All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is an enjoyable and entertaining historical romance that is the second book in the Devil You Know series. I have to confess that I have not read the first book (although I just purchased it as an ebook today) and I feel that this could easily be a stand alone novel. I look forward to reading the first to see if it has any character crossovers.

This is also the first book I have read by this author, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoy her style of writing. It is very descriptive, opulent, dramatic, flamboyant, and passionate. I thought it matched the plot, pacing, and characters nicely.

I enjoyed the relationship between Ramsay snd Cecilia. A classic opposites attract that then by being together, they seem to appreciate and improve one another. I liked the intricate plot and the combination of the storyline and the chemistry between the two main characters allowed me to fly through this gem in no time.

I look forward to more from this series and this author.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

**4.5 Stars**

Kerrigan Byrne’s take on the sunshine and the grump trope! I love it SO MUCH. This book follows the bright and cheery Cecelia and the grump/actual jerk Ramsey. Ramsey is Cecelia’s best friend’s brother-in-law. So they know each other socially… until Cecelia’s life takes a turn when she unexpectedly inherits the gambling establishment. The same gaming establishment Ramsey is trying to take down, making them adversaries.

Once again Ms. Byrne’s writing takes center stage in this fast-paced, dark, sometimes funny, and sexy book. It’s an age gap, enemies to lovers, hidden identity (whew!) romance. The banter, unique plot, and incendiary sexual chemistry has put this book at the top of all the historical romances I’ve read so far this year.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if Ramsey could be redeemed. He was SUCH a pious nightmare, especially when he’s in Chief Justice mode. I forgot how completely head over heels Byrne makes her heroes fall. Let me tell you now, it was a DELIGHT to read.

Cecelia was EVERYTHING. Incredibly smart, tall, and plump. Sure, she has the same body insecurities many women have, but, for the most part, she embraces her self and her worth. It’s a gosh darn inspiration, and I would like to be her best friend. The scene between Ramsey and Cecelia right after she inherited the gambling establishment made me want to give her a huge high-five.

The plot did feel a little rushed at the end, especially how Ramsey and Cecelia could make it work as a couple after all the drama died down. I wanted to know more! I also thought Cecelia was SO well developed and enjoyable as a character, Ramsey sometimes fell flat in comparison. But he’s still a big sexy scot, and I love him, so how much dimension does he really need?

Overall, this was an incredibly quick read, mostly because I couldn’t put my kindle down from start to finish. With this new series and her Victorian Rebels series, I believe Kerrigan Byrne has established her place in the upper echelon of historical romance authors. I wouldn’t hesitate to put her work up with Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Beverly Jenkins, and Eloisa James.

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Cecelia’s childhood was a torturous one which scared her emotionally, she is tired and lonely.
now all grown up she is ready to forge ahead with what she wants or better yet who. Ramsay is powerfully drawn to her and he couldn’t understand why. The poor guy had no idea since he has restricted all sensual things out of his life all because of his mother. But something was at work that was beyond him and Cecelia, the chemistry between the two is a volatile and powerful one. He as the Chief Justice wanted to hang her for crimes she didn’t commit, while she feared him but wanted him. What a tangled mess, ah, but they had no idea that love knows no boundaries, and though they tried to wiggle their way out of the tangles, it only caused the flames to ignite. The flames and the heat it let off were unavoidable it soon engulfed them in its sweet embrace. I have one problem with this book, now folks, hear me out, don’t get me wrong this is just my opinion. The storyline is excellent, the characters are great also, I love Cecelia and Ramsay most or and I adore little Pheobe, what I don’t love about this book is the endless Fbombs exploding in the romantic arena, to me they degrade the romantic aspects like I said this is just my opinion.
I would love to give this book a three or a four-star but that would be dishonest, minus the foul words this has a very steamy, sexy, exciting read and yes, very entertaining and amusing, so five it is.

4.5 stars

I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first in the series. Classic pairing of the grump surly man with his sunshine woman but Byrne takes it to the next level with so much emotion and tenderness. I actually got choked up towards the end during one of Cecelia's speeches of knowing herself and knowing her worth. Ramsey's enlightenment and redemption was achingly lovely. The action plot, and especially Cecelia's inheritance, got left on the backburner where I kind of wanted to learn a bit more.

