A great little Christmas story. Cynthia Louise is a riot and totally my kind of person. Her duke is very uptight and just needs to let loose a little. A very quick read.

This is amusing, interesting and romantic. The Duke of Nottingvale will be picking a bride at the end of his annual Christmastide party, and there are debutantes everywhere. Alexander is under even more pressure than he'd normally be because his sister just became betrothed to his tailor, now he must picked someone who is completely beyond reproach now, and will be forever. Cynthia is playing chaperone for her cousin Gertie, determined to see her married to Alexander, instead of the old man Gertie's father is threatening her with. While Cynthia throws her timid cousin at Vale, he's captivated by Cynthia herself. The more time that Cynthia and Alexander spend together, the more she tries to get him to let himself have fun. He always does exactly what the rules say he must do, and Cynthia always does exactly what the rules say to avoid. Alexander finally starts to see that having a bit of fun won't ruin his life or reputation. He is stubborn to the end, but his sister egging him on to follow his heart, and Cynthia on him to have fun, he's doomed to fail at something. But he learns to have some fun, and falls in love. I'm sad that this series is over, there are some incredibly amusing characters and storylines throughout it.

This made for a sweet, light-hearted, and festive read. Alexander and Cynthia Louise were the epitome of opposites attract with a daring devil-may-care heroine and a rigid, duty-bound duke. I was a bit disappointed that this one didn't have any steamy moments, but overall it made for quite the enjoyable read peppered with some humorous moments.
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~ #fridayinaprilbookreviews
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Forever Your Duke is the last book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. Each book can be read as stand-alone so you don't have to read I think it was the best book in the series (I haven't read all the books though. I was happy with what I read, but I did wish that we had more info /details on Cynthia Louise's life before the events of the book. She is not your usual spinster and she has a reputation that proceeds her. I liked the angst that was there, even if it wasn't much, so if you are not a fan of angsty books you can still read this one without a problem. Overall, I liked the book and I think that you should give it a try.

Once again I thank this author for a wonderful story. It had me laughing out loud and I felt I was there. Such enjoyable characters and just a bit of sexy. Can't wait to read her next book. Highly recommend this book

This is the final instalment in Ms RIdley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series, and I am sad to see it end. This book is a worthy end to a wonderful series. Cynthia is a breath of fresh air, living life on her terms and not afraid of other people's opinions. I loved how she brought Alexander out of his shell and got him to start enjoying life.


I am really sad to see this series end; I looked forward to the release of new books each Christmas. Ms Ridley has a talent for creating eccentric characters all deserving of love, and each book is infused with humour and a sprinkling of drama. I'm looking forward to her next series.

Cynthia Louise, a woman firmly on the shelf, has set a goal of marrying her cousin off to a Duke who has let it be known he will choose a bride at his Christmas party. Her cousin is not so thrilled with that but finds herself facing an unsavory match of her fathef's choosing. Alexander, the Duke us looking for the perfect woman to become his duchess but comes face to face with Cynthia Louise. She drags her cousin to the forefront of every event, hoping Gertie will catch the Duke's eye. Unfortunately Gertie does have a mind of her own and steadfastly refuses to marry. Cynthia is a social outcast because of her rule breaking and completely unsuitable for a Duke. Or is she? The more time Alexander spends in her company, the more he is attracted to her. Will duty win? Or will he lose the only one who can lighten his burden of duty. A most charming, engaging story.,a great ending to a great series.

I think we need a series all about Cynthia Louise Finch and how she continues to help the women in her circle. Such an intriguing character with gumption, smarts and spunk. The romance in this story is secondary to her personality. Such a quick and interesting read. Ridley brings something new to the table with this character!

The finale of Ms. Ridley's series really delivered! The plot was fun, the characters were very likable, and I feel like the series ended at a logical point -- as much as I will miss reading about the dukes! People grow and redefine their lives, determining who and what they should really be -- beyond what others expect them to be. That doesn't mean they eschew the lessons of their forebears; it just means they decide what is really worth carrying forward and what burdens they can lay down. I love how both of our main characters work through this process. My only wish was a walk through Cressmouth, revisiting the previous characters in THEIR spaces like we do with the Le Duc's. Stellar series. Recommended reading.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions above are my own.

