All Scot and Bothered is the second book in the stunning Devil You Know series by USA Today bestselling author Kerrigan Byrne! They are a dangerous duke, a fierce lord, and an infamous earl–dark, bold, brave men who know exactly what they want. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees… He is first and foremost–at everything. A man who’s made his own way through ruthless … everything. A man who’s made his own way through ruthless cunning and sheer force of will. A strong and imposing Scot who can turn on the charm but does not suffer fools. His title: Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. His name: Cassius Gerard Ramsay. His mission: To investigate the goings-on at London’s most notorious gaming hell, owned and operated by one of the most intriguing and desirable women he’s ever met.
IN THIS GAME OF LOVE, THE RULES DO NOT APPLY
Cecelia Teague was an orphan facing a rather dire future–until a secret benefactor from her mother’s scandalous past swept into her life. Sent to a prestigious boarding school and later to university, Cecelia believed high society was at her fingertips…Then, from out of nowhere, she became the inheritor of a gambling establishment. Now Cecelia must live two lives: one as a proper lady who finds herself undeniably drawn to Lord Ramsay and the other as a savvy gaming hell owner trying to save her business from the very same man. He has no idea she is both women…and Cecelia would like to keep it that way. But what happens when consuming passion and escalating danger threaten to reveal the truth?
“With the Devil You Know series, Byrne once again delivers the beautifully nuanced characters and seductive storytelling her readers have come to expect.”–Booklist
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This book was nothing like I thought it would be and I am glad that it is the way it is. This book kept me guessing on many levels and took me by surprise a few times. It started off with this young girl being abused by the vicar whom she thought was her father and getting rescued by a beautiful lady who knew Cecelia’s mother. Cecelia is whisked a way to a boarding school where she eventually forms an unbreakable friendship with two other girls and the form the Red Rogues. Cecelia eventually inherits a girl’s school/gaming hall when her aunt Henrietta dies and on her first day in charge it is invaded by the police led by the Vicar of Vice who turns out to be the brother-in-law of Alexandra, one of the Red Rogues. Cecelia confronts Cassius while keeping her identity disguised and so the battle of wills begins. Cecelia is trying to learn just what her aunt’s business was while trying to unravel the secret her aunt left and Cassius is trying to solve the difference of several young girls while trying to take down Cecelia’s inherited enterprise. After having her life threatened twice with Cassius rescuing her both times, Cecelia, her butler and her ward go in to hiding in Scotland at Cassius’ childhood home. Cassius is bound and determined to resist Cecelia because of who her perceives her to be, but he may soon discover that appearances can be misleading and that the heart wants who it wants. I enjoyed the ins and outs of this story.
I am thankful to NetGalley, Kerrigan Byrne and St. Martin’s for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. The above is my freely given review of this title.
I am so into this series and this is only book two! While I do admit this book took a hot minute to get into, it did pick up for me and held my attention the rest of the book. I loved Cecilia and Ramsay’s story. The enemies to lovers aspect was off the charts for them, they really did nail it for me. I loved Ramsay not only for his anti-hero status, but also just everything he was. The story over all hit every point for me but one. I truly feel the ending could have been handled better than it was, but other than that it’s all good for this one.
This book starts out with our heroine as a young child being abused by her would be father, a vicar. As a young woman she is self assured, kind, and extremely intelligent. She meets the hero, Cassius Gerard Ramsay, through her close friend and they get tossed together trying to solve a heinous crime. Both have suffered greatly growing up and it affects their interactions with others and their relationships. As they come to know each other their barriers are tested and their hearts become entangled. They must face their fears to come out ahead of their enemies.
This was an engaging read with strong characters and intense scenes. I was impressed with it and loved the ending. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series.
This is the second book in the Devil You Know series. It’s about a trio of unconventional, witty, independent, and academic women who have formed an unbreakable friendship since their school age, and how they’ve overcome their childhood traumas to make their own successful ways in life…
Cecelia Teague is a mathematician who finds joy in numbers, formulae, codes… She suddenly inherits a gambling hell from her mysterious aunt together with a significant puzzle that could bring down the most important figures in the empire. From her sunny disposition, nobody would think of a lonely, bullied, and abandoned girl. I love Cecelia for her intelligence, her kind heart, her vulnerabilities, and her tremendous strength and conviction to stand up for what she believes. I just want to be a part of their trio !
