A Kirkus Reviews 2019 Best Romance Novel, the first in an exciting new series by USA Today bestseller 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… Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But … 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.
“Romantic, lush, and suspenseful.”—New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Enoch
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How To Love A Duke was a phenomenal read. I loved it despite it dealing with difficult subject matter. I loved the suspense woven into it. It had me emotionally invested in it from the very beginning and truth be told I still am because I adored these characters both main and secondary and I’m not ready to relinquish them just yet.
It’s no secret that I love grumpy heroes, Piers is the epitome of that plus he’s somewhat of an ass and scarred to booth – queue the swooning. I swooned quite a lot while reading this book, the things Piers said to Alexandra made my heart sing. I loved the way he was with her for the most part.
As for Alexandra I loved her strength, brilliance and forthright nature. I loved the way she was with Piers, the way she saw him so much differently than everyone else. I especially loved her friendship with Francesca and Cecelia and cannot wait to read their stories.
This book was highly addictive and I very highly recommend it.
Copy won in a contest hosted by author
What I liked: I don’t read a lot of historical romance novels. I was pleasantly surprised by How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. The main female characters were not timid creatures driven by the rules society deems appropriate. Lady Alexandra Lane attains a respectable profession and becomes independent. Likewise, the Piers Atherton the Duke of Redmayne is not a stuffy aristocrat. He feels more at home away from the other nobles and is not looking to gain more prestige.
At its heart, this book is the story of a woman reclaiming peace after a horrible experience causes severe PTSD. *Warning, anyone who has a trigger involving sexual abuse should tread cautiously.* Alex finds a way to overcome her fears of intimacy and comes out better in the end. Her journey is profound and inspiring.
What I didn’t like: In a nutshell, secrets. Misunderstandings, when one could have just been completely honest from the beginning, does not endear me to the characters. I felt the decision to hold their secrets in so long really drew things out unnecessarily. I will say that it opened up room for character development, so I get where it came from.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this early copy of How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. I could easily recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good historical romance.
Since I read a variety of romance with now mysteries in there too I do include historical romance too. Sometimes they are so adventurous you have to catch your breath a time or two as I had to in this one.
Alexandra has herself in a pickle with it also her family too is soon to be in one she comes up with a plan. This is what has us stick with her to see if it actually works.
Piers too has a plan with it involving a lady so when these two come across each other that is when it really gets interesting. The thing is these kind of plans always lead to some good entertainment and a back fire on what is they think. When the sparks start we can already see that they will be goners somewhere in the future.
With a bit of danger too this gives spice. It also has come to light some things that goes with this as the why’s need their place. But it also lays the foundation on why Alexandra goes the way she does. Anyways this is also a picture of how love does aid the healing of the heart. This is one not to be missed for sure.
I absolutely fell in love with this book! Alexandra is meeting her friend for a ball where the Duke of Redmayne will announce their engagement. She has a harrowing escape from being trampled by a horse with the clever use of her umbrella and the animal handler from Redmayne’s stables. He happens to be the Duke himself. Get ready for the ride of your life. These girls are hiding some huge secrets. This is the best retelling of Beauty and the Beast ever! 5 amazing stars
4.5*
Review will be posted at Romancing Romances closer to publication date.
I received an eARC at no cost from the author, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
Trigger warning: (view spoiler – Alexandra was raped and she killed her aggressor)
I think there are few HR authors (from time periods I like) out there whom I have not yet read, and Kerrigan Byrne was one of them. After hearing such high praise about this author, and having been given the opportunity to read How To Love A Duke In Ten Days, I couldn’t refuse. And at the end of this book, I said to myself: why did I wait this long?!
This book has such a strong friendship between the heroines of this series. I always love a book where female friendship – well, any friendship, really – is championed. They support each other, they are always there when needed, and they don’t judge. Isn’t that wonderful?
