I really enjoy the rogues in Erica Ridley’s books. One Night for Seduction was no different. Diana Middleton was a bit of a different character but for the most part I found her charming and quirky. We do not all have to be alike. Definitely born before her time though. Overall a good story but I did find the ending to be a bit cheesy.

I just love a good historical romance with a bit of roguish behaviour, and this is an absolute must read. I love Cole and Diana and as this is the first in a new series, I can't wait to read more.

I received a copy from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my own honest opinion

Well! This was a fun read!

A quirky lady of breeding concerned with efficiency and organization like the need for standardizing weights and measures so that a customer is not cheated, or shorted in their purchasing measurements, be it bushels or gallons. Diana Middleton is a very different central character. A mathematical genius she sees herself as a covert agent of change, able to, “Have a positive impact on the world around her, at a level outside the home. " "A humble sleuth, avenging misapplied mathematics every day for the betterment and fair treatment of all England’s citizens."
A simply gorgeous duke who came by his dukedom because everyone else died out, so had to find his own way through the mire of all things dukely.
Caleb Sutton, fifth Duke of Colehaven,(Col) takes his role seriously and is on parliamentary committees seeking change including one of interest to Diana that "pushed through the Weights and Measures Act of 1815."
With his close friend since school, Valentine Fairfax, the Duke of Eastleigh, Col bought a tavern they dubbed The Wicked Duke. It is more a club where all are welcome, unlike White's or Brook's. As Col explains to Diana, “The world may not be equitable for all men, but at least our tavern can be. Regardless of color, creed, or the size of one’s coin purse.”
On a ten-year lucky betting streak Col places a bet with Thaddeus Middleton that he can have Thad's spinster ward married by the end of the season. That's before Col meets Diana.
After that he's not sure of anything, including "What sort of woman prefers mathematics to marriage?”
A delightful romantic piece of nonsense with some amusing lines all the while fueled by some very serious concepts.
One of my favorite cameos was these lords and soldiers bemoaning that Thaddeus, after six grueling years of war, can't seem to get his ward turned in the correct direction--marriage.
Eastleigh sympathizes with the comment, "Girls are far trickier than French soldiers ... Had we sent a crop of Diamonds of the First Water to the front lines in lieu of the Royal Army, Napoleon would have been trussed up decades ago. "
Their discussions rambled on in a similar vein, half nonsense, half serious.
I was amused! I was caught!!

A NetGalley ARC

A lovely, funny, clever, and entertaining book.
I loved the humour and how the characters were developed.
I enjoyed the plot, rooted for the characters and was fascinated by the well researched historical setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Duke of Colehaven is not one to pass up a wager, and he hasn't lost one in 10 years. For this wager, he has to find a husband for the ward of one of his good friends. She has been called unmarriageable. Diana is a contented bluestocking spinster who wants nothing to do with marriage, as she doesn't want to be controlled by any man. She has a great appreciation of numbers and lives a double life acting as if she were a government inspector. She goes to businesses and makes sure that they are using proper weights and measures so they don’t cheat the customers...or themselves!

Will the Duke be able to find a man willing to marry this woman? Will he be able to convince Diana that she should marry?

I found this to be a delightfully written book. There is a lot of humor, a lot of intelligence (and some interesting chess games!), and a lot of witty or telling banter between characters. The characters in this book are three dimensional--both the leads and the secondary characters. Diana is a fantastic heroine. She's very smart, surprisingly funny, and knows her own mind. To hear her go on about mathematics and weights and measures was more amusing than it sounds. She's very independent and believes in reciprocity between men and women in all things. Cole’s a great character as well. He, too, is not interested in marrying; he has very specific ideas about what his proper duchess should be like, and he hasn't met her yet. He never expected to be the duke, so he treats people better than most others of his station. As Diana says, he is nice. I loved watching his relationship with his sister, Felicity. She is an excellent character in her own right, and brother and sister interacted well in a way that seemed natural between loving siblings.

