Member Reviews
First of the Wicked Dukes series, One Night for Seduction features a heroine with pretty modern sensibilities who loves maths and measurements and an unlikely Duke committed to being a man for the people.
Diana is a self imposed spinster on a mission and the Duke is on a ten year wager winning streak who agrees to hook his friends ward/cousin up. But when Cole meets the wallflower, he realizes she is anything but…and sparks quickly fly.
This was a really quick read, enjoyable, with lots of great chemistry between the H/H and a sweet romance (although with a few steamy/vanilla scenes…they were pretty limited in detail, but definitely on the page). She is a virgin, and devoted to being a spinster, but not devoted to her maidenhead. When Cole seems persistent, she is suggests an alternative…thus the title.
More of a novella then a novel, this took a couple hours to read and was fun, light and took a bit of a suspension of disbelief. Although Ridley knows her stuff, she definitely plays with the era so that we have a heroine who is bucking convention…to say the least. Her motivations, perhaps, were unclear and so made her crusade to bring accurate measurements to the Kingdom a bit unbelievable. But it also made her romance more interesting, so I found myself lowering the raised eyebrow and relaxing into the story.
Cole was not supposed to be the heir, and so has had to work doubly hard to feel legitimate. He really is the stuff of dreams…handsome, wealthy, and really kind. Maybe a bit arrogant, but confidence can be an aphrodisiac. He also has a nice little learning curve where he learns to appreciate his lady as an equal partner.
Readers ready for a short, sweet and optimistic romance will cherish this shorty that serves up a bit of history with a limited angst romance.
★★★★★★ 4 out of 6 Intellectuals and philanthropes fall in love
http://www.regrom.com/2019/04/23/erica-ridley-one-night-for-seduction/
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2796265199?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
This was a great start for a new series. I loved how their story starts with Cole thinking he can match Diana off to some other gentleman, but ends up falling for her himself. Diana is a strong woman worried about losing herself in a marriage, I was happy to see Cole come around to seeing he was trying to change her into what he thought she should be.
Three and a half stars
Diana Middleton is a singular young lady. Obsessively interested in order and justice she masquerades as a barrister's clerk testing weights and measures in local shops. She has campaigned (anonymously) for reform of the anarchic weights and measures system in the UK which has 27 different definitions of a bushel.She knows her eccentricities could cause her cousin, and guardian, Thaddeus Middleton to suffer the scorn, ridicule and perhaps ostracism from the ton, should they be known. In order to avoid having her activities curtailed or prohibited she is determined not to marry and has deliberately made herself into a wallflower.
Thaddeus is one of three founders of the tavern and brewery known as the Wicked Duke, one night he laments to his two best friends, the Duke of Eastleigh and the Duke of Colehaven that his ward is unmarriageable and dares the Duke of Colehaven to find her a husband by the end of the season.
Colehaven finds Diana to be a world of contradictions, dressed in such a way that she blends into the wallpaper at society balls, she nevertheless has a keen mind and proves more than capable of engaging him in wide-ranging discussions of politics and sexism and weights and measures (of course). Pity Diana's outspokenness and appearance preclude her from being the Duchess of Colehaven ...
I'm always a sucker for a brilliant heroine, constrained by society who teaches the hero a lesson, especially when he thinks he's rescuing her and this is no exception. However, I felt the novel was too short and didn't really have time to develop the romance between them.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review.
I hope the rest of this series is as good as this book. I am new to Erica Ridley’s writing but so far
I really enjoy it. Her characters and story line are unique and interesting but also believable. Diana is a saucy “spinster” working hard to make sure town vendors are not overcharging the townspeople. She refuses to change her ways or be “owned” by a husband. Colehaven is a duke that has not lost a wager in 10 years. He was determined to find Diana a husband. I really enjoyed the twists and turns their story took. I am so looking forward to the next book.
One Night For Seduction is the first book in the Wicked Dukes Club series. The Wicked Dukes in question being a tavern owned by two dukes who met at Oxford and a place where all are welcome no matter what their standing in life is. One of the owners is Caleb Sutton, the Duke Of Colehaven, (Cole) a man who never expected to inherit a dukedom and therefore feels he is being judged on his behaviour and so, in historical parlance, has to make a better fist of it than someone who was born to the role. The one thing he can’t resist though is a wager and when one of his friends dares him to find a husband for his cousin, what else is he supposed to do but accept the challenge. Diana Middleton, a twenty-five year old self-proclaimed spinster has no interest in marriage and is fixated on her quest to single-handedly bring order to the weights and measure system and the dishonest tradesmen who use the confused system to swindle the unsuspecting public.
