Eve and Bastien know what they want. Eve wants to be a journalist and write “real” news. Bastien wants to return to France and help his bother restore the family name and reclaim their birthright. As these two help each other towards their goals, they begin to see each other in a different light. It doesn’t matter how they feel about each other; they can’t stay together, can they?

Bastien and Eve’s story takes place in Cressmouth, a beautiful little village in the far northern part of England where Christmas is celebrated year-round. Lovable quirky characters, snarky banter, and a happy story with a few twists and turns make this one to enjoy. The story includes a spoiled hog, a large Mastiff named Duenna, and a story featuring the last seven swans a-swimming on the town pond before they migrate. The Duke’s Embrace is another lovely addition to the 12 Dukes of Christmas.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This is a wonderful Christmas story. I loved the characters and the plot. Erica Ridley has been a favorite author of mine for awhile now. Eve is a journalist and Sébastien le Duc is the local blacksmith. This story had some twist and turn which made it even better.

Loved the story! Eve and Bastien were perfect for each other after never noticing the other for 18 years. I loved how they figured out what's most important to each other by the end and can't wait to find out who/what the next "Duke" is!! Thank you for the advance copy!

I'm seriously digging this series.

The Duke's Embrace is the 7th installment in Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series. This story features the middle le Duc sibling, Sebastian or "Bastian" and the town's aspiring journalist, Eve Shelling.

Eve wants to turn her little town of Cressmouth aka Christmas' newsletter into a serious newspaper but is having to fight the owner, her father, tooth and nail for every article. Armed with her trusty notebook and her faithful companion, Duenna- a bullmastiff, she sets out to write a story to change her father's mind.

Local blacksmith and dandy, Sébastien le Duc, finally has helped pay off his uncle's land lease and can now set sights on his move back to France with his brother Lucien but has to sell his Smithy first. Bastian enlists Eve's help in selling the Blacksmith business in exchange for help in Eve writing a feature on the business for her paper.

The more time they spend together the more they have to question their goals and motivations for them while giving in to the spark burning between them that has a very finite end date.

I will say, I enjoyed this story but I wish the ending was a bit more fleshed out and expanded. I felt like a lot happened in the last 20 pages. Further, it only sparks a greater wish to read Lucien's story.... gimme, gimme, gimme! Waiting on bated breath for the next one!!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.*

4 stars

Part of the 12 Dukes of Christmas Series: Book 7.
The series is set in Cressmouth, a village in the North of regency england with perpetual Christmas. Our Hero is one of the local blacksmiths a hunky frenchman called Sebastian. The Heroine is Eve a Journalist and much put upon by her father. Bastian is keen to return to France with his brooding brother Lucien. Eve is keen for her newspaper to do well. I liked how Eve was not shy and retiring but strove for what she wanted.
You certainly don't have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one but it certainly helps in visualising the village, its inhabitants and their various quirks.

I recommend this romance you will soon be ingrossed.

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

Back to beloved Cressmouth, England or "Christmas" where anything can happen, especially if there is a Duke around!! But one young lady, Eve Shelling was determined to be a good journalist and write about other items beside the same old aritcles. Of course, her father was the owner of the paper and he was determined to make her follow the rules, drat it!
Determined to write her own article, she continues to take matters in her own hand. The new subject, Local Blacksmith and dandy Monsieur Sebastien le Duc will make a fine contribution! Of course he and his family's goal is to get back to France.
But as they get to know each other, it sees Eve determines there is a lot more to Bastien than meets the eye!
Such a fun story with a determined lady and a charmer of a man, who get to know each other and find out they may just be right for each other!!

Aspiring, though currently unpaid and unappreciated, journalist Eve Shelling learned early on the painful lesson that men cannot be trusted. So she focuses on her paper and not falling for the charming subject of her latest article. Sebastien le Duc runs the village blacksmith shop along with his brother, Lucian. He's a dandy with hidden secrets, like his involvement in a smuggling operation, but he has a good heart and he and his brother are now finally able to sell their shop and at last return to their homeland in France. But when he loses his heart to Eve, and the ambitious journalist learns his secrets, it may be too late for Sebastian to have any future at all.

