One of Kirkus' Best Fiction of 2019One of Kirkus' Best Romance Novels of 2019 "[Tantalizes] readers with the couple’s teasing and building passion." - Publishers Weekly on How To Love A Duke in Ten Days " An un-put-down-able story that combines sensuality, tenderness . . . and memorable characters." - Kirkus starred review on How To Love A Duke in Ten Days "In this brilliantly conceived start to her captivating new Devil You Know series, Byrne once again delivers the beautifully nuanced characters and seductive storytelling her readers have come to expect, while at the same time deftly conjuring up the spirit of Victoria Holt’s classic gothic romances," - Booklist on How To Love A Duke in Ten Days "An amazing story of how two broken people find a way to heal each other . . . even when some scars can’t be seen. [...] A beautifully written historical romance that was impossible to put down." - Affaire de Coeur on How To Love A Duke in Ten Days Praise for The Victorian Rebels :"Byrne weaves in such undeniable thrills and a sweeping sense of all-consuming passion that you may just end up falling for the story against your better judgment." ― Entertainment Weekly on The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo "Another winner in a stellar series." ― Library Journal starred review on The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo "Everything about this deliciously dark and dangerous historical romance is done to perfection." ― Booklist starred review on The Duke With the Dragon Tattoo "There's a lot to love about this awesome book...Byrne's sexy scoundrels and complex heroines deliver, as always." ― Kirkus Starred Review on The Scot Beds His Wife "This sexy romp has it all―a mystery, a feminist heroine worth rooting for, and moments of heat so intense they might need a nurse." ― Kirkus Starred Review on The Duke "This [is a] page-turning novel full of historical details and sensuous romance." ― Publishers Weekly Starred Review on The Duke "Another hit from the phenomenal Byrne." ― Library Journal Starred Review on The Highlander "A rich, emotional love story." ― The Washington Post on The Highlander "Captured me from page one and never let go. Romantic, lush, and suspenseful." ―Suzanne Enoch, New York Times bestselling author on The Highwayman "A passionate, lyrical romance that takes your breath away. From the first page, you'll fall in love." ―Elizabeth Boyle, New York Times bestselling author"Byrne makes a stunning debut with a beautifully written, intensely suspenseful, and deliciously sensual love story." ― Amelia Grey , New York Times bestselling authorThe dark, violent side of the Victorian era blazes to life as a caring, competent heroine living under the radar is abducted by a notorious crime lord with wonderfully gratifying results in this exceptional and compelling vengeance-driven romantic adventure. ― Starred Library Journal Review on The Highwayman The romance is raw, edgy and explosive...the path they take through adversity makes the triumph of love deeply satisfying. ― Publishers Weekly on The Highwayman A truly mesmerizing series that highlights dangerous heroes who flout the law and the women who love them. ― Library Journal Starred Review on The Hunter Kerrigan Byrne has done many things to pay the bills, from law enforcement to belly dance instructor. Now she's finally able to have the career she'd decided upon at thirteen when she announced to her very skeptical family that she was going to "grow up to be a romance novelist." Whether she's writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in almost every story. Kerrigan lives with her husband on the coast of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula in a Victorian-era town almost frozen in time. When she's not writing, you might find her on the beach with her dogs, lounging at a local vineyard or brewery, or buying things she doesn't need at antique stores. Her novels with St. Martin's Press include the Victorian Rebels series (starting with The Highwayman ) and Devil You Know series (which begins with How To Love A Duke in Ten Days ).
Features & Highlights
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 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
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
★★★★★
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
5.0
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NOBODY does historical like Kerrigan Byrne!
NOBODY does historical like Kerrigan Byrne! I was sucked into the story from the very beginning and stayed there the whole time. I am not a fan of the mystery/intrigue but Byrne does it so well I don't even notice. Alexandra was so amazingly strong and admirable. Actually, all 3 of the ladies are amazing. Piers was equally fantastic. I was so invested in this couple, I was mentally castigating Piers for not seeing the signs of what happened to Alexandra sooner. Once he go out of his head, his reaction was fierce and satisfying. SOOOO looking forward to Cecilia and Francesca's books.
1 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Great, strong friendships and a lovable hero!