While I liked the character of Cole I just couldn’t find anything about Diana that made me warm to her. She came across as quite a selfish and self-absorbed person who thought that no one but she could care about injustice. She was blind to how much her cousin cared for her and couldn’t see that he had her best interests at heart and only wanted to see her happy. At first I thought my dislike was because she was a ‘modern day’ character set in a historical setting but when I thought about it some more I realised wouldn’t have liked her any more if she had been a character in a contemporary novel. I did enjoy the character of Lady Felicity, Cole’s sister and I’m hoping that she might end up with her own story one day. I do enjoy Erica Ridley’s writing and my dislike of one character won’t prevent me from reading the rest of this series.
ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION is the first book in the Wicked Dukes Club series. They are meant to stand alone, but I believe it is always best to read the first in any series first as it sets the tone.
There was never any doubt that Colehaven, Cole to his friends, was going to lose the wager and win the prize of a lifetime, Diana. How they got there was a game worthy of a master chess player.
He may be in his thirties, but it took maturing to realize how to woo the lady to be his duchess. Sigh! This story was adorable, sweet, at times maddeningly obvious, but all together perfect. I couldn’t think of two people more meant to be together. Until the next two people that Erica Ridley presents to us, of course.
I love the idea of this series, and Darcy Burke is a new-to-me author, so I’m looking forward to the next book to see how she writes.
Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.
Title: ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION
Series: Wicked Dukes Club #1
Category /Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Grammar/editing: received as an unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from: Erica Ridley (as an ARC gifted copy)
Charming, warm and excellent company are words that apply to both the characters and the book. If you love Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh then this is definitely one for you. Shut out the modern world and enjoy some historical romance. Thanks to Webmotion and Netgalley for providing me with this free ARC.
I read this over a few days since time was an enemy of mine. I just couldn’t seem to manage more than a bit here or there. I think it took a little something away from the story as I prefer to read all in one sitting when possible. I really enjoyed this book dispite the limited amount of time per sitting.
It’s a very sweet and nearly completely clean read. Only mild petting. Definitely PG rated. As with all of the books Ms. Ridley writes the character extremely well and very believable. I always enjoy reading previous characters that pop up in her current books. It makes it seem like I’m reading about family.
I received this as a free book from Netgalley and I am voluntarily giving my opinion.
ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION by Erica Ridley was such a fun and - surprisingly -informative book! I received a pre-release copy and have offered to provide this review, which was not difficult, since I enjoyed the book very much.
Diana Middleton is a spinster and she’s perfectly happy with that. Her guardian/cousin, Thaddeus, is not. Over many mugs of ale at The Wicked Duke tavern, Caleb Sutton, Fifth Duke of Colehaven, agrees to the wager that he will find this unmarriageable girl a suitor by the end of the season. After all, he, Cole, is known for always winning his wagers. How hard can this one be?
Well, after his first meeting with Diana, it didn’t seem that one of the wager’s stipulations was going to be a problem: the specification that HE could not be the suitor. Cole certainly was not attracted to dowdy girls who could be mistaken for a shy maid. However, after spending more time with her, an unusual thing began to happen. He found that, somehow, the tables had been turned and by her very uniqueness, Diana seemed to be always on his mind.
I found the book to move briskly - no dragged out scenes in this one - and truly had fun learning about some issues very specific to the times. Not only that, I was absolutely floored by the sweet ending that showed that love truly comes in all types of forms. This is an absolutely winning way to begin a new series, Wicked Dukes Club. It promises to be a great !
When I first started reading this book I thought I would not be able to put it down ....but as I got into it I found it slowed down. I did finish it but it took longer than anticipated now don’t get me wrong I did like the story I just found it a bit slow.
This book begins the Wicked Dukes series and the story centres around Caleb Sutton, fifth Duke of Colehaven who along with two other Dukes, Thaddeus and Valentine, have been meeting up in a tavern, known as the Wicked Duke for 10 years. The plot of this novel centres around Cole taking on a bet to marry of Thasseus's ward, Diana; Cole naively thinks this will be a quick and easy task, until he actually meets her.
Diana, from the moment they meet is a cause of upset and confusion, she's intelligent (with her study but not with people), passionate, has a strong mind and the determination to make changes in the world. This I must admit is the aspect that frustrated and eventually bored me. The 1815 Weights and Measurement is a real piece of legislation, and although it's interesting to see the importance of having a simpler system, Diana is obsessed with it and very repetitive; so she just well... bored me. The Duke of Colehaven saved the day, as his character was fun and his reactions humorous.
I don't read a lot of historical romance novels, so maybe my expectations were wrong. Overall, it was okay and there were entertaining moments, but I think my disinterest in the principal female character stopped my enjoyment. I'll read more Erica Ridley books and certainly won't be put off by Diana.
I immensely enjoyed this latest steamy Regency romp from Erica Ridley. Sparks and passions fly as a wallflower with a penchant for disguise matches wits with a duke out to win a bet. His grace has a ten-year winning streak to protect! How hard can it be to find a husband for an unmarriageable spinster?
A fun, witty, sexy and engaging romance filled with interesting charters and heart pounding twists. Was a great adventure from beginning to end and was so fun to read. Loving this series and look forward to reading more adventures from the Wicked Dukes Club.
