Lordy, this was a mess. The plot was poorly conceptualised, the characters underdeveloped and while I love most things purple, the Ms Byrne's prose suffered from a serious case of violaceous overdose even though red is the favoured colour of the story - as in The Red Rogues (red-haired heroine and her two best friends who for some reason label themselves as rogues and adopt male pet names), the Crimson Council, the Scarlet Lady (heroine's inherited alter ego). I am familiar with her writing - the dramas, the angst, the embellished prose. What I've sampled in the past, I did enjoy. This unfortunately did not work out for me at all.

The basic gist is that she's an orphan whose university education had been sponsored by a mysterious benefactor, who turned out to be her maternal aunt. When the latter passed away, Cecilia inherits the fortune, her business (gambling hell and more) and becomes the new Scarlet Lady. The hero, Ramsay, is the Lord Chief Justice of the High Court who has spent much of his professional career investigating the Scarlet Lady and her dealings and suspected link to the evil Crimson Council, a shady entity of unknown powerful persons thought to be responsible for the disappearance of young girls and human trafficking. After this rough sketching of the plot, Ms Byrne unfortunately failed to bring her renderings into sharp focus. Instead they remain vague, highly abstract and colourless.

So much didn't make sense. My reading was forever interrupted by me making furious and frustrated notes about the inconsistencies and disjointed plot and huge leaps of inference. That and me nodding off to sleep every few paragraphs.

Cecilia's character was all over the place. Towards Ramsay she was flirtatious, then fearful and intimidated, then back to coquettish, then back to distrustful and scared, all the while feeling lustful of course. Floating adrift and directionless for so long after achieving her university degree in mathematics, she desperately grabbed hold of the notion of running her aunt's establishment without having the faintest idea what she's getting herself into, not knowing whether it might be a front for procuring and selling young girls to the sex trade. Yet she inexplicably and blindly defended this legacy against Ramsay's line of questioning without even taking any time out to investigate the truth. She reacted without blinking to the fact the little girl, her ward that she also inherited from her aunt, shared her surname and instantly developed an attachment to her. No questions asked. She was supposed to keep her identity as the new Scarlet Lady apart from her other life as bookish Cecilia Teague of the Red Rogues fame, but then brought her two fellow rogues to the den for an open inspection, making it obvious to everyone to draw the connection. Then she readily allowed herself to be whisked off to Scotland and deserted her new business mere days after inheriting (still clueless to the running of the place), after she fought so hard with Ramsay to keep it running and viable. And what's with the constant blubbering? Get hold of your emotions, woman!

Ramsay's character did not fare much better. He was the Lord Chief Justice but behaved like a Bow Street Runner, doing all the dirty street work himself. He had apparently been in his role for years and had amassed a fortune after coming from extremely humble beginnings. Who knew Chief Justices earned so much money. However, despite investigating The Scarlet Lady and her business dealings for many years, he was clueless to the fact that Cecilia had no deep (or even superficial) knowledge of the running of the place. In fact, for a guy who rose to the top presumably because he was good at his job, he missed a lot of obvious clues (like the fact that Phoebe was not really Cecilia's daughter for so many reasons). He pressed her for knowledge of who might want to harm her, believing she knew more than she let on, but then in the next scene, he suspected she was responsible for the bomb exploding wrecking part of her business. Why on earth would she want to bomb her own place? He was supposed to be this hard and cynical man but turned out mushier than porridge, considering marriage to her after one kiss and readily confessed his feelings to his brother and Cecilia herself.

Then there's the villain himself, linked to the wicked Crimson Council by the most tenuous of clues (view spoiler) Eh, so should that not put Ramsay himself under suspicion? Or just maybe, they were both fooled by the same guy? And how do we go from this low level suspicion to conclusively declaring him to be the criminal mastermind a few chapters later, when no other evidence had been unearthed since Ramsay himself was distracted by the lovely attractions of Cecilia to continue any further investigative work?

The little girl's speech fluctuated between childlike to highly sophisticated and wise for a seven year old. As for the prose:

"Pain pierced where the heart should be. Tears leaked where her eyes should be. "

Okay, so her heart feels empty now, I get that, but where the hell did her eyes disappear to??? The mental image is seriously freaking me out!

I have been waiting for (what seems like) FOREVER for this book to be released. I was a little concerned when I read the premise of the book. It has been done before and the premise held the possibility of being hokey but I should have trusted Ms. Byrne. I am happy to report that the wait was (almost) worth it and I was definitely not disappointed in the story. I say ‘almost’ because I am not a patient person.

