The Duke of Azureford more than anything wants to find a wife, but in a social setting he is uncomfortable and shy. His neighbor Carole Quincy like fast carriages, billiards, but she’s is charming and friendly everything he wants to be in order to find a wife. He believes Carole just might be the one to help him find a wife. Carole has always loved the Duke and now is her perfect opportunity to help him and win him for herself. An enchanting story with wonderful characters I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.

This was a wonderful addition to the series. It was Adam, Duke of Azureford, and Miss Carole Mortimer story. The Duke suffers from extreme shyness and needs to learn the art of flirting in order to find his perfect Duchess. His next door neighbor, Miss Mortimer, needs to find her journal left at his home after dropping it at a soirée six months ago. Where he is introverted, she is outgoing and bright. Opposites attract. Their road towards love is a delightful journey that Ms. Ridley excels in writing. Her characters are well developed and easy to love. Secondary characters as well. There are always humorous moments throughout. I enjoyed this Regency romance immensely and highly recommended it. I was gifted this book by NetGalley and the publisher and am voluntarily reviewing. My opinions are my own.

Books and billiards, can they lead to love?

Another light romance in Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series. The painfully shy Duke of Azureford covers his natural inclination up with a brusque and severe front. A warm young lady, Miss Carole Quincy, hides the pain she's known since her mother's death.
A lost sketch book and billiards bring them together--as friends. Nothing more as both have responsibilities. Carole undertakes to help Adam to learn to flirt and converse to make his quest for a Duchess easier.
By the time Adam comes to understanding that incorrigible Carole is not only a tour de force, the glue that holds the village together, and more importantly holds his heart, things are coming unstuck.
A charming piece, nicely put together. The main characters are likeable and well drawn. As are the humorous secondary pair.
BTW pleasing title nod to one of my fav. Christmas movies.

A WebMotion ARC via NetGalley

A cute story!
Loved the characters opposites attract vibe. As well as the idea that he was willing to listen to jer ideas and implement them. The characters worked well together :). Only thing I didnt like about the book was I felt that it was rushed and you didnt really feel like you knew the characters and boom its over HEA. Just felt like there was something missing.

This one was super cute. A love story of opposites attract. I enjoyed the fact the heroine in this one was full of confidence and skills usually unheard of for a lady of that era. It was really sweet and I will definitely check out more from this author.

Nice story of the duke that fell in love with the girl next door. But he is shy, doesn't know how to interact with people. She is outgoing, a people person, and a closet artist. The characters were fun, their interactions a bit of fun. A delightful escape read.

I really enjoyed Dukes, Actually though I felt it progressed too quickly. I would have liked them to overcome more of an obstacle. The characters themselves were fantastic, it was just over too soon!

Another terrific quick read by Erica Ridley

A shy, introverted duke comes out to his cottage where he hopes to reinvent himself by becoming less awkward in social situations. His assumption is that if he can be more outgoing, funny, interesting here then he can be like that in London and thus find himself the perfect duchess. Unbeknownst to him, his complete opposite is about to change his life. I love that Adam and Carole were honest with each other and had no issue with revealing their true selves. You wouldn’t think that two opposing personalities could be so interesting together. This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Erica Ridley’s books.

I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Adam Farland, Duke of Azureford, has been mistaken for an arrogant, aloof lord. What he actually is, however, is a quiet and shy lord. Adam devises a plan guaranteed to help him break out of his shell and find the society bride he needs. Miss Carole Quincy is as outgoing as she is unconventional, and will be the perfect practice for Adam’s flirting. Until that practice starts to feel very real...

I absolutely ADORED this title. Erica Ridley excels at creating heroes and heroines that are more than rakish lords or society ladies. And I love those heroes and heroines. Adam is one of my favorites for this series because I’m a sucker for a shy guy. Even better if people have assumed him to be arrogant because of his shyness. He was a great guy and I think Carole was the best heroine for him. She was fabulous in her own right and I enjoyed reading her emotional journey through the story.

This was not a very plot driven title but I found myself turning page after page regardless. I just could not wait for more moments between Adam and Carole. I was not a huge fan of the billiards games but they didn’t take away from the story at all.

Of course I cannot wait for the next title in this series! This title was well worth waiting a year for!!