Lord Cassius Ramsay is the Lord Chief Justice, a grumpy, uptight, righteous man who has worked hard his whole life to rise to that position of power. His prejudices against Cecelia’s deceased aunt and his mistrust in women make Cecelia his immediate adversary. But when Cecelia is in danger, he comes to her rescue just at the right time . And his icy heart couldn’t resist the sunshine that is Cecelia Teague, who eventually teaches him how to love !
I love this enemies-to-lovers setup and also the side characters (Cecelia’s old butler/friend/father figure Jean-Yves and little girl Phoebe). But I feel like it takes Cecelia and Ramsay quite some time to act on their attraction towards one another, all because of Ramsay’s misunderstandings and biases. And I would love to see more of the investigation process of the mystery left behind by Cecelia’s aunt. But all in all, I really enjoyed Ms Byrne’s beautiful writing prose with a good blend of emotional, heartbreaking, funny, sweet, and steamy scenes !
4.5 read for me!
*Special thanks to SMP Romance for sending me the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Cassius Ramsay deals in black and white. Either you’re innocent or guilty and he persecutes you as such. Being Lord Chief Justice of the High Court it is his duty after all. Ramsay also happens to be the half brother of Piers the Duke of Redmayne. Ramsay has been on occasion in the same vicinity of Cecelia and finds himself watching her and a growing attraction to her.
Although part of the Red Rogues along with Alexandra and Francesca, Cecelia felt deep loneliness and sadness growing up. She was an orphan and the person she had thought was her father treated her so cruelly. She suddenly finds herself owner of a gambling establishment – an establishment that Chief Justice Ramsay wants nothing more than destroy. When Cecelia’s life becomes endangered, Ramsay has no choice but to keep her safe while they figure out who is trying to destroy her establishment and hurt her in the process.
I had a hard time feeling the chemistry between Ramsay and Cecelia. There was simply too much going on in the plot for me to fully enjoy their romance. The last quarter of the book lagged for me, and I had a hard time staying interested in the story.
I really enjoyed How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, and although All Scot and Bothered fell short for me, I am looking forward to Francesca’s book – The Devil in Her Bed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
3.5 stars, All Scot and Bothered is the second book in this series but was easy to follow along without reading the first one. Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, Cassius Gerard Ramsay, the Vicar of Vice is the most unlikable Scot to ever cross the pages of a book I have read. Rigid and self righteous, Ramsay charges in to everything with preconceived notions and prejudices at the ready. Cecelia Teague, one of the Red Rogue, sweetheart of a person that is way too good for the Scot that steals her heart. Mistreated as a child until she was rescued by her maternal aunt, Cecelia was sent to school where she become part of the sisterhood that is the Red Rogues, unconventional strong females. Cecelia is a very likable character who is the saving grace of the book. Ramsay needs knocked upside head with the heaviest book in the room. Towards the end of the book, Ramsay does finally have a change of heart enough so that he gets his HEA but he will still go down as my least favorite Scot ever. Action packed and a little steamy, the story moves quickly to a HEA and some redemption for our hard-nosed hero. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
I enjoyed this historical romance that captivated me immediately and had me hanging onto every word until I finished the book with complex characters , drama, danger and so much more. I loved strong, independent Cecilia Teague and her dynamic with the other characters, especially the other two Red Rogues and Cassius Gerard Ramsay, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. If you enjoy smartly written historical romance with strong characters, don’t miss “All Scot and Bothered” by Kerrigan Byrne. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.
I loved everything about this book. Cecelia and Ramsay were just so flawed and perfect for each other. They were so hottttt, I nearly swooned every time he said, Cecelia. I was like “I wish he was talking to me!’ The story was great and filled with mystery but the big reveal I figured out pretty early. I don’ know if it’s just my keen mind or it was obvious, but I def called it. Although, I’m really old fashioned I liked that she didn’t give in to him right away, but it was so much sweeter in the end. It was him who was willing to give up something and I liked that neither one of them did but the fact that he was willing to risk it all made it so much sweeter. All the secondary characters were amazing and the villain a shock! The research that Kerrigan does to make the Red Rogues so brilliant is crazy and I bow down to her! I loved every second of it, and had to follow along with the book as I listened to the audio! Well done!
This tale ended too soon! I wanted more story for Cecelia and Ramsey. I loved these characters and want to be friends with them all. I have read every book that Kerrigan Byrne has written and will continue to read them until she writes no more or I can’t read anymore. She is by far one of the best writers. She brings her words to life so you want to be apart of the world she’s brought forth. Amazing! I can’t wait to read the next installment of this series.
This is a book I have been waiting a year for and wow it was so worth the wait. I cannot tell you how much I loved Cecelia!