I gave the book 4 stars because in my opinion, 5 stars means there is no room for improvement. My perfect book makes me laugh out loud, cry, and not want to finish the book because I don’t want to say goodbye to the characters. Pru and Morley’s story had a nice ending. I enjoyed the book and I’m so glad Morley got his HEA.

We first meet Chief Inspector Carlton Morley in the book, The Highwayman. Ms. Byrne initially gives the impression that Morley is a “by the book” kind of guy. The law is the law. It is black and white. Period. Morley is a white knight in the gray world of London. In The Highwayman, Morley gets his heart broken by Farah. That- almost broke my heart. I was happy for Farah and Dorian but felt so bad for Morley. He seemed doomed to be married to his career.

Morley continues to pop up as a character during the Victorian Rebel series, especially in the books with the London characters and storylines. As the series progresses, Ms. Byrne continues to tease the readers with brief glimpses behind the curtain. Morley’s character seems to have some interesting facets and just maybe his life is not as pristine as we initially assumed.

Sometimes, people of wealth and privilege are able to circumvent the legal system. The law begins to fall into a gray area. Is it okay to look the other way at times? Should justice be administered behind the scenes when justice isn’t just? As the series continues, Morley becomes more conflicted and more interesting. Is it okay for individuals to mete out justice when the system fails?

We continue to get additional glimpses behind the curtain of Morley’s history and childhood relationships with the other characters. Ms. Byrne is kind enough to provide gentle reminders of past storylines involving Cutter, Caroline, Dorian, Argent, and the Rook. I appreciated the reminders because I read some of the books years ago. The reminders jogged my memory without beating me over the head or completely rehashing a previous book. Why is Morley the outsider when it comes to Dorian, Argent, and the Rook? Why does Morley generously give back? As we dive into this story, we see that Morley does have an internal code of ethics. However, Morley seems to be able to compartmentalize his daytime job, his childhood alliances, his nighttime activities, and his willingness to turn the occasional blind eye to illegal activity.

And then, Morley meets Prudence Goode. Prudence refuses to stay neatly within the confines of her categorical box. She spins Morley around and confounds him. Morley’s lust absolutely refuses to stay in its little box; especially when he is working. And the man has serious trust issues. Fortunately, years after Farah broke Morley’s heart, Pru mends it. Although, Morley’s rigid code of honor doesn’t go down without a fight. And anytime Dorian and Carlton are in the same room, the tension is palpable.

Ultimately, as the title suggests, our white knight is somewhat dark and a lot more interesting. I wish the story would have been longer and I would have liked to have heard more about his war years. I’m also interested in knowing if Minnie and Argent are ever going to tie the knot but maybe that’s another story.

This was my first book of this Series, but I don't feel that mattered. I liked that Lord Ramsey was a more "mature" hero and one of the most stubborn heroes I have come across. Cecelia Teague is a gentle, vulnerable and strong heroine who is impossible not to love. I don't think I have ever read a book that spent so much time talking about, or focusing on the hero's body! The story kept moving along and taking you along for the ride and I enjoyed it. I received this ARC for my honest opinion.

I loved this book, but I’ll begin by stating or won’t be for e Rhône. This book is crazypants. There are bombs, fires, kidnappings, characters who are not what they seem...I feel like Stefan from SNL saying, “This book has EVERYTHING,” but it really does! I loved the overdone-ness of it all, but I know that approach is not for every reader.

*This review has been copied from my blog, literarylovebooks.com*

Age gap romances are my least favorite trope. And yet, Byrne (of course) made it work!

This enemies to lovers/age gap romance ticked all my boxes and some I didn't even know I had! I loved every second of reading this fantastic book.

Our hero, Ramsey, is the worst. He's got reasons- but he's the worst. And then there is Cecilia or Cecil. She is a bright light in the dark world of London. There is an instant attraction and then an instant hate and it worked. It worked sooo good!

What I love out of every grumpy/sunshine romance is when the heroine brings that big, alpha, jerk face to his knees! I live for those scenes. But of course our sweet Cecilia does it in the most kind and loving way.

The hate and then the eventual love these two have for each other burns brighter than the Red Rogues' hair. The banter, the one liners, the epic take downs- Ohhhh- it's my catnip!

I literally could not stop reading. I read until I fell asleep with my kindle on my face. I just had to know what was going to happen next. The story kept me so intrigued that I ignored everything until I finished it.

I feel like Byrne out shinned herself with this one. I was completely blown away by it. This series is quickly becoming one of my most loved. Absolutely spectacular!!!