Very much looking forward to the next one!

Wow, what a phenomenal follow up to How to Love a Duke in Ten Days! Cecelia and Ramsey were so much fun. This story had so much depth and so many layers to peel back. Both MCs were multidimensional characters that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. Every time I thought I knew which direction the story was going, I was completely thrown off and I think that’s my favorite part about this story. I never figured out how it was going to play out until it actually did. I really loved how Cecelia and Ramsey connected through their shared experiences with loneliness. It was so much fun to finally see the Vicar of Vice lose control and Cecelia handled him perfectly. This story is full of twists and turns and of course the swoony romance we’ve come to love from Kerrigan Byrne.

This book is the second of the red rogues and it is just as wonderful as the first. Cecelia Teague has had a difficult childhood until he finds her friends and that makes all the difference but she wants something more. Cassius Ramsay is a judge but his past keeps his wary of most things. These two are so wonderful and their interactions bring us closer to answers to questions in the first book but you don’t have to have read the first book to read this one. I just adore Kerrigan Byrne and cannot wait to read the next book she writes.

3.5 Lately I've been reading a lot of romance novels that lacked much by way of plot and stakes - this one was the opposite. There is a lot going on here - sometimes so much that things don't get fully explored. I enjoyed the heroine, Cecelia and the way she was portrayed. She was allowed to be more than her past (prologue) trauma when we met her as an adult and full of complexities. This is the second in a series, and I had not read the first, so there were a few areas where I wished I had heard a bit more of her story that I imagine came out in the earlier volume focusing on one of her friends. As far as her hero, he was perfectly fine if not nearly as interesting. The set up is an enemies to lovers and it worked well. On the whole I was engaged throughout.

ARC received via Netgalley

OMG Kerrigan Byrne is AMAZING. I absolutely adored this book. I loved the mystery, the won't they, will they get together, Phoebe. This book was amazing. I am excited to interview Kerrigan Byrne on the podcast. I will also recommend this book in another episode.

Simply another fantastic historical romance by Ms. Byrne. Good solid characters and a love story. Nice writing

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

All Scot and Bothered, by Kerrigan Byrne, is available at booksellers on 9-29-2020. Book 2 in the Devil You Know series is, to me, another hit. The series revolve around 3 boarding school friends who share a secret about a horrible situation. They've kept in touch and kept quiet.

Cecelia's life is a horror movie come to life. It's awful and will break your heart. She perseveres and somehow manages to keep a fairly good attitude and remains a nice person. She has more backbone than I do. Circumstances change, and how, putting her in the headlights of the Vicar of Vice, Lord Chief Justice, Cassius Ramsey. This guy is all messed up, straight laced to infinity. He's difficult to like at first, well for quite a bit of the book. He's torn between being righteous and lusting after the wrong woman. It takes him quite awhile to come to terms with his feelings but in the end love conquers all & there is a lovely HEA. Hurry up book 3.

#KerriganByrne #DevilYouKnow #AllScotandBothered #Netgalley #StMartin'sPaperbacks #historicalromance #romance

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press!

Kerrigan Byrne is back with the second installment of her Devil You Know series, this time focusing on the second member of the Red Rogues, Miss Cecelia Teague. After the death of a mysterious aunt, Cecelia suddenly comes into a large fortune, and most surprisingly of all she has just become the proprietress of London’s premier gaming hell. If this wasn’t enough of a shock, add in the fact that she now has the Lord Chief Justice, Cassius Gerard Ramsey, breathing down her neck as he chases after the notorious owner of the gaming hell, and kissing her in moonlit gardens. Ramsey has no idea that Cecelia is anything other than the sweet redhead he finds his heart opening up to, will Cecelia be able to keep her two identities from him?

All Scot and Bothered was a fun romp through Victorian England. As per Byrne’s other works, it’s a pretty high-octane ride, at least as high-octane as a historical romance can get. There are undercover agents, devious plots, bombs, missing children, and secret societies. It was a blast! It definitely filled the Harlots shaped hole in my heart. No one could convince me otherwise that Byrne was not at least a bit inspired by the show. From the Georgian costumes the women of the gaming hell wore to the secret society that sacrificed young virgins, there is definitely a debt owed to Harlots.