I have read most of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series and have enjoyed them - this book is the last in the series and features the Duke of Nottingvale .

The Duke is hosting his annual Yuletide party .... this year he intends to look for a Bride amongst the Debutants , one who will meet his exacting standards .
Cynthia Louise Finch is not there to look to catch the Dukes eye but to promote her cousin Gertie as a potential Duchess .
Previously shunned by Society for her hoydenish ways Cynthia Louise refuses to play by the rules ......... which catches the Dukes eye . He can't possible marry such a hoyden - can he ?

Thjis is an entertaining historical romance with the central characters slowly unbending their stances to achieve a HEA which I enjoyed . A perfect read to escape the times we are currently living in .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have now read the majority of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series and have enjoyed every one of them.

Forever your Duke is the last in the series and features The Duke of Nottingvale who is hosting his annual Yuletide party but this year he is searching for his Duchess. Cynthia Louise Finch is the chaperone for her cousin Gertie and aims for the Duke to propose to Gertie by 12th night.

Having been shunned by polite society Cynthia Louise refuses to play by the rules and do what is expected which makes her the most unsuitable prospect for a Duchess. The Duke only follows the rules, yet he is drawn to Cynthia Louise and finds himself bending and breaking his own rules.

The characters in this book are great. Cynthia with her devil may care attitude which i believe is a front to get over the hurt of her past; The Duke who appears very rigid at first and the way in which he slowly unwinds and lightens up. Even shy Gertie has character and loyalty in spades to her cousin.

A great book to finish off this series.

The Duke of Nottingvale is finally choosing a bride. He has very high standards. The future Duchess must be very proper and must never create a scandal. To this end he is having a Christmastide house party. All the young debutants will be invited for his approval. However his plans go awry. Cynthia Louise Finch, a free spirited spinster, arrives as a chaperone for her young cousin. She's a rebel who causes trouble. I loved the chemistry between Cynthia Louise and the Duke. He may be extremely proper but this hoyden tempts him with her love of adventure. When they're together sparks fly and he forgets his duty The Duke tries to hide his feelings but he can't. He's smitten. This couple is amazing. The story is romantic and the dialogue is so sassy. It makes me smile. Max, the dog, adds unexpected fun with his shenanigans. I knew that a visit to Cressmouth was going to be special. I wasn't disappointed. Forever Your Duke is a special holiday treat.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

Forever Your Duke by Erica Ripley is the last of the Twelve Dukes of Christmas Series. As such it wraps up the series about Cressmouth and the town that celebrates all about Christmas. The last novel was a fun read and introduced us to Cynthia Louise Finch. She is a spinster and intended to stay that! She loves to do the unexpected and always wants to try new things.

The Duke of Nottingvale always throws a large Christmas Party every year. This is the year that he is searching for a bride. A paragon of society is needed for him to move forward. Cynthia Louise brought her cousin who would be perfect for the Duke. The problem is that both the Duke and Cynthia seem to “see” each other and “seem” to be sparking together. Too bad neither thinks the other one is the one for them.

This was a great last novel in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas Series. Erica Ripley’s book Forever Your Duke is a great read.

(PS - I read this before Christmas, but somehow the book did not get reviewed before Christmas.)

An utterly enchanting romance of the Alexander, the Duke of Nottingvale and Miss Cynthia Louise Finch. I loved the spunky and fierce heroine that was full of life and the Duke who believed he had to be perfect for his title. The romance is charming and sweet. This is book number twelve from the "12 Dukes of Christmas" series and I loved every book in this series. Although, this is part of a series, it could be read in any order.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

The finale to this series and we are finally getting Nottingvale's story! Miss Cynthia Louise Finch is our heroine and is 30 (!) years old bringing her young cousin Gertie to Nottingvale's annual Christmas party where he has finally decided to decide on a wife. Cynthia has decided that since she was considered unmarriageable during her 6 seasons on the marriage mart, she would rather be unmarriageable and happy and has conducted the last 6 years in a way that society considers reckless and unrefined, but she is happy. Of course the duke is shocked and his sense of duty and propriety is the most important thing to him... until of course it isn't.

this was a fun story, there isn't anything steamier than kissing but that was ok. I would really like to see a story for Gertie.

