After so many books reading about Duke of Nottingvale and his Christmastide house party, we finally his his own story.
Obviously from the position of nobility that Alexander occupied, when looking for a wife, she must have blue blood, like him; be respectable, and be prepared to take on the role of a Duchess.
But the perfect candidate had a not-so-perfect cousin... and that was where his attention was focused.
Miss Cynthia Louise Finch was fearless and did not care about all the conventions of Society.
But for so long she had a crush on the duke.... and now, he was looking for a wife... Would it be so wrong if they had a hot, fast and secret romance?

And would it be kept secret?
4 stars

Madcap adventure and fun follows Cynthia Louise Finch. An unconventional spinster, Cynthia Louise is always ready respond to a bet, a dare and try something new. The matchmaker and chaperone to her family, it's her job to make her cousin Gertie a Duchess. Alexander, Duke of Nottingvale is a sticker for following the rules. The plan is to find a Duchess at this year's Christmastide party. Alexandra invited all these debutants, but the only lady he's attracted to is Cynthia Louise. He's never had some so much fun. It will take a compromise from both to make a marriage work. I laughed and laughed and laughed so hard I cried. I think this is my favorite book in the series. Very clever repartee!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was a wonderful end to a delightful series. I loved Cynthia Louise; it was nice to have an “older” heroine who was her own woman. After seeing glimpses of Alexander in the previous books, his character was developed here. I think more could have been done to fully flesh him out, but this is still a five-star read for me.

I'm a bit sad to leave the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. Having read the whole series, I enjoyed this last part with a bittersweet feeling of 'the end' of Cressmouth. And what an ending: after Nottingvale's sister Isabelle has found her true love (in Dawn With a Duke), it is up to Nottingvale to safe their family name. Because Isabelle will marry below her station and now Nottingvale has to make sure that the family legacy will live on. With a respectable duchess at his side.
So, he will certainly not marry Miss Cynthia Louisa Finch, who does not adhere to society rules. But, who seems to know every bit of gossip on all the ton. So when Nottingvale and Cynthia strike a deal, for her to help him find a respectable, gossip free, duchess they spend a lot of time together. And slowly Nottingvale comes to the realization that he is more than just a duke with responsibilities: he is a man with his own dreams and desires. But can he forfeit his dukedom to a minx as Miss Cynthia? Find out for yourself in this wonderful cosy read.
Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc. And let's hope that Erica will create another great series!

What a charming, unexpected gift of a book! This is everything I wanted this holiday season. The characters are funny and entertaining, the romance is fresh and a joy to read, and every page made me itch for a pair of skates - a virtue in any book! I could practically smell the holly and feel the snow under my feet as I read this. Off I go to find the rest of the series!

"We all eventually die, whether we want to or not. The question is how you want to live."

Erica Ridley concludes her light-hearted holiday romance series with the Duke of Nottingvale's Christmastide house party. The Duke has met his match in the feisty take me or leave me spinster Cynthia Louise Finch. Forever Your Duke is a sweet love story with the picturesque backdrop of the Christmas village fans of this series have come to expect. Highly recommend!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I have read every one of the 12 dukes books and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. Each regency romance story is set in the small village of Cressmouth and contains strong individuals who display their unique characters to meet their perfect life partners.
In this book Alexander a rule obsessed Duke needs to find his ‘perfect’ Duchess, but his heart wants Miss Cynthia Louise Finch the rule breaking spinster who is trying to match him with her niece Gertrude. The banter between this couple is amusing, and as he lets his hair down and shares in her escapades their feelings develop, a fall in the snow followed by an archery accident and a swoon worthy proposal. A really great feel good story just in time for the holidays.

A fun romance that celebrates winter activities and the simple things that make the Christmas season a joy. Cynthia and Alexander are a classic example of opposites attract and together they complement each other and are the better for it. It is a good story. Though part of a series there is no need to read the others to understand what is going on (I didn’t); some characters from the previous books show up so it is a nice wrap up to the series.

Sit by the fireplace, drink a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book so much, as it is funny, intelligent, and has a good developing romance. In the first chapter, I was afraid that the duke (Alexander) would turn out to be a stuffed shirt. He was so uptight and perfectionist that he was fiddling with the table arrangements rather than leaving it to his staff. Alexander is being urged by his martinet mother to marry to secure the succession. He has about as much enthusiasm for this task as getting a tooth pulled but feels that it is his duty, and Alexander is all about duty - grim though it may be. This year, his annual Christmas Party will also be a bride hunt for him. Alexander is 30 and his prospective brides are around 18 and ... giggly.