I loved this book! Kerrigan Byrne writes some of my favorite historical fictions and this one was just added to that list. I cried with Alexandra and I raged with Piers. I was and still am so emotionally attached to these characters. I will not go into what happens because I think it's something you need to read. But it's deep and Byrne does it in a way that makes it feel real and she just wrote this book beautifully. I read it in one sitting. My eyes are killing me but it was all worth it.
I can't wait to read about the other two ladies!!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher
1 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Loved!
Kerrigan Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series is one of my absolute favorite series, so I’ve been dying to dive into some of her other books. No surprise, How to Love a Duke in Ten Days was soooo good and I loved it! Her historical romances do deal with darker themes so if you need trigger warnings before reading make sure to check all the reviews.
Lady Alexandra Lane and her two red-haired friends formed their own little group, the Red Rogues, while attending school abroad together as girls. While there, Alexandra endures the most horrific night of her life and wants nothing to do with any man. Each of the girls share their secrets and pains with one another and form a pact to never marry.
10 years pass and now grown, Alexandra’s family is in debt. She realizes she needs to marry to help her financial woes and offers her hand to the first Duke she stumbles upon. Piers, Duke of Redmayne, is a scarred and broody hero who finds himself in need of a wife to produce heirs with. The more time Piers and Alexandra spend together, the more each of them begins to fall for one another. Both of these characters have flaws and insecurities and I loved seeing them trust in one another. Piers was truly “a knight in tarnished armor” as Alexandra points out and he was just the most protective, caring, amazing hero. One thing I always love about this author’s books is that the heroines are not damsels in distress, they have careers and are brave enough on their own without a man. In this story, Alexandra is an archaeologist and just the strongest, bravest heroine. I adored her friends and I cannot wait for the next book in this series to come out!
★★★★★
5.0
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Byrne is an auto buy author!
Trigger warning for an intense rape scene in the prologue, I will not hide that as a spoiler because it’s there and it’s horrible. The rest of the book is a 10 out of 10 though with the relationship between Piers and Alexandra being full of tension, romance, wit, and fun. I couldn’t get enough of this story finishing it in a night with the murder and love wrapping it all up in a nice little bow. Byrne is now an auto buy author for me!
★★★★★
4.0
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Devastatingly Beautiful and Humorous
If you want a historical romance to feel like real life, then this is it! From a meet cute that has any reader smiling to shocking twists, mysteries, murder, tragedies, and love...this book has it all. The banter between the two main characters is fit for any Rom-com, while the underlying tone of the novel is more sad and tragic. It’s like a combination of a Shakespearean comedy + tragedy put together! Definitely worth the read!
★★★★★
5.0
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Devastatingly Beautiful. Passionate, Sensual, and Raw
If I could travel back in time and read this book for the first time again, I would not hesitate. I was immediately drawn into this story by shocking revelations, but also by character intrigue. The Red Rogues were a lovely and unique concept as I value friendships in books that are so heavily of import throughout the story. Alexandra and her friends are so much fun, and they love each other without condition. Alex is suffering from from a traumatic event and seeing her growth as she learns what it means to give into love and passion is utterly enchanting, especially with the hero Piers as her mate. Piers is such a darling alpha in such a way that he became of my all time favorite male leads. He’s alluring, charismatic, charming, honest, humorous, and sexy. His self-deprecating behavior is endearing and maddening simultaneously as he navigates the treacherous trials of love and trust. These two characters are stunning as they go against the odds and find a way to one another through dangers untold. I was disappointed when I had to stop reading and devastated when I finished! It was such a good book! One of my favorite reads this year! I cried and laughed and smiled. My heart beat ever faster through the adventure, danger, and blazing hot moments. The angst was AMAZING. I can’t say enough good things!
★★★★★
5.0
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How to Love a Book in Ten Ways
In my opinion there are two kinds of historical romances, some are watercolors and some are oils. And I’ll tell you a secret; the rich, vibrant, sweeping oils are my favorite. The connection, the emotions, the imagery, is all just that much more brilliant. Kerrigan Byrne is one of the authors who writes like that, in rich, vibrant, sweeping, murals of oil. Yes, murals. Not even little paintings.