First, Forever You Duke is a very good quick historical Christmas romance: Cynthia Louise is chaperoning her niece at a two weeks-long Christmas party to meet with the Duke who is searching for a bride.
The characters of this book are original and each time they were talking I was just laughing at their lines. As well as that, the plot was enjoyable and addictive.
However, the ending was a bit too predictable for me but the pacing was quick and perfect.
I also really liked the Christmas theme in the Regency area as well as how dating rules were complicated.
Overall, I enjoyed my read and I would read another book by Erica Ridley.

This was a great conclusion to a great series. I really enjoyed this romance and I just really enjoy this series

*3.5 stars*

Another enjoyable, if a bit far-fetched, romance in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley, Forever Your Duke was a positively pleasant read.

I always read Erica Ridley, and she rarely disappoints. Sure, it's rare for her books to really wow me, but they always make me smile.

Forever Your Duke was a bit of an opposites-attract romance with a 30-year old dare-devil spinster matched with a buttoned-up duke. I liked their dynamic, even though the relationship development was too speedy for my liking (a consistent issue with this author's books). I thought it was a bit of a stretch that he would ignore his mother and all that he's proclaimed to stand for in a just a few days time of being with Cynthia Louise, but I still thought it was very sweet.

I was a bit disappointed that all we get, heat-wise, from this romance is a few kisses, but Erica Ridley tends to be lighter on the steam. However, this was chaste, even for her. It felt like the book could have used another few chapters to round it out and give more time after the couple finally admitted their feelings for one another.

Still, an easy read and an enjoyable start to my 2021 reading year.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

This is my second read in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. Like One Night with a Duke it was a solid edition to a fluffy historical romance series. Perfect for the holidays and it featured a “spinster” Cynthia, who is actually 30 years old instead of 21.

There isn’t much tension within these Christmas themed books, so if that is something that bothers you, I don’t recommend this series. However, I thought this was a fun and sweet read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I feel that we all read these types of historical romances because we expect a certain type of story with a very predictable outcome. It's like putting on your favorite thread-worn sweater or eating your beloved junk food guilty pleasure. That being said, although we expect familiarity, there still has to be SOME form of freshness added to the genre for any of these stories to be interesting.

The story follows some well-traveled tropes we all know and love -- attraction of opposites, straight-laced man reformed by shockingly "original" lady. However, these types of stories rely heavily on good story and character build up, well-written banter and meaningful interaction, which I found somewhat lacking in this story.

While I did make it through the book (at the very least, it was readable), there were also some glaring issues that made it difficult for me to immerse myself fully. Any world built within a story--no matter how fantastical--has to abide by its own rules. If it deviates from the parameters of its own realm, these details are frankly, quite distracting.

1) Formality of Speech (or lack thereof)
a) Why does Cynthia Louise never call the Duke by his title?
Yes I know that she's a super proud, rebellious spinster and she visits his home a lot for parties, but the customs of the time demand that she at the very least treat her host with respect, no? Seeing as how they aren't really friends, it seems unlikely she was given permission to speak to him so very casually. She never refers to him as "Your Grace" etc etc. And he's a DUKE. Supposedly the highest noble in the realm short of royalty. Oh my.

2) Anachronisms and Modernisms
There were simply too many moments in the book where I thought the language of the dialogue or plot points were too modern and casual for the time period (I would assume early 1800s as are most books from this genre).
Also, why is the fact that his sister had a torrid affair (which is mentioned right at the beginning) with his business partner treated as if it's no big deal? Nottingvale mentions it as a "scandal" and claims to be a huge stickler for the rules, but in reality acts as if it's no issue at all. I feel like for the time period it would actually be a bombshell. Dueling-at-dawn type of catastrophic. The way it's mentioned here, it's as if his sister just had a fling and it's embarrassing, but easily overlooked.

It's a fluffy read with a happy ending. Though it did briefly touch on some class tensions and skimmed the surface of "being true to your heart and yourself," there wasn't any true emotional depth here and I didn't feel particularly moved by the characters, unfortunately.

I feel like there are plenty of great books in this genre that have more depth, more historical accuracy, and more heart. I want DRAMA, SEXUAL TENSION, TEAR-JERKING ROMANCE. And yes, sadly the caps I just put here are more dramatic than the actual book and its characters.