Cole, the Duke of Colehaven is half owner of the Wicked Duke, a pub for everyone. He is known for making and winning all his bets for the last ten years. When Lord Thaddeus Middleton dares him to find a husband for for his ward, Miss Diana Middleton. She prefers math and weights and measures and blending into the wallpaper at balls so as not to be noticed. When Cole visits Diana and tells her about his plans to find her a husband, she kicks him out of the house. She goes undercover to make sure each person charges only the correct amount for products they buy. When she sees Cole at parties, she makes sure that whatever happens, it's equal. from kissing to other things done in a garden. Diana has a notebook that she keeps in her pocket for things that need to be written down. Cole wants to marry her, but Diana sees that he only wants to change her. Will Cole surrender and lose the bet? I love all the Dukes, especially Cole, but Thaddeus is cool, too. Diana is a strong woman who knows what she wants. Great book in a new series. I voluntarily read this book for a honest review.

This was a bit different. It took me a while to warm up to Cole AND Diana! She is so smart, but not much common sense. Cole is a rascal, but a truly honorable man. I would have enjoyed more interaction between them as they were delightful together. I loved how respectful Cole is of Diana's intentions and intelligence.

This is book one of the Wicked Dukes Club. This series is written by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke- (Erica is writing the odds and Darcy the evens.) I loved this book! I read it in one day. Definitely a page turner. Great characters and wonderfully written. There also was a bonus read- "The Making of Mrs. Peabody." Must check this out!

Diana Middleton is happy with her life and does not want to marry and have her life controlled by her husband, Her cousin who is her guardian makes a bet with the Duke of Colehaven to find her a husband. She spends too much time organizing her cousin's life. He feels like she would be happier married. Diana has her own idea of what she wants to do with her life. Can Cole find her a husband or does he want her himself. The story has humor and well as romance in it.

One Night for Seduction is the first in the Wicked Dukes Club series. It was a great start to the series. Diana Middleton and the Duke of Colehaven were both wonderful characters who shared the same passion in life, which is to help others. Though they fight their attraction for each other at first, since both are not wanting to get married, because of their shared interest for Parliament matters it's a lost cause. I liked that Cole admired Diana's determination to help others, but he helps her realize that it's okay to have a balance of family, love and work.
We are also introduced to other Dukes, so we get a glimpse of who's stories are going to be told. I recommend this series! Sweet and a little steamy!

Caleb Sutton, the Duke of Colehaven, has never been able to resist a dare. So when his friend Thaddeus, hoping to find a love match and happiness for his ward, bets the Cole can't find a match for her, Cole can't help but be intrigued. Cole was merely a poor relation and never expected to inherit a dukedom, but has striven to prove himself just as worthy and capable as any other blue blood ever since he claimed the title. He plans to settle this dare quickly and focus on gaining position in the House of Lords so he can truly make a difference in the lives of everyday people.

Diana Middleton is preoccupied with arranging others' households to exhibit maximum efficiency, to the detriment of her own future, making her an irresistible challenge to Cole. But Diana has no desire to marry; she needs to maintain her freedom and remain beneath the notice of high society so she can continue her efforts at clandestinely inspecting businesses for unscrupulous uses of inaccurate weights and measures. She relies on her anonymity, living a bit of a lie, never being truly herself, and refusing to see any other way to live and still continue to help people. Cole values honesty and seeks to pry out the real Diana so he can make a good match for her, but with sparks flying between the two of them, both might get more than they bargained for.

I wasn't crazy about this heroine. I found her to be both arrogant and naive as well as quite judgmental. Thankfully, she realized all of this too and was able to compromise with the hero, both characters demonstrating great growth, especially for such a short novel. Diana and Cole were able to meet in the middle and become a real team and I found that to be delightful and a great start to this new series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
Such a scrumptious book .
This series has started with a bang with this book , the characters are really ,really, wonderful and I can’t praise them enough .
Caleb Sutton is the Duke of Colehaven , even though he came from rough beginnings he strived to make himself into the Duke he is , put all his energy and effort into his education and it’s made him the intelligent, formidable man and member of parliament he is now .
Diana is living with her cousin and guardian, but she doesn’t want Marriage ,which is what three quarters of women want , she wants to be independent, have freedom and live her life helping those who can’t help themselves.
In a bet, the Duke agrees to find her a husband , sooner him than me , this woman is feisty and not easy to control .Never the less they are about to commence a battle of the sexes . Who wins .
Read it yourself ,I highly recommended it .
I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Diana is a rather unusual lady. She has made a job up for herself and is very good at it. Cole is going to find her a husband, no matter what she wants. That made this book different so it kept my attention with no problems.

