Kiss of a Duke was a light, quick read. The characters were likeable and the story was fun and humorous.
The story was very simple and didn't have much plot but it was an enjoyable book nonetheless.

Penelope Mitchell and Nicholas Pringle are featured in the second of the series, 12 Dukes of Christmas; a standalone, happily ever after, no cheating, historical regency romance with some sizzle.
This romance is a quick read with a cute story line, humorous, likable, interesting h & H, with a nicely developed romance, along with some heat between Penelope and Nicholas.
I look forward to reading more in this series.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Erica Ridley's series is so much fun!!! I have enjoyed all the books of this series!!! Hope she releases a new book soon!!! They are a pleasure to read.

What a treat! I fun almost whimsical book. It is a Christmas romance and it us full of puns and fun usage of Christmas names and traditions in fun ways. I smiled, giggles and even laughed out loud. A female scientist, a rogue of a Duke, cookies and lots of advice from some eccentric friends. ENJOY!

At Marlow Castle, in Christmas England, a party is being held for Penelope Mitchell. One that Penelope is not really excited about but she created something that everyone is taking notice of; a perfume known as Duke that men wear to make women fall for them. Penelope wanted to be respected as not only a lady but a chemist yet still even with all her supposed knowledge there is one man who remains untouchable and unfazed by her attempts, Nicholas Pringle. Penelope comes up with a brilliant plan to make a perfume women can wear known as Duchess, that men can’t resist them. Who can Penelope try it on but on herself to make Nicholas fall for her? As Penelope finds out that chemically things or people can’t be played with by use of a perfume, including Nicholas and create feelings of love.
This might be the second book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series the story can amazingly stand alone. Sure some of the previous characters make short appearances even Nicholas and Penelope were in the first book once upon a Christmas. The story is nicely written manages to be light-hearted and fun to read. Christmas is a town so memorable that of course it would be great to visit! Yes it sure does have some weird off-beat characters but what town doesn’t have that? The knowledgeable, intelligent Penelope seems stiff but really knows how to win anyone over with biscuits including Nicholas. Nicholas the wise cracking apprehensive hero might be a rogue but still manages to be a good person. Sure he makes mistakes but still manages to charm Penelope and everyone else. This is definitely a feel good book perfect for the holidays and any other time of year!

I absolutely adored the hero, Nicholas Pringle also known as "Saint Nick" in this story. His character was so charming and I loved how he challenges the heroine, Penelope who has created a perfume for men that has become really popular in London. He thinks that it is giving undue advantage to men without them having to work on their charms. I liked that Penelope is intelligent but didn't like that her character seemed almost insensitive in her ambitions. My heart shriveled a little after the way she treated Nick after all his sweet gestures. This book would have been a 5 star read for me if not for the slightly callous heroine. This is book two in the Dukes of Christmas series. Another part that I didn't like was the forced use of Duke in the title. I think there is no connection in the story so I wish author would have changed the title to something more suitable than marketable.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Loved reading the second book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas. Nicholas wants the cologne, Duke, off the market and goes to purchase the rights from Penelope. As Nicholas and Penelope spend time together, Nicholas starts to develop feelings for Penelope. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story. I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

Put a famous womanizer and a female scientist in close proximity and what do you get?
Chemistry, of course, along with the classic “you make me want to be a better man” story. And that’s before biscuits enter the equation.
With all the wonderful heroines Erica Ridley has invented, I have a new favorite. Each is more and more amazing, but Penelope’s just my type. . . and that’s before biscuits enter the equation. She reminds me a lot of Nora, who was my previous fave. She’s also very similar to another fave, Bryony, but thankfully more subdued.
I am in awe of the way this author can so effortlessly come up with lines like, “It’s a lovely basket. It smells of wicker and unrealized potential.”
There is one oddity, though. In a lot of the stories by this author, the primary stumbling block was class; the men are highborn, the women “common,” and never the twain shall meet (even though they always do). But despite the same circumstances here, it’s never mentioned. The problem between them is that he’s another Lord of Pleasure. And as always in romance novels, they don’t talk to each other, which would have saved a lot of heartache.
But that’s a minor tidbit in what is one of the best books I’ve read all year.
4.5 pushed up to 5/5

Wow what a book. This is the second book in the "12 Dukes of Christmas" series. This book had me laughing until I cried, is the chemistry between Penelope and Nicholas due to her perfume or is there more to their attraction. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Great new series by Erica Ridley loved her Dukes they actually are written with a lot of real life events which I appreciate more than the sex. I received this book to review as an ARC by Netgalley.

Erica Ridley is a new author for me and I have loved her books so far! All the characters are interesting and well written. I loved the romance between the two main characters!

