We are excited to participate in the blog tour for HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS, the first book in a new series by author Kerrigan Byrne. Fans of historical romance will fall in love with this book, so make sure to check it out and grab your copy today!
These men are dark, bold, and brave. 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.
GET YOUR COPY TODAY
EXCERPT:
Maynemouth, Devonshire, 1890
Ten years later
Alexander,
Accept the invitation to Castle Redmayne.
I’m in danger. I need you.—Frank
Alexandra Lane had spent the entire train ride from Lon-
don to Devonshire meticulously pondering those fourteen
words for two separate reasons.
The first, she had been unable to stop fretting for Fran-
cesca, who tended to give more than the appropriate
amount of context. The terse, vague note Alexandra now
held was more of a warning than the message contained
therein.The second, she could no longer afford a first-class, pri-
vate railcar, and had, for the last several tense hours, been
forced to share her vestibule face-to-face with a rough-
featured, stocky man with shoulders made for labor.
Alone.
He’d attempted polite conversation at first, which she’d
rebuffed with equal civility by feigning interest in her cor-
respondence. By now, however, they were both painfully
aware she needn’t take four stops to read two letters.
It was terribly rude, she knew. Her carpetbag remained
clutched in her fist the entire time, except when her hand
would wander into its depths to palm the tiny pistol she
always carried. The sounds of the other passengers in ad-
joining vestibules didn’t make her feel safer, per se.
But she knew they would hear her scream, and that pro-
vided some relief.
For a woman who’d spent a great deal of the last ten
years in the company of men, she’d thought these painful
moments would have relented by now.
Alas, she’d become a mistress of manipulating a situa-
tion so, even if she had to endure the company of men
without a female companion, there would be more than
one man. In the circles she tended to frequent, people be-
haved when in company.
It had worked thus far.
Alexandra braced herself against the slowing of the
train, breathing a silent prayer of relief that they’d finally
arrived. She’d been terrified that if she’d glanced up once,
she’d be forced into conversation with her unwanted com-
panion.
Rain wept against the coach window, and the shadows
of the tears painted macabre little serpents on the conflict-
ing documents in her hands. One, a wedding invitation.
The other, Francesca’s alarming note.
A month past, she’d have wagered her entire inheritance
against Francesca Cavendish’s being the first of the Red
Rogues to capitulate to the bonds of matrimony.
A month past, she’d assumed she’d had an inheritance
to wager.
Their little society had seemed destined to live up to the
promise they’d once made as young, disenchanted girls to
never marry.
Until the invitation to an engagement masquerade—
given by the Duke of Redmayne—had arrived the same
day of her friend’s cryptic and startling note.
The invitation had been equally as ambiguous, stating
that the future duchess of Redmayne would be unveiled,
as it were, at the ball. Included in Alexandra’s particular
envelope was a request for her to attend as a bridesmaid.
The subsequent plea for help from Francesca—Frank—
had arrived in a tiny envelope with the Red Rogue seal
they’d commissioned some years prior.
Alexandra hadn’t even known Francesca had returned
from her romps about the Continent. Last she’d heard, the
countess had been in Morocco, doing reconnaissance of
some sort. Nothing in her letters had mentioned a suitor.
Not a serious one, in any case. Certainly not a duke.
Francesca had a talent for mischief and a tendency to
interpret danger as mere adventure.
So, what could possibly frighten her fearless friend?
Marriage, obviously, Alexandra thought with a smirk.
A risky venture, to be sure.
From How to Love a Duke in Ten Days.
Copyright © 2019 by Kerrigan Byrne and reprinted with
permission from St. Martin’s Paperbacks.
Tracey’s Review
I must admit, it’s been a minute since I’ve picked up anything even remotely resembling a historical romance. Visions of swashbuckling heroes, pert young ladies, and stories set in times of yore come to mind. And, yes, there is definitely some of that in this book. But there is also much more. Kerrigan Byrne manages to entertain and titillate, writing within the framework of the genre standard while still managing to create a story, place, and characters that are a breath of fresh air.
I knew that I was going to love the Red Rogues from the moment that I met them. Think Nancy Drew and her gang, but with touches of the lot from Dead Poets’ Society. Alexandra, Cecelia, and Francesca are no wilting lilies, but a series of unfortunate events casts a shadow over their young lives that they never quite outrun. In the meantime, though, our intrepid trio know their own minds and are not afraid to forge ahead, living life on their terms.
And, I have to tell you that, as historical romance heroes go, Piers Redmayne, is the deal. He is a man of passion, and his chief one becomes a certain Lady Alexandra Lane. By turn infuriated, intrigued, bewitched, and beleaguered, this Duke never even saw his lady coming. He is the sort of romantic hero that I can totally get behind, and seeing his sense of duty, self, and love get turned on its ear is everything.
This was my first read by Ms. Byrne, but will absolutely not be my last. HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS is a must-read for fans of historical romance with a twist. What twist? A woman who knows what she wants, and a man that will help her get it. Make sure this one’s on the ol’ TBR, and enjoy.
Author Bio:
Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, USA
Today bestseller Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic
ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with
her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her
Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.
About Laurelin Paige:
Saucy Southern Readers 