I love Darcy Burke's books, but this one, not so much. I thought the descriptive mention of X being a white lady, and X being a black lady was a bit tasteless. It took away some of the enjoyment for me. Besides that, it was a sexy, sweet, and entertaining book.

These are a perfect regency romance books that are short quick reads. However don't let that fool you they are packed with wit, charm, great banter and characters you will love. This is the first in a series and I am here for every one of them! This is a five star read!!!
I just reviewed Yule Be My Duke by Darcy Burke. #YuleBeMyDuke #NetGalley
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A playful enemies to lovers historical romance. I loved how they hated to love each other and the schemes that got the MCs where they wanted to be. I enjoyed this novella - perfect to curl up with on a cold afternoon with a hot cup of tea.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions are mine alone.

The Menace and the Shrew seem the least likely pair to make a match. At least they think so. An arrangement between their parents looks like they will force the issue, until the hunt for a Yule log, lost in the woods, a snowstorm and an empty cottage change the direction of their feelings for each other. Enemies to lovers with humor. Descriptive open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I love Burke's stories and she creates characters that are multi-faceted and always has good banter especially for enemies to lovers stories

Eeeek, they are so cute! Such a shame that this is only a novella, as they deserve a slow-burn, full length novel 🥺 My only complaint is that they went from enemies to lovers a little bit too quickly...
I'm also very glad to find out I have an entire series following this prequel ready for me to dive into!

Historical Romance AND Christmas?! Two of my favorite things! This was a cute, quick read to devour during the Christmas season.

This was an entertaining holiday romance. The Menace, Cosford, and the Shrew, Cecelia Bromwell, as they call each other after the incidents of five years ago, arrive at a house party where they quickly realize that their parents are working on matching them. While neither of them intends to match, they are forced into a situation where they realize that they suit much more than they ever would have imagined. With witty banter and clever lines, these two make for an enjoyable romance.

A spicy enemy to lover romance! Great quick read for the holidays as you follow these, somewhat silly, young people on their adventure.

I like it but in the first 2 chapters there were descriptions regarding people's color skin that weren't really necessary, in my opinion. It's such a shame because I have enjoyed your way of writing before and somehow that really annoyed me. It's one of the reasons this story is not a 4 stars.
Beyond that, I really like both main characters and I can't wait to read the rest of the saga.

A Christmas historical romance? I’m in! I really enjoyed this story, I read it in one sitting. If thoroughly recommend it during the festive period!

Yule be my Duke by Darcy Burke is a fast paced Christmas Novella with spice.

I jumped at the opportunity to read this novella, as it falls within one of my favourite genres.

What I loved about the books is that it is a quick and cozy read, perfect for a winter's night. I appreciated the historical accuracy in terms of customs, dress and speech. It is an easy read and really gets one in a festive mood.

Unfortunately, the characters were lacking (for me) in personality. I understand that the characters are young of age (early twenties), but their quarrel with each other was a bit juvenile. I just couldn't take their loathing of each other seriously. It would be interesting to see if their personalities evolve in a full length novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

What a ride!

Too often we assume a rake is in total control at all times, with all ladies. We forget there is always that one...THE ONE...that can turn them into blathering idiots. Their brains turn off and crazy takes over. That is where we find John Rowley, the Earl of Cosford making a mess of things for Miss Cecelia ______. Each of their encounters ends in some mishap. This leads to a dislike of the other for our hero and heroine.

Being thrown together at a holiday hose party has them having to find a way to tolerate and handle each other. Cecelia has a plan....but mishaps do follow these two.

This was a fantastic story of two people finally actually communicating and taking the time to get to know one another. It is a whirlwind of chatting and collaberating for them both. It was a chance for them to put aside their assumptions and get to the heart of each other.

The secondary characters are fun and add so interesting moments. Cecelia's father had me grinning and chuckling. Cecelia's friends bring their own flavor of humor and thoughts of mischief. This is an incredibly fun house party.

Thank you Ms. Burke for a lovely and fun filled afternoon.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this story and all opinions are my own.

Yule Be My Duke by Darcy Burke is the prequel to her Matchmaking Chronicles Series and oh how good it was!

