ARC REVIEW Kiss of a Duke by Erica Ridley

12 Dukes of Christmas #2, Back in Cressmouth, also known as Christmas, the perpetually snow covered mountain town lives Penelope Mitchell a lady chemist, and natural philosopher. Her latest claim to fame is the perfume that took the ton by storm, Duke. She didn't do it for the money she just wanted to prove to the men of the Natural Philosophers Society that she, a woman, deserved admittance. But as soon as Beau Brummel told the Prince Regent about it every man has gone out and bought a bottle.

Not everyone was happy about it though, Nicholas Pringle the heir presumptive for his cousin Duke Silkridge, thinks the perfume is cheating; it's an unfair advantage to men who don't normally possess that kind of charm. Nick, who was dubbed St. Nick ironically because he is anything but a saint, is shocked and pleased when he finds out the creator of Duke is a woman and decides he can seduce her and get her to stop production of Duke. But Penelope is not what he expected and she seems immune to his charms but for some reason he can't stay away from her.

Penelope had already decided to create Duchess the female equivalent to Duke and give women the same chance. Now she just needs to test it and what better way to test it than on a notorious rake. But the more time Penelope spends with him the more she likes him, he is so much more than the man the world sees he has hidden talents and is a much better man than he lets on. Now she starts feeling guilty and ashamed because she thinks her perfume seduced him but she's also scared that telling him the truth will break her heart.

Overall, I really liked this one. Nick is a rake but as soon as he sets eyes on Penelope that's it for him he has eye for no one else. The people of Cressmouth are wonderfully quirky, and I can't wait for Virginia and Gloria's stories. It's not necessarily a Christmas read, it takes place after, but it could be read as one. This is a delightfully fun read and as always Erica Ridley delivers a great story with wonderful characters.      

ARC REVIEW Once Upon A Duke by Erica Ridley

The 12 Dukes of Christmas #1, A brand new series by Erica Ridley this first story is a fun Regency era retelling of The Christmas Carol. It was a quick and fun read I enjoyed all the little similarities to Christmas Carol, stuff like a pygmy goat named Tiny Tim.

Benjamin Ward the Duke of Silkridge returns to the place he never wanted to come back to his grandfather's home, a small village up in the mountains called Cressmouth or as the local affectionately call it Christmas. His grandfather, Marlowe, was eccentric and much loved by everyone in town but to Benjamin he was cruel and hateful. Five years ago Benjamin's grandfather took something of his and than kicked him out of the town. It no longer mattered that Benjamin fell in love there he only cared about when he could get his family heirloom back.

Noelle Pratchett was abandoned as a baby left on a doorstep. Noelle thankful for the care she received from Mr. Marlowe and the entire town she makes herself indispensable by being at their service making sure the town runs smoothly. She took over for the clerk and now practically runs the town. Now that Mr. Marlowe is dead she was bequeathed enough money that she could do whatever she wanted but she loves her little town and wouldn't dream of leaving Christmas. Noelle never planned to fall in love with Benjamin but then he left without saying goodbye and suddenly every other man paled in comparison to him. Now he's back, an older colder version of himself but hour by hour she sees the man he once was but try as she may not to fall back in love because he still plans on leaving Christmas again never to return she still does. Noelle can only hope his love her her is greater than his hatred for his grandfather.

Overall, this was a great read. It's a fun historical romantic Christmas comedy. The characters were all delightful and quirky. Erica Ridley's writing is as always fantastic. I can't wait to met the other dukes.   

   

ARC REVIEW Lord of Vice by Erica Ridley

Rogues to Riches #6, "The road to me is paved with gold intentions" That right finally Maxwell Gideon! and the final Grenville sibling Byrony. This can be read as a stand alone but it is a pretty great series. The whole Grenville family is gregarious, Bryony is less so, she forces it, she hates going out in society for the soul purpose of finding a husband especially since her mother has made it her mission that Bryony marry higher than an Earl by the end of the season. Grenville are known for their musical talent Byrony is a wonder on the violin but it grates on her nerves that her mother very openly complains that the violin is her only winning point to attract a man. Byrony is so much more than just a pretty smile and a violinist, she can do math sums in her head she can assess a situation and tell you the best out come, she can look at an investment and know if it will be successful or not which is how she got to be involved in being the investor for The Cloven Hoof and the deed holder for the land and the building.

Maxwell Gideon rose from almost nothing to being the most infamous game hell owner in all of London. The men that once blackballed him from their gentlemen clubs are now blackballed by him. Maxwell has dreamed of this day for forever and the only thing keeping him from finally achieving that dream fully is his investor and their unwillingness to sell Max the deed. Bryony doesn't have all the information she needs to make an informed decision about selling Max the deed, and she needs to decide whether or not she want to keep it and continue getting rent from such a prosperous property or sell it and use the money to do something else and if her mother gets her way she end up married and everything she's worked so hard for goes to her husband that's something Bryony really doesn't want. Max and Bryony met by accident she snuck into The Cloven Hoof when it was supposed to be closed and Max caught her there, not knowing who she was. Even after he kicked her out she kept coming back and proved she was helpful on several occasion. Bryony was just happy that he actually listen to her suggestions. An attachment forms but Bryony feels guilty and blurts out who she really in right before he kisses her for the first time. Max feels betrayed but reluctantly agrees that she can shadow him there at The Clover Hoof for one month then she will make her decision about whether or not to sell; one month to fall in love.

