Sexy, hot, suspenseful are just a few words that describe this story. The way Kerrigan interwove the love story and criminal story was masterful. A real page turner.

Alexandra and her two friends survived their teen years in school run by a nasty headmaster by depending on each other...keeping each other's secrets...no matter what.
She came to attend Francesca's wedding ten years later, the one Francesca had declared would never be, along with Cecilia.
Then things changed, Alexandra became the bride, and found a happy ever after ending.
That's the quick summary, the tale is full of suspicion, intrigue, blackmail, murder attempts, close friends, a sexy hawt groom, the Duke of Redmayne, the blue stocking bride, and multiple romantic steamy sensual scenes between the newlyweds.
Piers, Duke of Redmayne, is the sweet Alpha male many women dream of. It's a wonderful place to spend some time.
I requested and was granted an ARC from NetGalley for my perusal, and recommend it for those who like their historical romances with intrigue and a bit of heat,

This novel was an enjoyable read, however its beginning is a bit dark. Lady Alexandra Lane and her two best friends all have secrets they have shared with each other. They each have to overcome their own past and even agreed to never marry. Alexandra is being blackmailed and her family has lost much of its fortune. When she first meets Piers Gedrick Atherton, she has no idea he is the Duke of Redmayne. Piers cannot believe a woman stands up to him, considering he has been scarred and dubbed the Terror of Torcliff. Piers is a strong character, protective, and distrustful of women, due to his own past. Both Alexandra and Piers are independent individuals, yet both deeply affected by their pasts. Alexandra proposes marriage, for she needs money and he needs heirs. Both develop feelings for each other, but old fears affect their developing relationship. When several accidents prove to be foul play, Alexandra fears she is the target and Piers believes he is the one being targeted. When they finally realize the love they feel for the other, they will do anything to keep them safe. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!

What a great book! I’ve never read one of Kerrigan Byrne’s book before but I will now. The moment I started reading “How to Love a Duke in Ten Days “ I became immersed into the characters and story. Alexandra experienced trauma and Piers emotional pain. Both have to learn how to trust and heal while being in danger. I highly recommend this book.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

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.

Kerrigan Byrne is absolutely one of my favorite historical romance writers. All her books pack a powerful punch, with fully developed characters and plots.

From the gut wrenching prologue to the very last page of the epilogue I was lost to the world of Alexandra and Piers, a steamy version of Beauty and the Beast. Both deeply flawed and hiding secrets.

What a great start to another series of books. This book can be read as a stand alone but I can’t wait to read the others already.

I received this ARC for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley, Kerrigan Byrne and St. Martins Press

Okay, I’m not sure if I’ve read anything by Kerrigan Byrne in my book library of “to be read” but this was one fantastic story that had my absolute attention from the beginning pages to its ending. This the first in this series of the Devil You Know.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days started off a bit tragic and was not what I was expecting, however the author’s writing style capture my attention and a little heartbreaking for Lady Alexandria, the heroine of the story. It shows her vulnerability as well as her strength to overcome the affliction that torments her every day. Nonetheless, she survives her circumstances and becomes a woman who has to overcome the demons that tries to conquer her life. She’s not alone with living with secrets…her closest friends Cecilia (Cecil) and Francesca (Franc) have their share of demons too.

The Hero of the story, Piers, the Duke of Redmayne is a bossy internally handsome hero. Although he is not quite handsome on the outside…with scars marking his face, his inner beauty flourishes the brooding austere that has painted him the Terror of Torcliff. He was patience, thoughtful and understanding with Alexandria when she was not forthcoming with what had happened to her as a young girl. Both characters fell in love at first sight. Their love gradually deepened for one another as they uncovered little by little things in their past that would dictate the outcome of their future together.

There are times within the story that your heart goes out to Alexandra, who became a victim of rape by a despicable man who was head of the school and one who took advantage o the young girls under his charge. I loved the friendship and support that the Red Rogues had for one another, especially the love they shared in helping one another out no matter what the circumstance. Piers was the epitome of a gentleman in disguise who really cared about Alexandra’s feelings and he at every chance showed her that intimacy doesn’t have to hurt.

The author has a well-written, wonderful plot and enjoyable characters that make this novel well worth the read. It has its positive sides, as well as negative sides but they are there to make each character a bit stronger and have the ability to overcome the obstacles that are hindering from moving forward with their lives. I truly loved Piers and Alexandra through all the obstacles they had to confront. The story had its share of twists and suspense and I found myself second guessing who the villains were near the end. Oh what a touch of angst, secrets, lies, betrayals and mystery. Although the story touches on sexual abuse against young women, I never felt overwhelmed by that fact and thought the author did a good job with handling that part of the story.