A delicious romance a wonderful series.A shy duke an outspoken woman sparkling dialogue characters that come alive.A book to sit back cuddle up and enjoy.#netgalley#webmotion

This Christmas series by Erica Ridley is enjoyable and till now (5 books) ‘quick’ reads that are perfect for the season. Who does not enjoy a Christmas novella? And here it’s always Christmas!

The hero, Adam, is painfully shy and this shyness and awkwardness around people is always mistaken for arrogance. This leads to some funny some heartwarming moments throughout the book. And he wants to change that and find himself a duchess. He meets, next door neighbour Carole who is anything but suitable but with whom he has many friendly, passionate, playful moments that finally lead to them falling in love and eventually marrying.

I enjoyed this book immensely more so because following a series is always fun, as new characters are unveiled and new stories are added all the while keeping to the same setting of a familiar village nicknamed Christmas.
I received an ARC to review from #netgalley.

Miss Carole Quincy likes billiards, fast carriages, and the beautiful, buttoned up Duke of Azureford. She’d be delighted to help him out of his shell and into her arms.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Erica Ridley is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

3.25 A cute, quick romance that was an easy read but I thought the brief glimpses of the side characters in the servants were more interesting than the main characters.

Another magical romance by the amazing Erica Ridley! I know when I start to read one of her stories, I will not be moving anytime soon. Plus there may be times I burst out laughing and others when I can only sigh.
Imagine a shy, introverted Duke. One who needs to learn to flirt to attract a potential bride. Then imagine a lady who is totally the opposite to the point of being everything bright and fun.
So begins Carole and her part time next door neighbor, Adam the Duke of Azureford's story!
Carole had been to a dinner party the Duke had given and lost her precious sketchbook. Well precious my not be the word for it... Scandalous is others got hold of it! Trying to find it, with an excuse of a lost earring, she begins to have conversations with him and realizes he is really shy.. That is the reason he hardly talks to anyone! But oh, did I mention how handsome she found him?
All I want to do is tell you the entire story because it was so humorous and truly delightful! I loved these two opposites that really did have one thing in common and who could have possibly know!
Prepare to be thoroughly entertained and smiling like crazy as you turn the pages!!!

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review - #12dukes #NetGalley
-I loved the wicked conversations between Adam and Carole. I loved how he didn't laugh at her sketches and she at his memories of his father and the books.
-Good pace, great descriptions, good character development.
-Fun to see other characters from the previous books.

This story is about a very shy duke that wants to “practice” his social skills throwing a billiard party. And his outgoing and self-named spinster of 24 years neighbor. Is a very cute story.

The only thing I didn’t like that much is that there’s not very much characters present. Yes, they are some of them but that actually have a dialogue are around 10 and that’s at max.

Overall, very cute to read and would recommend.

Dukes, Actually is a standalone book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. The Duke of Azureford is extremely shy and awkward but everyone mistakes his behavior for rudeness or snobbishness. But the Duke has a plan to force himself into social situations and to find himself a wife. Miss Carole Quincy loves to draw the life she imagines for herself, a life of smoking, drinking, and playing billiards, doing the things men take for granted. A misplaced sketchbook puts Carole at risk and the only way to find it is to help the Duke of Azureford convert his library into a billiard room. Some corny pick up lines later and I found myself falling for the Duke. Funny and sweet, the story amuses and ends with a charming HEA that is totally predictable but irresistible just the same. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Even though the story has no particular tie to the Christmas season, it still manages to embody all the magic of the holiday. The most capable young woman in all England and the shy socially awkward Duke. On the surface, it doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven, but in the hands of this author that’s exactly what Adam and Carole’s story becomes. As the pair were falling in love with one another, I fell in love with them. I enjoyed reading this story so much and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.

The Duke of Azureford isn’t the arrogant, aloof lord his peers perceive him to be. Yes, he’s awkward, but he has a plan to fix it. In order to woo a respectable lady, he must learn how to flirt.
Carole who lives next door left her treasured sketch journal in the Duke's library by accident. She will do most anything necessary to recover it including helping him obtain a suitable Duchess or will she.
I have been looking forward to the continuation of this series for nearly a year.
I read the first four books as ARCs last year and am thrilled to see book #5 which is now ready for release. This tale didn't disappoint.
I read this in one sitting and am ready for book #6.
I gave this one 4.25 of 5.0 stars. This is a basically sweet series of novellas with no overt intimacy.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book to read from the Author via NetGalley.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Oh my God! Of all the books in this series, this one has become my favorite.
Azureford and Carole are simply PERFECT together !!!