Overall, this was a wonderful end to the series. Max really is a roasted marshmallow all crispy and bitter on the outside but all soft and gooey on the inside. Once he realizes his feeling for Bryony he feels like he's not good enough for her, and that he won't be welcomed in society even after meeting her siblings and their eclectic group Max still feels like he wouldn't belong. Bryony is so giving and so willing to put others before herself. They both were great characters and fit so perfectly together. As always Erica Ridley is a great story teller and a wonderful world builder.            

ARC REVIEW Lord of Temptation by Erica Ridley

Rogues to Riches #4, I was looking forward to Hawk's book out of the friends he just seemed the most responsible and since Faith Digby was introduced and it was discovered she knew Hawk and acted like she despised him I knew they would end up together. I love second chance romance I don't think I'll ever get tired of them, but there is a secondary trope that I guess I have gotten sick of and that dragged the book down for me. Through most of the book I didn't like Faith she was very closed minded and kind of a bitch, by the end of the book I liked her a little better. Hawk I didn't like as much as I had hoped, nothing about him really stood out. Simon on the other hand made me love him even more. 

Hawk is finally getting to the point where he can finally start making money and pay off the debts that were left to him by his father and by his guardian. His mother's health is at a decline and he can barely even afford to pay for the doctor. His half brother Simon is also becoming a more stable person in his life. Simon also brings Faith back into Hawk's life. Even after all this time Hawk still loves Faith, he feels guilty for letting his Mother and advisers talk him out of marrying her. Faith isn't going to let Hawk back into her life just because he apologise. Hawk isn't going to give up on her so easily, but winning her over and trying to convince her that she dowry has nothing to do why he wants her and that he never stopped loving her is going to be difficult. Faith has a secret she's been hiding from Hawk and when it comes out both their lives life will forever change.   

Overall, not my favorite, but still a good read. I love Ridley's writing style it is always a quick read that flows easily.

Haven't read the first three books? Get them all in one fell swoop with the Rogues to Riches box set volume one.

Lord of Chance:
Anthony and Charlotte fell victim to the well known in Scotland but apparently not England law that if you announce yourself married boom you are legally married romance troupe. As tired of this troupe that I am this was cute and well executed. This has to be one of the best written books by Erica Ridley I ever read, the ending fell short for me but as a whole this story was really good.

Lord of Pleasure: 

Lord of Pleasure is book two of Erica Ridley's new series Rogues to Riches. This is another great story by Erica Ridley, the characters are likeable and the whole situation is humorous. It's a fantastic Cinderella type story. Camellia is the perfect daughter she does as she's told, she sings when they want her too and what they want her to sing, she's also the sensible one, but her parents go too far when the arrange her marriage to a much older gentleman who doesn't even have the courtesy to actually ask her, then leaves for a month. Lord Wainwright, Michael, is tired of getting his image drawn as a caricature in the paper linking him to all sorts of gossip and rakish behaviour, sometimes it's true but he's tired of being made fun of, as a joke his friends bet him he couldn't stay out of the gossip column for 40 days.

Lord of Night:

A chance meeting on the streets of St. Giles Dahlia is saving a young girl from a man with nefarious purposes and Simon comes to their aid, from that night on Simon life is different. He stops by the school and visits with the girls even helps them learn how to dance and his attraction to Dahlia grows into love. Dahlia loves Simon with all her heart but she has to many secrets from him and as much as it hurts she can not risk her girls or his job for their love. After meeting Dahlia Simon realizes there are more things to life than just being a runner even coming to terms with his half brother and becoming friends with him. Dahlia has changed his outlook on life, but will all that change after he finds out who she really is? My new favorite. I love Simon so much.

ARC REVIEW Lord of Pleasure by Erica Ridley

Lord of Pleasure is book two of Erica Ridley's new series Rogues to Riches. This is another great story by Erica Ridley, the characters are likeable and the whole situation is humorous. It's a fantastic Cinderella type story. Camellia is the perfect daughter she does as she's told, she sings when they want her too and what they want her to sing, she's also the sensible one, but her parents go too far when the arrange her marriage to a much older gentleman who doesn't even have the courtesy to actually ask her, then leaves for a month. Lord Wainwright, Michael, is tired of getting his image drawn as a caricature in the paper linking him to all sorts of gossip and rakish behaviour, sometimes it's true but he's tired of being made fun of, as a joke his friends bet him he couldn't stay out of the gossip column for 40 days.

In an atypical act of rebellion Camellia accepts the invitation meant for her sister to the notorious Lambley's masquerade ball. Once there she is swept off her feet by a masked man who seems to not only listen to her but enjoys talking to her. She has four weeks until her fiance returns and has the banns announced so she decides to enjoy her time with the masked man and returns to the masquerade ball every week.