If you’re looking to start a new series, this is one I highly recommend for your historical romance read. The H/h will draw you into their world. You will find your heart tugged and eyes teary from time to time. I loved this story and would love to take a stab at an audiobook version with one of my favorite narrators (i.e., Anne Flosnik, Rosalyn Landor, Braden Wright…just a few). Highly recommend this read.

I thank the author and St. Martins Press for allowing me to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

5-Stars

Review by 2shay……….🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟……….

Every now and again a book comes along that is so good, so relevant to today’s events, that calling it historical is a misnomer. There are events in this book that scream #metoo. It just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ms. Byrne’s style is reminiscent of the elegant prose of the past, while remaining true to more modern tastes. It’s lovely. From the prolog, we know that Alexandra is brutally raped at boarding school when she was seventeen. By the headmaster. The events that unfolded afterward form an even stronger bond between her and her two best friends, Cecilia and Francesca. They vow to keep this secret forever. Cecilia and Francesca have secrets of their own.

Ten years later, Alexandra is surprised to be invited to a wedding for her friend, Francesca, to the Duke of Redmayne. The girls had sworn not to marry, and were considered “spinsters” and beyond marriageable age. But, life goes on and things change. The biggest change for Alexandra, is her financial situation. Her father’s impending bankruptcy has left her with no means to pay her blackmailer. Now, in retaliation, her blackmailer is trying to kill her.

In my opinion, men…all men…should read this book. Piers Gedrick Atherton, Duke Of Redmayne, agrees to Alexandra’s proposal, because, for him, any wife from a titled family will do…much to Francesca’s relief. He then proceeds to make every possible mistake a man can make with a woman with Alexandra’s past. I cried for her. How he fixes things while dealing with the mystery of the blackmailer leads to the most stunningly seductive sex scenes I’ve ever read. Sensitively and intimately written, brilliant.

If you are sensitive about explicit sex, this may not be the book for you. If so, I’m sorry for you. You’ll miss a great story. Pick up a copy and…

Enjoy!

ARC graciously provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

The topic of rape and “overcoming “ it was handled as well as one can in an historical romance. The author genuinely approached it with as much sensitivity as was possible.. My biggest issues are with the ridiculously misogynistic things Piers would say, the overuse of the word turgid and descriptions of the female anatomy as “seams.” Okay, the end scene where they “make love” to encourage labor in the exact way Alexandra was raped really turned my stomach. As did the rushed and cliche cliffhanger that one of the friends was also pregnant and married to the cousin...ooh. Can’t wait to read that. Not. The beginning was promising but it quickly went off the rails and three of the four possible bad guys all meeting their demise together at the end was too silly to be believed. Thanks for the freebie in any case.

I wasn't sure what to think about this book when I read the first chapter, but it's very important to the book. Three young ladies, Alexandra, Cecelia and Francesca become close friends in a private school, but the rape of one of the girls and it's consequences is a secret they all carry for ten years. Francesca has been betrothed to Piers, the Duke of Redmayne for many years, but they don't like each other. Alexander is attracted to Piers and approaches him to marry her instead, but she carries a terrible secret that she's being blackmailed for. With the marriage she can pay the blackmailer, hopefully for the last time. Ten days for their honeymoon will give them both a chance to build trust, but someone wants one of them dead. Greed, jealousy, a terrible secret and misunderstandings come into play to make it difficult to trust each other. Byrne makes it all work to keep you reading faster than you did before. Fantastic read!
A free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