Cecilia Bromwell and John Rowley met before, but it wasn't a really pleasant meeting five years ago... now they meet again at a Yuletide house party and her mother has certain plans for Cecilia... but a snow storm and a Yule log hunt combined could turn two enemies into... well, well... Read the story to find out more. 😉

I've never read anything by Darcy Burke yet and this beautiful book cover got my attention instantly when I saw it.
One of my favourite tropes is Enemies-to-lovers. How could I resist here?!
Cecilia and John don't like each other... but I felt there's something between them right when they met again!
I devoured this prequel because I really liked the attraction between the main characters. Add a snow storm and only one bed and there you've got it.
CHEMISTRY AND STEAMY MOMENTS!
A great read that made curious for more!

Thanks a lot to Darcy Burke and Zealous Quill Press for this ARC via NetGalley.
This is my honest review in my own words.
My apologies for the delay.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this novella and this is my freely given opinion.

This was a fun, adorable enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Christmas themed love story that was a prequel story to the Matchmaking Chronicles series.

Cecilia met John, the Earl of Cosford, 5 years prior when they were silly teenagers at a house party with their friends. Unfortunately John perpetrated a prank aimed at his friends that unfortunately caught Cecilia and her friend in it's midst. In a series of tit for tat and mishaps, each subsequent meeting lead to more destroyed dresses on Cecilia's part and a mutual loathing.

Unfortunately in December 1786, Cecilia is once again at Broadheath for a house party with her married friends, and her mother. However, it is obvious there are marital manipulations at play with their parents attempting to match Cecilia with the only other single person at the party, John. Cecilia plots a scheme to prove they are not a good match and to embarrass John, which backfires and leads to them being stuck in a remote cottage during a snowstorm, leading to their compromise.

But the forced time together leads also to their learning more about each other and a fast development of a mutual attraction and attachment.

This was a fun fast paced romance with some fun steam and a bit of comedy that was quite fun to read.

4.25 stars out of 5

Ok, at first I thought this was an overdone enemies-to-lovers holiday novella but I was wrong.
Cecilia feels exceedingly childish prior to the snowstorm so I was iffy but she gets better.

It is a holiday novella so it moves quickly, however I enjoyed the close proximity trope and seeing John and Cecilia get to know each other and come close. It's a quick and cozy, low angst novella, perfect for an evening in front of the fire.

“Yule Be My Duke” by Darcy Burke was a fun read. The couple in question is John Rowley, Earl of Cosford and Miss Cecilia Bromwell who met well before the current house party with confrontations leading each to nickname the other. Cecilia thereafter called the Earl, and heir to a dukedom, the Menace while he referred to Cecilia as a Shrew. Their pranks were not well received and still foremost in their minds. They wanted nothing to do with each other during the current house party. However, their parents are promoting and arranging a match between the Menace and the Shrew. John and Cecilia are teamed up to hunt for the largest Yule log. A snowstorm forces them to shelter in a small cabin somewhere in the woods. This forced proximity changed the course of their lives. They talked, they touched, they kissed and at each level they realized they wanted more. Cecilia was not shy, she was forthcoming with her wants, surprising and pleasing John. They both knew they were compromised and marriage was inevitable, but that inevitability was now welcome. The story was an easy, fast paced read. The two main characters seemed a bit childish at first but they matured as their relationship progressed and they embraced their compatibility. Once they crossed the lined into a sexual relationship there was no turning back. This was definitely a light Christmas read with no nefarious plots to unveil or buried secrets to uncover. There was no antagonist to thwart the progression of the couple’s relationship. There was only John and Cecilia coming to terms and deciding their future. I do recommend this for Regency romance lovers who want a fast read with plenty of spice to keep it going to the end. I was given this book by NetGallery, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very cute enjoyable Christmasy novella I actually don’t knoe what to complain about since it was a novella

DNF at 33%

I love a good historical romance set at Christmas, especially one set at a house party with a snowed in element. However, these characters were so immensely immature and there was so little Christmas in this book that I just couldn't bring myself to continue beyond the 33% mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zealous Quill Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book. My review is honest and based on my personal opinions. I want to preface my review by saying that this book was not for me, and I did DNF it at 34%.

Although I am an avid reader of historical romance, the characters in this novella were too immature for my taste. Despite being for an adult audience, the characters just seemed childish to me. It seems like it is meant to be enemies to lovers, but the reason they dislike each other is based solely on pranks and misunderstanding to the point where they refer to each other as “the Menace” and “the Shrew”.

I also don’t really feel like you get any sense of the characters in the first third of the book outside of their dislike for each other.

Although this book did not resonate with me, it might appeal to those looking for a light Christmas read, especially those who like stories based around pranks, practical jokes, or general silliness.