The last book in Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series is about the Duke of Nottingvale. Eventually! I've been waiting for his story ever since the series started.

The Duke of Nottingvale needs to use is annual Christmas house party in Chressmouth to go bride hunting. He needs to find a wife as respectable as he himself is, especially after his sister fell in love with a tailor. But whom to choose out of all the debutantes in his ballroom.

Cynthia Louise has been on the shelf for years, she doesn't mind that status at all. She's accompanying her younger cousin Gertrude to Cressmouth. Cynthia Louise knows her to be perfect for the Duke of Nottingvale. To avoid facing her own feelings for the Duke and to be able to put her cousin into pole position, Cynthia Louise offers to help the Duke of Nottingvale choosing a bride.

This is the perfect book to end this series with. We see a few of the couples from the series again and find out what happened to them after their story reached the last page.

Alexander, Duke of Nottingvale, has an obligation to choose a proper young lady as his bride. To that end, he holds a Christmas house party. But all the debutantes seem the same to him—perfect and colorless in their white dresses. The only woman who catches his eye is a thirty-year-old spinster acting as chaperone for her cousin.

No one would accuse Cynthia Louise Finch of being a proper young lady. Not anymore. After six failed seasons, she's done with the constrictions of high society. She's the life of the party, doing as she pleases, spreading fun wherever she goes.

Of all the assembled ladies, she's the worst possible choice as the next Duchess of Nottingvale. But she's the only woman Alexander has ever wanted.

This charming, witty holiday novel is a fitting end to the TWELVE DUKES OF CHRISTMAS series. It's sweet and heart-warming with wonderful characters. There are cameos by a few of the characters from previous books in the series, but the series can be read in any order. If you're looking for a light, fun romance this holiday season, this book is a good choice.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

Forever Your Duke
Book 12 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas
Rating: 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

We've finally reached the final book of this wonderful series and I will say that it closed with a hit!
Forever Your Duke was very good and had many wonderful scenes between two people who never imagined to find their HEA with each other. Cynthia Louise and Nottingvale were such complete opposites that seemed to complement each other very well. She was the adventure and fun he was missing in his life. In the end he brought her a sense of finally belonging somewhere.

I highly recommend this entire series that takes place in a small town, with their own castle, who celebrate Christmas with so much joy!

At first I thought that Forever Your Duke, was going to be a play of of Cinderella. Not too disappointed. I liked Cynthia's backbone and since if adventure. She's just what Alexander needs,

Erica Ridley's stories are always so much fun to read and this one is no exception. I also think Cynthia Louise is now my favourite heroine:) What a delight she is, caring not what the ton thinks of her and doing what pleases her and makes her happy. Her least favourite thing is following rules!

The Duke of Nottingvale is the absolute opposite, rules are to be followed and doing what is expected of him is at the forefront. Now he is looking for the perfect lady to become his Duchess.....certainly no one like Cynthia Louise!! I adored their interactions with each other.

Very well written and a perfect ending to the 12 Dukes of Christmas series.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Forever Your Duke is a fast paced romantic romp that takes place at a castle in the wintry English countryside. The duke has invited a number of lovely young women and their chaperones to a couple weeks of social interaction as he looks for a bride, and the women eagerly wait to see who will be chosen to be the lucky wife of the duke. However, the duke is smitten by the self-identified spinster, Cynthia Louise, an indubitable and entertaining woman of 30 with many talents, Cynthia Louise is daunted by nothing and no one, and she takes the duke on a wild skiing adventure down a steep and dangerous hill only to find, at the bottom, an arrow embedded in her shoulder by a young archer. Cynthia Louise is witty and funny, and she too falls in love with the duke. This romance is an easy read, entertaining, and well written. Recommended for readers who respond to romantic adventure.

I've read multiple of the books in this series and have enjoyed every one. Based in Cresswell, a village that takes Christmas very seriously (I want to live there), this is the finale that features Vale, the Duke, and Cynthia Louise, a well bred but by all accounts and purposes, undesirable woman. She's fun, she's a rascal and she's, well, the opposite of what the Duke wants, but exactly what the Duke needs.