***Quick note on the cover*** I know authors have little to no control over their covers. SOOO, I'm looking at you St. Martin's. I've said this about other covers and other publishers and I'm going to keep saying it until it stops. Do not use skinny cover models when the character is not skinny herself.
Nope. Stop.
Cecilia is mocked for her weight all her life, she is described as "round", "hefty", "curvy", "voluptuous", "thick", "girthy", "wide"... There are a lot of words to describe that beautiful cover model but none of these specific words can be attributed to her. You wouldn't use a heavy set woman on a cover of a book when the character is described as skinny- so why do the opposite? What is even the need of doing that? If you put things out into the world, you should pay attention to what you ARE putting out into the world.
There are plenty of curvy, beautiful, red-headed women that could have been the model on this cover. I guarantee it. I had this problem with the Chasing Cassandra cover and I have a problem with this one as well.

All's I can say is do better.
***

That's it. End of rant. This book is fabulous. Absolutely fantastic. And I'm anxiously awaiting the next book!

Kerrigan Byrne has a unique touch for creating real, strong women that don't fit the historical romance stereotype and pairing them with men that realize they can be strong but equal with a woman at the same time. Cecilia is a tall, spectacled, full-figured woman who has spent most of her life being belittled for her appearance and her intelligence. Having her two friends at boarding school and her butler (who is more father to her than anything else) taught her she could be valued, but still feels something is missing. When her madam mother dies and bequeaths her a gaming hell it puts her right in the path of Ramsay, who through his own suffering has decided to hold everyone above vice and sin. But what is sin, and who is doing it? Because Cecilia's mother had some very dangerous people on the ropes and now they're after Cecilia - which makes Ramsay rethink what and who is right and wrong, and that opening yourself up to love could make you a stronger, happier person than meting out justice. I love Byrne's unconventional characters and the strong emotions in her stories.

Kerrigan Byrne never disappoints! This book was a quick and enjoyable read. Ramsay and Cecelia romance was just what got me out of my reading slump. Although, I did tend to skim over the long inner monologue most of which seemed to be repetitive.

I do wonder what name Cecilia calls him by. Ramsay? And I do wish Cecilia would've revealed her past to him rather than Jean-Yves.

*ARC sent via netgalley

All Scott and bothered or all hot and bothered. Ramsey and Cecelia leap from the page with their magnetism. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. They both had their problems and how they worked through each of them to come to a place of togetherness was wonderfully writ. They just clicked and it totally worked.

I have to admit that I think I am incapable of writing a bad review of a book by Kerrigan Byrne, but I think that is because I think she is incapable of writing one. Her prose, character development, and plots are all brilliant. In fact, I actually read a few lines of this one to my husband – and not the steamy sex scenes (of which there were surprisingly few).

In the first few chapters of the book, I had a hard time liking Lord Chief Justice of the High Court Cassius Ramsay. I remembered very little about him from the previous book in the series. In the first few chapters, he was little more than a man who really needed to relax (although several cruder phrases might be more appropriate). I was also uncertain about Cecelia – was she as innocent as she seemed – the question that plagued Ramsay as well. I even wondered if this was the first book that Kerrigan Byrne wouldn’t be able to pull off, but I trusted her and continued reading.

I don’t remember at what point in the story everything fell together, but, as it did with the previous book in the series, well before the halfway point, I was in awe of how perfect everything was. As the two worked together to unravel the plot surrounding the casino Cecelia had inherited from her aunt and the secret code of information that came along with it, it became clear that, together, Ramsay and Cecelia made a stronger whole that they lacked as individuals. Their responses to each other and their circumstances fit the situation and were both logical and consistent with the characters’ history and personality.

This book is definitely better if read after the first in the series, How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. However, if this is your opportunity to start reading the series or a book by Kerrigan Byrne, jump in here without delay.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was so happy to be back with the Red Rogues! There is nothing I love more than smart heroines!! Cecilia was a great character and I really enjoyed this book. There are so many memorable secondary characters, if you can even call them that. The loyalty and devotion these characters have for each other is perfection. I can’t forget about Cassius! I enjoyed watching his character transform into the man Cecilia needed. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

This story is an original of sorts. We have more mature characters and unconventional backgrounds. The hero is straitlaced and is a man on a mission. The heroine has her traumatic childhood experience but was able to become a better person because of it. And despite her modern outlook to learning she is virginal and not too stubborn and outspoken. The story has unexpected twists and turns. And I only wish there was an epilogue.

