That was so much fun. I can’t for the life of me think that it’s the least bit realistic for the time, but I enjoyed the ride too much to quibble over the historical accuracy of it. I thought Calvin was adorable. His social awkwardness found a twin in my own. Belle and her circumstances made me want to cry over all the opportunities her station in life were forcing her to forgo. I thought that together they made a very sweet pair, and I’m already looking forward to seeing what else was happening in Cressmouth while they were snowed in.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.

Somewhat plain and not as exciting and sexy as I wanted the book to be but not horrible or something someone would not enjoy either.

I really enjoyed this book! It had a twist that I haven't read before. I will definitely be going back to read this whole series as this was the first one I've read. Makes a great stand alone book but I just didn't want it to end.

This is #9 in the series of Dukes of Christmas. Even though the series is about Dukes, they are not all about actual dukes and this one was a lovely variation on the subject. I loved this read, maybe one of my favourites. It was about real people and real relationships. Both characters were unpretentious and just plain loveable. Ms Ridley is so talented at writing these stories, drawing the reader into the point where it is hard to put the book down and when you are finished, you are waiting for the next one. There was some mild sex in this book which this reviewer skipped as usual but the real focus of this story was about the characters getting to know each other even when one of them is hiding their real identity. It was just a marvellous read and not one that needs to be kept as a Christmas read. Read it all year long. I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and freely do my review.

𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — A Christmas historical romance set in an inn, while all the servants are laid low by the flu... whats a girl with a gown that cinches in the back to do?

See more on my <a href="http://instagram.com/historyandharlots/">Instagram</a> & <a href="https://historyandharlots.blogspot.com/">blog</a>

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This was a cute, light Christmas read. Lady Isabelle - Belle - is a likable and kind heroine. She's the daughter of a duke, the sister of a duke... and always feels like she's overshadowed by the other people in her life. Her father and brothers title, her mother's desires for her to marry well. She wants to be an artist, and yet no one takes her seriously except her maid, Ursula, who encourages her as a friend and sister.

Calvin McAlistair is a tailor, modiste, fashion designer. He's also stuck in the inn while working on a clothing line he wants the Duke of N-- (I forget the long name...) to invest in an sponsor. It'll be well made clothes for the common man, designs good enough to be worn by a duke.

The twist? Belle can't be in an inn alone with no maid (who's laid low with the flu), so she masquerades as a widow. Calvin is presenting his designs to the Duke of N-- — her brother.

The wrap up was way too quick in my opinion, but expected for a short story/novella.

Dawn with a Duke is the ninth book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. This has been such an enjoyable series to read and Dawn with a Duke is one of my favorites within the entire series. I absolutely loved the characters, Calvin McAlistair, a shy tailor, and Lady Isabelle, our socialite artist, who has never fit comfortably in with the beau monde. Both the hero and heroine are sweet, smart, and funny and so easy to relate to in so many ways. You just can't help falling in love with them. Besides the characters and their story, I loved the humor in this one. There were many times I found myself laughing out loud. I'm looking forward to catching up with the characters again in the next one.

Lady Isabelle is traveling to her brother's estate for the Christmas celebration. En route her ladies maid becomes too ill to continue and they stop at an inn just a short distance from their destination. Without a proper escort, Belle makes up a new name to save her honor and reputation. Calvin McAlistair is at the same inn preparing for a life-changing presentation of his new line of clothing. The two meet and find their artistic passions (his tailoring, her art) are compatible in this venture. What follows is a sweetly growing romance, with a possibly scandalous outcome.

This is a cute story with a steamy scene towards the end. It was a good way to spend my awake hours in the middle of the night!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This fun Regency romance is the ninth book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by one of my favorite romance authors, Erica Ridley. While the stories interconnect, each book focuses on one couple and can be enjoyed on its own. Each book also features a different “duke,” but the duke might not be what you were expecting. And watch for the relevant reference to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” carol in each book!

Our main couple is charmingly quirky. Poor Lady Isabelle has been raised to be quite helpless, and it was heartwarming to watch her learning how to pursue what she really wants, both as an artist and in love. Calvin McAlister has been resolutely pursuing his dream to be a fashion designer since childhood; it was very sweet watching him gradually accept Belle into his workshop and his heart. The teacup of roasted chestnuts makes me smile whenever I think of it.