I found Bastien to be adorable, but Eve just made me angry at the end. She couldn't be bothered to listen to her Bastien's story and instead blabbed to her father, with no concern for Bastien's safety or that of his family and instead feeding right into her father's prejudices. Of course she did get her head on straight in the end, but I wound up feeling like it wasn't really fair for Sebastien to be subjected to such threats from her without a proper apology in the end of ever getting to really explain himself, meanwhile Eve wound up getting everything she'd ever wanted. Nonetheless, this was still an enjoyable read and I look forward to Lucien's story.

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

Another story about Cressmouth in he series of the 12 Dukes. This time we meet Bastien another of the le Duc family. He and his brother Luc run the Smithy for the town, the only smithy, which means that as they want to return to France and sell the smithy business, property and all apart from the cottage, the town will be without a blacksmith.
Alongside this we have an enterprising yung woman who runs the Cressmouth Chronicle. Her father claims to own it and run it, but a. He took her dowry to finance the purchase of the type and printer, and b. She does all the writing and printing work, he just OKs the content! So much for women’s property rights in this period.
So when she wants to write a juicier story than the usual ‘How wonderful Cressmouth is’ and ‘The town that celebrates Christmas’ etc etc they disagree. Especially when she wants to write about the Frenchmen running the Smithy...
And so a romance ensues.
The usual standard of writing we come to expect from Erica and nice content. Again we growl when we hear about the property rights of men versus women and how women are ‘ruled’ by the men in their family.. and find ourselves grateful that we no longer need a co-sponsor for our mortgages (I did when I was much younger) and that we can vote and run our own businesses.

Less frivolous than the previous books in this series, this story nevertheless has laugh-out-loud moments interspersed with heartache and pain. Eve has an inquisitive mind and not being inclined to follow her father's dictates about what should go into the Cressmouth newspaper, she looks for ways in which to make the newspaper more interesting and relevant to the small town where Christmas is a year-round event. Despite keeping her distance, she keeps bumping into Bastien le Duc, the young Frenchman who has made Cressmouth his home. Bastien has a love for the finer things in life and with his quirky sense of fun and love for dashing clothing make him an interesting character. Eve has been fascinated by him for years, but her lack of self-confidence and focus on the newspaper have made her wary of being openly friendly. The Le Duc brothers have a driving need to return to France and reclaim their inheritance after the Reign of Terror and Bastien realises that Eve may, in fact, have the perfect solution for them to sell their forge. When the conflict between Eve and her father comes to a head, Bastien has to find a way in which to solve all their problems. I received a copy of this gentle romance as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I find it so frustrating when I come to the end of a book and I’m at a complete loss for words. This was a mostly light story that was fun and I enjoyed reading it, yet somehow it didn’t have the same impact on me that I usually expect this author’s work to have. Perhaps it was the shorter length of this book that didn’t allow me to get as completely swept away in their world as I’d hoped, because I’ve been anxiously awaiting the stories of the le Duc siblings. Though I have to give Ms. Ridley honors for one of the most reprehensible parental figures I’ve ever read. For me, Eve and Bastien’s story is all about the choices we make and being true to your heart. I’m already excited to see what Lucien’s book will bring us.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.

Although I didn’t enjoy this story in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series as much as the previous ones, it is still a good read. Eve wants to be a valued journalist and Sébastien wants to do whatever he can to make his family happy. Neither is looking for love, but they might just find it anyway. The 2 main characters just didn’t grab my attention; however, Duenna did. I am very interested in reading the next book about Lucien. I am apparently much more interested in sullen, grumpy, curmudgeons.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received a copy from the author via NetGalley; this is my honest review.
#12Dukes #NetGalley
-LOL moments at every turn. The best one being "I've come to ravish you." Eve was in the doorway of the castle, writing in her notebook, blocking the entrance. "What do you want?", she asked of Sébastien, completely forgetting where she's standing and he played with her a bit.
-I love Crestmount and its inhabitants. They are a fun gang, even better when you follow the series and get to know many of them, all of them special in their own way.
-If Eve's father keeps repeating that all men have something hide, what's his secrets? It didn't come up, but I'm asking.
-Sometimes you have to choose between two evils; there are no right choices here, they only did their best. Great story, easy to read, and kudos on the editing.

