Just one more kiss… (Milady, it’s cold outside)
Lady chemist Penelope Mitchell took England by storm with Duke, a perfume for men that has women swooning at their feet. To prove the same aphrodisiacal potency of her upcoming version for ladies, the new perfume must cause a rake to fall in love with her in ten days. And she has just the man in mind… Pringle—known as “Saint Nick” for his wicked ways—wants to end the absurd cologne that has every young buck believing himself a ladies’ man. How hard can it be to charm a spinster into changing her mind? But when Penelope does the charming, this rakish scoundrel must decide between losing the war… or losing his heart.
The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a laugh-out-loud historical romance 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!
The 12 Dukes of Christmas:
Once Upon a Duke
Kiss of a Duke
Wish Upon a Duke
Never Say Duke
Dukes, Actually
The Duke’s Bride
The Duke’s Embrace
The Duke’s Desire
Dawn with a Duke
One Night with a Duke
Ten Days with a Duke
Forever Your Duke
Get your Duke today!
more
I just finished reading “Kiss of a Duke” (nook). What a delightful Christmas love story perfect for any time of the year. A sweet HEA.
Kiss of a Duke is the second novella in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. The town of Cressmouth has given new meaning to celebrating Christmas all year long, even going so far as renaming their town Christmas. Nicholas Pringle, London’s notorious rake “Saint Nick,” made a couple brief appearances in the first book, but his story didn’t end there. His reputation proceeds him when he arrives in Christmas. Heads are turning, but Penelope Mitchell, the town’s lady chemist, is more interested in science. She invented a cologne for men that has the ladies swooning and has set out to create one that will have the same effect for women. A notorious rake seems the perfect subject to test it. What follows comes as a surprise to them both!
I loved this one even more than the first! The main characters are so much fun. I loved their connection, the bantering back and forth, and all the allusions to Christmas traditions and stories of the past. This series is like delicious candy. You can’t stop at just one piece! I can’t wait to start the next one!
Biscuit Loving Rake.
Penelope is a lady chemist who doesn’t believe in love (it’s unscientific) who after the success of her fragrance for men, decides to work on a perfume for women. To prove that it works she targets rake Nicholas Pringle, if he pays attention to her whilst she is looking as unattractive as possible but wearing the perfume, that will be empirical proof. However, her test gets out of hand. A fun read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
We return to the little Northern England village of Cressmouth, where it is Christmas year around. In fact Cressmouth has been dubbed Christmas by its many quirky residents. However, they are also very charming. Each has a place in Christmas, valued for the very things that make them unique. This is book two in Erica Ridley’s the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. In this case the Duke is a manly cologne developed by local chemist Penelope Mitchell. Well known rake and heir presumptive to the dukedom of Silkridge (we met the duke in the previous book) arrives with his brother. His goal is to stop the manufacture and sell of Duke. Afterall, it gives unfair advantage to all men, no matter what their circumstances or looks are. Of course the chemistry between Penelope and Nicholas (also known as St. Nick) is inevitable. Their story is cute, filled with some surprises, humor, and is a delight to read. As with the first book you look for Christmas references. In this case they swirl around St. Nick and his mannerisms. I believe Nick’s brother Chris is next in line for a story. Can’t wait to read it. Good thing it is already loaded on my kindle.
The Chemist and the Rake – who wins? They both do!
Penelope just wants to have her work recognized by the scientific community. But when she decides on a lark to sell her latest experiment as a men’s cologne, it becomes a sensation across the entire country. Penelope is dismayed that her discovery is celebrated for its popularity as a perfume, rather than for its scientific significance. She has inadvertently been helping people find mates and fall in love, supposedly thanks to her perfume, which she believes to be preposterous since there is no such thing as love. Nicholas is a confirmed rake and very much annoyed that this new perfume is leveling the playing field a bit; he is proud of his accomplishments as a rake and sees using the allure of the perfume as cutting corners and a flagrant and dishonorable deception. Unlike the men who swear by the perfume, Nicholas has no interest in a permanent mate; he has no desire to ever marry but prefers spending just the one night with his partners. He is happy to provide a good time, but no commitments, and a 36 he has done a fine job of avoiding them, and he certainly doesn’t believe in love. At 34, Penelope is a confirmed spinster with no use for emotions; she just wants to test out her new perfume, one designed for women’s use. Her new formula seems to be working just fine in her trials with Nick, leading her to be upset that he is only interested in spending time with her because of the perfume’s effects. Little does she know, Penelope has turned Nick’s world upside down and has him considering abandoning his rakish reputation entirely, except he believes her to only be interested in one night. When Penelope begins to question her beliefs on love and relationships, she decides she must avoid Nick to ensure the perfume’s effects wear off,even if it will break her heart. When Nick learns that he was used as an experiment test subject, he is angry and hurt, and Penelope finally begins to consider that Nick’s feelings could be genuine, it may be too late.