Cecelia Teague is the second of the three Red Rouges to get her HEA and I have to say for a while there I was wondering if it was actually going to happen because Cassius Gerard Ramsay AKA Lord Chief Justice of the High Court was someone that I really had my doubts about.
Cecelia’s Aunt has passed away and left her a gaming hell (a brothel) and a boat load of secrets and one sweet little girl, Phoebe, to care for. Cecelia was always the odd duck, the plump girl that was great with numbers so she was always made fun of, but it was the way she was treated by her father that broke my heart.
Cassius Ramsay was a hard man for me to like at first but that was because I love Cecelia so much and he was trying to close down her business, although he didn’t know she was the owner. There were also crimes against children going on and he thought said owner was the cause of them. UGGHHH sometimes men cannot see what is right in front of them. And Kerrigan Byrne did a great job of showing just that LOL
This was a wonderful addition to the trilogy and I cannot wait for Francesca’s story, thankfully I don’t have to wait a year for that one…just until March.
If you enjoy Historical Romances that have as much steam as suspense this one is for you!
Happy Reading!!!
All Scot and Bothered is the second title in the Devil You Know series, and it certainly swept me off my feet and into a sensuous, funny, intriguing romance.
Everything you really need to know can be found in the cover description of All Scot and Bothered. What you won’t find there are the emotions this story will bring out in you – anger at times, sadness at other times, laughter at the bantering, annoyance at the shaming moments, and complete bafflement at certain actions by both Cecelia or Cassius. Add to that the sexy steaminess that just pours from these two and you find a funny, sexy, involved romance with a lot of unknowns or outside influences taking place.
I do have to admit that as much as I enjoyed this romance there were moments of inconsistencies with the actions of characters. I went past it, but I did stop a few times and think, “They did what?!”
I enjoyed the times with Cecelia’s friends the Red Rogues, although they came very close to ousting themselves – close call. I liked Cassius, he’s rough, opinionated, always right (at least in his mind), but when faced with a woman who meets all of his desires then he can turn into mush (for a bit) – but he’s always a proud man, and definitely one sexy man. I adored Cecelia for many reasons but probably mostly because she is secure in who she is a curvy, voluptuous woman, she might question other’s reactions to her but she knows her own worth (most of the time). She’s trying desperately to walk in two far different worlds all the while falling in love with the one man who could ruin her life. I liked her, but I loved them together.
In all, I had a good time with All Scot and Bothered, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next story in the Devil You Know series.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
ALL SCOT AND BOTHERED by Kerrigan Byrne is book Two in the Devil You Know Series. This is the story of Cecelia Teague and Cassius Gerard Ramsay. I have read the previous book which did add to my enjoyment of this one, but you can read it as a standalone book. Cecelia had a terrible start in life but along the way she able to go move past her questionable start and has moved forward to be a lady who now in her present day has secrets. Cecelia has been given a inheritance that includes a Gambling Hall. Now she is living a dual life of being the proper young women and owner of a gambling hall. Ramsay is her best friends brother in law, along with being the Lord Chief Just of the High Court. There attraction to each other runs hot but Ramsay out to take down the owner of the gambling hall unknown to him that the women he is so taken with is the owner. I am such a fan of this author’s writing. I do recommend this book along with her others.
All Scot and Bothered is the second story of three school friends, each with a dark secret, and all sworn to keep the confidences and protect each other. Both main characters had traumatic childhoods, but the result of the experiences are vastly different. Cecelia Teague was physically and emotionally abuse by her vindictive Vicar father. After her rescue, she was educated, made friends, and grew to be a kind and caring young woman. On the other hand, Cassius Gerard Ramsay, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, and half-brother to the Duke of Redmayne, is a harsh, closed minded, seemingly unfeeling jerk. His treatment of Cecelia after she inherited her aunt’s gaming hell is abominable. Does he really believe Cecelia capable of the disgusting crimes he accuses her of? If not her, who? How on earth can these two fall in love?
This is a fast paced and suspenseful story packed with action, intrigue, danger, secrets, and betrayal. There are lots of interesting characters here. Some are friends and protectors, some dangerous and deceitful. Phoebe is a surprise and a sweet thing. She is shy and a little fearful at first, but blossoms with Cecelia. The villain is somewhat a shock. Tragedy finally wakes Ramsay up. By the end of the story, he is becoming a reformed jerk. This one is exciting and unpredictable. It’s a good one, and I recommend it.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.