Fortunately for Alexander, one of the proper young women present is accompanied by her spinster sister, also aged 30. Miss Cynthia Louise Finch is a young woman who did not 'take' during her own seasons. She is tall, bold, and enjoying being her own true, outspoken, unconventional self as a confirmed spinster. This year, she is attending the Christmas party with her extremely shy cousin Gertie, whose obnoxious father is threatening to marry her off to an old man if she doesn't find a husband very soon - as, at this party. So Cynthia Louise makes a deal with the duke. She will help him find a suitable wife if he in turn will help find her cousin Gertie find a husband to her liking. Alexander has a great deal of power and influence, and they feel that he would be able to persuade Gertie's father to give Gertie more time to find a suitable spouse.

This is the 12th and last book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series which all take place in the village of Cressmouth, where Christmas is celebrated all year long. It's not necessary to have read other books in the series to enjoy this book. I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. These are my own opinions of the book.

Forever Your Duke is an adorable opposites-attract regency romance for the Christmas season! I didn't find it as unique as some of Erica Ridley's other novels, as it's not all that memorable or surprising. But it's a funny comfort read, and a nice addition to her Dukes of Christmas series.

Forever Your Duke is finally the Duke of Nottingvale’s tale. Since his sister met and fell in love with his tailor, the Duke of Nottingvale is on a mission to make a respectable marriage and save his family’s standing and reputation. The lucky lady will be one of the acceptable debutantes art his Christmas party. Hoyden and firmly on the shelf spinster, Cynthia Louise Finch is determined to save her cousin Gertrude from a miserable arranged marriage and she only has a couple of weeks and the Duke’s party seems the answer. While singing Gertrude’s praises, Cynthia Louise agrees to help the Duke find a match (even though she finds him yummy and irresistible her highly unacceptable self). But fate has other plans as the wildcat who society rejected teaches the Duke how to have fun and loosen up. Cynthia Louise is one of my favorite characters in historical romance I have ever read. Spurning societal expectations, she is a fun, non conventional lead who has decided to enjoy and make the most of the life she has all the while this reader is cheering her on. How could the stuffy Duke do anything but fall for the brightest ray of sunshine to grace his path? The reader is left with nothing but to swoon over the Duke who drops his chains of expectations and gets his girl. The HEA is totally expected for a feel good dose of warm, sweet Christmas joy and a delectable ending to The Twelve Dukes of Christmas series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Love Erica Ridleys books.This was a wonderful romantic end to the series.A book with a wonderful story line& a sense of humor,Looking forward to the authors next book,#netgalley#webmotion

Forever Your Duke is the last book in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley, and it is a charmer. Miss Cynthia Louise Finch is firmly on the shelf, and determined to live her life having fun and not by the rules of polite society. Her mission is to see her shy younger cousin wed to someone of her own choosing (instead of the old man her uncle has selected if her mission fails). Cynthia decides that the oh-so-proper Duke of Nottingvale is the one for her cousin, and sets about attempting to make that happen during his annual Christmas house party. The duke believes that Cynthia is not duchess material because of her outrageous behavior, but he certainly enjoys her company and has fun when she is around. I enjoyed this sweet story and just wish that Christmas/Cressmouth had more ''Dukes' to read about.

What a perfect way to end the series! Cynthia and Alexander were both such great characters and I especially loved the way Cynthia was written. A woman ahead of her time.

It’s funny, it’s got great dialogue and the slower burn feel was just fantastic. I really enjoyed this series and am happy I found this authors work.

A return to the delightful Cressmouth village, where you never know what will happen, but can be assured it will be newsworthy and wonderful! Plus it is Christmastide all year round! Yes I have been ready to go since the first visit!

Take one thirty year old hoyden spinster, Cynthia and her younger, shy, cousin Gertie, who is suppose to catch the eye of one Duke of Nottingvale and what do you have? An adventure full of witty dialogue, an unexpected attraction and a fun filled Christmas house party that is enchanting!

Alexander was a stiff "Life would be easier if everyone followed rules. Rules let him know what to do and what to expect." Yep that is how he had lived his life. Now he needed a "proper bride." As he was greeting the guest he saw "Miss Cynthia Louise Finch. His heart stopped, then raced faster. Miss Finch was the opposite of proper. She was a firework in a box of candles....she made him feel as though he stood dizzyingly close to a statue of a Grecian goddess come to life."

