At first the story was overboard with descriptions of the gorgeousness of the hero. A bit too much for me, but as the story progressed it started to make sense. It needed the exaggeration as part of the development of the love story. Good to see a heroine who is confident and strong and willing to set her own path. Overall it was a good, fun read. Worth reading to the end.

Love Erica Ridley's books!! She writes great Historical Romance!! I feel not too many people know what a great author she is!! Can't wait for her next book!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

This was such a fun book with all the little hints of Christmas! Penelope and Nicholas were made for each other as they both did not believe in love. I loved that they each did not try to change each other but accepted them as they were.

As their friendship progresses, Penelope and Nicholas grow closer and start to fall for each other.

Victoria was funny with her references to turtle doves and the way she tried to bring Nicholas and Penelope together.

I am really looking forward to the next book with Chris and Gloria. they are another couple that look like they are made for each other!

I absolutely loved this book. I forgot I bought it and finally remembered and started reading it one night when I couldn’t sleep. Two and a half hours later I finished the book and am no closer to sleep. Fantastic and can’t wait to read more. So worth being tired tomorrow.

Kiss of a Duke has blue stocking, chemist Penelope surprising rake Nicholas with her charm and cooking skills. She has invented a men’s perfume named Duke that is all the rage. Nicholas believes it give unfair advantage to other men who use it to bring unsuspecting women to their beds. In is naive arrogance, he believes he has worked to have the true reputation of rake and those other men should not be able to be rakes because of a scent.

Nicholas approaches Penelope to ask her to stop producing the scent Duke. When she refuses, he offers to buy it with the intention of stopping its production. Penelope, who is no idiot, refuses him. Then, she ‘uses’ her new female scent on Nicholas as an experiment to prove it works.

All of this occurs in the village now named Christmas. What follows is a precious romance that fits perfectly into the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series.

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.

This humorous romantic tale finds an unlikely match between the notorious rake and the bluestocking set in the town of Cressmouth (called by the locals "Christmas", but you'll get the idea why early on). Several holiday puns keep the clever metaphor lasting throughout the novel. While not a sequel, this work stands on its own merit, though reading the first of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series it would help set the stage for the reasons the town and its residents are so quirky. A lighthearted read with likable characters whose friends you'd like to get to know better.

I enjoyed this cute, sweet romance as our H&h learn that they aren't meant to spend their lives alone, but together. The supporting characters were great and I look forward to their HEA's. This is book 2 in a series and is standalone. This lighthearted read isn't exactly historically accurate with some of its words and phrases but it was an entertaining read none the less. Overall, a pretty good story. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

This book is the second book in a series by Erica Ridley. Kiss of a Duke is a short story about Penelope Mitchell who is a chemist. She is trying to perfect a perfume that will allow the wallflowers to attract men, as well as the debutantes. Nicholas Pringle is out to stop her. He is a rake and is a man that makes all women swoon when he is in their presence. All except Penelope. He demands that she stop making her cologne for men, and she says that she will not. As he tries to find ways to stop her, they start to realize that they have more in common than they originally thought. This is a very heartwarming tale of love.

You have to love a book with "Saint Nick" as a rake. Kiss of a Duke is part of a Christmas series based in a village in northern England that appears to be Christmas like year round. "Saint Nick" aka Nicholas Pringle is there to stop the production of a cologne that is giving all men who wear it more of a chance with the ladies. Something Nick considers cheating. Of course the cologne is the brain child of chemist Penelope Mitchell, a resident of Christmas who has no intention of stopping her work to make a rake happy. When Penelope decides to trail her new perfume for women on Nicholas misunderstandings and confusion ensues. I really liked the characters - they were more complex than the quick outline above. Kiss of a Duke is a fun, quick, feel good read. If you like easy Happily Ever Afters this book is for you.

Loved the characters, story...great humor, perfect story for this time of the year. I always enjoy this author and am looking forward to the next book!

I thought this was a cute, great warning love story, that takes place at the village called Christmas
Penelope is a lady chemist, who manufactures a cologne called "Duke". It has had much success for ordinary men in attracting women.
Too much success in the opinion of Nicholas Pringle, also known as St.Nick. He is a known rake, whose exploits are constantly documented and published. He feels "Duke" is giving him competition and wants to stop production of it.
When the two get together, they're is definitely a chemical reaction.

Nicholaus and Penelope were amazing in this story. It was whimsical and fun. I fell for them as fast as they fell for each other. It is always interesting when you have two people who insist they won’t fall in love. It got heated in the kitchen in more ways than one.

Kiss of A Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas #2) by Erica Ridley is another fantastically written fun historical read that can be read as a stand alone. It’s purely entertaining. I love that the author doesn’t stick to the historical guidelines and branches out with her characters personalities, making them infinitely more enjoyable. The play on names is hysterical with Saint Nick and Chris Pringle. As with the first book, this is also set in the same small town that will put you Christmas spirit and have you baking your own biscuits in no time.

I absolutely adored this title!

Penelope is my favorite kind of heroine: smart and unconventional. While Nicholas was a rather typical rake, I thought his reasons for being one were interesting. And I just really liked him too. I felt like he had a vulnerability to him that most rakes don’t.

I loved Penelope’s experiment and it reminded me a bit of the movie Love Potion No. 9. I loved the reasons Nicholas found to spend time with Penelope and found it very easy to keep reading. I received an eARC for the next title in the series and can’t wait to read it!!

Love Erica Ridley's books. They are the perfect read for anyone who likes their romances with witty characters and an actual plot.

I just love Ms. Ridley! This series is great! I can't wait to read the next one! The book was short but that is ok. It was so well written it didn't need to be longer.

I received a copy from the author via NetGalley (and then I bought it); this is my honest review.
#12dukes #NetGalley
It's been a while that I enjoyed a book so much. It's funny, it's over the top in details the Penelope, the woman chemist spurts out when she's nervous or when she thinks people are really interested in knowing those facts (they are not) and it's endearing.
I loved every bit of it and would recommend the author.

I definitely enjoyed this story more than I did the first book in this new series by Erica Ridley! Penelope and Nick were both well developed characters that were fun to watch interact with each other. I loved seeing Penelope open up a whole new side to Nick, one that he probably would have kept hidden forever if not for her. Besides who doesn't enjoy watching a self-proclaimed rake meet his match?

The addition of Penelope's "experiment" just added another layer to this story, as did the inclusion of her friends and Nick's brother. I do hope we get to see more from them in future novels. It is important to note that while there are a few different stories at play here, I never felt as though one of those stories overshadowed the other. In fact I think the smaller stories with the minor characters will only make the reader more invested in the overall series and more inclined to continue on with the future stories.

This was a fun and rather quick read that is perfect for a rainy day. I do believe it will appeal to those who enjoy well written historical romances (even if they have not read the prior book) and I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

“Duke” a highly popular perfume for men developed by chemist Lady Penelope Mitchell has taken the ton by storm, but now to valid date her newest perfume has same aphrodisiacal potency of her upcoming version for ladies. Pleasure-seeker Nicholas Pringle aka “Saint Nick” sets out to dispel the notion that this cologne could make any man into natural born Rake, after all it’s an art form that he’s perfected. What he doesn’t expect is for Penelope to turn the table on him as she wears her newest perfume around him. I loved the witty banter and funny scenes in this book. A delightful read for everyone to enjoy!!! This my honest opinions is resolved to build a school for ladies in after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.