I loved watching their relationship grow, although the growth happens during a 2 week party (one that was discussed in all the prior books) where the Duke is supposed to find his bride (talk about The Bachelor- Regency version). I loved how she opened him up and how he fought and then loved the changes to his life. Everything was so fast moving and so so fun and I will miss this village. Hopefully, we come back and visit soon! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early read.

I am sad to see this series come to an end. But this last book is a good one. The duke is having his annual Christmas party. But this time he is looking for a bride. At the end of his party he will announce his selection. The debutantes flock to the party in hopes of a title. Cynthia is on the shelf but she has brought her young cousin to the party. Cynthia has given up on rules but she has fun. I want to be like Cynthia!! I enjoyed this book!

I LOVED this book! It was literally the sweetest Emma-esque story but with a bit more kissing! ha

I was completely drawn into the story line and the main characters are so lovable! This is not a steamy romance full of sexy moments of unbridled passion, it is more of a slightly more inappropriate Jane Austen type story.

Honestly, it was just a fun and precious read and I suggest anyone who is not really into the scandalous romps in the hay but prefers the slow build of stolen kisses to snag this one!

I can’t believe we are the end of the 12 Dukes of Christmas. I think Erica was holding out on us and saved the best for last. I cannot tell you how much I loved Alexander and Cynthia Louise. They are polar opposites but each bring out the best of the other. While you might think that Cynthia Louise changed Alexander and she stayed the same, oh no my friends. It was a double changing (yeah, just made up that wording). He’s stuffy and she’s a hoyden. But why is she a hoyden? She needed the right person to come along and each teach the other the meeting in the middle is the way to love.

I have loved the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. Forever Your Duke is a great ending! The Duke/Alexander is a bit proper and Cynthia is just what he needs. She challenges his beliefs and the ‘correct’ life he has lived and continues to live. Cynthia gave up on love a long time ago, but befriends the duke anyway. And, Alexander finally learns to have fun.

I have loved the Cressmouth community, the villagers, the visitors, the pets, the permanent Christmas feeling and the romances of such different people. And, have looked forward to each book. Sorry to see it end!

An enjoyable final novel in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series, bringing together a spinster who breaks the rules with a duke who always follows the rules. Both have discreetly thought of the other over the past years, but they were opposites when it came to the rules of propriety. Cynthia Louise is well known by many, but not many know who she really is. She is helping her cousin to secure the duke before her uncle forces her cousin to a horrible marriage. Cynthia Louise did not expect her own feelings to interfere with her matchmaking. Alexander, duke of Nottingvale, knows everything is on him to choose an impeccable bride for his duchess. He cannot help but admire Cynthia Louise and begins to experience adventures with her, but he cannot shirk in his duties, as he is often reminded of as well as Cynthia Louise's reputation. But one cannot control the heart's desires. Alexander has to choose between duty and love, and can both accept who the other is?
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A really fun and endearing conclusion to a great series. I enjoyed the relationships with various characters from the series, and thought the bond between Cynthia Louise and her cousin was lovely. Great romance.

A beautiful romantic story with characters you'll love! This is a clean story focused on the romance, set in cressmouth, and you also get to hear snipits of characters from the other books in the series, so if you've read them all, as I have, you'll appreciate this, but if you haven't, you won't feel as though you're missing anything. This series are all written as stand alone novellas, but there are some characters who pop up in other books which also ties it together nicely. This is a nice romantic read for if you have a spare hour or 2, though be warned, it will make you want to read the rest in the series

Will her inadequacy sentence any relationship between them to failure ...

I have followed this series from the very beginning and each new addition had been like adding a new gem to a jewel. I thought It could not get any better and each time I was wrong.

I just adored Cynthia Louise, she is outrageous and making it her duty to thwart society’s rules and enjoy her life at best as she can.
After years of abiding to the ton’s dictates and being shunned because she didn’t fit, she decides that if she would be snubbed, it might be because of improper behaviors. Why she is walking the thin thread between suitable and extravagant.
Nottingvale is her right opposite, always following the rules, observing the right demeanor. But in doing so for so long, he does not know any more who he really is.
And while Nottingvale is not any more shocked by Cynthia Louise many adventures, he still feels she is the worst prospect he could envisage all the while envying her freedom and her lack of regard on what everyone might think about her.
Why both believe they must avoid one another as they are the most unsuitable couple possible for the seeking-a-scandal-free-bride Duke and the daring spinster.