Great book! I love grumpy heroes although Ramsey was an ass at times in the beginning, it was quickly evident that he had a thing for Cecelia, whether he realized it or not. Some of the greatest heroes are the taciturn grumpy guys who to turn to absolute mush for their heroine (only one – except when kids come along).
Cecelia is one of three Red Rogues, formed in boarding school after being rescued from horrible circumstances. These girls saved each other and became lifelong friends who are fiercely loyal and protective. They join together to protect her from the Lord Chief Justice (Ramsey) who detests crime in any manner and thinks the owner of the gaming hell/school is trafficking young girls. Why? Cecelia just inherited it.
I also adore kids in books.
Cecelia and Ramsay’s story in All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Bryne, book two in her Devil You Know series, is an amazing story with all the feels and emotions. Cecelia Teague was being raised by an abusive vicar who was her father in name only, not by blood, until a secret benefactor from her mother’s scandalous past removed her from the awful situation. She was sent to a prestigious boarding school, where she met her best friends and formed the Red Rogues, and then to university. Cecelia thought she was on the brink of high society when she discovered that she inherited a gambling establishment, and a young girl to be her ward. Now Cecelia finds herself playing two roles, one as a proper lady who finds herself drawn to Lord Ramsay and then a savvy gaming hall owner trying to save her business from the same man. Cassius Gerard Ramsay, the Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, is a strong and commanding Scot who can be charming but refuses to be made a fool. He is determined to investigate and shut down London’s most notorious gaming hall as well as shut down on child sex-trading. Ramsay found himself attracted to Cecelia, especially in their shared social settings, but could not understand why he was intrigued and desiring the new owner of the gaming hall he was determined to shut down. As Ramsay tried to work through the system of law to prevail other evil doings are destroying the hall; anonymous calls to the law, parts of the hall being blown up and destroyed. Cecelia finds herself being attack and is forced to flee from London with Ramsay and her ward. Traveling to Scotland and spending time together, Ramsay and Cecelia learn so much more about each other; the hurts, the wounds, the loneliness. As they pass their time they find themselves falling in love, learning to compromise, as well as the answers to a few secrets and mysteries. In their case, love refuses to be bounded by rules.
Ms. Byrne provides amazing stories with at least one main character having been through something horrific and heartbreaking. She provided an outstanding tale that was the perfect balance of sweet, sexy, and suspenseful giving Cecelia and Ramsay a chance for happiness, love and a future together. I definitely recommend All Scot and Bothered to other readers and look forward to the next novel in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Cecelia, the heroine, stays all hot and bothered whenever she’s around or even thinks about this handsome, Scotsman, Jekyll & Hyde type, law career climbing hero. That feeling was definitely mutual. Sure, he’s good looking, means well as a crusader for justice, but his hot and cold, reluctant to love yet jealous/possessiveness, quick to judge and push her away temperament got under my skin. Even if he ended up being right about a pivotal, important point Cecelia should have checked into more closely, I still thought a time or two she’d been justified to throat punch him. However, I’m not sure the “I can’t believe he just said and/or did that” moments combined completely counterbalanced the fact “dang, he was right” about something seriously important. I’m thinking there was more of the first aspect than the latter one.
As far as she goes, Cecelia was obviously verra smart but not always thinking clearly and too trusting. Yeah, I’m referring to when she didn’t connect the dots or investigate more. There was a lot of assuming going on here, folks, especially that we’d buy into whatever was thrown at us or Cecelia, for that matter. Inheriting a gaming hall frequented by all types of society with a school for vulnerable girls/women on the floor right above was stretching credibility and logic, IMHO. A hodge podge of coincidences regarding scheming people and circumstances had me wondering if more than one person threw ideas into the plot pot here.
Finding out just how career obsessed Ramsey was to the point he chose himself over Cecelia a time or two didn’t look good on him either. The very unwelcome, unnecessary “surprise, you’re a baby daddy” from a deceased former lover he’d tossed out of his life long ago was certainly a fly in this literary soup. Cecelia’s connection to it didn’t make me feel any better about it. I swear it seemed it was thrown in to give it a “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander” element.
As a lover of relationship angst, I’m not sure if I was served that or relationship rage. You see, this heroine put up with a lot from this back and forth hero, who seemed angry at himself for wanting her. At the end of the day, I’m struggling to convince myself if he was totally worth it. He did physically rescue her a time or two. That was manly and admirable. We are also led to believe he’s a good guy walking around with family drama emotional baggage. Thing was she was, too, but she was always kind, quick to see the world through others’ eyes, and not judgemental.