This is a wonderful beginning to a new series by Kerrigan Byrne named “Devil You Know”. This first story, “How to Love a Duke in Ten Days” was fast paced and filled with heartache, revenge, plots, steamy romantic pages and a well done HEA.
Alexandra Lane, daughter of an Earl, has a school incident days before finishing that will set the course of her life along with her two closest friends that no man is worth the griefs they cause. Her sisters, though not by blood, are her family that will keep the secrets they each share and will protect each other no matter what the cost.
Some years after attending the graduating the Sorbonne in Paris and leaving society behind Alexandra has made a name for herself as a accomplished scholarly archeologist and linguist. She also had been paying a blackmailer who has somehow found her secret and threatened to expose her friends and her but cannot continue to do so as news of her family’s financial decline.
As fortune would have it one of her friends is summonsed by a Duke of the realm to a family arranged marriage. Knowing her friend does not want to get married, Alexandra proposes to the Duke who is the only man she has felt would protect her, that she finds fascinating and at the same time she would be providing for her family.
Piers Gedrick Atherton, Duke of Redmayne, the Terror of Torcliff named so after a hunting accident that left him scarred, only wants revenge against his fickle ex-fiancé who married his cousin who was next in line for his title when they thought he would die of his wounds. He figures no woman would take him and his scars anyway so why not go ahead with the arranged marriage that would accomplish all his goals.
Only Piers comes to realize he is immediately taken with Alexandra the very first time he met her when she jumped into action to save a mother and her children at the train station from a stallion that escaped during its off loading.
And so the story quickens pace with an attempted assassination, only was it to end the Duke, Alexandra or one of her friends. There is a wedding between two strangers within just a short time of meeting each other. More attempts on who knows whose life, blackmailers revealed, and secrets that could not remain secret. All within ten days of Alexandra and Piers meeting and falling in love.
If the other stories in this series is anything like this one, all I can say is I cannot wait for the next offering.

4.5 stars

Alexandra’s emotional perseverance was admirable, but I liked how she was so relatable. Her fears and concerns were valid, while her strengths and individual wins a reason to celebrate!

Piers was a wonderful hero, but again, I loved that he wasn’t perfect. Whether it was inserting his foot in his mouth or sweeping in to save the day-when the ladies were obviously doing quite well without him-Piers was a down to earth kind of guy.

Their romance was a sweeping force of blistering chemistry and may I just say, I thought Byrne’s built up Piers and Alexandra’s steaming tension to epic portions and when the whistle blew......!

Aside from the great romance, there’s also plenty of social issues to delve into. Without going into detail of what’s between the pages, I’ll just say for everything Alexandra experienced regarding one specific matter, I found myself flipping the same coin and putting Piers in the same position. Which then lead to a rousing discussion with a friend regarding social norms and society’s perception of men and women in the same situation happens=great food for thought.

For all the issues they both suffered and/or struggled with, Piers and Alexandra’s story turned out to be an amazingly romantic read! I loved so much about the book and really enjoyed how Byrne’s tackled sensitive subjects. Not so much in your face, but not swept quietly under the rug either. With a great balance of dark and light, beautiful writing, tongue in cheek humor, a steamy, healing romance, and wonderful friendships, I think Byrne’s new series is off to a very strong start!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book I received from St. Martins and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't think Alexandra knows what to make of her man at times, “is it too much to hope that you were so overcome by my masculine appeal and erotic prowess that you couldn’t stand to live another moment without the pleasure of my touch?” Alexandra gaped at him, rendered momentarily speechless." I liked this book, I fell in love witj Piers.

This is a wonderful mix of romance and suspense. Loved the larger than life, brooding hero facing an intelligent and capable heroine. The story was everything I wanted: romance, deep friendships, suspense, great dialogue and a perfect conclusion!

First in a new series; this series follows the Red Rogues, a trio of red heads who share a sisterhood of unconditional love, support, and secrets that could ruin them all. Kerrigan once again took me on an emotional roller coaster with this book.

This book does have a huge trigger warning, as Alexandra is a rape survivor and the story really revolves around this, including a mystery surrounding the ten year old crime, her feelings as she tries her hand at her first ever romantic interludes, and the emotional reveal to her husband and his feelings regarding this secret...especially since he originally misunderstands many of the clues surrounding her odd behavior with him.

Beautiful story of strength and resilience, and just what you’re willing to sacrifice to keep those you love safe.

I was hooked right from the beginning. I had to find out what happened to the girls. The story was great and not drawn out. Fast paced! Can't wait for the next book!!

"Is it too much to hope that you were so overcome by my masculine appeal and erotic prowess that you couldn't stand to live another moment without the pleasure of my touch?"

This book, as with all Kerrigan Byrne stories, tackles characters who have endured very serious and painful pasts. Much of this story revolves around the secrets in Alexandra's past - <spoiler> she was raped by the headmaster at her school and killed him in the heat of the moment while trying to get away </spoiler>. Both Piers and Alexandra have deep scars (in some case physical) that inform their interactions and assumptions of each other.

I did love sweet, nerdy, Alexandra and protective, overbearing Piers. They did complement each other perfectly.

