How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

Narrated by Derek Perkins

The first thing I’m going to say about How to Love a Duke in Ten Days, the first book in Kerrigan Byrne’s new Devil You Know series is this: don’t let the cutesy title fool you. Unlike most of the romances out there with dumb movie or song rip-off titles, this isn’t a light-hearted, fluffy historical rom-com. Ms. Byrne has become known for writing fairly dark stories featuring damaged characters with troubled pasts, filled with purple-tinged prose and melodrama, and this is no different. The book opens with what’s become one of the author’s trademarks – an impactful yet disturbing prologue set some years in the past that details a traumatic event in the life of one of the leads. In this case, there’s a scene of sexual assault and murder, and listeners should be aware that the assault and its effects on the heroine in terms of how she views men and relationships are mentioned throughout. And while it’s possible to avoid listening to the event itself, skipping the prologue in its entirety will mean missing out on meeting Alexandra’s friends (and future heroines) and the events that bind them together.

In the ten years that have passed since the rape, Lady Alexandra Lane, daughter of the Earl of Bentham, has immersed herself in her studies, has received a doctorate in history from the University of the Sorbonne and travelled the world to attend various archaeological digs and to study places of historical significance and interest. She has also spent that time trying to make herself as invisible to men as possible and certainly has never found any of them attractive. Back when they were at school, she and her two closest friends, Cecilia and Francesca – who dubbed themselves collectively the Red Rogues (because of their red hair) – made a vow never to marry, which is why Alexandra is somewhat bemused when she receives an invitation to the ball being held to celebrate Francesca’s betrothal to the Duke of Redmayne. She’s even more confused to learn that Francesca has absolutely no desire to marry the duke and had no idea of the existence of a betrothal contract between them until a few days earlier.

Piers Atherton, Duke of Redmayne, has decided to do his duty by getting married and making a start on filling his nursery. He’s not particularly interested in marriage and doesn’t particularly like his bride-to-be, but it’s the only way he can produce a legitimate heir and leave his title and lands to someone other than his despicable cousin. He and Alexandra meet under extraordinary circumstances when she prevents his severely spooked horse from mowing down a mother and child at the railway station, and he’s completely smitten – by her courage and quick thinking as well as her lovely face and obviously independent spirit.

Alexandra is unnerved by the feelings evoked in her by the large, dark and scarred duke, feelings she has never experienced before, but recognises as ones of attraction and desire. She tries hard to ignore them but they won’t go away, and as the night of the ball approaches, Alexandra finds herself more and more strongly drawn to Redmayne, the pull of attraction she feels as frightening as it is invigorating.

She and Cecilia have both been invited to act as bridesmaids at the wedding, but Alexandra has another reason for wanting to see her two oldest friends. For years, she’s kept secret that she’s been blackmailed by someone who knows what happened on that fateful night a decade before; but now, her family is all but destitute and she is no longer able to pay the money demanded of her. Seeing a way to help her situation and also to help Francesca avoid a marriage she doesn’t want, Alexandra throws caution to the winds and suggests to Redmayne that he should marry her instead.

Although proposed as a marriage of convenience, the sparks that fly between Piers and Alexandra show very clearly that it isn’t going to remain so for very long. Piers has been half in love with her from the moment they met, and Alexandra, while needing the protection of his name and money also finds herself able to experience sexual attraction and desire with a man who makes her feel safe in a way she’d never thought possible.

There’s quite a lot going on in this book; blackmail, attempted murder and the plotline regarding Francesca’s family that I expect is going to run throughout the series, as well as the underlying threads about female friendship and the story of a young woman and rape-survivor rebuilding her life. Yet Ms. Byrne skilfully juggles all these threads while never losing sight of the fact that this is, first and foremost, a romance. The Black Moment – which happens about half way through, so I won’t spoil it – is one that it’s possible to see coming a mile off, and it has to be said that Piers reacts in a way that isn’t exactly sympathetic (although it is understandable to an extent.) BUT he does redeem himself quite spectacularly and the moment when he realises his mistake and what it means is beautifully done.

I enjoyed the story, although I did find some of the language and sentiments to be rather overblown (this are typical of the author so anyone familiar with her work will know what to expect). I was puzzled by the nickname assigned to Piers – The Terror of Torcliff – which seemed to be for no other reason than because of the scars on his face, sustained when he was attacked by a jaguar while on a hunt in Peru. In spite of his somewhat forbidding appearance, he’s a charming, decent and generous man (apart from the aforementioned Black Moment), so it just felt like a way of trying to make him into one of her typically damaged heroes when he really isn’t. Another irritant was the way that the three Rogues always address each other by the masculine names of Alexander, Cecil and Frank they adopted at school. I get the idea of secret names and secret societies at school, but these women are approaching thirty and they should surely have grown out of such a silly affectation by now. Plus, the epilogue was… odd, and largely unnecessary.

Derek Perkins is one of my favourite narrators so I was delighted to see his name attached to this audiobook, as I’d wondered if a change in publisher would mean a change in narrator and I’m a firm believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Mr. Perkins doesn’t record all that many romances these days (most of his recent work has been in genres that generally don’t interest me), so it was a pleasure to listen to him again. His narration is well-paced and he differentiates effectively between all the characters, providing distinct voices for a dozen or so roles. His interpretation of Piers is especially good, perfectly conveying the character’s commanding personality while not being afraid to show his vulnerabilities and more tender side, and he does a great job in bringing Alexandra to life as a courageous young woman who, in spite of the horrific thing that happened to her, refuses to let it define her. I did, on occasion, have a little trouble telling the difference between Alexandra and Cecily and needed to rely on the dialogue tags, and I spotted the odd misread/mispronunciation, but those are very minor issues and didn’t impact on my understanding or enjoyment in any way. All in all, it’s a terrific performance that truly enhances the story.

After the last few Victorian Rebels books, I was really concerned that Kerrigan Byrne had lost her way, so I’m really pleased to be able to say that she’s returned to form with How to Love a Duke in Ten Days. With the added inducement of excellent performances from Derek Perkins, I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

Caz

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