I’m not quite sure how many Dukes are left in the town of Christmas, but I’ve enjoyed this series so far. I plan to keep reading as long as she keeps writing.

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

I enjoyed this book. I thought the storyline was fun and the characters likable. Bastian and Eve had great chemistry and I enjoyed seeing the sparks fly between them. Eve was quite spunky and Bastian is a quite charming rascal. Together I thought they made a great couple. There is plenty of emotion in this read. Both of these characters tugged at my heartstrings. All together a very enjoyable read that left me eager for the next book in this series.

The Frenchman and the Journalist.
Eve Shelling desperately wants the Cressmouth Gazette to be more than “a long-winded promotional pamphlet” but her father, who owns the newspaper, is resistant to any article that might be deemed controversial. When Bastien le Duc asks for her help in selling the smithy, Eve sees a way to write a human interest story, little knowing that the le Duc family are hiding darker secrets. Another enjoyable story set in Christmas.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Duke's Embrace is the seventh book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series.
I really enjoyed reading this book! It's set in a small whimsical village where Christmas is celebrated through out most of the year. They tend to have very long winter weather.
This one tells the story of Eve, who is responsible for, mostly of all the jobs, of the Cressmouth Gazette. She is a little bored with writing the same stories every quarter. She's always arguing with her father about changing or adding different columns to the gazette. Sebastian approaches her because he is interested in selling his smithy in order for him to finally have enough funds to travel back to his home country of France. He and his siblings had to leave it behind when their parents were killed. They've been living in this small village since they were very young and were waiting for the right time to leave. There is nothing holding them back...so far.
Eve and Sebastian get to know each other better when they decide to help each other out. She'll place the ad in her gazette and he'll help her write an article about his life as a blacksmith and what it entails to run this type of business.
Things get interesting when they begin to explore their feelings for each other. Sadly they do understand that their relationship can't go nowhere, since he is close to leaving. I liked that to make their relationship work sacrifices had to be done on both their parts. I'm glad those sacrifices brought a HEA for them.

Thank you the author for providing the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

The Duke's Embrace by Erica Ridley is book 7 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas Series. This is the story of Sébastien le Duc and Eve Shelling. I have read the previous book which I think did help for me to enjoy this one but with that said you could make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Eve is the daughter of the owner of the Cressmouth Gazette which has made wanting to be a journalist in her blood but her father wants her to do all the unpaid work with the printers and finding stories but doesn't want her writing anything that he doesn't approve which is most everything other than light stories and Christmas stuff. But Eve has weaken him to agree to write a story that has more if he approves of it. This leads her to Seb who along with his siblings had to flee France and their history. So now Seb and his siblings have been working to get money to return home and their position. Somethings they have been doing is not on the up and up to make quick money. Seb goes to the paper to put in a advertisement for selling their Blacksmith business which leads him to start working with Eve. Seb is finding Eve to be so much more than what she gives out. But she is starting to dig into what else they do behind the scene which could bring trouble to his family.
Enjoyed their story.

I love Erica Ridley's books. I received an ARC of this e-book from the author as well as Netgalley. Not only do we see a sweet romantic relationship between Beau and Eve, but also the aspirations of a budding journalist. In a world of men, both domineering and powerful, Eve wants to stand out as a reporter and be recognized for her writing skills and independent of her father. I can't say enough about the beautiful writing style of Erica Ridley.

I have truly enjoyed the, 12 Dukes of Christmas stories. The Duke's Embrace is Sebastien and Eve's story. I could feel Eve's frustration at not getting to run the paper as she sees fit. Bastien comes across as a carefree type person to others. Until it comes to his family. He is very serious then.

This is the seventh book in the twelve book Dukes of Christmas series. Like all the others, it can be read alone. Eve is a woman trying to make her way in a man’s world of newspaper reporting. She must decide whether to publish a story that will hurt the people she knows and loves. Sebastien must choose between going home, to France, or staying in England with Eve. I am enjoying this series and can’t wait for Lucien’s story! I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.