All Scot and Bothered

All Scot and Bothered

The Devil You Know #2

Kerrigan Byrne

St. Martin’s Press, Sep 29, 2020

416 pages

Historical Romance

Author’s Rep via NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌙 4.5 Stars

The cover is eye-catching at least, in fact, it almost hurts the eyes with that color combination of bright blue and orange-red. The couple looks as if they might go up in flames at any minute. Which I’m sure is the intention. Oh well, they get their point across blatantly if not tastefully.

The story is all about passion, good and bad. There are hate groups in it, well, one group. They are willing to kill without provocation to get their way or to clear their way to get what they want, to sacrifice children or adults to have what they want, what they feel they are entitled to. They feel they must answer to no one.

On the other side of things is the Lord Chief Justice of the High Court, Cassius Gerard Ramsey. He’s a Scotsman by birth and looked down on by many for that reason alone. He’s also almost larger than life being very tall, muscular and having a very stern visage with cold blue eyes. He’s passionately determined to stop the disappearance of children in London and he’s convinced that it’s the Scarlet Lady who’s responsible for it.

Into the center of all of this comes the highly educated but innocent Cecelia Teague, secret benefactor of her aunt’s fortune and properties, which include a school for women and the gaming hell to support the school. Cecelia has never met her aunt, nor has she ever heard of the Scarlet Lady, but she and her aunt shared letters once a year and they both have a passion for codes and puzzles. The first thing she is given is a diary full of codes and has to discover what the secrets are of all of London. And both sides want it!

Cecelia has never been so wanted in her entire life. Not by anyone but her two best friends from school, Frank and Alex AKA Francesca Cavendish Countess of Mont Claire and Lady Alexandra Duchess of Redmayne. Never before by a man. Cecelia is tall and plump with lots of curves, copper ringlets, and big blue eyes. As a child, she was considered fat, and growing up young men were probably intimidated by her. She didn’t fit the stylish form. But the Lord Chief Justice is a very large man and is not taken by the stylish form. He is totally tempted by Cecelia’s form, though. In fact, he can’t stop getting an erection in her presence! And it’s making him angry!

Through drawing rooms and back alleys, Ramsey and Cecelia battle it out to arrive at their HEA after both have had their horrible backgrounds revealed and their hearts laid bare. Recommended.