I liked this one a lot more than the first one in this series. This is an entertaining, quick read if you can appreciate some whimsy, many cheesy Christmas references, and even a reference to a Killers song.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the second book in Erica Ridley new series – 12 Dukes of Christmas and i love this book. It is a stand alone book.
This is the story of Nick and Penelope. Penelope is a chemist who created a perfume to make all men be attractive to the ladies. Nick (known as St. Nick) is a self proclaimed Rake. The story of how these two lovable characters get together is wonderful. I do not know where the time has gone while reading their story. It is a wonderful happy story and a wonderful happy ever after. I can not wait for more from Erica Ridley.
I do not think there has ever been a Erica Ridley book I did not enjoy.
Erica Ridley is a master at producing well written Regency Period romances. I’ve adored all of the (many) books I’ve read that she penned (err, typed). I’ve always loved stories set in this period and have a particular weakness for tales involving dukes. I also have a love of reform-the-rake romances. So now along comes Kiss of a Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas Book 2) which not only satisfies all those cravings but does so in a way that’s a total romp. I mean c’mon, Penelope the last chemist’s aphrodisiac perfume and His Grace the rake with such a poor reputation he is referred to as “Saint Nick”? This is pure fun stuff. Totally enjoyable. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises – the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend.
Nicholas Pringle finds Lady chemist Penelope Mitchell over perfume and sets them on path to love. Fun Characters with good story line. Part of the Dukes Series.
Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.
4.5
Cute and fun
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
The humor
Part of a series: 12 Dukes of Christmas
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
I really enjoyed this book in the series! I love how strong Penelope is, I enjoyed the banter her and Nick had throughout the book. It was a lot of fun to read. I was given an advanced copy so I could volunteer my honest review. I do recommend this book, I recommend the whole series so far!
This is funny, entertaining and romantic. Nicholas is a charming, amusing and talented rake with a biscuit addiction. Penelope is a smart, stubborn, impulsive and bold scientist who thinks that women are entitled to be rakes too. Nicholas goes to Christmas to confront the man who is selling a perfume that women find irresistible, turning mere mortals into rakes, which is wrong, because he had to do it naturally. He’s shocked to find that it’s actually a woman making it, and is determined to make her stop. She decides that instead of giving up Duke, she’ll use Nicholas to complete Duchess. The two inadvertently form a friendship and bond over science. Their interactions range from funny to steamy, but they are always interesting.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
I love every single book (and this is my fourteenth!) by Erica Ridley, she never disappoints- when I need a pick me up, I pick up Erica.
Celebrating a scientific breakthrough begins this amusing romance! Penelope, a scientist, doesn’t believe in marriage. Nicholas, a rogue Duke, doesn’t believe in it either. The writing makes the story flow and grabbed my attention! This is the second book in the series and I’ve enjoyed both visits to Christmas, England!
Voluntarily read ARC, from Netgalley and publisher, for honest review.
12 Dukes of Christmas #2, Back in Cressmouth, also known as Christmas, the perpetually snow covered mountain town lives Penelope Mitchell a lady chemist, and natural philosopher. Her latest claim to fame is the perfume that took the ton by storm, Duke. She didn’t do it for the money she just wanted to prove to the men of the Natural Philosophers Society that she, a woman, deserved admittance. But as soon as Beau Brummel told the Prince Regent about it every man has gone out and bought a bottle.
Not everyone was happy about it though, Nicholas Pringle the heir presumptive for his cousin Duke Silkridge, thinks the perfume is cheating; it’s an unfair advantage to men who don’t normally possess that kind of charm. Nick, who was dubbed St. Nick ironically because he is anything but a saint, is shocked and pleased when he finds out the creator of Duke is a woman and decides he can seduce her and get her to stop production of Duke. But Penelope is not what he expected and she seems immune to his charms but for some reason he can’t stay away from her.
Penelope had already decided to create Duchess the female equivalent to Duke and give women the same chance. Now she just needs to test it and what better way to test it than on a notorious rake. But the more time Penelope spends with him the more she likes him, he is so much more than the man the world sees he has hidden talents and is a much better man than he lets on. Now she starts feeling guilty and ashamed because she thinks her perfume seduced him but she’s also scared that telling him the truth will break her heart.
