I’ve been a fan of Kerrigan Byrne for a few years now ever since she burst onto the scene with the highwayman I’ve gobbled up almost all of her books. A lot of her books are written in a very old-school fashion and I believe that she often critiques old-school romance novels. This is the second book in her new romance series centering around girls who met at a boarding school. Her heroes and heroines are usually broody and have had trouble childhoods and sometimes that can be quite depressing to read.

Ramsay is a typical Byrne hero and can be on the problematic side and Cecelia is a typical Byrne heroine. She’s a brilliant mathematician who runs a gambling house.

I honestly wish I didn’t read this book right now. My reading at this point tends to go for happy, fluffy romance mainly because of the time we’re living in.

I’m giving this three stars because of the great writing but it was too heavy for me at this point.

CW: child abuse, slut shaming, violence, fatphobia

Clear the day, curl up, and then hunker down for the incoming book hangover.
No one does burnt out husks of heroes like Kerrigan Byrne. She takes these wrecks with horrific stories and gives them happy endings that leave you with a deep feeling of satisfaction. Truly, she's one of the queens of the genre.
The premise was unique, the prose beautiful, and the love story one you want to cheer for. Five solid, enthusiastic stars.

Loved the twists and turns in All Scot and Bothered! Kerrigan Byrne does a splendid job of sucking you in and investing in Cecelia’s liveliness. Well done!

I had a bit of difficulty keeping up with each character and their subsequent nickname’s early on, but the story flows beautifully and am left wanting more. All Scot and Bothered is intriguing and page turning!

I loved the underlying “who done it” storyline, and would love to know more of what happens to the Crimson Council!

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

Don't let the title of this book deceive you - this book is not light and silly. Kerrigan Byrne is the master of writing heroes that you have mixed emotions about. Cassius Ramsay is no exception to that. He is a hard man with inflexible beliefs and a strong sense of right and wrong. For him there is no grey and no mercy. His half-brother is Piers, the hero from the previous book. He and Piers share the same mother but had vastly different experiences growing up (even though Piers life was no picnic either!). Ramsay has a personal vendetta against the proprietress of an infamous gaming hell that funds a school for young women. He is determined to get to the bottom of a sex trafficking operation involving very young girls from immigrant families. He is intensely focused on the school as the source. The problem is, that Cecilia has just inherited that school - and is thrust unwittingly into the center of some major drama - and put immediately at odds with Ramsay just as they are on the verge of something.

Cecilia is one of the three closely bonded women that branded themselves as the red rogues. Highly educated, smart, and beautiful - Cecilia is also intensely kind and empathic. She has struggled with acceptance and being mistreated by those that should love and care for her throughout her life. She always sees the best in people and has a sunny outlook. Basically, she is just lovely inside and out.

Her interactions with Ramsay are tense - he is intensely attracted to Cecilia and has a lot of internal growth that needs to happen before he can accept his feelings. Ramsay also brings out a side in Cecilia that hasn't been seen before. One where she stands up for herself as an individual. Even in her interactions with her closest friends, you can see that she doesn't always stand up for herself - but goes with the flow even if she doesn't always agree. Cecilia's growth throughout the book is much more subtle than Ramsay's. His growth, like his personality, is much more in your face.

The writing in this story is so nuanced and beautiful, you really get completely engrossed in the storyline. While I liked the first book, I loved this one.

The only thing that kept it from being a five star read for me were a couple of points at the end. <Spoiler> Specifically, Cecilia is unwilling to give up running a gambling hell. She views it as being asked to give up her dreams so that Ramsay can continue to achieve his. I don't think it was quite so cut and dried. I think the danger drawn in to the gambling hell is very real - and a different kind of danger than Ramsay engages in with his role as a judge. I think Ramsay is right that there are other ways to support the school - even ones that Cecilia could use her mathematical gifts on. There are options that could work. After the school burns down, Cecilia says she is going to rebuild - but it also looks like Ramsay is the logical choice to be the next Lord Chancellor so they are going to face the same issue. Unless he turns that down? it wasn't clear. The uncertainties there bothered me - obviously life changes for couples so it doesn't all need to be neat and tidy - but it was such a big deal in the book, I needed more resolution there.</spoiler>

Overall - this is not to be missed! It is a great story. I didn't really like Francesca all the much in either book - so I am interested to see how Kerrigan Byrne rehabs her for me in the next one!

I received this as an AC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

Ramsay tends to throw temper tantrums, “this house is so entirely sullied, my language willna make one jot of a difference, madam,” he sneered, raking her with a glare so sharp and loathing it might have had claws." I liked this book, I liked Ramsay.

Thank you St Martins Press for the ARC.

Having read the first book in this series about Alexandra, I was hesitant to try this second installment. I was put off a bit by the violence and triggers of the first book. But, this story about Cecilia and Ramsay was much less violent and enjoyed it.

This love story is full of passion and intrigue. I connected with Cecilia from the beginning and felt both she and Ramsay were fully developed characters. The are attracted to each other from the beginning and fight so hard to deny their love. This novel had the right ratios of love, mystery and adventure to keep me reading in one sitting. That is rare these days.

Kudos! And anticipating already Francesca;s story.

Kerrigan Byrne has done it again!

Where does one begin? Ms. Byrne second book in this series is as good, if not better, than the first book. All Scot And Bothered can be read as a standalone but I firmly recommend you read How To Love A Duke In 10 Days. And then go through and read any Kerrigan Byrne books you can get your hands on. But back to this book.

Cassius Gerard Ramsay is everything you want in a hero and a man. He's deeply burned by his past and it influences every move and action he makes, leading him to tend to play it safe. Cecelia Teague has spent her early years playing it safe and no thank you, she won't be doing it again. She knows how to indulge in life's small temptations like chocolate and wine. Combine the two very different people together and they create the perfect couple. If only they'd see it in each other.

