Much as I hate to admit this, I think I'm going to have to step away from these kinds of books for a while - I found this particular story too close to too many others by the same author (she:   bookish woman, very good at maths hides her skills from men in order to not surrender anything to anyone, but now she finds love etc......he: a duke who runs a tavern that allows men from most levels of society to drink in each other's company).T

he execution was fine, there was a good relationship between the two main characters, I have just read this same story too many times in the last year or so, so I've become more than a little jaded on it.

Loved reading the captivating first book in the Wicked Dukes Club. Thaddeus Middleton challenges Caleb Sutton, the Duke of Colehaven, to find a husband for his ward and cousin, Miss Diana Middleton and Caleb accepts the challenge, but Diana does not want to get married and has other plans. As Caleb and Diana's attraction for each other grows, so does their unwanted feelings for each other. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalleu.

Love Cole and Diana's story. In many of the historical romance books I've read the Guardians (Thaddeus) are usually abusive and conniving. It was great to see on the actually cared for his ward. Diana wanted to maintain her independence. She loved not being beholden to the lifestyle of a married woman. Thank goodness we don't live in the times of the 1800's. When marriage was what mattered most for a woman. YIKES!

One Night for Seduction by Erica Ridley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Erica Ridley is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and this title continued that trend.

Ridley’s heroes and heroines are some of the best I’ve read and Diana and Cole fit into that category. I love a heroine that is someone other than a debutante and Diana is definitely that. Cole was a very sweet man and I thought they fit well together.

I enjoyed the plot of the story and felt like it was a fun take on She’s All That. It was an easy read (as I’ve found all of Ridley’s books) and I found it hard to put down.

I’ve already received an eARC for the next book in the series and will be reading it soon!

*I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Duke of Colehaven thinks he can find a suitor for his friend's ward. Little does he know when he accepts the challenge that she has no intention of marrying. Diana loves the work she does and knows a husband would do nothing but put a stop to her pursuits. The more they are together, the more danger she is in of losing her heart. This book will have the reader enthralled from the first turn of the page.

What started as a joking bet between friends, quickly snowballs beyond anyone’s expectations. Cole immediately captured my imagination. He’s an aristocrat who’s a genuinely kind person. He wants to prove that he’s worthy of the title he inherited and champion causes that will improve the lives of many. Our first encounter with Diana left a bad taste in my mouth and made me reluctant to fully embrace her as our leading lady. However, the author’s ability to craft quirky, unconventional heroines that you can’t help but fall in love with, meant that I was quickly seduced by everything Diana is and represents. In very short order it was easy for me to see why she had behaved in such an outlandish fashion and I could forgive her for her ways and means. This book was adorable and funny and a prime example of why I love this author’s work. I can’t wait to see what else the Wicked Duke is hiding behind its doors.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author.

I received an advanced review copy of this book.

I thought the story was well-written. Diana Middleton is a quirky heroine. I did find her a bit single minded with regards to her cause. The decisions she’d made as far as her future in order to continue going after dishonest merchants seemed extreme. The hero, Caleb Sutton, the Duke of Colehaven, is likable. He’s an all around good guy who does what he can to improve the lives of others.

The romance between Diana and Cole was well developed and they seemed to be well-matched as far as their personalities and interests.

The secondary characters like Thaddeus and Colehaven’s sister, Felicity were likable. I look forward to reading their stories.

Another great novel by an outstanding historical romance author. I am never disappointed when I read a story by this individual. The plot is realistic and quickly takes the reader to the heart of matter. If you enjoy an excellent historical romance this book should be high on your to be read list.

I have rated this book 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

One Night for Seduction is true to Ridley's historical romances. The strong-willed, unconventional, slightly anachronistic heroine was awesome. I loved her, and I loved how she made the Duke see that there was no need for her to change her ways.

Fun! Enjoyable and witty with every page. Characters and storyline very easy to follow and thoroughly enjoyable. The first book in a new series.

When the Duke of Colehaven makes a bet that he can find a suitable husband for his friend's ward, it's based on the fact that he hasn't lost a bet in ten years. But when he meets the young lady of five and twenty, he's totally intrigued. He can lose the bet if he marries her, not that he cares, but first he has to convince her to say yes. The sparks that fly from their first meeting keep you totally entertained. A short novel with a lot of heart.