If you enjoy well-written Regency with a little bit of humor and a bluestocking heroine, you might enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of the book from the author, but this did not affect my review.

London, England 1817 At the Wicked Duke Pub, the owners were celebrating the ten year anniversary of operation. Caleb, fifth Duke of Colehaven had won it in a bet and his winning streak was still not broken. But when his friend wagers he cannot find a husband for his ward, Cole accepts, but why is she not married at five and twenty?
Diana Middleton does not want marraige and is an expert at being a wallflower and unnoticeable. She has things to accomplish and wants her independence. She works, unbeknowest to everyone to help others who cannot help themselves and she is determined not to give that up.
But when the handsome Duke of Colehaven meets her, he lets her know he will find her a husband but she holds steady and states she will not marry. Thus begins the adventure between the two of push and pull and tempers flaring! The spark is there almost immediately between the two, but one rule is that Cole cannot be the one to marry Diana or he will lose the wager!
Erica Ridley, as always, creates a delightful story with characters that always entertain, while trying to find their happy ever after. Some just resist more that others! An amazing start to a new series that I cannot wait to read more!! Plus isn't that cover gorgeous?

One Night for Seduction (Wicked Dukes Club, #1) by Erica Ridley is the first book in this historical romance series. I adore Erica Ridley books. They are my go-to for fun and whimsical reads. In this enchanting story, The Duke of Colehaven is determined to find a match for his friend's unmarriageable sister. But Miss Middleton is content to be on the shelf. She has other thoughts and is determined to thwart the Duke at every turn. The writing is always done well as the story flows seamlessly throughout the progression of the book. The characters compliment each other well and the banter is intriguingly witty. If you enjoyed any of the Rogues to Riches, I think this series will be just as pleasing.

A wager to get a women not deemed marriageable because of her wallflower status that she is long in the tooth at the ripe old age of 25 turns into a battle of wits between the Duke of Colehaven and the ward of his dear friend. Diana Middleton is a fetching lady but to use her superior brain power and remain independent she knows she can never marry. She pretends to be a dowdy wallflower and refuses any gentlemen callers. Her cousin who is her ward only wants her to be happy and won't force marriage on her. The bet begins and Diana does not fall for it. Frustrated as to why she prefers to be a spinster the Duke Caleb spends time with her to figure out this perplexing puzzle. The longer he is in her company the more he grows to respect her. Diana's goal is to standardize measurements so businesses deliver the correct amount of goods to their customers. The current haphazard way of measuring is harmful to struggling families. The Duke and Wallflower lock horns but slowly realize there is an attraction. A fun and witty novel with both strong male and female leads. I highly recommend this book. Reviews have been left on Amazon, KOBO, Good Reads, Linked In and Barnes and Noble.

‘One Night for Seduction’, has all the makings of a great start to the series Wicked Dukes Club, especially when you realise that Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke, have paired up to write alternating stories in the series. The first book follows Caleb Sutton (Cole), fifth Duke of Colehaven who loves nothing but a wager, and agrees to find a husband for Miss Diana Middleton, both cousin and ward to his friend Thaddeus Middleton. However, he soon finds that himself captivated by Diana but Diana, isn’t as easy to convince. Fixated with the measurement system in England, she is determined to right this injustice and finds herself, exposing business men who rort the system. In Cole, she finds a friend who understands her drive as he too, has been determined to address similar issues in the House of Lords.
Whilst a novella, Erica Ridley manages to quickly bring to life, such great characters who by the end of the story, you feel you know quite intimately. Her descriptive and fluid style of writing, makes it easy to be drawn into the storyline. I must admit that Cole was my favourite of the two main characters, as his poor beginnings makes him such an interesting character, and obviously loved by all who meet him. He stands out for being honourable and very likeable and manages to smooth out Diana’s personality.
Cole’s friends Thaddeus and his business partner Valentine Fairfax, the Duke of Eastleigh, are two men that you know will make for great characters in the next books in the series. I look forward to reading about Eastleigh in the second book of the series.
I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The opening story of the Wicked Dukes Club series drew me in quickly and kept me entertained throughout Cole and Diana’s intense romance. ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION tells the tale of a Duke who never expected to rise to that title as he comes from very humble, poor beginnings and one society miss who would rather blend into the background in order to continue her life’s mission of outing corrupt businessmen as they steal from those less fortunate by using every legal loophole and shady practice possible. He never turns down a wager, and being on a decade long winning streak why would he? And she will never marry for marriage would prevent her from doing the work she has set her life aside to accomplish. So, a wager to find a suitable marriage partner for an unmarriageable ward seems to be one that Cole believes he can win, and that Diana is determined that he lose.