Really good start of a new series. One night of seduction is the first book in the Wicked Dukes Club Series by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. This first book is written by Erica Ridley and every uneven book will be written by her. Every even book will be wriite by Darcy Burk.
The first book is about the Duke of Colehaven, Cole is one of the two owners of the Wicked Duke and he never says no to a challenge. This time the Wicked Duke challenges him to find a husband for an unmarriageable ward. Diana is supposed to be a wallflower. but she lives a double live and decided a while ago she was never going to marry.
I really liked the characters and the writing, can't wait to read more of this series
At first I liked this book. I love strong, independent women who don't conform to the rules society tries to put upon them. Even though I was a little confused about what and how exactly Diana was doing her "inspections", I was refreshed by the fact that she was trying to make a difference in people's lives. I was even endeared to Cole, the humble Duke who has worked hard to prove himself worthy of the title and of chairing committees in the House of Lords. Even their first meeting was much different from the standard presentation in historical romances. I thought to myself finally. I have finally found the book that is going to break my unfortunate three star or lower streak.
And yet. I was wrong. *sigh*
While its admirable that Diana cares so much about people being wronged, she just is not all that intelligent when it comes to the bigger picture. She becomes so focused on herself - her independence as a spinster, her defending the common folk against a perceived wrong - that even when a golden opportunity is presented to her she can't see it for anything other than a man trying to control her. The back and forth between them on the subject of marriage became so tiresome that I almost wished he would tell her to go to hell and marry someone else just for spite. After all, a man has his pride too right?
I am however, a fan of this author's work. So while this one didn't gel for me the way I would have liked it to, I know there will be those that love this story and these characters. I will also not let this bump deter me from reading more from this author or in this series.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
The Duke of Colehaven has not lost a bet for ten years and when his friends bets him he can’t find a husband for his cousin he can’t refuse or he’ll die trying to keep his winning streak alive. After all how hard can it be to marry off one wallflower to an eligible young bachelor? Supposed wallflower Diana Middleton has no need for a husband, doesn’t want one. She’s perfectly content to bringing dishonest businessmen to justice and what she doesn’t need is a duke interfering with her plans. Cole isn’t quite what she expected for a peer of the realm. Cole doesn’t’ know what to expect, but his meeting with Diana doesn’t go as unexpected when she sets him straight and threatens him into leaving. I love this fiery romance, the more they fight the more you can just feel the attraction as their sizzling passion grows until it consumes them. A great start to a new series!!!I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
What is a woman to do when she is born with a brain that outshines that of most men? She hides in plain sight and determines her course in spite of the norms of society. Diana Middleton doesn't want a husband and she certainly doesn't want the ideals of other women of her era, namely a wealthy husband, the latest fashions and children. An unjust measuring system? Now that is something she can get her teeth into. Taking on a bet to marry Diana off before the season is over is just up the Duke of Colehaven's street. He's never lost a bet and matching Diana with a suitable husband is a walk in the park. That is until he finds himself being bemused and confused by a brilliant young woman who stands up to him and challenges him at every turn. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters in this book. There wasn't a bad egg amongst them. As this novel is the beginning of the series, it also introduces the other Wicked Dukes and I look forward to reading all about them. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
81+Mary Lynde
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One Night for Seduction by Erica Ridley
One Night for Seduction (Wicked Dukes Club #1)
by Erica Ridley (Goodreads Author)
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This is highly entertaining, romantic and interesting. Cole is impulsive, cocky, bold, charming, full of energy and can't turn down a bet. Diana is stubborn, passionate, daring and bold. Diana is considered unmarriageable by her cousin because she refuses to dress in fashion, interact with society or consider any man for her husband. Diana's cousin is lamenting this in Wicked Duke, a club owned by the Dukes of Colehaven and Everleigh, when he suggests a wager to Cole, 300 pounds to get her married by the end of the season. He can't tempt other men by dancing attendance on here, and he can't be the one to marry her. Cole of course takes the bet. Then finds it's not only not as easy as he thought, he might also like her himself. They bicker and fight, even getting into each other's faces, while he tries to get her noticed, and she hides against a wall. She won't get married and lose her freedom, she has an important job to do, she has to make sure that people are not getting fleeced by shop owners. And even if Cole is trying to do the same things, she only wants to secretly be partners to change the country.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.
I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.
A new series brought by two great authors, Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke.
The first book of a series is always difficult; begin to introduce the characters that will follow is not easy... But in this book here we already begin to understand the rhythm of the series.
We have an independent heroine who lives to help other people by unmasking people who take advantage of others through their business.
She meets the Duke of Colehaven - Cole - who had been challenged by another duke to find the romantic pair for a mutual friend.
From there, Diana Middleton becomes Cole's target, but before introducing her to another man, Cole decides she would be his... forever.
But would Diana, as the independent woman she was, accept to marry?
4 stars