Eve Shelling, working as a journalist, wants to prove herself. She is keen on getting ALL the stories, and print them all. Then, she meets Sebastien le Duc. He falls for Eve, but is hiding things. Eve finds out he is smuggling, and is determined to expose him. She is a journalist, isn't she?

Many thanks to Net Galley and Spotify audiobooks for an audio copy of this book.

I listened to this short audiobook whilst preparing Christmas Eve dinner. At under 4 hrs listening time it's perfect for listening whilst doing chores.
Even though its a novella it still has a substantial storyline, 2 French aristocratic brothers having fled the French revolution 20yrs earlier long to go back to France from England. They plan on selling the 'smithy' and return at Christmas time. When Eve a local journalist decides to write an article about them for the local gazette sparks fly between Eve and the younger brother Bastion threatening their plans for a return to France.
Is nice enough story, unfortunately I did not develop and of the 'feels' with this one not sure why.
A nice enough short listen though.

Cute holiday novella that is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

This story focuses on Eve who just wants to be a serious journalist and Bastien who is trying to get back home to France with his brother. It is a novella, so everything is slightly more rushed then a regular length historical novel. However Erica Ridley manages to pack so much story in this novella that you don't realize it is a novella. The characters are all very well thought out and I loved the story. Highly recommend to anyone wanting a shorter read during the holidays.

Could not put this down! The audio was perfection, the story clever and fun and fast paced a good listen while getting the housework done, whole house got scrubbed because I didn’t want to turn it off! Do not start this if you have to be somewhere soon!

Narrator Rosie Akerman brought this love story to life - I was surprised at how much I truly enjoyed this Christmas historical romance.

Eve is a journalist in a small town - she has dreams of going to London and writing for a more significant paper.. she is currently being held back by her father and his vision for the paper. He will only allow her to write within his parameters.

Sebastian is a lady's man and is not new to making ends meet, whatever is needed to get there. He and his family were run out of France, but now it's time to go back. They must sell their smithy, and the local paper can write an ad for them.

The adventures and love that develop between Eve and Sebastian are so genuine and beautiful to read about

I've read quite a few novellas this year and I think we can all agree that there are some potential pitfalls given the length. I actually think it might be harder to write a good novella than it is to write a full length novel in a lot of ways.

I liked the set up for this and the main characters, Eve and Bastien had good chemistry and banter. I liked the narrator as well and thought the French accent was pretty well done!

However I think this fell into some of the aforementioned pitfalls - it's very insta-lovey (which I can forgive) and ultimately the stakes weren't there and the conflict was wrapped up pretty quickly. It's also billed as a holiday novella but besides them mentioning the 12 days of Christmas a few times, I really didn't get the holiday vibes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ahh so cute, I love Erica Ridley but haven't read the rest of this series now I plan to. A perfect little Christmas novella!

2.5

Romance novellas can be hit or miss because it’s hard to make the reader care about a relationship in so few pages but I did like the characters of Eve and Sébastien quite a bit and their arcs throughout the novella. Eve wants to be taken seriously as a journalist and Sébastien wants to be able to return to his family’s lands in France, which they fled during the revolution. I also liked the Christmas-y setting of Cressmouth and like the idea of a novella series that follows different townsfolk.

That being said, I wanted to love this so badly, but I could not handle the narrator. Maybe if I had read it with my eyes I would have liked it more but the narrator’s overacting and excessive inflection got on my nerves to the point that I contemplated DNFing this despite it being under 4 hours.

I will likely pick up other entries in this series, but I will be avoiding the audiobooks.

Enjoying discovering new authors especially with historical romance because I find them intimidating. The Duke’s embrace was a fun novella, refreshing for me as the historical books I have been reading are mainly about high society. Will look into reading more Erica Ridley books, I enjoyed the pacing and it was short in length but it didn’t feel like it was abruptly wrapped up.

3.5 stars

Eve wants to be a REAL journalist. Looking for the next big story, she winds up finding something she never expected: love. Bastien is the (French) village blacksmith, and the two fall for one another very quickly in this holiday novella. Eve is sure that she's destined to be with Bastien forever, until she makes a discovery that threatens everything she holds dear. Can Eve's career, newspaper, AND her relationship be saved?

I was very taken with this story's twists and turns. The characters were very well developed, from our main characters to Eve's father and Bastien's brother. Erica Ridley isn't content to merely rest on her laurels (or should I say, holly wreath?) and make a fluffy Christmas novella. This book contains moments in which characters must make life-altering decisions that could have very serious consequences. It was a mature and sometimes gripping tale!

I had a bit of difficulty being engaged early in the story, but after about 30% our characters are off and running. The chemistry between Eve and Bastien was good, even if it leaned a bit towards insta-love. (It is a novella, after all.) I thought Ridley did a great job with the love scene. Some of decision-making had me questioning the characters' reasoning, but overall I understood their points of view.

I'd like to thank Spotify audiobooks and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Duke's Embrace is the 7th book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. If you have read the others you will know what to expect. If you haven't read any in this series you will be in for a treat. This series features strong women, passion, dukes and Christmas time...what's not to like?