While this last in the series can be read as a standalone, do not miss the other books in the series. It is a series full of humor, witty banters and silly games, and this one is full of everything and even more.
Thus the 5 stars.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 : hot kissing scenes

I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

I have looked forward to the Duke of Nottingvales story and dreaded it at the same time. This is the last of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. All were wonderful and I looked forward to reading them all.
The Duke of Nottingvale follows the rules of society to the letter. He is perfect in the eyes of the ton.
Handsome, wealthy, never steps out of order and no scandals in the family. He has been the Duke since he was 17 and learned to follow the rules so he did not mess anything up. He has no time for fun, love or being anything other than the Duke and doing what is expected. He is thirty now and needs a wife and an heir. In order to do get this done. He has let it known that at his Christmas House Party held every year in Cressmouth he will pick a bride. All the eligible young debutantes were going to be there. They are the best of the best. Young, Aristocratic Ladies with honor and decorum. Except they are all same they dress alike, talk alike, and all have had the same lessons. He could close his eyes and pick one and she would make a perfect Duchess.
Miss Cynthia Louise Finch is a spinster and hoyden. She was a perfect Lady till after six failed season she gave up on following the rules. If she was going to whisper about it would be to her face and not behind her back. She does what she wants and goes where she wants.
She is at his house acting as the chaperone to her cousin Lady Gertrude. Who she is hoping to be The Dukes choice?
This is a wonderful story with many things going on. There are lessons to learn, hearts to break and mend. Family and expectations to break or keep. What is happiness and when is duty too much.
I hope you get a copy, pour a cup of coffee and settle in for a wonderful read. You will not want to
put the book down till finished.
I received and ARC from the author and want to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am voluntarily giving it.

This wonderful Christmas house party romance is a delight in contrast: Cynthia Louise, a "spinster" at the age of 30, has volunteered to help her niece, Gertrude, capture Alexander, the Duke of Nottingvale. Gertrude, while a dutiful, perfect picture of a lady, has no desire to marry.
Opposites definitely attract, and Cynthia, who delights in her ability to flout convention, unwittingly captures Alexander's attention, and the race is on. Can these two find happiness? Is there a compromise that can make everyone happy between Alexander'sdedication to his ducal responsibilities and Cynthia's freedom and determination to see Gertrude wed?
Enjoy the laughs, the wit, and the romance and read this delightful romp through the holidays to see what happens and find out who gets their happily-ever-after!

Perfectly charming Regency romance. The escapist tonic we all need right now. Feisty heroines and a hunky hero and a small puppy called Max. Erica Ridley provides delightful escapist fun. Thanks to her and Netgalley for a lovely afternoon's read.

I love this series. It is cheesy. It is sappy. It is on the nose. It is adorable. This whole series is like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Nottingvale's Christmastide house party has been a running event through the whole series. I've been anxiously awaiting his story. Here it is at last!

Cynthia Louise is my favorite heroine in this whole series, and that is saying quite a bit because every one of these heroines are lovely. They are all strong and independent. Cynthia Louise is perhaps the strongest and most independent. She knows herself, and is firmly herself. I adore her. 

The Duke of Nottingvale is everything he should be. He is living by all the rules and being perfectly respectable. Of course, he needs a bit of a hoyden in his life. ;) 

The Christmas village setting is perfect for this story. This book has me all in my Christmas mood! I love it. If you are looking for a good Christmas story, grab this one. Get this whole series! These books are a good short read, you do not need to read them all in order. (I haven't!)

The anticipated day arrived - the last book in the village of Christmas series landed on my kindle. It lived up to all expectations and made a funny and romantic climax to the series of 12 books. Don’t delay - read it - and the previous 11 books if you’ve not already done so.