All Scot and Bothered

Starred review from June 29, 2020
A mysterious inheritance sparks hot romance and tantalizing intrigue in Byrne’s stunning second entry to the Devil You Know series (after How to Love a Duke in Ten Days). Orphaned math enthusiast Cecilia Teague has lived a hard life. When Henrietta Thistledown, the scandalous aunt she’s never met, leaves Cecilia a school for girls in London (that doubles as a gambling hall by night), her life is given new direction. But she also inherits a journal in which Henrietta recorded dark secrets about London’s elite, putting Cecilia in danger from men who will stop at nothing to protect their reputations. Lord Chief Justice of the High Court Cassius Ramsey had been investigating Henrietta for years on suspicion that she played a role in trafficking young girls. Believing Cecilia to be just as criminal, Ramsey’s ashamed of his intense attraction to her—until she proves her innocence with her fierce devotion to her seven-year-old ward, Phoebe, and he recognizes a kindred spirit in the voluptuous beauty. When danger comes knocking, Ramsey puts Cecilia and Phoebe under his protection and whisks them to safety in Scotland, where the duo slowly break down his walls. Cecelia’s mental strength is a perfect match for Ramsey’s unyielding determination, and the action adds extra fire to the romance. Readers will be delighted.

September 1, 2020

A cruel upbringing in the English countryside hasn't kept Cecelia Teague down. After being whisked away by a mysterious benefactor, Cecelia is sent to a premier boarding school in Switzerland and then the Sorbonne, where she studies mathematics. There she and her closest friends found the Red Rogues, a trio of whip-smart redheads who vow to live extraordinary lives. After the marriage of one of the Rogues, Cecelia's benefactor dies suspiciously, and Cecelia inherits a London gaming hall disguised as a school for girls. She's also given a coded journal and a young ward to teach. Cassius Ramsey, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, has long suspected that the establishment was a front for trafficking girls and vows to continue his relentless investigation until he witnesses a brutal attack on Cecelia and her pupil. Cassius's inner turmoil over his attraction to Cecelia only intensifies when he must harbor her and the young charge from danger in Scotland. VERDICT Byrne crafts a smoldering romance that combines an enticing, well-matched couple with an original storyline about the underbelly of Victorian society that keeps readers guessing. Fans will clamor to pick up the first in the series (How To Love a Duke in Ten Days) if they haven't already.--Nicole J. Suarez, Frankfort P.L. Dist., Frankfort, IL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2020
Mathematician Cecelia Teague's flair for numbers could prove extremely useful when she unexpectedly inherits Miss Henrietta's School for Cultured Young Ladies from her maternal aunt, Henrietta Thistledown. Forced into posing as her deceased mother, Hortense Thistledown, Cecelia faces her first challenge in the person of Cassius Gerard Ramsay, lord chief justice of the High Court, who is certain that Cecelia's business, which operates both as a girls' school and as London's most notorious gaming hell (gambling hall), is connected to his investigation into missing girls. Cecelia may not have known her aunt, but she is positive that Henrietta would not have anything to do with such a heinous crime. Still, what are the odds that Cecelia can prove to Lord Ramsay that the facts of his case just don't add up? The second stellar addition to Byrne's Devil You Know series, following How to Love a Duke in Ten Days (2019), will ensnare readers with its soul-searing, richly sensual love story, expertly spiced with just the right dash of dry wit and generous measure of thrilling danger.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)