Such an interesting read !
This was my first time reading a book by Kerrigan Byrne and I really enjoyed her writing style. The characters were easy to follow and they had some great interactions. The storyline was... something to get the imagination going. I thought that this was a good book.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, interesting plot, and the chemistry :)
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

A 4.5 to 5 stars for this historical romance which I enjoyed me very much owing to the suspenseful plot. A story of a rugged scot who had a plagued childhood but thanks to his stubbornness he becomes one of the most influential men of London. Similar fate has been given to our female heroine. From a tormented childhood with a cruel father to an education at an esteemed college thanks to her distant relative, our heroine becomes a very cultured lady. With the murder of her benefactor, Cecelia inherits an ambiguous establishment with all its schemes. From this inheritance both characters, who are insanely attracted to one another, will live a dangerous situation that will lead to the discovery of an aristocracy corrupted and threatening. An adventure and a romance that will give the reader a thrilling read full of twists and bold moments. I don’t want to hide the fact that some scenes are very steamy but they are perfectly molded into the story.

I enjoyed this book it was different it dealt with some very difficult issues. The hero and heroine were also different not the usual . This story was about (and I know this sounds daft ) normal run of the mill characters still upper class but not gorgeous which is unusual but I urge you to read it for yourself I couldn’t put it down. Good reading,

I wasn't a huge fan of this book at first. I loved Cecelia. She is a woman that always sees the good in everything and everyone no matter what life throws at her. Ramsay was despicable for so much of the book I really did hate him. There was a lot of references to his size (height, hands, weight) that I felt were a little redundant. By the end I started warming to him but it took most of the book. Not my favorite read.

A straight lace go by the book Lord Chief Justice meets an unconventional slightly overweight woman who love chocolate their meeting begins with a rocking start.
A good historical second story about one of the the Red Rogues.
Good story a little mystery suspense,misunderstandings and romance.
Enjoyed
Voluntarily reviewed

This second book “All Scot and Bothered” of in Kerrigan Byrne’s series named “Devil You Know” was one I could not wait to read and did not want to put down once I started.
Cecelia Teague was raised knowing pain, suffering and loneliness until she was rescued and sent to school where she found a family more loving and loyal than real blood could be. Her two friends and she formed the Red Rogues club. Together these extraordinary women have always had each others backs.
Unexpected fortune has all of a sudden made Cecelia the owner of a gaming club, a school for ladies, and custodian of a small girl child. Unfortunately it has also made her the automatic enemy of a most powerful man, the Vicar of Vice, the Lord Chief Justice.
Cassius Gerard Ramsey, the Vicar of Vice, is a self made man who has held himself to the highest of standards to the point he has shunned many of life’s pleasures for years. He has made himself the protector of his city and one who will bring the new gaming club owner to justice for crimes he feels Cecelia’s benefactor and by association her as the gaming club owner have committed. Unknown to him, Cecelia who he met through his half brother at a party are one and the same person.
As secrets and truths are exposed Cecelia using her mathematical inclinations needs to figure out a coded book before the villains can harm all she has come to hold dear and Ramsey has to unbend his harden beliefs to become a true protector that needs Cecelia.
This HEA story has a couples of surprises, was heartbreaking at some points, and the author presents a good point that kindness and honest communication can be a way to change an unreasonable point of view.

I don't know what happened, they had a lot of chemistry and their interactions were amazing, grumpy/sunshine couples are my favourites and the hero was so stoic whereas the heroine was more talkative. BUT that trope when one of them pretends to be another person and the other doesn't realize is not a favourite trope of mine and it put me out of the story. I kept thinking if he was so intelligent as everybody said why it's so easy for her to pretend to be another woman and he doesn't realize?.

But that's just me if you like and you don't mind about that trope you would probably love this one.

I really wanted to love this book because I've enjoyed several books by Kerrigan in the past but it wasn't what I was expecting.

I have been wait for this book since reading book one. I will say it did not disappoint. This story is about Cassius Gerard Ramsay who is the lord Chief Justice of the high court and he is investigating the going ons in a certain gaming hell in which is operated by a women. Cecelia Teague was an orphan and out of the blue she inherited a gambling establishment. I really like Cecelia and Gerard together in this book. The plot was great.

3.5 Stars!! This is the 2nd book in the ‘Devil You Know’ series but it can be read as a standalone book. I never read book 1 but only had a few parts that I would have known about if I had read book 1. I’d say this book is an enemies to lovers, mystery, romance with a happily ever after ending! Ramsay & Cecilia have such sad childhood story’s! I didn’t feel the love between the 2 main characters though. I felt it was more of a lust relationship than love. There were a few surprises that I didn’t see coming in this book but I loved it! I’d like to know a bit more about the other characters and what’s going to happen to the ‘bad guys’! All in all, not a bad read!
*I received this book at no charge from the publisher and I voluntarily left a review.*