The ending felt a bit rushed to me, and not very realistic, but it was delightfully exciting. This is a great choice if you want a feel-good read to brighten a dark winter day (or distract from a pandemic). Note that there is one explicit scene of premarital sex; as long as such things don’t bother you, I highly recommend this book, and the entire series.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

This was an easy book to read. The two main characters were interesting and strong. There was a good storyline. I read it in one session which shows l wanted to know the ending. I do recommend that you read this book.

I received an ARC from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’m not going to lie, when I first saw this series title a while ago and the titles with “duke” in them, my eyes rolled into the back of my head, even though I resolved to give it a chance at some point, as Erica Ridley is a highly praised author. But upon further investigation of the blurbs, I was pleased to find that, unlike other all-duke hero series (no disrespect to them or any readers who love dukes), this one was doing something different and more clever, while still having the occasional duke hero.

So, we come to this book, Dawn with a Duke. While it’s the ninth in the series, I had no trouble getting into it as a stand-alone. And it may have been the best personal starting point for my journey with this series, as it has one of my favorite tropes, the cross-class romance where the heroine is the aristocrat. And while Belle’s about who she is until things were way too tangled between them bothered me, and I did want it to be addressed a little more, I still enjoyed their relationship overall.

Calvin is a treasure. I love his openness with his emotions, although that did lead me to feeling I wanted more from him when all the secrets were out. I also really liked how it showed him actually working to earn his living as a tailor, but without it being dreary. And the fact that his project ties into the series’ “duke” motif in such a fun and silly, yet unexpected way was amusing.

I will definitely be going back to read the others in the series I missed, and will also be anticipating the last few installments. And if you haven’t read Erica Ridley yet, this is a great time to start and potentially a great place as well.

This is book nine in a series of twelve. It can be read alone but is best as part of the series.
Belle is a Lady. Calvin is a tailor. By some twist of fate, they end up as neighbors at an inn during a snow storm. Reluctant to be near each other initially, the two grow to love their time together while waiting on the weather to allow them to leave.
Opinion
Erica Ridley is an extremely talented author. This book is enjoyable like all her of books I’ve read.
There are many twists through this book that add a nice dimension or allude to another book in the series. I love how well Ms. Ridley is able to weave the pieces so that the reader is kept entertained with “what if” questions.
This book is so well written that I wonder if the upper crust of England had so many matches outside of their class. It definitely had me questioning what really went on in that era. (I’m sure Ms. Ridley took some author license but I’m also sure that some upper crust gave up titles for love. That’s my opinion anyway.)
To sum up the series so far, it is sweet, quaint and filled with laughable moments. You will be able to zoom through the books, not because they are short but because they will keep you entertained.
I’d like to thank Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book was enjoyable, and didn't follow the typical "macho man" and "helpless lady" story line. This isn't really a spoiler because it occurs so quickly at the beginning it won't "spoil" the book for you: Belle is a Lady, her brother being a very rich and powerful Duke, who gets stranded with her maid in a small town on the way to a Christmas holiday. Her maid is her best friend, and gets desperately ill, forced to be quarantined for days away from Belle. Belle meets Calvin, a tailor with a vision, in the dining hall of the inn, and eats dinner with him as there are no other places to sit. She's charmed by Calvin, but is extremely concerned with her virtue and reputation and, thus, tries to stay away from him.

Obviously that does not happen.

This book kept me going, was a quick read, and got very steamy at one point. Yes, there's sex in it, but if you did not expect that from the cover then I would be surprised.

Dawn with a Duke explored a positive relationship between the couple. I can't really think of any trigger warnings. It was enjoyable and would be a cozy read during the winter. I would read more from this author in the future.

MY FAVOURITE OF THIS SERIES BY FAR! 😍🙏

The other books in this series doesn't hold a candle to this one if you ask me. Sure, they are nice, romantic and fun to read. But this just has something so different, so low key and so insanely romantic that it blows the rest of them out of the water. The relationship between Calvin and Belle was so great in its simplicity that I am hard pressed to find another Historical Romance couple that I like better.

"I owe all of my musculature to the drudgery of endlessly catching those who swoon into my arms."
- Calvin


👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Calvin and Belle: Trapped during a blizzard, Calvin and Belle are thrown together by circumstance and mutual need. Their relationship starts off as a work partnership and that was the part that I totally loved because it mirrors my own idea of romance so closely. Working together in comfortable, companionable silence they become so aware of each other but also so secure in each others company. Reading those passages were so nice and different from so many other Historical Romance romances.