Overall, I really liked this one. Nick is a rake but as soon as he sets eyes on Penelope that’s it for him he has eye for no one else. The people of Cressmouth are wonderfully quirky, and I can’t wait for Virginia and Gloria’s stories. It’s not necessarily a Christmas read, it takes place after, but it could be read as one. This is a delightfully fun read and as always Erica Ridley delivers a great story with wonderful characters.
I truly enjoyed Penelope & Nick’s romance, especially since each of them were so very opposed to the very idea of it – how love didn’t exist at all! He sought her agreement to no longer manufacture a fragrance; she sought to prove the efficacy of a new fragrance’s lure to the opposite sex. She was very clinical; he was a heart-hardened rake. Neither of them saw that their changing relationship would transcend pre-conceived notions, a clinical trial, secrets exposed, etc. The story is sweet, funny, spicy, and most of all, romantic. I highly recommend this book!
I found this to be a story that had me smiling throughout the book I enjoyed reading from the first to the last page. The second book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas and I want to read the next one. This is a book I would recommend.
There should be a new genre created for many of the new ‘historical romances’ coming out nowadays. It should be called “Fantasy historical romance’. In the fantasy historicals, characters wear cravats and corsets, are constrained by social norms only when it is convenient to the story, and they talk like modern day people. I’m not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but if you’ve been reading historical romances for a long time, it is frustrating that there is no distinction between the two types of stories.
Erica Ridley typically markets her books as the light-hearted, unrealistic, fairtyale brain candy so I was not surprised when I went into this story that there was very little focus on the historical aspect. I wanted something silly and fun in a novella format to start getting into holiday romances and she delivered. The historical focus is non-existent. The characters are not constrained by social norms, can interact alone at all hours without anyone in the made-up town of Christmas gossipping, can call each other by first names immediately upon meeting each other, can get married without any interference from family (the hero’s father is a duke), and can make heavy-handed sexual innuendo jokes in mixed company without anyone batting an eye.
If you let go of this set-up, then the rest of the story’s components are quite fun and the reason I gave it 4 stars. I thought the heroine, Penelope, was a throwback to Dr. Temperance Brennan from the tv show Bones, as a hard core scientist obsessed with her perfumes (and their biological significance), her lack of belief in love, and her rational approach to life. I thought her friends Gloria and Virginia were hysterical (especially Virginia and all her bird analogies that seemed random but somehow made sense) and the presence of delicious biscuits throughout the story is always lovely. The hero, Nicholas, and his brother Christopher are both charming as well. Nicholas, for his gradual transition from rake to a man who starts to understand what love is, and Christopher, for his complete faith that love exists even though he has never seen it. The differences between the two made for some fun dialogue and I’ll definitely be reading Christopher’s story when it becomes available. As you can probably guess, the hero’s name, obsession with cookies, his secret workshop, and at one point being on the roof, are all pretty heavy-handed references to Saint Nick for the holidays. I found this to be a bit much and stupid on occasion (cookies and the name would have been enough for me) but again, since the interactions between he and Penelope were so silly and fun, I did not lose interest in the story.
At it’s core, the romance was strong. I believed the transition from logical scientist and lifelong rake into a couple in love. The fun dialogue was the strongest point. Was it historically accurate? No. But it was fun to read all the same. I loved the little gifts the leads gave each other and I loved the short format of the story. This amount of silliness would not work in a longer format, but it was a perfect morsel for this time of year.
In a nutshell, only read this story if you’re into braincandy and have no expectations for an actual historical going in. Read it because you want fun dialogue and some themes that will get you in the holiday spirit and make you smile. I think that’s all Ridley really intended and she does deliver on that score.
ONE INCREDIBLY DELIGHTFUL TALE!!!
Oh boy, talk about one upmanship. This is one exciting, sweet, engaging, smooth flowing, page turning tales thats as riveting as it is captivating. With all the unexpected events along with surprising circumstances make for one incredible experience. In a whirlwind of emotions and activities that really builds the drama, humor and suspense to a whole new level. A strong plot and amazing storyline really bring this little jewel to life perfectly. The characters are realistic, complex and believable. Their personalities and scenes are written with such realism it really pulls this little treasure together perfectly. Fantastic job Erica, thanks for sharing this little guy with us.
Wow wow wow. Loved this book. It was full of emotion, romance and lots of humour. There is not much to say but it is my favourite book in a long time and one I will go back and read again, something I don’t usually do. It was just plain lovely, beautifully written and you are left feeling good. I loved the secondary characters and look forward to seeing their story as they are all amazing characters. There is sure to be lots of fun and mayhem to come. I received this book as an ARC.