I read all of Erica Ridley's books, and I always enjoy them, even if they don't often wow me. One Night with a Duke was another pleasant historical holiday read from Erica Ridley with some really great features that will stand out to readers.

I adored the fact that we got a Black female MC in a historical romance. I read a lot of historical romance, and to find diversity there, especially in European romances, is exceedingly rare. POC existed, of course, during that time period in Europe, and they deserve to be included in historical romance. I was so, so pleased to see the cover of this book, and I couldn't wait to get started.

The story is sweet and has a ton of Christmas spirit, just like I was expecting from this series. I think it's a bit better if you've read Dawn with a Duke prior to reading this one, since the stories are intertwined, but it isn't necessary.

I enjoyed the female MC, Angelica, a ton. She is a strong, talented jeweler who has worked hard her entire life to prove herself. I really enjoyed her, even though I thought some of the details of her life and past were slightly underdeveloped (not that surprising for a novella).

The male MC, Jonathan, on the other hand wasn't quite my cup of tea. He seemed a bit... manic, and he came across as a kind of a lot. I thought his boisterous personality was overwhelming, and I found him to be edging towards annoying rather than charming. I also didn't love his instalove with Angelica. I prefer my romances to be more slow burn in general, though I know that's harder for a novella. His backstory was interesting as it evolved, but I also think it could have used more fleshing out.

One Night with a Duke is a sweet, easy to read romance that will please Erica Ridley fans. I loved the diversity, and I hope Erica Ridley continues to use more non-white characters in her romances.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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Well... I just loved this story! Angelica is the heroine and has worked for everything she has. She is set on accomplishing her goals with no distractions. Hmmm enter distraction in the form of Jonathan, the Scot. He so fun and confident, he slowly wins her (and himself) over to love. Fabulous story! I agree with other reviewers--I am black and learned so much about race in the time period in England. I loved that this was a positive book and so refreshing, especially in comparison to what's going on in the "real" world. 5 stars to the author for bringing us this joyful and romantic story! It made me happy!!!!

#12 Dukes #NetGalley. A sweet romance begins during the holidays when a handsome drifter Jonathan MacLean looking for adventure meets a lovely small town jeweler Angelica Parker. They both experience sparks but they are each organizing projects of a lifetime. When a blizzard traps him in a tiny mountain top village. They must over come issues of home, community, and love during this special holiday time. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. I received an ARC for my honest review.

This is a sweet romance (no heart pounding steam here!) and I really enjoyed it. A true palate cleanser.

I loved Angelica, a Black shop owner who has her goals prioritized. Jonathan, a Scottish rich traveler walks into her shop. Jonathan has abandonment issues and likes to hop from place to place. Angelica is worried about her life’s work and wants to be successful.

All in all, a very short sweet romance with no real steam (all the clothes stay on in this one, folks!) which I didn’t expect after reading the last Duke book by Ridley, but I really enjoyed it. Love a Christmas story and I will read the next in the series!

This book was wonderful! At first, as the character of Jonathan MacLean was developing at the outset of the novel, I wanted him to have adopted the form of the quintessential hero. And I was hoping for the typical hero-heroine romance found in books with the typical male hero. However, as I became acquainted with Jonathan, and seeing the interaction as well as lovely romance between Jonathan and Angelica build, I was drawn in. Angelica is a wonderful, well-matched character to that of Jonathan's, and Jonathan is fun. He is having the time of his life in many ways, and we, as readers, can do so with him. I loved the story and the two characters together. Well done!! :)

Erica Ridley continues to bring romance that readers love! Angelica and Jonathan bring romance to the small town of Christmas. This story is a lovely book that readers won't want to put down. I cannot wait for the next book.

Jonathan MacLean never stays long or visits the same place twice. He loves the new and adventurous, in fact, he loves absolutely everything, except Christmas. When a snowstorm blows in and strands him in Cressmouth just a few days before Christmas he decides to make the best of it and meet everyone in town. Angelica Parker has spent the last 7 years in Cressmouth building her jewelry business. She's not interested in a husband or a romantic entanglement of any kind really, until Jonathan.

