rating.

*Mild spoilers that will only mention content that could be harmful towards some readers will be in this review.*

While I initially received this book as an e-ARC I ultimately ended up listening to the audio, so I'll start with a few notes on that. The narrator was surprising in that you don't often find a romance book narrated by a man, and when you do there is usually a female narrator for the main character's perspective - that wasn't the case here. The narrator was male throughout, regardless of the perspective, and I think he actually did a really excellent job (and the accent was awesome, I might add). I actually think choosing a male narrator for a book whose main character was sexually assaulted (and is thus a huge part of the story) was a really brave choice on the publisher's part.

On that, I want to touch on the violence in the story because I think the topic was handled so incredibly well. The sensitivity the love interest shows towards the main character even before he knew of her trauma was amazing to see. Before they had any sexual contact she demanded she wanted ground rules that he had to follow, no questions asked, regardless of how ridiculous they sounded to him. While it might seem like a "DUH" moment that he says yes to this, in a world filled with toxic, controlling love interests who like to call the shots - this love interest was still alpha male in that he was very masculine in a lot of typical ways, but he respected her wishes without question. There was at one point in the story a time in which he breaks her rules (in a small way) and he immediately stops what he's doing and apologizes. He's constantly asking for her consent, if she's okay with what's happening, etc.

The Synopsis

"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."

To avoid spoilers, the description above is the Goodreads synopsis.

The plot was very interesting, and honestly I never expected who the blackmailer was. It was kind of out of left field for me but I liked it. The main character, while she has experienced trauma, is still an incredibly strong person. She's a well respected scholar and archaeologist, a female doctor in a time where that isn't really "allowed". She's made a life for herself along with her two closest friends and the only way she has allowed herself to be affected by her trauma is that she wants nothing to do with romantic relationships. The reason she ends up proposing a marriage with the Duke is because she ultimately has to to help her family and her friends escape bad situations.


I think the side characters, specifically her best friends, are incredibly well done and I'm hoping there will be books for them because there are unresolved questions for me in regards to their stories.

Ultimately the romance was very sweet, and I really liked both of the main characters. There was of course a happy ever after so that isn't something you should worry about when reading this book. I am very excited to see where this author goes next and very interested to pick up anything else she writes.

I loved this book! The Prologue grabbed me and the rest never let me go! The friendship of the Red Rogues, although a back story, was a highlight of the tale. The duke of Redmayne was a formidable hero and Alex was a fierce heroine. I could not put it down. The banter between the two was both sensual and heartfelt. The dark, brooding and scarred Piers (loved his name!) was everything I would want in a hero: dashing, handsome, protective, sensitive and accepting. I read this in two days, it was fabulous!

Do I even have to say it? Of course I loved it. Heartbreaking, heartwrenching, beautiful. Both protagonists are perfect, he is the most caring hero, she's a perfect mix of strength, insecurities and sadness. I love them.
Also, I cried a lot, to the point of sobbing.
Byrne stories are always so full of emotions and she certainly knows how to portrait them. Like for all of her novels there's no way to pause the reading, so try not to start this late in the evening!

Kerrigan Byrne is forever a favorite and this book cements that status. I'm always in love with a good ducal romance and How To Love A Duke In Ten Days was no exception. Wonderfully crafted characters and detailed imagery took this book to new heights and swept me right along with them. I enjoyed this read from cover to cover and can't wait for the next book by the talented author. I immensely enjoyed the opportunity to read and give feedback on this novel.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days hit me with all the feels. Not only is it a beautiful love story, it’s also a story of a woman’s strength and resilience in the wake of sexual violence. Alexandra and Piers captivated my heart. I loved seeing these two broken souls overcome secrets and tragedy and learn to trust and open their hearts to each other. Their story is sensual and perfectly balanced with action, mystery, and danger. I was consumed from the gut-wrenching start to the joyous end. Byrne is a master in historical romance; her writing is flawless. She has become a go-to author for me, and I’m eagerly awaiting what’s next in her “Devil You Know” series.

