How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne is the first book in the Devil you Know series and I have to say, it was everything I was hoping for! If you know me, you know I have been reading more historical romance of late and having loved Byrne’s Victorian Rebels series, I jumped at getting the chance to check this one out.

Lady Alexandra Lane is our lead and I loved everything about her. She loves her friends and is willing to protect them as much as she is able. We immediately learn about what happened in her past and there’s no question it has impacted her…as it would anyone. And while she hasn’t necessarily resolved the pain and fear that came out of that event, she has continued to live her life. What it did for the story was show exactly why Alexandra and her friends are so protective of each other. I thought that while it is traumatic and perhaps some more sensitive readers might not love it, Byrne created a story that shows just how much of a survivor Alexandra is.

The friendship between Alexandra, Francesca, and Cecilia was really well built and it all starts with the prologue and when the story picks up years later, we can easily see that despite the trauma, Alexandra will do whatever is necessary to help and protect her friends. When she finds out Francesca is supposed to marry the Duke of Redmayne (known as the Terror of Torcliff), she immediately digs in to figure out what is going on and comes up with a solution everyone can be happy with…she will marry the Duke instead.

Piers has his own issues, one of which includes the fact that he needs to marry and have some heirs. When he runs into a woman at the train station who immediately takes over his thoughts, he never expects to see her again. Lucky for him, she just happens to be the best friend of his unannounced fiancé and when she proposes an arrangement that essentially gives him what he wants, a wife, he is more than willing to take the deal.

I loved the chemistry between these two characters. Yes, they are both scarred but they slowly get to know each other and trust one another. Without knowing the full story of Alexandra’s past, Piers is left to make some assumptions which are shaded by his experience with his mother and this all creates some tension. There are bumps along the way for these two as they learn more about one another and it only helps move the story along.

Alongside all of that, there is a bit of a mystery to solve too. Someone has been blackmailing Alexandra because of her secret. As Alexandra and Piers go on their honeymoon, things start to move forward with this storyline. When she finally figures out who is behind the blackmailing, there’s another complication that puts them both in danger.

Overall, this is another great historical romance from Byrne. There’s no question that she is officially on my auto-buy list and I can’t wait for the next books in the series so we can learn more about Francesca and Cecilia as I can already tell there are some twists and turns coming with their stories. If you are looking for a book that will give you well developed characters, swoons, mystery, and some heartache, consider checking this one out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.