I really enjoyed One Night with a Duke. I loved that Jonathan was charming and happy-go-lucky and that Angelica was the one that was more withdrawn. It's a perfect quick holiday read, it has great characters, and while you could read it as a standalone, It's much better if you've read Dawn with a Duke since Jonathan and Calvin are business partners. One Night with a Duke makes me long for snow, hot chocolate, and all that's Christmas (which is saying a lot since I don't even like snow). Definitely recommend for a super sweet, quick escape.

Another interesting, charming romance in this series. I love that this one includes a black heroine. The characters are multilayered; Jonathon is a mystery, until his story unfolds and Angelica has a lot to prove, together they complete each other, but it takes a while for their eyes are opened to all the possibilities.

Another sweet installment in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley.

Jonathan MacLean is a gregarious philanthropist, a wanderer. He doesn't have a home and he likes it that way. The world is his playground and strangers become friends - if only for a moment. He lives for traveling and adventure, but won't put down roots. Jonathan is a very sweet, kind, very beta hero.

Angelica Parker is driven and passionate about her work as a skilled artisan. She's somewhat reclusive and has had to prove herself as a woman and a woman of color.

One of the most interesting things about this book was introducing the Black community to early 1800s England. I found this a fascinating part of the read and very well done.

This is a novella, not much in the way of a plot, more character driven. There were no villains or any real conflicts. This was an easy read and a nice holiday treat. There were two kisses, nothing very steamy.

This book ties directly into, and occurs at the same time, as the previous book, Dawn with a Duke, and I think it would serve the reader well to read both books together.

Thank you NetGalley for a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was so good! I loved Jonathon and Angelica so much! Jonathon is just a beautiful person and him and Angelica were just perfect together. The fact that Angelica is a black woman and owns her own jewelry business in that time is just amazing. She is so driven and determined and I loved that about her.

Action packed, emotionally thrilling and engaging journey filled with interesting and engaging charters, witty banter, heart racing twist and undeniable passion. Highly entertaining reading from beginning to end.

The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a series of heartwarming Regency romps nestled in a picturesque snow-covered village. Twelve delightful romances… and plenty of delicious dukes!
This is the latest bok of the series.. The story is filled with love and makes for a good story.

Another lovely Christmas story from Erica Ridley. I adore how she brings the characters to live in a relatively short book. I found Johnathan interesting and annoying at the same time, which made him more real then many other book heroes. I could imagine what it would be to meet him and be swept up in his elated chatter and his quests to find adventure in the smallest things. The intertwining of slaves and slave trade into this joyous Christmas novel was well handled, as it made a point without weighing down the cheerful proposition of the book.

One Night with a Duke by Erica Ridley is book 109 of the 12 Dukes of Christmas Series. A regency romance set at Christmastime is always a fun read. A man and woman meet at an inn during a blizzard and their interaction is filled with warmth and charm. The characters are relatable and well developed. The storyline is engaging.
This the third book I have read in this series, I will read the others, but they can be read as standalone novels. You will want to read them!

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Fun regency romance featuring a interracial couple.
Lots of playful banter and interactions of the characters in this story.
I was surprised to hear this was part of a series. It can definitely be read as a stand alone

As a longtime reader of Regency-era fiction, I have been aware of Erica Ridley's books for many years, but this is the first one I've ever read. Something about the cover and premise was intriguing to me in a way that the others had not caught my attention previously. To be fair, I think I've only ever glanced at covers and titles. Although the eyeroll-inducing title of this book put me immediately in mind of a zero-merit bodice-ripper novel, it surprisingly is not one of those at all; it's actually a clean read, and now I get the joke I believe the title was intended to be. As an offering on NetGalley, I was prompted to take a closer look at the premise for a change. I was very pleasantly surprised by this story. While it certainly has its more lighthearted and cozy moments as a tale set in a snowy Christmas village, there's an unexpected depth to it as well in the multi-faceted protagonists. I loved the lavish generosity of the hero and the quiet reserve of the heroine and admired their perseverance to succeed in their professional pursuits, despite—or perhaps because of—the challenges they have faced. It was refreshing to read a role reversal in this genre, and to see a relationship that is not one-sided. In many ways, they save each other by sharing their unique perspectives, but in the end I think she saves him far more than he saves her. It was a heartwarming tale about honest communication, having a willingness to learn and share, and how to love people just as they are.