Caleb Sutton, fifth Duke of Coldhaven, and one of the Wicked Dukes has made a bet with his friend Thaddeus Middleton that he can find a husband for Thaddeus's cousin. What he doesn't know is Diana Middleton uses being a wallflower to lead a double life. Diana's mission is to bring dishonest businessmen to justice.

As Caleb gets to know Diana, he discovers that they have more in common than they thought. Diana is also determined to not fall in love with Caleb because he can end her mission. She finds out that Caleb is the one Lord that can further her mission.

Erica Ridley is an amazing author. I loved this book. The characters were amazing. I liked how determined Diana was to fix the injustices in her world. Caleb was a great hero. I liked the supporting characters. The Wicked Duke reminded me of an upper class "Cheers". Loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Title: One Night for Seduction
Author: Erica Ridley
Stars: 3.5/5
Genre: Historical Romance

This is the first book I’ve read from Erica Ridley. The beginning hooked me in right away, and I hate to compare, since this is a good book in its own right, but I got a lot of “She’s All That” movie vibes, but only hundreds of years earlier. The characters seemed well fleshed out, and although I really hate math, the characters were still compelling. I understand that math and stuff like that is what they bonded over, but I honestly liked the idea of them bonding over doing right for the small people and helping pass laws that helped the “common people” more than I liked the math part. But that is my opinion.
The atmosphere matched the historical time, and I loved all the characters. The plot was fast moving, (as it usually is in a romance like this) so I was never bored. Overall it was a quick satisfying read hitting all the markers that a typical romance reader looks for in a story.
I loved the relationship between Diana and her cousin, and the dynamics of the Wicked Duke members and how they have fun, perform mischief, but also have good hearts and generally care about one another. I look forward to seeing the rest of the Dukes, and the shenanigans they get into.

4.5 stars

One Night for Seduction is the first book in a brand new series called Wicked Dukes Club and it's written by Erica Ridley. Here is the catch though. Every book listed with an odd number in the series is written by Erica Ridley and every book with an even number is written by Darcy Burke. Two of my favorite HR authors teamed up to write the series, but they don't work on each book together which is good in my opinion.

The first book in the series was good and it was a solid beginning for our characters. We were introduced to some of the dukes, but I don't think we have met them all. The heroine is the sister of one of the dukes and his story is not the next one. Our hero, Cole has a 10-year winning streak on bets and his latest one is to find someone to marry Diana, our heroine. That is not an easy task since Diana is more focused on going undercover to shops and finding if they are stealing from their customers than finding someone to marry and being the proper wife. She is a little ahead of her time and that was perfectly normal. Cole is your average hero and everything I was expecting him to be. He has some moments when he is oblivious to some obvious situations as it is to be expected, but in the end, he made up for it and he won me and Diana over. I love a man who realizes his mistakes. Diana's views also changed so it wasn't one sided and we had a growth of character for both of them which couldn't have made me happier.

Overall the book was good and I enjoyed it a lot. It was everything I expected from this author and I want to see what she and Darcy Burke have planned next. The epilogue was a good addition to the story, which scored some point for the book.

This is the best Erica Ridley book I've read so far - and I've read a large number! Why? Because I've learnt a lot of new things about life and shopping in the Regency age.
I had no idea that there were so many different weights and measures around in this time. and I've discovered the origin of why the American gallon is not an English gallon. All of which was very mysterious before.
So in real life there was an Act of Parliament in 1824 that laid down the exact weights for measures in the UK.
A gallon was to be measured as the volume of 10 pounds of distilled water weighed at 62 degrees Fahrenheit, with a barometer pressure of 30 inches or 277.274 cubic inches.
So very precise!
The old Troy pound was later restricted as being used only to weigh drugs, precious metal and jewels.
But it was not until 1963 that the rod and chaldron (who has ever heard of that?! But it was apparently a measure of coal being 36 bushels), were finally abolished.
Now isn't that fascinating?
But to add to the confusion, the American weights and measures guys adopted the units the English used before 1824. This means that an American gallon is based on the Queen Anne wine gallon of 231 cubic inches and is thus 17% smaller than the English. The Old English (Queen Anne) Wine Gallon was standardized as 231 in3 (133 fl oz) in the 1706 Act 5 Anne c27, but it differed before that, as an example the London 'Guildhall' gallon before 1688 was 129.19 fl oz.
And the US bushel is 3% smaller; with the American dry pint being .551 cubic decimeters and the English keeping the wet and dry pint the same at .586 cubic decimeters. Yes the wet American is the same as the English to confuse us all...
I do hope everyone followed all of that!
So for me, the story was in the usual good form of Erica with a great heroine and a somewhat bemused hero but for me, being a history buff, the weights and measures issue sent me off into research land which doesn't often happen these days. Well done Erica!

