Enjoyed this tale of a town that celebrates Christmas all year long. With a taste of A Christmas Carol, it even has a Scrooge (the hero), a goat named Tiny Tim, and - yes - a partridge in a pear tree. I received an ARC of this book.

Before you crack open this book, have the tissues handy. I’m probably admitting to being a giant ball of marshmallow fluff, but this story made me bawl like baby – full out ugly crying. The circumstances that separated and have kept Benjamin and Noelle apart are completely tragic. (See the note about ugly crying above.) The village of Christmas/Cressmouth is charming, and funny, and utterly irreverent as it and all its residents work their magic to bring this star-crossed pair back together. I can’t wait to see which of the unique characters make return engagements in future books.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

First in Erica Ridley’s 12 Dukes of Christmas series (no, there aren’t 12 books - only 3, I believe) Once Upon A Duke introduces the village of Cressmouth, where a benevolent (but slightly bonkers) landowner has transformed a dying community into the embodiment of Christmas, year-round.

Into this charming, if twee, Christmas paradise erupts Benjamin, Duke of Silkwood, a man who (actually with justification) hates Christmas and everything it stands for. All he wants is a family heirloom stolen from him, but the terms of his grandfather’s will means he’s stuck in Christmas for the time being. Cressmouth, he means. It’s definitely called Cressmouth, not Christmas. Bah, humbug.

Orphan Noelle has never known anywhere else, never wanted any other kind of life. Cressmouth is both home and family to her, and Benjamin - well, he’s incompatible with everything she wants, everything she believes in. Except, the attraction between them is undeniable. Will the spirit of Christmas find a way into Benjamin’s frozen heart after all?

This was such a charming, light-hearted read. I raced through it, laughing out loud a few times. The eccentric characters of Cressmouth made me want to read all their stories. I’m pretty sure I can guess who the heroines of the next books will be and I’m excited to read how they’ll find love too!

A wonderful story to truly get you into the spirit of Christmas, I can’t rate this anything less than five stars.

As always, here is my promised honest and fair review. I don't usually read "christmas" stories but, th is was Erica Ridley after all. Delightfully different tale. As sweet as sugarplums.

Benjamin, Lord Silkridge is coming back to Cressmouth, England for the reading of his Grandfather's will. He and his grandfather had a disagreement years before and he left.. His only life now is in London. When he left Cressmouth, he left a big part of his life. It was a girl named Noelle. She was an orphan left on the steps of his grandfather's house, raised and treated as a daughter by him. Benjamin doesn't celebrate Christmas and coming back to a place that has the Christmas spirit all year round is hard for him. So many bad things happened to him at Christmas. He wants a locket that he can only have at his grandfather's death, but there are certain things that he has to do before he can inherit it.. Once he does that, he plans to leave and never come back. Will the locket be all that he hopes? What about Noelle? Will he be able to leave her again? I started reading this book and thought that I was definitely undecided about it. Tiny Tim, Noelle, partridges and Christmastide in the middle of January? The more I read, the more I liked it. I am not a Christmas person and it is October but I am now in the spirit due to this book.There is so much more to this story but I don't want to give away too much. I quite enjoyed it and now I have to read the rest of the books in this series. I received this book from Net Galley and the publisher for a honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions expressed are my own.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to start with the disclaimer – I am non-Christian. I am happy to celebrate Christmas with my husband and his family and our children, but like the Duke, a town where it is always Christmas does not appeal Of course because it's a romance novel the Duke comes around and learns to love the town where it is always Christmas, and I'm just glad for it to be over. 2.5 rounded up.

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
This novel is a short and nice read for the upcoming holiday season. Benjamin Ward, the Duke of Silkridge, has not had a true Christmas and associates the holiday with deaths of his loved ones. His grandfather had taken something from him and Benjamin desperately wants it back. However, the only way to get the locket back is to follow the "requests" in his grandfather's will. Benjamin has plans to finish the project quickly and not even the woman he left behind, Noelle Pratchett, will stop him. However, what neither expected was the desire they still felt for each other after 5 years. Noelle loves Cressmouth, aka Christmas, and keeps the books at the castle, which she enjoys. She thought she could be indifferent to Benjamin, but she sees how caring he is to others. They work together to finish the project so Benjamin can return to London. Neither realize until it comes to the end how much they love the other. Can they step away from each other again just when they have rekindled what had been lost?

A very cute read set in the town of Christmas…sorry, Cressworth. Yeah, this town is forever tied to Christmas. We get to meet all of the citizens (who I think will play prominently in the other stories) and see all of their eccentricities and kindness. Benjamin is the typical staid Duke who “humbugs” Christmas for a very good reason but is pulled out of his stuffiness by the lovely Noelle. This slow burn romance is a great feel-good read.

I really enjoyed Noelle and Benjamin's story. It was a reunion story, which is always one of my favorites!

Benjamin has had everything he loved taken away from him at Christmas time. He refuses to celebrate the holiday because of this. So when he travels north for the reading of his grandfather's will and the town celebrates Christmas year around, he can't wait to get out of there. Too bad his grandfather put stipulations on his inheritance. Now he must complete a task or never get the one thing that ever meant anything to him back.

Noelle's former love is back in town, but she is not about to be hurt again when he leaves. But as they spend more and more time together, she can't help but fall back under his spell. Can these former sweethearts find their way back to each other?

This was a nice read to get you into the holiday season! I can't wait to read about the other 11 Dukes!