This is a well portrayed and easy to read story. It's funny, romantic with a little angst.

Cole, Duke of Colhaven enjoys a wager and hasn't lost one in ten years. His latest wager isn't at all what he expected.

Diana is the ward of Cole's best friend and has sworn to spinsterhood because she believes in her cause. She does her best not to draw attention to herself.

Cole takes on the wager of finding Diana a husband. After all, he is on a winning streak. What can go wrong? He doesn't expect a bright and determined woman who knows what she wants. Even though they are always butting head, there is a definite spark between them. Cole has his own ambition that he works hard for. The double life that Diana lives could hinder his political career, should they have a relationship. Will they give up their dreams or can they find a compromise where they can both have what they want?

This story has a nice flow and is pretty compelling. The main characters are lovable as are the supporting ones. A great start to this new series.

An enjoyable read about a young woman of a mathematical bent who wants to right injustices but finds it impossible to do so without disguising herself and a Duke who never expected to inherit. Read in one sitting, the only thing that really felt totally wrong for the period was the idea of a Duke owning a London pub.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As a historical romance, The Wicked Duke 1: One Night for Seduction is an average one.

It wasn't bad, far from it; but it wasn't overly good either.

Fast read since I finished in just under 8 hours.

What I like:
- quick pace
- strangely, I like Lady Felicity and wonder if she'd make her own appearance later on
- characterisations, especially the interaction between Diana and Felicity

What I don't like:
- instalove, but this is to be expected in historical romance, so proceed with your own caution

Overall, I read it with joy, but like, average joy, you feel?
Perfect for anyone who likes feisty and independence heroine (no matter how dubious the independence) and bad boy hero.

A very delightful read...

I knew from the first moment I opened this book that I would enjoy and love every page. I so love Diana Middleton's character. Strong, loyal and dedicated to what she believes in, an extraordinary woman. and Caleb, the Duke of Colehaven, handsome and oh so adorable, his sense of right and wrong is admirable, a perfect match for the high spirited, sensible and beautiful, Diana.
I love all of Ms. Ridgeley's books that I've read and this one is no exception...a must read! ❤

What a delightful introduction to the Wicked Dukes Club series! The Wicked Dukes Club is a pub in the Haymarket area of London and it is owned by two dukes who have been friends since Oxford where they were known as – you guessed it – the wicked dukes! The series is authored by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke, so you can’t go wrong there!

This novella was very well written and the characters are delightful – I can’t wait to meet them in their own stories! The main characters are so fully fleshed out that you feel you know them and can identify with their struggles. Excellently done!

Caleb Sutton, fifth Duke of Colehaven (Cole) and Miss Diana Middleton are the stars of this story and they are a wonderful pairing. They both want the same things, they just have different ways of going about getting it. Cole can be open and aboveboard with his goals, but Diana thinks she has to use subterfuge because she is a woman and men won’t take her seriously.

Diana is the ward of her cousin, Thaddeus Middleton who took her in when her last parent died. Thaddeus is a lovely, lovely man and I can’t wait to see his story. Diana has no intention of marrying anyone – she cannot carry on with her mission if she’s married – but Thad wants her to be happy and he thinks that means marriage. When Thaddeus is talking about his incorrigible ward at the Wicked Dukes Club, he ends challenging Cole to find a husband for his cousin. Cole can never resist a challenge and the chase is on.

I can certainly recommend this novella and if it is an example of the rest of the books in the series, then I can recommend the series as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first Erica Ridley book. It was a pleasant reading experience. The plot might seem simple but the characters and the banters and the flow of the story was just enough to give it a touch of extraordinary.