Their journey has so many twists and turns, suspense in every chapter, but at the core of this book, it's a romance story and Ms. Byrne is a pro at writing them. Each chapter runs the risk of tears, laughter and a book hangover.

Take a page from Cecelia's book and grab your favorite bottle of wine while you settle down with this book!

“Every time she smiled at him, with every kiss or intimacy they shared, a little light had ignited within that dark void inside him. He felt less empty. What would a lifetime of her smiles do?”

““I do believe that’s the first time I’ve ever witnessed a smile on your face,” she said in a hushed tone. “It’s quite . . . brilliant.” Her fingers reached out and traced his mouth before she settled her soft lips against his.
At this, Ramsay made a silent vow to smile more.”

Sigh. There’s something about characters that treasure their significant others’ smiles that makes my heart swell.

ALL SCOT AND BOTHERED is book 2 of Byrne’s series of three rambunctious redheads who manage to defy society, I enjoyed book 1, although I think this book left more of an impression on me! I’d say it’s still a 3.5 stars, but rounded up because the heroine Cecilia was just so sweet. The common factor of these books is the sweet and pure friendship of the women, and their willingness to defend each other. I thought their relationship was wonderful and it ties the series together really well. You don’t have to read book 1 to understand this book, but there will be spoilers about the previous couple.

LIKES:
- I think Byrne did a phenomenal job with character development in this book. It follows the sweet and cheerful Cecilia and the stoic and grumpy Ramsay. There’s a lot of moving plots, but the book hones in on their developing romance. While there’s insta-attraction/lust going on, they find themselves drawn to the other through engaging and vulnerable dialogue. Ramsay learns how to shed his coldness and really FEEL despite his heavy pride and self-discipline. Cecilia was lost in the beginning despite having an amazing education, but begins to find her way and purpose through the course of this book. I think it’s lovely that she isn’t willing to back down on her beliefs and stays true to herself despite people’s taunts and judgement. She was a soft and endearing character despite hardships, and was the perfect foil to Ramsay’s grumpy ways.
- At first, I wasn’t a fan of Ramsay because of his coldness that made him say severe words to Cecelia, but his apology and remorse really penetrated through the pages. As the story progresses you can really see his devotion to Cecilia, which mollified me. His character growth helped a lot, as well, as he took down his walls to open up to Cecilia. I also appreciated other characters calling out his dislike/mistrust of women, making him realize and confront it. I thought this was important not only with dealing with his issues of the past, but also with moving forward in having a happy future.
- You can’t see it from the cover, but Cecilia has a voluptuous body and used to be taunted for it. She still has self-esteem issues, but I loved seeing this rep (and it would’ve been nice to see on the cover). I also enjoyed the progressive actions and sentiments of the friend group (although it did feel anachronistic at times).
- The romance in general was really heartwarming. Despite their different personalities, the characters have both experienced loneliness in the past. Now, they find themselves with open hearts and people to love and be loved with.

DISLIKES:
- Like I mentioned before, the book has a LOT of subplots going on at once. Byrne introduces new situations and dialogue that amount to nothing, yet had potential. I’m a firm believer that you should stick to one plotline and make it in-depth, rather than have numerous, superficial subplots and details. For example, Cecilia inherits a gambling hell that also operates as a school for unconventional women (widows, immigrants, etc) to succeed in society. Cecilia takes up this mission without really becoming involved with the women and business itself. Somehow she forms a connection without even spending much time in it, which diminishes its believability.
- Another missed potential point is a surprise about Phoebe, a young girl that Cecilia inherits along with the gambling hell when her aunt died. There was a big reveal about her that was never really followed-up on (although her interactions before the reveal were really sweet and cute). It was barely touched, and although her background was revealed, it didn’t quite fit in with the whole ‘secrets’ operation that Cecilia’s aunt had going on. I think her character definitely could have been utilized more in regards to certain characters’ growth.
- The rushed ending in general left many loose ends hanging, including the overarching theme of the main antagonist group. Looking back, the ending was REALLY rushed and we never got a satisfying resolution with the villains. Instead, it’s more like a pan-out of the romantic relationship. Also- too many homages to the color red. That got boring pretty soon.

Even though Byrne really tries to fit a LOT into the book (maybe to its detriment), I really enjoyed the character relationships and central romance. To me, the mystery plot was secondary to those relationships, which extend from friends and family to romantic. This series has been pretty enjoyable, although it deals with heavier topics than usually seen in HR. I’d say if you like a little mystery and action to your historical romances and heartfelt relationships, give this series a go!

Trigger/Content Warnings: child kidnappings, child abusive (emotional abuse and incarceration), mention of rape, mild violence, fat-shaming

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s for the review copy!

This book grow on me, because the premise made me thought that the plot would have been different, and I do not react well when my expectations - high expectations - are ignored. Anyway in the end I liked it and it had just the right quote of drama, because I cannot go without.

Questo libro é arrivato a piacermi con il tempo, perché all'inizio la trama mi aveva fatto pensare che l'intreccio sarebbe stato completamente diverso e quindi le mie aspettative deluse mi avevano rallentato nella lettura. Siccome peró tutto é bene quel che finisce bene, e con la giusta quantitá di dramma, leggeró anche il prossimo, che dovrebbe essere l'ultimo e del quale credo di aver indovinato i personaggi.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I read this in one sitting! I'm not really into the Gambling Hell as a backdrop for a story, but this one absolutely sold me on it. A romance of double identities and secrets set in a richly textured, beautiful world that only Kerrigan Byrne could create. Five Stars! Highly recommended!