I always know when I pick up a book by Kerrigan Byrne I won't be able to put it down. This was no different. I was transfixed by Piers and Alexandra. I can't wait to read more of the Red Rogues.

Not that I’m surprised, but this was amazing. Kerrigan Byrne writes an amazing balance of old school angst & tortured souls with take charge modern feminism. This was very much a right book at the right time for me, but I think is an incredibly meaningful one, rape survivor or not.

TW: attempted sexual assault described in text, ptsd from sexual assault described in text

Alexandra has been abused (let's face it: raped) when she was 17 years old. She swears that she will never marry, but when a black mailer is threatening her and she needs money to pay him off, she considers a duke with a terrible reputation as her husband. He, too, seeks marriage also for other personal reasons far from love.

What started out as a very promising romance dragged into pages and pages of both protagonists lusting after each other but lack of communication keeping them apart. This was tiring, and skipping pages did not take anything off the story.

Nevertheless, the story itself was interesting and appealing, with alluring characters. The angst was over the top, 'is all.

Have you ever been in a complete reading slump, unable to find anything that speaks to you, and then you pick up a really good book? That's what happened to me when I picked up How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. Absolutely fabulous! Great plot, great characters, lots of action, lots of slow burn sexy. I can't wait for the next one!

i love the main and secondary characters of this book. Piers and Alexandra are two people who were truly meant to be together. Opposite in all most ever way but the same when it means the most.
I wish the first half of this book was a wonderful as the last half.
I’m looking forward to the next book and if I read the end of the end of the epilogue correct was was correct who Cecilia's HEA is.

When Lady Alexandra was at the L’Ecole de Chardonne the headmaster punished and raped her leaving her forever scarred but Alexandra managed to fight back. Luckily her friends the Red Rogues knew her secret and the horrible crime of what the headmaster had done. Ten years later Alexandra has left the school and her old life becoming Dr. Alexandra Lane. When Alexandra arrives at Devonshire she spies a wild horse and attempts to tame him. The horse belongs to none other than Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne. Piers is fascinated by Alexandra even though she doesn’t know yet who he is. Unfortunately Piers is betrothed to Alexandra’s best friend Francesca but in a twist of fate becomes Alexandra’s husband. As Alexandra and Piers get to know each other the past and secrets that plague their lives could also destroy them in the end.
This emotional heartfelt regency romance will definitely cause a roller coaster of feelings from the very beginning! Sure the story starts off a little distastefully with a rape and might make some turn away from it because of the content. The author really knows how to tell a wonderful story no matter what happens! Still how the strong courageous Alexandra faces trial and tribulation with her determination will make anyone smile. She truly is a heroine that is worth rooting for and one that is easy to like. Piers the harsh overbearing hero at first isn’t bad but how he deals with Alexandra’s situation could have been better. At times you really want to shake some sense into him but really can’t blame his overprotective jealous nature. This is definitely a good book and one worth reading!

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is a book about trauma, and how processing trauma can be a lifelong undertaking. Alexandra has secrets that she is desperate not to reveal. But someone knows about her past and is blackmailing her; in the meantime her family has become destitute, leaving her unable to pay. To save herself and her friends, who share her secrets, she decides to marry the Duke of Redmayne who is very rich but also quite scary. This book deals with hard, serious trauma in a very sensitive way. And while Redmayne is possessive and fierce in the way of many historical romance dukes, he is also kind and understanding. Once he understands what Alexandra has been through he is amazing. I really like how their relationship developed. Often in romance there's a lot of chemistry but not a lot of getting to know each other. While the course of this book isn't that long, Byrne repeatedly writes that the two characters talk and laugh and really enjoy each other's company. I really liked that. I also loved Alexandra - an archaeologist with a PhD - and her two best friends. They had a wonderful friendship, and she was brave and smart and caring. This book has quite the melodramatic plot, and I tore through it to find out what would happen. I wasn't crazy about the epilogue, but I'm definitely interested in the next book, as well as Byrne's back catalog. Recommended!