Very interesting book, I think that the wager that Cole agreed to was rather a cool twist to the book and that it was funny that Diana could match her clothes to any house in London :) Overall it was a great quick read, and I will read more by Erica Ridley. It will be interesting to read the other stories in her new series.
I volunteered to read this book from WebMotion in exchange for my honest feedback, the thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

This was a fun read, I liked the witty humor, the sweet connection that took them by surprise. I could have easily read another hundred pages. Looking forward to the next book in this new series.

Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke are two of my very favourite romance authors, so when I found out they were writing a series together, I was over the moon! There are going to be 8 books in The Wicked Dukes series, with Erica writing the odd-numbered books and Darcy the even.

This is a really promising start to the series and a really entertaining romance! As always, Ridley’s hero and heroine make sparks fly immediately – the banter borders on aggressive at their first meeting, which is so much fun to read. The plot is pretty unusual: the Duke of Colehaven takes on a wager that he can get his friend’s unmarriageable sister married (though he isn’t allowed to cheat by marrying her himself). Though wagers are common to kickstart romances, I’ve not seen a hero actively meddle with a heroine’s love life before – it’s usually the other way around! Cole is rather flummoxed by the feisty Diana when he finally meets her, and it soon becomes clear that finding her a husband is not going to be as straightforward a task as he’d assumed.

Diana is a really fun heroine, largely because she has absolutely no interest in catching a husband – not at all, not even in the back of her mind. She has a scientific interest in numbers and a philanthropic interest in the everyday life of the lower classes. I loved how utterly frustrating she finds Cole’s insistence on spending time with her, and her slow realisation that she actually does like him is really well-sketched. These two are so good for each other, with their quick wits, and their life goals are actually really similar, which they would realise if they stopped to think about it. It’s great to see Diana stand up for her views, and for Cole to be so accepting of her unique attitudes.

The side characters are well-defined, and I really love the atmosphere of The Wicked Duke tavern, so I’m looking forward to seeing which of the friends get stories in the rest of the series! This book feels like a great read for a cozy afternoon in with a big cup of tea, which is everything I ask for from a historical romance, so it gets five stars from me!

I enjoyed the quirky personality and eccentricities that Diana had. She had a multi-dimensional ability in solving mathematical problems. Whether they be simple math, chess, household duties. She was also extremely efficient and strove to help others streamline their household to their best effectiveness. Her heart was in the right place although some may see her as over the top. But those who loved her, loved her as she was. Cole is a Duke. He began life in poverty before the title came to him. He felt he had to improve the life of all especially the working class. He takes his place in Parliament and House of Lords trying to make a difference. Even though he and Diana never met they had so much in common although went about it in opposite ways. The relationship between them began based on a wager that Cole would be able to marry Diana off before the season was over. An interesting read.

Erica Ridley is my favorite Duke-to-go-book-writer. She has the ability to write about historical facts, but make them swoon worthy. How cool is that? So yeah The 1815 Weights and Measures Act was real, but it wasn't the Duke of Colehaven who got the act passed through parliament. Who cares? Cole was probably a lot hotter than King George. And maybe King George didn't have a smart and witted woman named Diana Middleton to prove the necessity of the act. But then the story wouldn't have been as enticing as it was now. Diana is happy to live a double life: she secretly disguises as servants or commoner to ensure that nobody gets at the wrong end of a business deal as a result of bad measurements. However, in order to keep her double life, she has to stay out of marriage. Therefore being her ward is an almost impossible task. So when the Wicked Duke dares Cole to find Diana Middleton a husband, he agrees. How hard could it be to find a husband for the beautiful woman? Well... he is about to find out. Hurray for yet another wonderful series of Erica Ridley: the Wicked Dukes Club series. I'll be awaiting the other parts. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.