Adam Farland, the 6th Duke of Azureford, is considered superb, cocky, and in some cases people are afraid of him. All because when he is in any event, he usually stays by himself, gloomy, talking to no one. But the great truth is that he is... SHY!
He simply gets scared in a very crowded place, and doesn't even know how to start a conversation.
On the other hand, his fame in the House of Lords - the Parliament - is that of an articulate guy who always has the best arguments for the laws that will be voted on.
He must reverse this picture of his image if he wants to find a wife and have an heir.
His plan, then, is to take advantage of his time in Cressmouth, his countryhouse, and make some changes.

His huge library will be donated - with the exception of a few books that belonged to his father - to a city location, and he will have a billiard room built instead.
This game allows not only that he can interact with other gentlemen, but also with the ladies who usually stay close watching.
There is, of course, a big problem: He knows nothing about billiards, but the plan itself is very good.
As he was approaching his property, he is challenged by his neighbor, Miss Carole Quincy, the one who has let him have wet dreams since the last time they met.

Carole has a secret. Well, an almost secret. She has a sketchbook, which would be normal among the ladies. But instead of her drawing animals and flowers, she draws... projects.
That's right. Carole has a secret desire to design environments and see them become real, as an architect.
And because of this secret of hers, she got into trouble.

The last time she was at Azureford's house for dinner, she took her small sketchbook and managed to get into one of the rooms and redraw it. But on leaving, someone bumped into her, causing her sketchbook to fly away and fall under furniture. Not wanting to draw attention to the object, she watched as Swinton, the butler, took the sketchbook and thought it was some of the duke's book, put it on the shelf.
Carole went there a long time later to try to get it back, but the shelves was totally different. Instead of the books being color-separated, as before, employees used some other method.

Her notebook was lost!

She needed to find it before someone else caught it and discovered her secret.
In the meantime, Azureford arrives at the house.

Knowing that in a few days the library would be donated - and her sketchbook gone forever - in a panic, Carole offers to help him catalog everything.
She finally finds the sketchbook, and to her despair, the duke notices when she tries to hide it in her purse.

End of the secret.

But a new opportunity has arisen.
Knowing his intention for the room, she offers to help remodel it.

A man in a possession of a fine billiard room is undoubtedly in want of a wife

Turns out Carole was an expert at playing pool. Not that it was common among ladies, but since her mother died when she was eight, Carole's father allowed her daughter to play with him, and taught her all the tricks.
Being good at calculating, she soon learned to make equations so that the white ball was exactly where she wanted it.
Azureford eventually gave in, and as soon as the room was ready (the billiards party would be 1 month from now), Carole teaches him how to play.

And they both flirt.

Adam already had a crush on Carole, but she didn't have the proper behavior to be a duchess, even though she was funny, intelligent, persevering, good daughter, good hostess, beautiful... and so receptive to his kisses.

What a hell! Who made the rules of what a duchess should look like? And then he asks her to marry him.

And she rejects it.

It's all right to want things you can't have. It's all right not to be perfect; to be sad; to be happy. It makes you human, not incomplete

Carole never imagined she would marry.
Her family had several loss tragedies and she didn't want her daughter to suffer the same as her, the same as her mother and grandmother. And seeing her father so overcome with depression since his wife's death didn't help her change her mind either.
But Adam was so wonderful! And he seemed to accept her unconventional side.
After the billiards party, he departs from Cressmouth. For good.

After witnessing for years the kind of marriage his parents had - they didn't even talk with each other at home - Azureford had different plans, and had even made a list for it:

Required Qualities for my Future Wife
⇝Friendly
⇝Fearless
⇝Good with children
⇝Must like each other!
⇝Honest
⇝Reciprocates feelings
⇝Thoughtful
⇝Puts family first
⇝Knows what she wants
⇝Does everything she can to achieve it
⇝Even though she doesn't need me... Still wants me

Now Carole would have to use that same determination to go after who and what she really wanted: Adam and her happiness.

The story is funny, dynamic, different and romantic.
5 stars