Thus the party begins!! So sad this is the end of this series! I have adored every story and with Erica's witty writing and creative characters, I can only look forward to her next book!

Miss Cynthia Louise was supposed to matchmake and shaperone her cousin, Gertie to the Duke of Nottingvale's Christmastide this year. This year the Duke apparently is to be chose his bride, so Cynthia is certain that with her smartness she will make the Duke chose her cousin. Being herself in the shelf regarding marriage prospects seeing that she is already thirty years old, she long let go caring for others opinions about herself, but she knows her cousin is the epitome of duchess material. What she didn't expect was for her to be so infatuated for the Duke, and the Duke didn't expect to long for the only woman in the Christmastide he should not be interested.

I was mesmerized by the author's ability to make great dialogues between these two characters clashing. Loved to see the Duke trying to find a way to live his life and not being ruled by his duties and forget about his heart. Cynthis would never change for any man, even for the man she loves, so it was refreshing seeing someone so set on her beliefs and on herself. LOVED HER SELF STEEM. Also, it was a very sweet romance between the Duke and Cynthiam I appreciate the longing and stolen kisses.

I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.

Forever Your Duke, by Erica Ridley, is the ending to the 12 Dukes Of Christmas series. Available at booksellers on 12-18-2020, I found the final story to be enchanting. I've followed the series since Duke 1 and Nottingvale is a man whos story I've waited impatiently on. The Duke that all the Cressmouth stories lead to is wound tighter than a watch spring. Alexanders mother and late father did a great job of turning their son into an automaton. He walks, talks, and eats but shows no emotion. He needs Cynthia Louise to knock some sense into him. She's embraced her spinsterhood a little too much. In flaunting every rule of society she's trapped herself in just another pigeonhole. It's wonderful to see them slowly merge into what becomes a whole, rounded person. Truly enjoyable.

OMG this book is sooo amazing!!! I loved it!!! I’ve become a huge fan of Erica Ridley this year!!
Alexander, the Duke of Nottingvale, is hosting a Christmastide house party and hunting for the perfect bride. She should be a blue-blooded debutante as respectable as he is, and his parlor is brimming with paragons of propriety.
Miss Cynthia Louise Finch does not fit the mold. She is a spinster and unapologetic hoyden. Her younger cousin is perfect for the duke! By matchmaking the two, Cynthia will save her favorite cousin from a horrific fate. But Cynthia has always held a tendre for the duke and she can´t stop trying to make him relax and enjoy life a bit more.
The Duke of Nottingvale is all about duty and decorum, but he can´t seem to stop following Cynthia Louise around and falling for her charm and her amazing kisses.
Is he going to choose a life of proper decorum or the woman who changed his life showing him that there’s a lot more than duty in this world?
Alexander is sweet, so proper and the perfect gentleman. Cynthia Louise has suffered a lot trying to be what society expected and fail. Two worlds apart, but love is a chance for happiness and middle ground for these two, that are going to learn a lot about life during their time together.
There’s a lot of kissing, a dog that keeps doing mischief, a sweet shy cousin who’s an amazing pianist and a dragon mum who is not happy to find that both her children fell for common people.
I highly recommend this story. It’s quite sort, witty, with great dialogs and beautiful characters.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Erica Ridley really knows how to write Historical Fiction/Romance books! Forever Your Duke, the final book of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series was another enjoyable read. The setting of the story, the Duke of Nottingvale's yearly Christmastide house party, will also be where the Duke will make his choice of bride be known. However, he has not yet chosen his bride, and eligible young women will be vying for his attention during the two weeks of festivities. Along with one of the young ladies is her chaperone, Miss Cynthia Louise Finch, who is decidedly not suitable both in age (30!) and demeanor (she flaunts the rules for her own enjoyment). The story surrounding the "deal" made between Miss Finch and the Duke (Alexander), which was to help him find a suitable wife, proves quite entertaining as she attempts to show him that rule-breaking can be quite good for the soul. But to both of their anguish, they also learn that it is also can play games with the heart. What is the Duke to do when his role of life as a Duke lies heavy on his shoulders along with years of "doing the right thing". I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #NetGalley #ForeverYourDuke #WebMotion

So I’m a big fan of Erica and I find her books fascinating. I did really like this book however I did feel like it was missing something. Ironically it’s previous book to this (the one about the sister) was my favourite out of all her novels haha. So perhaps I’m comparing a bit too much here between the two.