Did I read to the end? Yes …. Did the writing flow? Mostly, yes, however, it did feel overly long by the end due to being weighed down with frequent mental musings and monologues. .. Were there elements I wish had been left out? ..Yes, at least two to be precise.
In summary, this was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed Cecelia’s tenacity and resilience. She seemed to have a good heart and tried to see the silver lining in everything. Ramsy really needed to realize he needed to stop judging the world based on what his deceased mama and papa did or didn’t do in their past lives. Of course, we also learn good people are actually bad here, as well. Ah, ha…Like that isn’t always routinely done.
The next book will be The Devil in Her Bed (featuring Francesca and a dashing, devilishly handsome spy like law man introduced early on in this book).
Title: All Scot and Bothered, Series: Devil You Know (Book 2), Author: Kerrigan Byrne, Pages: 416, pub date: 9/29/20, stand-alone but part of a series, brief acquaintances to enemies to lovers, some violence, disturbing trigger content side element.
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, NetGalley, or PR firm.)
I loved this despite its many frustrations. Ramsay tries so hard to fight his attraction to Cecelia that he’s downright cruel at times. I’m surprised she didn’t slap him and tell him to go away and never come back. But their chemistry wouldn’t be denied, I guess. Somehow, when a woman is in danger, it brings out the caveman.
4 stars.
This book was off the charts for me. I loved the story, it was easy to connect with the characters and feel for them, and the intrigue kept me turning the pages.
I usually read books for the men. It’s what makes romance great for me. I did read for Ramsey for sure, but Cecilia Teague had an equally dramatic story. She was a plus-size lady, intelligent, wore glasses, had spent much of her life humiliated, shamed, and lonely. Yet she faced life with optimism, a smile, and good nature. She took on every task handed to her, including a gaming hell she’d inherited from her murdered aunt.
Enter Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, Cassius Gerard Ramsey or just Ramsey. He was strung as tight as a bow. He had no mercy or leniency in his bones. Not one iota. He was on the case of missing little girls being sold into the sex trade and was convinced that Cecilia Teague was involved in it. He was determined to bring her down and hard! He didn’t try to hide the fact that he hated her and everything she stood for. He was wrought with anger, self-righteousness, and piousness and Lord help the person who dared to cross him. But he has a story of his own that left me breathless and even a little teary.
Ramsey and Cecilia were on a collision course with destiny. She thought she was unworthy. He thought he was above reproach and wouldn’t stoop to the level of befriending a gaming hell owner that he thought was selling little girls and running a brothel at the same time. He had the law to uphold and a reputation to look after. But he couldn’t deny his attraction to her, no matter what her sins were.
This is pretty much an enemies-to-lovers trope. It isn’t exactly a trope I love, but this one worked so well in so many ways. There were more than a few surprises. I loved Ramsey and Cecilia alone and I loved them together. I loved how they worked together for the common good, worked out their pasts together, how he admired her voluptuousness and her mind, how she forgave him even when he was at his worst. It took a lot for both of them to see the other for who they were rather than what they were. I knew they were going to get their happily ever after. I just didn’t know how they were going to pull it off.
There were plenty of sighs, feels, and some steam that kept me up at night, had me shushing everybody in the house, and buying pizza for dinner. It grabbed me from the beginning and kept me for the entirety of the book.
This is part of a series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Cassius is quite the job in this time that this story is set in. What he has to investigate in this particular story also has the one whom runs it, Cecelia does know how to turn a eye. She is also found to be interesting with Cassius not being immune from it either. She did inherit the place but that has her torn in two and being like two. She has the secret but things will start to escalate that have them being thrown together at times but danger also is at her door. This one will keep your attention because you want to know the answers and how will this get resolved. Can not forget the passion either which you will want to see how high it climbs.
Triggers: violence, reference to child abuse, rape, extreme killing
All Scot and Bothered is an excellent book. The romance between Ramsey and Cecilia is both sweet and scorching hot. The arc of Ramsey going from cold, unbending, and very moralistic to loving, sweet, sexy, and more carefree is extremely compelling. Cecilia is arc is a little more sutle. She goes from very insecure to confident. Being cared for and loved by Ramsey allows her to really become herself fully. The secondary characters from the Red Rogues to Phoebe are so fun to read. My only criticism is the villan. Often people from that group are made the villains in order to make a statement about their life choices. I don’t for a minute think that’s what Kerrigen was saying but I hate to see it in print because haters tend to run with it. Other than that this is an incredible book I highly recommend.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.