This book is sweet, funny, suspenseful, and deeply emotional. <spoiler> Seeing Piers dawning realization that Alexandra was raped, his subsequent rage, and ultimate comfort, love, and focus on Alexandra was beautiful. Reading that she hand stitched her undergarments closed at the seam for protection is heartbreaking - not just for Piers but for the reader as well </spoiler> This book has an important message about survival of sexual assault - it may only last seconds or minutes, but the subsequent effect and aftermath is long lasting - if not permanent. It takes and takes and takes from the victim, long after that actual act is complete. <spoiler>That is why Piers's total acceptance and support for Alexandra is so very important. This is the type of love and support we need to offer all victims of sexual trauma. No questioning whether it happened or wondering what the victim did to provoke the action (nothing - because there is no excuse).</spoiler>

Overall this is a wonderful read - the only thing that kept it from being five stars was the rather melodramatic climax.

"All I'm asking is for you to have mercy on me, wife. If there is a battle to fight, a villain to face, I beg you to allow me the honor. Because the cruelest thing you could do, is sentence me to a world without you in it."

I received an arc copy of this book from NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for my honest review. At 17 Lady Alexandra’s life was full of potential, unfortunately she learned that not all people are true and honorable forcing her to make a terrible decision and scarring her soul in the process. She carries her scars inside while Piers the Duke of Redmayne carries his on his face for all to see, but he too struggles to trust after being deceived one to many times. While their initial meeting seemed to be accidental they soon find a compatibility that brews into more than just liking one another, but first they must survive their own mysterious circumstances and hope that their love will overcome their damaged hearts. This book had humor, adventure , mystery and a nice soft romance that showed great empathy. What a nice start two a new series and I wish book two would come sooner as I can’t wait to hear more about these characters. 5 stars

Overall nicely done. The prologue is very dark and violent. The rest is not quite so dark (fortunately) however murder attempts are made; the question is who is supposed to be the victim. There are nasty relations, some great friends, and a lot of jealousy.
Call it a pet peeve, but I extremely dislike dialogues being interrupted by overly long thoughts or memories of the characters. In one rather heated scene, Piers thinks back to his parents marriage while arguing with Alexandra. While these memories provide some information which helps the reader understand Piers and his angry reaction, the length of the interruption is so long I was tempted to skim (I didn't) but went back to re-read the earlier portion of the dialogue.
I received a free advance copy via netgalley and voluntarily post my review.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is an exceptionally well written and captivating historical romance. One that stands out from the rest and demands to be read.

I’m speechless and awed. This is without a doubt one of the best historical romances I’ve EVER read.

With an incredible, out-of-this-world romance, a dash of mystery and suspense, and memorable characters, this book eclipsed everything and anything I was doing.

This could or may very well be a unique and spectacular retelling of Beauty and the Beast. A retelling that has included everything I did not know I wanted and more love and devotion than I could have ever forseen.

Alexandra is such a strong and smart woman. Her character is well written. You understand her as well as her motives. You feel her distress, her pain and her fear. But you also see strength and a survivor.

Piers, aka the Duke of Redmayne, was the most perfectly written book-boyfriend to date. His character is so well fleshed out and so real. His character is not perfect by any means but he is perfectly imperfect. He has a short temper and is quick to judge but the way he takes care of and is with Alexandra is heart-melting and swoon-worthy. He is guaranteed to burrow himself into your heart.

I am more than eager to continue this series.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is A MUST READ! One-click today! NOW! Go, go, go!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I rather liked this book, in spite of its flaws.. The first flaw is the title, which suggests this is a “typical” light, Regency romance. There is a good amount of darkness in this story, including a disturbing rape scene. The rape is a major theme throughout the book.
The version I read was a pre-publication version, so I wasn’t surprised to find a few mis-spellings, an occasional missed word. But there were a couple of instances of information that didn’t make sense, as though there had been edits or changes to the story along the way and not all parts of the plot affected by the changes were updated to fit. I’m annoyed when an author overuses words, and this author was guilty of this. A couple of these overused words: iridescent, luminous. However, I will give credit to the author for correctly knowing the appropriate usage of “into” vs, “in to”, and “disoriented” instead of “disorientated”.
I found the main characters to be likable, despite some character inconsistencies. My greatest criticism, though, is that there were too many plot twists that seemed forced and unrealistic. This could still be a solid 3-4 star read, if some of the over complicated plot lines could be corrected.