When Mademoiselle Désirée le Duc agrees to be a temporary governess for Jack Skeffington's 10-year-old twins, she has no idea that her life will take an unexpected turn. Along with her brothers, Desiree has dreamed for 18 years of the day when they pay off their English lease and return to France to recover their lands and her brother's title. Jack has had tender feelings for Desiree for years, but when she comes to live under his roof, both of them discover a passion long hidden. Now Desiree is torn--the day her family has dreamed of is at hand, but she can leave the man and children she has come to love as her second family?

I really loved this story. Jack and Desiree were delightful and the antics of the twins had me chuckling throughout the book. Ms. Ridley has written another very enjoyable story and it kept me turning the pages to see how Desiree would choose where her life's journey would go next.

This is my first Daisy Ridley book and it won’t be my last!
The Duke’s Bride is book six in The 12 Dukes of Christmas series.
Désirée and Jack were great characters and watching them fall in love was super sweet and fun. I really enjoyed the interactions the two had with Jack’s children and you could really see how much Jack loved them.
I can’t wait to read the other books in this series.

Another nice story about Christmas / Cressmouth town and the characters we meet in it.
We have met the French émigrés before - the 3 le Duc siblings. 2 brothers and a sister. And of course there is the town’s ‘smuggler’ / pirate / ex-privateer and supplier of good French brandy and wine from his partners.
A Privateer was an authorised pirate - that is someone who the Crown licensed to raid other ships and carry away their bounty. With a percentage of the profits going to the Crown of course to pay for the wars and the lack of taxes from the imported silks and wines that didn’t occur due to the war...
And then there was typhus.
In Ireland 1816 a major epidemic of the disease produced 700,000 cases out of a population of 6,000,000. More major epidemics followed in 1821 and 1836 and again in 1846 with the Potato Famine. It is a bacterial infection spread by parasites - and the most important form of typhus being epidemic typhus (borne by lice). Other forms are murine, or endemic, typhus (flea-borne); scrub typhus, or tsutsugamushi disease (mite-borne); and tick-borne typhus.
So another romance about a Duc rather than a Duke but pun or not it follows in the 12 stories about Dukes promised...

This is a very nice story, sweet, entertaining , page Turner, light
ok, I must say that I love the protagonists, they are endearing, strong and loyal, if you have the opportunity do not hesitate to purchase it

Lovely story. Ms Ridley can write emotionally charged situation with the right dash of humour. The story is paced well and there is plenty of details about the characters world to leave you wanting for more

Each book of the Twelve DUKES of Christmas is better than the last. Jack Skeffington is the most eligible bachelor in the village called Christmas. He is a reformed pirate with the scars that go with the occupation. Now he is a smuggler which is much more refined. He will not marry again because his wife whom he loved very much died. He has a set of ten year old twins whom he spoils. They don't want anyone else in their lives either. Having someone you love leave you is just not worth it. Jack needs a governess for his rambunctious children. He asks Désirée le Duc if she will help him find one, instead she volunteers to be temporary until a permanent one can be found. She and her brothers are trying to get enough money to go back to France. When she gets to Jack's, she falls in love with the twins, Annie and Frederick. She already loves Jack, but knows she can't stay in England as France is her home and she doesn't want to leave her brothers. I absolutely loved this book. Désirée is a smart, strong heroine that everyone one loves, including me. Jack is a dashing figure who loves his family and wants Désirée to be a part of his. The twins want her, too. She is fun and wise and plays hoops as no one else can. How will they be able to have a life together if one is in France and the other in England? I'm sure that Désirée will find a remède to solve this.  Steamy scenes and plenty of wine. I won't go on as I don't want to rewrite the book. It's perfect as it is. I received this book from the author for a honest review.

This is book 6 in a series, but each book can be read as a standalone.

Jack is a smuggler and widowed father of two twins. He isn't looking for another wife because he doesn't want the heartache of loving and losing again, and he doesn't want his children to experience that kind of loss again, either. But he does need a governess because his children are always underfoot while he's trying to conduct business.