Alexandra had a traumatic event in her teenage years at school, and Francesca (Frank) and Cecelia (Cecil) – her friends, and fellow red-heads – helped her hide what happened, and at the same time supported her with her feelings and the fear she – rightfully – developed after such an event. Now that Alexandra had a secret that needed to be kept with their lives, Frank and Cecil wanted to assure her their loyalty, and so the three friends told each other powerful, damaging secrets, so that they would all be connected by something stronger their school years.
Alexandra became a doctor through the Sorbonne, an archaeologist, in reality. She buries herself in work, and her only true connections are with her school friends. One day, she received a note from Francesca, saying she was getting married, and she was needed. The cryptic note was especially odd since the three women had sworn never to get married.
Frank is supposed to marry Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne. When Alexandra gets reaches the station and awaits her friend Cecil, she meets a huge, strong horse – a man to, and the description fits just as well! – and she manages to calm the horse down, and the man, whom she believes to be a man that worked at the stables, is the first man to arouse her in a certain way.
Due to her past, she believes no man can ever be trusted, and they must be feared, but with this man she doesn’t really feel afraid. Even though he was a very large man that could pick her up easily, she feels he’s more of a protector than anything else.
Believing she won’t see him again, Alex and Cecil go to the castle of the Duke of Redmayne, and meet with Frank in their rooms. And out of the window, Alex sees the man from the station, and she assumes that he works at the castle. I’m sure you already know, dear reader, that he was indeed the Duke of Redmayne.
Frank is worried because she believes that someone wants to hurt her, or her friends, and she doesn’t want to marry Redmayne.
Alex is also being threatened in a way – she was being blackmailed. She didn’t know who it was, but they knew what she and her friends had done. And she wanted to protect them at all costs, but her family doesn’t have any more money, so she decides to make a trade: she’ll marry the duke, he’ll protect them, without knowing what had happened at school. Frank and Cecil don’t want her to do that, but she persuades them that Piers is a good man, and she somewhat trusts him. And she wants to be a mother, so she knows she’ll have to overcome her trauma for that to happen.
The book happens is a small time frame – the 10 days, give or take – and that doesn’t really give the characters a lot of time to connect with one another. I did like Piers – even though he was a bit too rough for me personally – but I get that Alexandra liked that part of him, because he could protect her, and at the same time he was a good man and so he wouldn’t overpower her.
I really liked the way Kerrigan Byrne dealt with such an important, difficult, traumatic issue, how she described it and its impact on the life of the characters. It shaped some of it, but the love that develops between Alex and Piers showed that it didn’t have to rule her life.
There’s some mystery, and sometimes a bit too much happening, but it was a great book, a great start with this author, with romance, friendship, strong and interesting characters. What more could I ask for?
How To Love A Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne is the First book in the Devil You Know Series. This is the story of Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne and Alexandra Lane.
Alexandra, Francesca Cavendish and Cecelia Teague are friends from a early age that created The Red Rogues Society when they were attending the Ecole de Chardonne for girls. All have secrets that they have shared between themselves and have formed a bond to help protect each other and support each other. In addition they had all been unhappy of the limitation of education for girls which they have sneak their education in to become more knowledgeable when in their time they shouldn’t be. Alexandra has her secret that she has been paying a blackmailer to keep but now her family is in about bankrupt so she comes up with a plan for a marriage of convenience to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Piers is known as the Terror of Torcliff. Piers has no heirs except for a cousin, Patrick Atherton who he does not want him to inherit the title. So seeking to take that option away he plans on going through a marriage of convenience which was set in motion early on but then he meets Alexandra who shake things up and starts to make him want another option.
Loved their story and Ms.Byrne’s writing.
An emotionally scarred heroine, Lady Alexandra, and a physically scarred hero. Piers, have much to overcome in this book. Great intrigue as the main characters are trying to find out who is trying to kill them. Murdered bodies seem to pile up. I won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, in exchange for my honest review. Thanks Goodreads!
I don’t read a lot of historical romance even though the subgenre was my gateway to romance. That said, I occasionally make exceptions especially when my friends are incessantly fangirling in my DMs. I was right to do so. The character development is outstanding. I stayed up late and was a wrung out mess when this couple finally got their hea, but I regret nothing. Talk about something that “hurts so good.”