Newly out on audio, this was another great dual POV, opposites attract historical romance from one of my fav authors. A spicy slow burn that sees a wannabe woman journalist falling for what she thinks is a misunderstood French immigrant. Unfortunately she discovers his dangerous secret and has to choose between reporting it and keeping him safe. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Another marvelous novella from Erica Ridley!

You def have to read the previous books or the beginning can be a bit confusing but it starts coming into its own pretty quickly.
The MMC and his brother are French and the narrator did a good job with their accents, a little over the top but perfect for the story and the humor. It was interesting to see the prejudice they encounter as Frenchmen in an English village.
The FMC wants to be a journalist, she's clearly passionate about it without being annoying and it plays a central role in the story. I enjoyed Riley's spin on journalists who are not taken seriously.
I was smiling and giggling and cheering for the couple. Great holiday novella!

On the hunt for story to bring some true journalism to the Christmas gazette, Miss Eve Schelling finds more than she bargained when she looks deeper into the local blacksmith shop.

Local blacksmith Mossier, Sebastian Leduc is ready to leave England for his home country France. He and his brother will be there by the end of The holidays if the sale of their shop goes smoothly. Needing a little help to get the word out and find the right person to fill their shoes for their community, Sebastian enlists the skills of local journalist, Eve shilling to get the word out.

Working closely together these two who have been relative neighbours for years find a spark between them just at the time when he is about to leave and she has the opportunity for her big journalist big break!

Not quite an enemies to lovers, but definitely an opposites attract situation. I love how these two unique characters come together and are able to see the best in each other unlike anyone else ever had.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook narrated by Rosie Akerman. I found that in some parts the narration pacing felt off and the quick transitions between the hero and heroine perspective was difficult to catch. I also thought the accent used for our French hero sounded more like a Spanish accent. Overall, the narration was fine and didn’t detract or improve the story as a whole.

Ratings:
Story 4⭐️
Audio 3⭐️

Thanks to Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC review copy care of Netgalley.

Eve, an unpaid journalist at her father’s paper, doesn’t trust men. When writing about charming local blacksmith Sébastien, she begins to fall for him. But what secrets is he holding?

I love the clever and ambitious heroine in this adorable book. It’s a light-hearted Christmas novella that’s a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I get it. To be honest, I get it. I get the story. I get the holiday part, I just didn't like it.

Didn't like the writing. Didn't like the narrators. Didn't like the story.

It's a pretty basic story, but it hits all the good spots for historical romance perfectly enough to be worth the read/listen.

Miss Eve Shelling does all the work for her small town's gazette in the hope of one day getting the chance to be a real journalist at a respectable paper in London, but her dad gets to make all the decisions simply because he is the man of the house and therefore the owner. And Mister Shelling does not want to do anything but praise the Christmas wonders of the town and not rock the boat.
Monsieur Sébastien le Duc is the rakish dandy who owns the smithy along with his brother, dreaming of the time when they'll be able to go back to France and reclaim their birthright. When he needs help selling the smithy, he decides to try his luck with Ms. Eve's gazette and it starts a friendship that quickly turns to more. But they've both had traumas in their past and secrets in their present that just might spit them apart.

I liked both characters and Ridley makes it so that you can quickly connect with both of them on an emotional level. You get pulled into their problems and can't help but cheer them on to find their HEA.

The narration by Rosie Akerman is good, but she really leans into the le Duc brothers' French accent and I had to rewind a couple of times to figure out what was being said. Very true to the story, slightly confusing for this listener.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks

I have adored every Erica Ridley novel I’ve read (which are mostly the Wild Wynchester’s series, but some others, too)… this one, while I realize is a novella and will lack the depth of a full novel, left me wanting so much more.

I didn’t get to the point of feeling any attachment to Eve and Sebastian, their relationship or their storyline - maybe because the novella length made it feel more rushed than her usual books? It also didn’t feel like her regular writing style and storytelling.

I felt I was lacking the usual joy I get after reading one of Ridley’s novels, and it was only OK for me - the Duke was a rake and Eve made him try to change to be a better man for her, even though he wasn’t good enough (oh, yeah, and he and his brother had that little side-gig that could get them arrested at any time!)… it wasn’t super exciting and I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I had the audio ALC (advance listening copy), narrated by a new to me voice, Rosie Akerman. She did an OK job but a lot of the time it sounded like she was putting on airs and her voice was affected - both things I am never a fan of as a long-time audio listener.

I received an advance listen copy from NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks, and this is my honest opinion.

A fun holiday romance novella! Miss Eve Shelling longs to be a serious journalist, but her father only wants trite and repetitive Christmas articles in the paper they publish. She's determined to bring something fresh and decides to write about the le Duc family, in exile from France and working as blacksmiths. But things heat up with Sebastien- one of the brothers... This was delightful and perfect if you want something short, a bit spicy, and festive. The audio narrator isn't my favorite but she's fine. I received an audio review copy of this for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.