Cressmont Village - December 1814

Mr. Jonathan MacLean has arrived in Cressmont to meet with the Duke of Nottingvale at Marlowe Castle. His partner, Calvin, is to meet him here for the meeting. Calvin is a talented tailor and has created an affordable line of men’s clothes called Fit for a Duke. Jonathan backs him with the money and Calvin sews the clothes.

Jonathan is impressed by the pretty village and all of the snow so he decides to take a walk around the town. He enters a shop and is struck by the pretty black woman working in there. Her name is Miss Angelica Parker. She is a jeweler and he is impressed by the nice pieces she has created. He chats with her saying he will buy everything, but she thinks he is being silly. A woman from the town comes in saying that this year a tree will be brought inside the Castle and they need some extravagant decorations for it. Therefore, she needs Angelica to make some large ornaments.

Jonathan soon learns that a large snowstorm has hit the surrounding area which means people invited to the Duke’s Yuletide Party will not be able to arrive for some days yet so the party will be held when they get there.

Usually, I like this author’s books but this one left me shaking my head. Jonathan comes across as a rich guy who throws his money around in what appears to be a way to make friends. He walks into a jewelry store and immediately falls in love. The town has a castle that gives out free food to everyone. There are just so many things here that made me wonder if this is supposed to be a fantasy story. Sorry. I just did not care for the plot.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a sweet story. It is pretty clean as well, if that is your thing. It is nice to have a heroine who is Black and it is a real part of her life experience, rather than just thrown in as a detail to make her seem "exotic" or to give a nod to non-white readers of historical romances. In fact, you might even learn a couple of things about slavery in England. I loved that the heroine had a complicated relationship with her family and that it stood in contract to hero's non-existent family. I thought I would find the hero's "let the good times roll" life philosophy annoying, but he actually IS charming. It turns out he just needed to find the right place to slow down and become a part of a community and a family to see what he had been missing out on. It is a sweet read, for Christmas or any time.

One Night with a Duke is a sweet, sweet historical romance between a bah humbug Scot salesman and a budding jeweler.

We are back, once again in the town of Cressmouth where it's Christmas all year long. Mr. Jonathan MacLean is a happy-go-lucky philanthropist/entrepreneur that is always on the go. He loves adventure and is a constant delight wherever he goes. His motto is never to go to the same place twice. On his way to meet with the Duke and hopefully his newest business investor he suddenly gets trapped in his version of holiday hell. He's always hated to Christmas holiday and has taken measures to avoid it every year. But as he makes the best out of a bad situation he finds a woman and her holiday town might just be the best adventure he's ever discovered.

Angelica Parker has worked hard to become the best jeweler around. She has a contract with the town that she must stay in Cressmouth for 7 years. If she stays for the entirety of the contract, she will have her own shop and all the profits at the end. Angelica recognizes the unique position she is in. As a black woman and business owner, she is no stranger to work and sacrifice but knows just how lucky and special her position is in Cressmouth. She has had to sacrifice any time off and seeing her precious family back in London for the opportunity of a lifetime. As she is nearing the end of her contract, she has no time for dashing Scottish men with intriguing stories, strong hands, and the ability to see her just as she is... well, maybe just a little time.

Angelica and Jonathan have such a cute and sweet story. I love the abolition/abolitionist angle of the story and how Angelica came to have her own jewelry store. Jonathan's bah! humbug! Scrooge attitude is always a fun troupe for me. He was such an outgoing character but to have that dichotomy of being a grump about Christmas as well as why he came to be that way gave his character some intrigue.

The romance/relationship discovery was the strong main focus of this story and it was not sweet. There was no deflowering of virgin's or my one chance sort of thing happening here. Just a boy falling hopelessly for a girl and bungling asking for her hand a few times.

For a cute and sweet holiday romance definitely try One Night with a Duke. Erica Ridley is always the answer for a sweet historical romance craving.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This is #10 in this delightful series set in the lovely little village of Cressmouth also known as Christmas. I think this is one of my favourites. The characters were, as usual, written with warmth and humour but also with a depth of feeling. The fact that the heroine was black made it just that more special. Their relationship developed beautifully and what made this book even more special for me was that the heroine was not going to have sex before marriage and they were able to have a beautiful and meaningful relationship without having to rush off to bed. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.