Review: All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
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Series: Devil You Know #2
Author: Kerrigan Byrne
Published September 29th 2020 by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Goodreads Synopsis
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 in the world 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 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?
Goodreads
Review
Miss Cecelia Teague may not be the daughter of the aristocracy, but she has a wealthy benefactor, who saved her from a wicked father, and sent her to school in Switzerland where she met her closest friends, Alexandra and Francesca. Thinking she was alone in the world, she's surprised to discover a maternal aunt has just passed, and left her entire estate to Cecelia, including a school in London - which also is a gaming hell - and a young ward, Phoebe. To top it all off, the Lord Chief Justice, Cassius Gerard Ramsay, is out to take down the school, and thinks that Cecelia - or the Scarlet Lady - is worse than the Whore of Babylon, and involved in the kidnap of young girls and women. Cecelia needs to prove to him that she wants the same thing, and as it becomes clear that both she and Phoebe are at risk, from the mysterious Crimson Council, Ramsay will do just about anything to keep them safe - even if that means tearing down the walls that have protected him from childhood.
We met both Cecelia and Ramsay in Ten Days to Love a Duke, as the best friend of Alex, and Piers' half brother respectively, and there was a hint of romance between the couple. Cecelia and Ramsay both had had horrific upbringings, abandoned and neglected, even being imprisoned underground, and this has left some real emotional scarring for them both. For Cecelia, her 'father' blamed her for the crimes of every woman, punishing her for not being his true daughter, and it's only when she is spirited away to school, that she starts to become comfortable in her life. She meets Jean-Yves, the groundskeeper at the school, who takes her under his wing as a surrogate father, and even helps the Red Rogues to bury the rapist's body and protect them all. Now facing explosions, attempted kidnapping and murder, it seems Cecelia may just fall apart, but Ramsay won't let that happen. I adored how he came and spirited her, Phoebe, and Jean-Yves away to protect them all, against his better judgement, and he was so obvious in his feelings, except to Cecelia herself. Being the son of a woman who abandoned him to become Duchess, and a wastrel father who drowned in his own vomit after becoming too drunk to stand, he dragged himself up, and is now one of the most important men in the country, after only the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor. He is stoic, and strict with himself, and doesn't allow desire or want to play any part in his life, but since he met Cecelia/the Scarlet Lady, he's tempted beyond all belief. Seeing him open himself up to love, and to being a family with Cecelia and Phoebe was so cute, and I hated the moments where there were angst, and it seemed like they would never get their happy ending. The growing story line surrounding the Crimson Council, and it's wicked hold on the nation is definitely intriguing, and I can't wait to see how it's linked to the deaths of Francesca's friends and family over 20 years ago.
Dates Read:
January 16-18, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
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