So far Michael is succeeding in avoiding the gossip rags, he's seen in all the right places and attends his duty in the House of Lords and is terribly bored the only thing keeping his interest is Lady X a wonderful woman whom he has no idea who she really is. The other perplexing thing he comes across is the obvious dislike the Grenville sisters have for him. He has no idea that he made one off hand remark that caused the backing out a charity that was run by one of the sister and out of loyalty all the sister must hate him too. It doesn't take very long before Camellia discovers her masked man is none other than Lord Wainwright. Camellia is despaired that the man she has fallen in love with the same man who is a notorious seducer and who inadvertently hurt her sister. Camellia needs the strength to finally stand up to her parents and shake things up a bit, but can she find the courage Michael knows she has or will it all be for nothing.        

Overall, it is a great Cinderella retold story.

ARC REVIEW Lord of Chance by Erica Ridley

First book of Erica Ridley's Rouges to Riches series. As much as I love Erica Ridley I was almost hesitant to read this book, I blame the blurb it just didn't appeal to me, but being I  love Erica Ridley I picked it up and read it and I'll be damned if it's not one of the best one of hers I've read. Call me slow, I may or may not have known this beforehand and I just forgot, because I do that sometimes, but Anthony Fairfax is none other than the brother to Sarah Fairfax of The Brigadier's Runaway Bride (2015). It started kind of iffy, Anthony and Charlotte fell victim to the well known in Scotland but apparently not England law that if you announce yourself married boom you are legally married romance troupe. As tired of this troupe that I am this was cute and well executed. This has to be one of the best written books by Erica Ridley I ever read, the ending fell short for me but as a whole this story was really good.

 Charlotte is the bastard daughter of a courtesan. She dreamed of a life different than her own, one where people accepted you and invited you places and didn't chant Charlotte the Harlot when they saw you. She also dreamed of having a father who would sweep her away and become a princess. Charlotte above all else wanted her father to love and accept her all she had to go by was what she assumed to be his name and a ruby matched set earrings and necklace. With the name she had she thought him Scottish and after a horrible argument with her mother she left to Scotland and vowed to find him.

Anthony is a well known gambler he started young and helped his family stay in fashion to fit in with the fashionable crowd. It wasn't easy and he was broke more often than he had money but being strapped for cash was never this bad; he owed the accumulative amount of two thousand plus scattered about but his so called friend bought all his vowels and demanded payment or else it was debtor's prison for him. Anthony escaped London to try some smaller venues to try his luck at the gaming table it wasn't until a small town in Scotland did he met up with his Lady Luck.

Charlotte and Anthony play a couple hands and he eventually loses everything to her. At the end of the evening in Charlotte's paranoia of someone finding out who she is she proclaims out loud that she and Anthony are married. It isn't until the next morning do they find out that it is legally binding and Anthony also discovers the severity of his debt. The emotional rollercoaster ride that Charlotte and Anthony go through strengthen the feelings and the bond between them. It shows Charlotte that not every who sees her expects her to be her mother and Anthony learn the his life doesn't have to revolve around a table. Not much action takes place it mostly internal conflict between their insecurities. I have to say that is the best part of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Despite the overall conflict being built up so much and then being solved so easily left me wanting more the romance and the character development was fantastic.        

ARC REVIEW Romancing the Rogue by Erica Ridley

Romancing the Rogue is the second of Erica Ridley's Gothic Historical Romance series. it was originally part of the Vexed Anthology. (I'm sorry but the model on the cover looks like she is about to sneeze.) I enjoyed the story and the characters, it's a quick and easy read. Rebecca has been invisible for the better part of a year. The death of her parents left her at her great grandfather's house his illness left him bedridden and soon the servants even forgot about her their. She took it upon herself to fix the mistakes the steward made in the ledgers and even helped the kitchen staff a time or two, everyone just assumed it was one of the ghosts haunting the castle. Everyone made a big deal about the castle being haunted and barely touched on how it became haunted, I wish Erica Ridley did more with the haunted house for a gothic romance it wasn't very gothic, for the exception of the location of haunted castle that's as gothic as it gets.

Daniel Goodenham came into his viscountcy early in his his life. He strived to make his grandmother proud something his father never seemed to do. But in his drive to be the best Viscount he can be it cost him the only true friend he ever had. Rebecca Bond was younger than him and according to his grandmother to far beneath him to be his Viscountess. Daniel planned to make it up to her the next year after everything was settled but she never came back to London. As the years passed Daniel kept putting off an apology because it would never be enough. On the eve of his birthday Daniel receives a missive telling him that Rebecca's grandfather has died and that he is expected to be there for the reading of the will. Daniel sees this as his chance to get back his best friend and make up for lost time.

Rebecca's invisibility disappeared when her grandfather died and her uncle inherited. With six daughters already he gave Rebecca the ultimatum that she marry before January or he finds a husband for her. Rebecca knew Daniel would show up and was ready with a proposition for him. Out of practice from the ton she asks Daniel's help to find her a husband. Taken back by the idea has Daniel realize Rebecca means everything to him and he must either love her enough to brave his grandmother or love her enough to let her go.

Overall, this was a good story focusing just on the main characters with hardly any secondary characters at all. I almost wish there was more to it.