I loved Cecelia as a heroine, she was very intelligent and sweet, while never being a doormat. I liked Ramsey overall, but there were times where I found him a bit overbearing and too stuffy. He didn’t really soften towards Cecelia in a way that I found believable or enjoyable. Maybe the romance just needed a bit more development. They certainly had physical passion, but I could have done with a bit more emotional development.


A longer version of this review will be posted on my Goodreads page, and my two blogs, https://nicbrouillette.tumblr.com/, and my new blog Flea With a Degree https://fleawithadegree.tumblr.com/.

All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is due to be published September 29th 2020.

This book got me from the moment I start reading it.
Loved Cecilia, she is an awesome character in the book. When someone murder her aunt, she inherits all her possession, which is not that great and bring trouble and danger to her door.
Ramsey is another story, he is total opposite of Cecilia.
They are enemies....
Great enemies to lovers story.

Whew. I have so many thoughts about this book. I am a big KB fangirl. And if you’ve read anything by her before than you know to expect dark, mysterious, and high-octane emotional romances. And her latest book doesn’t disappoint!

The thoughts: All Scot and Bothered is really compelling because it harkens back to some old school (and let’s be honest, problematic) tropes. Primarily, a hero who doesn’t trust women because of his previous experience. Frankly, this hero is scarcely tolerable. He’s uptight to the point of prudishness. He’s judgemental. He’s rigid. And deep down…he’s just broken.

Now. IRL if you brought this guy to me and said “Caiti, this is my new boyfriend, Cassius.” I would look you dead in the eye and tell you, unequivocally, “Run.” Run fast. He might be gigantic and savage and hot as hell… but RUN.”

But, and if you listen to the Fates Mates Podcast they talk about this often, there’s often a rhetorical purpose to these sorts of characters appearing in romance. And when done well, they can serve to metaphorically dismantle the Patriarchy. And I see that in this book. There’s even a line when the hero says something akin to “you’ve dismantled me”.

Another thing. This book features a plus-size heroine. (I sincerely hate that term. As if “large” is somehow irregular…but whatever.) And I can see how some readers could argue that Cecelia’s insecurities about her body aren’t very fat-positive. But the thing is, feeling insecure and unworthy due to body size is a thing. It’s real. So sometimes it’s helpful to see a character working through toxic messages about her body and ultimately going on to claim herself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

I am a huge fan of Kerrigan Byrne and both this series and her Victorian Rebels series and she has once again given us another gem.

I loved reading Cecilia and Ramsay's story. Their attraction to each other was a page turner for me and I loved reading their interactions and dialogue. Cecilia is a bright light that hides a childhood of pain and loneliness. Ramsay is the same but instead of seeing the good in the world like Cecilia, Ramsay hides himself away and has closed himself off from everyone, including his brother.

Something that I liked a lot about this story is that not much time was wasted with hidden identities and secrets and the characters did not have to spend a majority of the book hiding and lying to each other. Their growing attraction and love was well paced and enjoy able to read. I did feel that the book felt shorter than what I'm used to reading from this author. It did not feel rushed, but I wish we had had more of their interactions and more elements to the overall mystery and plot.

The only complaint that I could say that I have about the book is that there are some things that I wish were explained more. More information about her mother and Cecilia's family in general and Cecilia being the one to tell Ramsay about her history. We get a bit of an epilogue for them in the previous book of the series but I would have liked to see a bit more of their future. together.

All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne is a strange but interesting tale about a Scottish man holding an important position in the British legal system who holds himself to a high moral standard and the young woman who is going to be his downfall. It is a good stand alone book but it is also the story of the last of three friends, young women, who are know as the Red Rogues. The story itself is exciting, mysterious and adventurous and steamy. A little too steamy for my taste but it didn't stop me from finishing the story. There's so much going on and it was interesting learning Cassius Gerard Ramsay's background story, learning about Miss Cecelia Teague's inheritance and how the two become so involved with a mysterious group (secret society) called the Crimson Council whose members want something that is in Cecelia's possession. The story wraps up nicely with all the answers to all the questions raised and a HEA for Cassius and Cecelia. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ok so I was bothered so I am thinking that it is a good name for the book. We have Cecilia who boggled my mind, she was supposed to be this smart person, however I didn't see that. It felt like she was as confused as I was, she flirted then was scared, put her foot down then squirmed. She goes full force to handle the gaming hall not knowing all the ins and out. So she is supposed to be smart I mean she got her degree in mathematics, yet had no common sense. Then we have Ramsey who was Chief Justice but did all the work and I am sorry but he was looking into who was the Scarlet Lady for so long, how in the heck did he miss so much if he ran his other cases like this I dont get how he would have kept that job.