Kiss of a Duke is a good story of historical romance. I liked the characters and enjoyed the banter between them. Good love story.

Another story featuring the all year Christmas town where love and so called dukes walk on every street. Lady chemist Penelope Mitchell experiments concluded in a English famous perfume called Duke that promises any gentlemen help in finding their true love (but the one based on fermones and attraction). Will she be able to create the same help tool for women? Now that's the whole new experiment...

As much as I loved the first book in this series, this one left me a little bit disappointed and...Bored? Every encounter between Penelope and Saint Nick seemed the same and I was missing that excitement that I found in Once upon the Duke. For me this story could have gone further and there could have had happened more.

For sure the writing was excellent- this is why I like Erica Ridley so much- she is consistent in her style and you can always see how much work she puts in her work. Time frame has been well researched, introduced world perfectly pictured and all characters every time complex enough so reader enjoys them and wishes to get to know every single one of them. Even though I found the story a little bit dull, I do appreciate the penmanship of the author.

Concluding, I always expect too much from the authors of books I've enjoyed in the past so this might be a reason why I'm leaving this review on the low note. Thank you for the excellent essay this book was but I'm hoping the other stories are going to be more interesting and maybe with more action?


Thank you Net Galley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

**Review of eARC from NetGalley**

As much as I loved the charm and Christmas whimsy of the first book, this one didn’t have a whole lot of that. That wouldn’t be a huge deal if the whole series wasn’t called “The 12 Dukes of Christmas.” I kind of expected more Christmas-y-ness.

But other than that, this story was fine. The idea that a perfume could suddenly make people fall in love with each other was a good one - just wish more had been done with it (and not so dependent on the hard-science aspect of creating the perfume). The characters were all right, though I though Virginia was more intriguing than either Penelope or Nicholas. Hopefully her book will be more than middling.

This was a very cute and light Regency romance, though I highly doubt it is historically accurate, that wasn't why I was reading this.

The characters had realistic-seeming quirks and issues, the setting was cute and the romance was both sweet and a tad spicy. To be honest, my favorite characters were the brother of the H and the BFF of the h, but the MCs weren't bad themselves. I really liked how the h was a scientist. Yay women in STEM!

Also, I like how there was no other female competing for the H's attention. I don't enjoy woman vs woman as a trope in romance books and it thankfully was not in play here.

All in all, a cute, quick read. Definitely recommended if you enjoy historical romance with a touch of heat. 4 solid stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and WebMotion for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

A sweet romance by Erica Ridley. A witty addition to the Duke series Featuring chemist Penelope and cynical Saint Nick. Well worth a read. I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

Great story of two people that don't "do" love. Nick and Penelope were great together and the story line was well written. This story has some great humor in it.

Saint Nick indeed! Kiss of a Duke is a steamy romance filled with science, baking, and romantic chemistry. Chemist Penelope Mitchell, is now finally being recognized because of the popularity of her men's cologne Duke. Seeing as she created an amazing scent that has helped men to meet the women they are longing for, she has decided that it is only fair that women have the same advantage, but before she can sell her new scent, she needs to make sure it works, in walks Nicholas Pringle. Who better to test her scent on then London's most known rake? Nick has been searching out the creator of Duke to get them to stop making it, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would find someone like Penelope. Between the two of them things start to heat up, but will they be able to put hurt feelings, and mistrust behind them?
I loved this book, read it in one day, as I was not able to put it done! For anyone who is looking for a great read that will put you in the Christmas spirit anytime of year, this is the book for you. Cant wait to see what Erica Ridley will bring us next!

Erica Ridley has out done herself with these Christmas stories of love and Dukes. I love the setting and Christmas inspired theme through out! Cant wait to read my way through them all!

KISS OF A DUKE is the second book in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series.

I love puns. The punnier, the better. Apparently, Erica Ridley has the same sense of punny Christmas humor. How could Penelope resist a man who provides so much joy for one night of the year, who spends all of his time in his workshop, who always brings a gift, who goes onto the rooftop, and who loves cookies? Saint Nick is just the man for her!

In the first book, there was a partridge in a pear tree. I loved how the two turtledoves were brought into this story, but I giggle as I think of this trend continuing. We will be drowning in lords, ladies, maids, and birds!

Penelope and Nicholas are just so sweet together. Their story is a heartwarming and swoon-worthy.

In other words, I absolutely loved this light-hearted, witty, fun-filled Christmasy romance.

Next up is Nicholas’ brother, Chris Pringle. Oh yes, the puns are already forming in my head and I can’t wait to see if any of them appear on the page!

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC, my opinions are my own and are given freely.