Her latest is yet another example of her mastery of her craft. She leaves me breathless and awed with every single one of her stories. Piers and Alexandra overcome dark pasts, buried secrets, and tons of emotional baggage to get to their HEA, and in true KB fashion, they tug at your heartstrings just right every step of the way. Piers is everything Alexandra needs and the author demonstrates exactly that to us in exquisite fashion. Cecilia and Francesca and the deep friendship between the three is one of the best things about the book, especially since all three of them are smart, rebellious, and all very different but equally badass. They’re the heroines we all need and I’m waiting for each of their stories.
★★★★★
5.0
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Wonderful
Absolutely loved this book. Great story with wonderful characters. Highly recommend!! Can't wait for the next book.
★★★★★
5.0
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Devil Duke
Okay, I’m not sure if I’ve read anything by Kerrigan Byrne in my book library of “to be read” but this was one fantastic story that had my absolute attention from the beginning pages to its ending. This the first in this series of the Devil You Know.
How to Love a Duke in Ten Days started off a bit tragic and was not what I was expecting, however the author’s writing style capture my attention and a little heartbreaking for Lady Alexandria, the heroine of the story. It shows her vulnerability as well as her strength to overcome the affliction that torments her every day. Nonetheless, she survives her circumstances and becomes a woman who has to overcome the demons that tries to conquer her life. She’s not alone with living with secrets…her closest friends Cecilia (Cecil) and Francesca (Franc) have their share of demons too.
The Hero of the story, Piers, the Duke of Redmayne is a bossy internally handsome hero. Although he is not quite handsome on the outside…with scars marking his face, his inner beauty flourishes the brooding austere that has painted him the Terror of Torcliff. He was patience, thoughtful and understanding with Alexandria when she was not forthcoming with what had happened to her as a young girl. Both characters fell in love at first sight. Their love gradually deepened for one another as they uncovered little by little things in their past that would dictate the outcome of their future together.
There are times within the story that your heart goes out to Alexandra, who became a victim of rape by a despicable man who was head of the school and one who took advantage o the young girls under his charge. I loved the friendship and support that the Red Rogues had for one another, especially the love they shared in helping one another out no matter what the circumstance. Piers was the epitome of a gentleman in disguise who really cared about Alexandra’s feelings and he at every chance showed her that intimacy doesn’t have to hurt.
The author has a well-written, wonderful plot and enjoyable characters that make this novel well worth the read. It has its positive sides, as well as negative sides but they are there to make each character a bit stronger and have the ability to overcome the obstacles that are hindering from moving forward with their lives. I truly loved Piers and Alexandra through all the obstacles they had to confront. The story had its share of twists and suspense and I found myself second guessing who the villains were near the end. Oh what a touch of angst, secrets, lies, betrayals and mystery. Although the story touches on sexual abuse against young women, I never felt overwhelmed by that fact and thought the author did a good job with handling that part of the story.
If you’re looking to start a new series, this is one I highly recommend for your historical romance read. The H/h will draw you into their world. You will find your heart tugged and eyes teary from time to time. I loved this story and would love to take a stab at an audiobook version with one of my favorite narrators (i.e., Anne Flosnik, Rosalyn Landor, Braden Wright…just a few). Highly recommend this read.
★★★★★
5.0
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An Evocative Love Story with Depth & Hard-Fought Character Growth
**4.5 Stars**
How to Love a Duke in Ten Days was an evocative love story filled with depth and hard-fought character growth. Byrne delicately and lovingly explored a timely issue through Alexandra’s perspective and dropped her into a romance that gave her the chance to finally love herself. With a sweetly patient duke of man placed alongside her, this was one heck of a good story to be sucked into.
From the terse and heartbreaking beginning, Alexandra’s journey was perfectly captured to showcase the long-lasting ramifications of trauma and shame, but what was so beautiful to see was her opening herself to letting someone in to love her. The way Piers and Alexandra fell for one another was breathtaking in its intensity, and yet so incredibly vulnerable in every way. Time was taken in letting them explore the possibility of one another and it paid off in all of the best tension-filled ways. They had depth to their individual journeys and who they became to each other, and I fell hard for them.
There was an abundance of raw beauty in How to Love a Duke in Ten Days that made it impossible to put down. It explored real issues with truth and patience while telling a searing love story right alongside it. You’re going to love everything it has to offer and I cannot wait for what’s to come in this new series.