Check the blurb for potential triggers including sexual assault that happens super early in the book.
I would recommend every book in this series. You become invested in the heroines and heroes. Loved all three of the books.
The best yet!
Piers and Alexandra are amazing! I adore the way Kerrigan Byrne writes smart heroines, and Alexandra is no exception. Add in the stunning suspense aspect and this was one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to! I loved it! Derek Perkins’s voice is dreamy!
Wow! Wow! Wow! This is a new to me writer and I fell in love with her ability to weave words! The story was so deep, full of secrets, and passion! It was instant love and everything about it took my breath away. I don’t usually like things like what happens in the prologue, usually getting so upset that I flounce things. But it was really well done and didn’t traumatize me in the least. Alexandra’s pain was real and although at times PIerce was brutish and demanding, he eventually caught on and his revelation in what she went through was so beautiful. I’m going to dive into Cecelia’s book! I love the Red Rogues, they are brave and strong and stood together. Bravo Bravo!
A good story.
Alexandra is recovering from a ten year trauma that occurred when she was 17. She and her two friends have sworn off men as a result. Will any of them find happiness?
Loved every page; well worth re-reading over and over.
I really enjoyed this book. It was really different from most historical novel.
It was a easy reading book. You can read it fast and enjoy a good story
The beginning was a shock in the genre but tied in well with the remainder of the plot. Well charactered.
I love reading a book by Kerrigan Byrne. Her regency romances are to die for. Her writing is excellent, her characters so well developed they jump off the page as Piers and Alexandra did.
I know they are going to be so full of passion, angst, and steamy romance as Piers and Alexandra were.
I don’t have enough words to describe how good this book is.
Piers
Alexandra
Piers + Alexandra
Lady Alexandra Lane has kept a dark secret for 10 years, but when she can’t pay her blackmailer any longer and an opportunity shows to her in the form of the powerful Duke of Redmayne, she’ll seize it and strike a deal with the devil in the process.
Piers Atherton, Duke of Redmayne has decided finding a bride and doing her duty to his lineage is the best form of revenge and when the intriguing Lady Alexandra asks him to marry her, he’ll agree to what he thinks might be a better match than his original plan.
Piers and Alexandra are very strong characters and have a lot of meaningful clashes which makes for amazing banter and great reading.
After a careful search, I found out this was my first read by this author. I really liked the storyline and it was a fun and entertaining read with really nice characters, but I found the book horrifically long and I knew who the culprit was since very early on which, in my opinion, takes from the story.
3.5 stars
Lady Alexandra Lane leads an interesting but solitary life, except for her career and relationship with her two best friends from her school days. She’s scholarly and learned but is emotionally scarred and burdened by a ten-year old event that only a few know about. However, one of them is her anonymous blackmailer who has drained her financially. Piers Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is hosting a weekend celebration at his estate to announce his betrothed, yet to be named but rumored to be one of Alexandra’s best friends who’s a reluctant bride. He has strong motives to marry but not necessarily to a specific woman. Circumstances change where Piers and Alexandra might alter the original plan.
I’ve wanted to read this author for a very long time, have even collected a lot of her books; so, when this opportunity presented itself, I was more than thrilled. There was something about the synopsis that hinted at more and my instincts paid off. This was a meaty story centered around two very appealing characters, and I don’t necessarily mean physically. Alexandra was shaped by what happened years ago, created so many layers it made her fascinating. Piers is physically imposing with an even larger personality and demons. The conflicts and challenges were immense and the intrigue even grander. I also loved Alexandra’s two friends who are vital to the story.
I loved everything about this story…the characters, mysteries, subterfuge, romance and the stunning prologue that sets the stage for everything that comes after. Alexandra and Piers are well crafted, so much that you eventually know what they will and won’t do. No predictable paths here except where it’s natural for the two of them. There’s quite a bit going on but I appreciated that I got to discover it all by reading the book and won’t deprive anyone of that pleasure. Just know that you’ll be swept up and captivated by it all.
(Thanks to St. Martin’s Paperbacks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)