Desiree has fled her home in France with her brothers after they lost their parents. Her brothers long to go home and reclaim their parents home, but they don't have the money to do so. When Desiree gets the opportunity to get the money for them by becoming Jack's governess, she takes it.

The attraction between Jack and Desiree is obvious from the start, but the fight their feelings thinking it is the best for the family. Desiree bonds with the children immediately, but won't let herself be more than friends with Jack since she is leaving.

Of course, they both go into this with the best of intentions, but their feelings simply can't be ignored, and they become lovers. But that is just the first step on their path to a true, loving relationship.

This is a well-written novella. The character development is strong and you feel a bond with both Jack and Desiree. There is a lot of witty banter, some love scenes, and you truly get to see the relationship evolve. If you;re looking for a quick-but-thoroughly-satisfying read, this is the book for you.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Duke’s Bride.

I loved this friends to lovers story. Jack and Désirée were such great characters. The moments shared between them revealed who they were as characters. The conflict over their feelings and attraction for each other maintained the sexual tension throughout the story. The romance was developed over the course of the story and didn’t feel rushed.

The secondary characters were interesting and contributed to the story, enriching it further.

This is one of my favorite stories in the series so far and I’m looking forward to the next book.

4.5 Stars

“Loving someone in the future doesn’t mean you loved someone in the past any less.”

Jack Skeffington, single father of two rambunctious twins, has come to the realization that he must begin his children’s education. No longer should they be allowed to run amok; he seeks guidance from the one woman he feels comfortable enough to ask for assistance in procuring a governess. Having lost his wife and first love to illness, Jack has sworn never to feel that heartache again. But a certain mademoiselle may have just what it takes to steal this smuggler’s heart…

Desiree le Duc has one dream…to return to her beloved France with her brothers. Always feeling out of place amongst the English, Desiree jumps at the chance to become the temporary governess for known ex-privateer Jack Skeffington. With the wages he will pay, she will be able to add to the funds saved over the years, and finally make her dream a reality. But as the days pass, and she grows to love the family she has been welcomed into, she begins to ponder exactly what dream she wishes to fulfill…

The Duke’s Bride is a delightfully sweet historical romance guaranteed to warm your heart! Loved and highly recommend!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Bravo!! Erica Ridley has done it again. This is a wonderful story of a widowed Duke, his 10 year old twin daughters and a governess trying to get enough money to repay a debt and return to France. A perfect scenario for love and witty bantering in the town called Christmas. Jack and Desiree are delightful as are his daughters and her brothers. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Ms. Ridley has a way of writing stories that capture your heart and fall in love with the characters. I received this copy from NetGalley and the publisher and author. I am giving my honest review. My opinions are my own.. I highly recommend this book.

What can you say, another excellent sweet read from Ms Rdiley and the town of Christmas. This is #6 and I have loved them all. Each one is so special and brings the smiles to your face and this one is no different. The hero was charming and loving, the heroine smart and sassy and throw in a set gorgeous twins and the scene is set for a romantic and loving tale. There was a small sex scene in this book but as usual, I skipped it. Now we wait for the next instalment. I received this as an ARC and freely did my review.

Another Erica hit! Jack is a great hero, with twins! Desiree has dreamed of France for 18 years. Things don't always happen the way we think they will, and Jack & Desiree's story is a delight. Enjoy, I did!

Erica Ridley's 'Dukes' novels always have an uplifting effect, and she cleverly intertwines multiple characters, families and situations thorough her series whilst coming up with a new twist every time.

4.5 stars

Good story. Jack is a smuggler, wine connoisseur and single father of twins. Desiree is another settler in Cressmouth (Northern town in perpetual Christmas weather). She's helping her brothers pay off a debt and then would like to return to her french vineyard.