I like how the hero and heroine were described. Aside from the beautiful physical traits (which I am appreciative that the author did not dwell on with every encounter), they were mature and intelligent. I love their humor too. The hero came from a life of poverty but had no hang-ups about it. He worked hard to get to where he is and be who he is. I like that he is a people person and not the typical dark and brooding aristocrat. The heroine is the ideal heroine. She is intelligent, she knows what she wants out of life and is actually living it. She has strength of personality but she does not come across as a stubborn and irrational person. She is straightforward, honest and genuine as well as open minded. And because she is a smart person it also shows that she has an excellent sense of humor. I guess one paragraph is enough to say I really liked the hero and heroine. The minor characters are also likable but they did not distract/detract from the main plot. Neither was a sequel obviously injected into the plot.

So the hero makes a wager to help his friend marry off the heroine. But the hero ends up liking the heroine and then gets to know her more—enough to feel a connection and actually fall in love with her. No great drama or denial or protestations here (remember the characters are intelligent and mature). Just a straightforward way of falling in love told in a romantic manner that made me sigh and smile. There is just something satisfying about knowing that two people meant for each other finally embrace a lifetime together. Now, there are kissing scenes and a single lovemaking scene. But these are described tastefully. Lately, I have been exposed to books with a high level of steaminess so reading this book with its more tame love scenes is quite refreshing. The only issue I had was that I thought this was going to be a slow paced book but the way it was written made me interested enough to finish the book overnight.

Thankful for my ARC from Netgalley. It was unexpected but I am glad I got introduced to Erica Ridley and the Wicked Dukes series. Time to pre-order the rest of the books in the series.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book started out hot right away, and I was actually looking forward to reading the bonkbuster,, but the heat sizzles out and drags for the majority of the book. By the time the couple reconnected, the fire is pretty much gone out

Diana is a beautiful young lady with a brash and independent spirit. She has no qualms of letting you know the facts or where she stands, but her heart is a tender loving one with a searing heat hidden behind her eyes and lips. Colehaven was lost the moment his eyes connected with hers, their meeting for the first was like a lighted match to dry brush. A sizzling and entertain ride.

Loved it!
Erica Ridley is one of my go-to authors.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Wicked Dukes Club
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Diana and Cole work so well together! One of my favorite things is that Diana doesn’t just have a spitfire personality—she claims real agency for herself wherever she can. I’m very tired of women with fierce personalities and snappy one liners used to disguise the fact that the narrative gives them no agency, so I’m glad this broke that mold.

I was initially concerned about the premise of the bet over Diana’s marriageability, since that usually indicates some kind of mean spiritedness, and would make it very difficult for me to like the hero in question. But this bet around Diana’s future is one that Cole makes completely honorably. When we meet him, he is already friendly and kind and understanding and respectful. The drama lies in their clashing motives, and it’s nice to see such a soft hero—not just in glimpses, but for the entirety of the book.

Because this clash of motivations drives the book, their goals don’t align until very, very near the end, which was a little unsatisfying—except the very end is so adorable I don’t really mind.

I received a digital ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The authors Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke are writing this series. This story centers around a Duke and a woman living with a cousin because her parents died. She has more freedom than most women in the time period. The Duke was determined to find the heroine a suitable match but falls for her himself. It turns out they have a lot in common because the Duke is in the House of Lords and Diana is covertly keeping track of the weights and measures that are used. The more they are together the more they realize they love each other, however, HEA doesn't come easily. A very interesting idea for the background story of laws at that time. I can't wait to read Ms. Ridley's book.


I was given this as an ARC from the author and the opinions are my own. I would recommend this book to anyone. Delightful read.

Diana Middleton is more than just a wallflower, for she enjoys being an independent woman and fixing injustices. She is rather determined, especially with her decision to never marry. The Duke of Colehaven has not lost a bet in 10 years. When accepting a bet to find a husband for his friend's cousin, he did not realize what he would be getting into. Diana and Cole have an attraction to the other, but neither desire marriage. Cole is trying to move his political career forward, but cannot have a wife who would not listen to him. Diana and Cole come to realize they are both fighting injustices, just on different fronts. Diana falls in love with Cole, but he wants to change her into a duchess he thinks is what society wants. Diana has no plans to change herself. Can Cole accept Diana for who she is, since that is the woman he fell in love with?