What a fun read! What say you, up for an intriguing romp with a saucy bluestocking, a Scotsman with a vendetta on excess and a bevy of secrets? The characters catch you from introduction, and I want to know MORE. More about Cecilia, more about Ramsey, the Rogues, everyone! When smart meets stubborn, that makes for interesting times.

<strong>What a wonderful addition to the Devil You Know Series!</strong>
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Overall Rating: 5 Red Rogue Stars
Kindle Unlimited: No
Standalone: Yes
Steam: 2 hot highlander flames
Triggers: There is references to a trigger from book 1
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This book features Lord Cassius Ramsey, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, the Vicar of Vice as our hot Scot! Cecelia Teague is one of the Red Rogues….Alexandra, Francesca and Cecilia (aka Alex, Frank and Cecil make up this wonderful group). These girls are more like sisters and have bonded through bullying, tragedy, and much much worse.
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Cecelia had a horrible childhood. Raised by Vicar Joshua Teague, a truly awful man that hated women and was set on punishing Cecelia for all of their sins. She was physically, verbally, and mentally abused. She was constantly told she was fat, worthless, and a temptress. Whenever her father felt Cecelia had committed a grievous sin, she would be locked in the cellar for days with no food, water, or light. All Cecelia wished for was for someone to love her, to hold her, to save her, to love her.
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Until one day her life is changed by an unknown benefactor that offers her a new life, education, and takes her away from the hell hole she has been living in. She then meets her BFFs, the Red Rogue's as they are known.
<blockquote><i><strong>"These Red Rogues, they are like three rosebuds, conspiring to bloom with such brilliance, they'll never be challenged by any other in the garden."</strong></i></blockquote>
Lord Ramsey's life has not been much better, and due to the pain he has suffered, he no longer trusts anyone...especially women, and he takes his job very seriously, it almost defines him. He is angry, untrusting...and really really hot! He is on a mission to eradicate vices in his town. Not to mention find the person responsible for kidnapping little girls and doing horrible things to them. Lord Ramsey is also the brother of the Duke of Redmayne, Alexandra's husband...meaning he will have many run-ins with Cecelia.
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Once Cecelia returns to Devonshire after finishing her education, she is quickly thrust into a new life with new unexpected responsibilities as the Scarlet Lady....she is now the proud owner of a gaming hell. How will she manage her new normal? What will happen when Lord Ramsey storms the doors of her gaming hell on her first day?
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These two characters were awesome. Cecelia a strong independent thinker with an education and doesn't want to give up her freedom for a man. Ramsey, strong, morally focused and will never let a woman break him. The secondary characters add to the story and you will instantly fall for them all. As the story progresses, so do the twists and turns. Who are the bad guys? Who are the good guys? Will Ramsey and Cecelia be able to work together to solve the mystery of the missing girls? Will they both make it out of the story alive? I won't tell...no spoilers here, you will have to read the book!
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To sum it up, the book was amazing! The ending was perfect! The story kept me reading through the night! I loved all the characters and I can't wait until Francesa's book is released! I loved loved loved that these three rose buds are blooming into three strong independent women! Can't wait for what's next! This is a definite recommend for me!
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This book should have a few trigger warnings in its blurb.
Other than that it has the perfect combination of romance, and intrigue that keeps the reader hooked.

This book is titillating from the first page. The author leads the reader through every thought and feeling of her characters, so much so that you agonize, fume and desire along with them. The characters are interesting and complex as is the subject matter. I would have liked more information of Cecelia and her friends past included, to give readers that had not read the first book in the series a little more insight.