The interaction of the twins, her brothers and the other members of the town is witty and fun. It helps if you've read the earlier books as various characters return but you should also like the story as a stand alone. I'd originally just read the first and fourth of the series but now I'm reading an anthology provided by Eric of the first 4 books so I get to read books 2 & 3 as well! There's some interesting asides that validate this story as Cressmouth as beautiful imaginary place as it's very doubtful a person would be able to grow aubergines in the north of England!

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

Jack Skeffington has let his twins run wild too long. They need a governess pronto, but it can't be just anyone. The only person Jack can think to ask for help is his friends' sister, Désirée le Duc.

Désirée plans to return to her homeland of France with her siblings, but first they funds. Filling in temporarily as a governess for Jack's children seems like a small price to pay. Being around Jack is hard enough, but his children are slowly worming their way into her heart as well. Will Désirée be able to let them go when the time comes?

You can't go wrong with any of the stories in author Erica Ridley's 12 DUKES OF CHRISTMAS series. Each book is is set in the magical town of Christmas and centers around a Duke, or le Duc, in this case. Désirée and Jack's story really tugs at the heartstrings. I'm so excited Désirée's brothers will be included in the 12 DUKES series. I hope Désirée and Jack's children will get a story of their own in the future.

This is a story of a highly competent woman, Desiree, who finds herself a governess to a duke’s twin children. The duke, Jack, and his children fall in love with her. She must choose between going with her brothers who are returning to France or the duke’s family which she has come to love as well. This is a delightful love story. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

The Duke's Bride is the 6th installment in Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series. We get to follow another set of lovers in the Cressmouth aka Christmas. This book had a kind of Sound of Music type flair to it (you know, without all that pesky singing and Nazi occupation).

Jack Skeffington is the local smuggler of all things alcoholic and French. French Brandy, French wine, and French Champagne are his forte. He even has secret dreams of owning and operating a vineyard. Jack is a widower with two 10-year-old twins who are the very definition of precocious. Jack decided that he wants to provide for his children in ways he never had and decided that it is time to find them an experienced governess. In discussing this with his friends in their weekly billiards game, the sister of his French business associates offers her interim services as a temporary governess.

Desiree le Duc, along with her brothers, dream of returning to France. They barely escaped during the war after being tragically orphaned to seek refuge with their uncle in England. Before the le Duc siblings can return to France to reclaim their land, they have decided to help pay off a significant debt on their Uncle's property in Cressmouth as repayment for his help when they were younger.

Desiree and Jack have kept their attraction for each other under wraps, even from each other. But in accepting the position as temporary governess for Jack's children, they both enter into a situation none of them are certain as to the outcome.

The story was quick, well-paced, and can you really resist a governess falling for the children and the boss type of story? I really enjoyed reading this, how the two had such commonalities and generally accepted each other. I look forward to more in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series.

This ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing me an advanced copy.

A single father of twins, Jack, lives in a small Christmas town where everyone knows each other and they all celebrate life together. He needs a governess for his 10 year old kids and considers his friend’s sister, Desiree for the position on a temporary basis. Desiree is a French lady waiting to return to her home country but accept the position temporarily. The romance between them and the cuteness of the kids is really heart-warming. It’s a small book and can be read super quick. Having read for the first time by this author, I initially thought it was a duke based novel but it actually was really about a duke in true sense.

I absolutely loved reading about the kids and it was just cuteness overloaded.

Loved reading the fabulous and fantastic romance story. Jack Sheffington, an international smuggler, needs a governess for his twin ten year olds and asks his neighbor, Desiree, to fill in until he can find someone. Desiree and her brothers will be returning to France within the year, but Desiree's feeling for Jack and his children complicates things. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

This is my voluntary review in my own words for this ARC. I have said it before and will say it again. I am an Erica Ridley fan. I am also not a big Christmas fan, except when it comes to this series. This series isnas quirky as you can get. They warm hearts and make dreams seem possible. You really should read the entire set (I have), if possible, in order.