Understated: Related to Calvin and Belle's relationship, the understated, quiet quality of their romance and, in effect, the entire book, was so wonderful. Usually Historical Romance is so over the top, so full of big words and grand gestures. Here were have two people who grow to love each other without all that extra-ness. I really, really loved that.

Ease: There was such an ease to this book. It was short and easy to get through, there was not much need to think overly hard about anything, but sometimes that is exactly what you need and that feeling went so well with the rest of the story.

Cute story with two people with who have interesting talents that mesh when they meet. The trouble comes when one pretends to be someone she is not. Wonderful chemistry with a well developed plot. Look for attraction and romance and finally a very nice HEA. A hard to put down story.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A quick, witty Winter warming with an interesting look at defined gender roles of times gone by and the men and women who liked to press them. I always find myself smiling stupidly when I read stories featuring big brothers who get more than a bit uptight about their little sisters, and whilst this isn't a major theme in this story, it did its job.
I absolutely loved the tailoring aspect of this story,especially how it tied in to the arc in the end. Very little drama, lovely pace to the story and perfect for a winter evening.

Lady Isabelle and Calvin McAlistair are both stuck at the same posting inn on their way to Cressmouth

To protect her honor Lady Isabelle has to lie about who she is.

Calvin is a anti-social tailor with pride

DAWN WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley is a sweet and simple romance with not many big dramatic moments. I will sure read the rest of the series

I received an eARC from Erica Ridley and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Erica Ridley’s Dawn with a Duke is a delightful holiday historical romance. It is part of Ridley’s 12 Dukes of Christmas series but works nicely as a stand alone.

Lady Isabelle is on her way to her Duke Brother’s Yuletide party when her maid (and bestie) falls very ill with influenza. There is also some very heavy snow to take into account. They stop at a posting-house in so Ursula has time to recover. Belle has always been under a lot of pressure from her Mother, so she is naturally quite paranoid of the scandal that will follow staying at an Inn unchaperoned. She decides to sign in as a widow, Mrs. Lepine.

Calvin McAlistair is a brilliant tailor who has also become snowbound at the same posting-house. He is hard at work at his next project and doesn’t have room for distractions...like sharing a meal with a lovely Mrs Lepine or helping her with the buttons on her gown.

I love a Christmas 🎄 story and Erica Ridley never disappoints. This is such a fun, whimsical tale. I love both characters and the situations they find themselves in... whether it is Belle seeking a maid at the crazy busy posting Inn or the companionable duo at work. Belle is so funny and a talented artist. Calvin is delectable.

I’m now dreaming of holiday snow and cuddling up with a blanket before the fire.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This installment of the Series is a delightful and charming tale. The story is quite original in that our hero is not the rich and powerful aristocrat or the brooding, damaged recluse but an actual ordinary (but talented) man! There is some angst, but it isn't overdone. An enjoyable, easy read.

Dawn with a Duke by Erica Ridley is the 9th book in the series Dukes of Christmas. This is a series where each book can stand alone, but the local and some of the people are links between the books. Most of them take place totally in the town of Cressmouth (aka Christmas).

Lady Isabelle is traveling with her maid/companion to spend time with a friend and to enjoy Christmas with her brother. However, the weather is getting a bit nasty and her maid is turning every color of white and obviously unable to stop puking. Isabelle stops at the nearest inn and finds accommodations - not that they are fit for a Lady, but since she is concerned about her reputation, she claims to be a widow, Mrs Lepine. It is here that she meets Calvin McAlistair.


Calvin McAlistair is hiding out in the inn working madly on finishing up his vision for a ready wear men’s collection. He is finishing up while waiting for the storm to stop and the roads to be open. He knows this is his opportunity to move forward and is not interested in anything else, until Mrs. Lepine - needs her buttons undone - since her maid is so ill.

Another fun start to an Erica Ridley book - buttons. The characters are fun. Lady Isabelle lies about her status and name just added to the drama. I enj0yed reading Dawn with a Duke by Erica Ridley.

This book was exactly as expected. A fun, lighthearted, short, romantic romp. If you're looking for a pleasant way to zone out for a few hours and forget all of the terrible things happening in the world, here's your book!


Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas is a fun little series set in a charming Christmas village. It is a little bit deliberately "on the nose" in the best way. I enjoyed the characters in this story. Calvin especially is *french kiss sound* fantastic!