Enjoy a delightful box set of 4 witty, emotional, feel-good historical romps from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erica Ridley, books 5-8 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas regency romance series! DUKES, ACTUALLY A heartwarming romp featuring a buttoned-up duke seeking lessons in love, and a carefree hoyden who may give him much more than he bargains for… him much more than he bargains for…
THE DUKE’S BRIDE
Featuring a charming British smuggler, a clever French spinster, and a cozy holiday home in which anything might happen…
THE DUKE’S EMBRACE
When Monsieur le Duc discovers Miss Shelling intends to publish an exposé about his family, he’ll wage nothing short of war to stop her… but may lose more than his heart in the battle!
THE DUKE’S DESIRE
Featuring a grumpy hero minding his reputation, a determined spinster who doesn’t give two figs about hers, and a holiday that turns everything topsy-turvy!
The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a series of heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. After all, nothing heats up a winter night quite like finding oneself in the arms of a duke!
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Have read all 12 Dukes of Christmas books now and absolutely loved each and every one of them! You really enter into the life in Cressmouth. Each book could be stand-alone and those were the first I ever read of the series. I intend to re-read Books 1-12 every Christmas season – yes, they are THAT GOOD!
Lighthearted and Quirky Romances 4.5*
Dukes, Actually 5* – A sweet and funny story of love and romance in the village of Christmas. A shy and socially awkward Duke and an outgoing spinster, with no pretensions of haut ton (but one who can play a wicked game of billiards) find their HEA together.
The Duke’s Bride 5* – Another cute romance in the Christmas village of Cressmouth, featuring a French refugee, a smuggler and two rambunctious children.
The Duke’s Embrace 5* – Eve Shelling desperately wants the Cressmouth Gazette to be more than “a long-winded promotional pamphlet” but her father, who owns the newspaper, is resistant to any article that might be deemed controversial. When Bastien le Duc asks for her help in selling the smithy, Eve sees a way to write a human interest story, little knowing that the le Duc family are hiding darker secrets. Another enjoyable story set in Christmas.
The Duke’s Desire 3* – The last of the le Duc siblings gets their HEA ending. Lucien and Meg are an ill-matched pair; by birth, morals (she’s an alley cat/he’s chaste) and country of choice. However both are family oriented and strongly attracted to each other but Meg has a secret which can split them apart before they have even begun.
Whilst I know the turgid passages from the book Meg was reading were meant in fun, they didn’t appeal to me and distracted me from the story. Have to say this was my least favourite of the series to date.
I originally read these books individually and my reviews are copied to this boxset.
I have previously read and reviewed all the books in this boxset, each of which is a lighthearted and enjoyed romance centred around the Dukes of Cressmouth, the town where Christmas is a year-round event.
Dukes, Actually: Lighthearted, quirky, and fun, this delightful romance sums up the theory that opposites attract. Only, the Duke of Azureford and Carole Quincy are so far off the spectrum of their respective scales, that it is a wonder that they ever found anything in common. Yet they did just that, bonding over billiards. In the process, Adam discovers that he no longer wants to find the perfect duchess, but rather the right woman, one that will fulfill him and become light and life to his icy solitude.
The Duke’s Bride: A widower father with a pair of rambunctious twins, Jack Skeffington has vowed never to give his heart to another woman after losing his wife. His son and precocious daughter are in complete agreement with him. In fact, the twins are quite determined never to allow another woman into their lives under any guise, especially one who might steal some of their father’s limited attention from them. However, Désirée le Duc isn’t just any woman. She is a friend that can outwit them, outrun them, and outride them and she has their full respect. Thus, when Jack suggests that Désirée act as governess to his children on a temporary basis, the children make room for her in their hearts and lives.
The Duke’s Embrace: Less frivolous than the previous books in this series, this story nevertheless has laugh-out-loud moments interspersed with heartache and pain. Eve has an inquisitive mind and not being inclined to follow her father’s dictates about what should go into the Cressmouth newspaper, she looks for ways in which to make the newspaper more interesting and relevant. Despite keeping her distance, she keeps bumping into Bastien le Duc, the young Frenchman who has made Cressmouth his home. Eve has been fascinated by him for years, but her lack of self-confidence and focus on the newspaper has made her wary of being openly friendly. The Le Duc brothers have a driving need to return to France and reclaim their inheritance after the Reign of Terror and Bastien realises that Eve may, in fact, have the perfect solution for them to sell their forge.
The Duke’s Desire: Lucien has a goal and nothing is going to distract him from returning to France to claim his inheritance. Unfortunately, he makes a promise to his young nephew and niece to learn English, something he has stood against the whole time he has resided in Cressmouth. His quest takes him to the Marlowe Castle library where he literally runs into the outrageous Miss Meg Church and before he knows it, she is tutoring him in English. Lucien is uptight and controlled, whereas Meg spills every thought, much to Lucien’s bewildered amusement. The unlikely couple have more in common than initially meets the eye, but it could just be that their very heritage will stand in the way of them finding happiness.
All the novels in this well-written boxset have laugh out loud moments, but there are also real-life situations the characters have to deal with as each of them finds the path to love. I received copies of each of these books as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.