I enjoyed Cole very much. He doesn’t have the ingrained belief that he is better than everyone around him, mainly his personality, but also that he came into the title later in life and knows a far different world than that of the ton. He is an admirable man, definitely a sexy man, one who is caught in his own web of wagering when his feelings for Diana explode into true desire and real love. Diana. I liked her and yet at times she frustrated me by her more modern take on things. She’s stubborn and determined which works well for what she wants to accomplish. It took me longer to warm up to her but her feelings for Cole were very real, even when she tried so hard to deny them.

We meet the gentlemen who will be part of this series, and I cannot wait for these men to meet their ultimate match – they are in for an awakening. With secondary characters that bring the story to life ONE NIGHT FOR SEDUCTION is an intriguing beginning to this series by Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. It will be fun to follow these unfolding adventures and I’d definitely recommend this story and series to any reader of Historical Romance that enjoys a good story, believable characters, a bit of a twist and chemistry that blazes across the pages.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Cole and Diana have very similar goals but are going about them in very different ways. Meeting brings conflict them friendship and finally love. The trip is not easy. There are many obstacles along the way. Some because of Cole and some from Diana. A fun trip that intrudes the Wicked Dukes.

The start of a new series is always dicey, it sets the tone for all the books to come. When well written, entertaining, and engaging, it makes you impatient for the next book to arrive. Erica Ridley has me hooked with One Night For Seduction., the first in the Wicked Duke's Club series. I can only hope she's locked up somewhere typing her fingers off.

Our hero Is Caleb Sutton, Duke of Colehaven, apparently one of the nicest people on earth. As a distant cousin to the last Duke, Caleb was not raised to take over a title and estate. He's tried very hard to learn and be worthy, in his eyes, of the position he's landed in. He's determined to use his place in the House of Lords for good and wants to be useful. Colehaven loves to win (who doesn't?) and takes on a bet (500 pounds!) to find a husband for his friends unmarriageable 25 year old ward.

Diana Middleton is just fine, thank you. She may be pretty but more importantly she has a grasp of mathematics that I wish I had half of, I can't balance my checkbook. She considers her life's work to be protecting people from pulling their hair out dealing with weights and measures, England is a mess. Diana is single-minded in her determination to be useful and matter in this world that she doesn't see there may be other options in her life. To marry would put an end to her work, so no thank you.

Colehaven and Diana strike sparks upon first meeting and by the end it's a forest fire. They also have a witty back and forth that I enjoyed, no simpering or yelling. They're both strong and convinced that his/her path is the right and only way to go. Compromise is the moral of this story. The Wicked Duke's club itself opens up so many, many possibilities for tales that this series has plenty of characters to work with. I'm looking forward to the book up next, One Night Of Surrender where the Duke of Eastleigh get his chance at happiness. Happy reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

@EricaRidley #NetGalley #WickedDukes (l

Spinster secret agent!

I laughed and smiled throughout this Regency romance.
The heroine is intelligent and active in a personal mission for the country--that she assigned herself. The hero is a hard working member of the House of Lords with a weakness for dares.

While the plot of the dare was not unique, everything related to the system of weights and measurements was a refreshing insight into the time period and made the characters stand out. The dialogue is quick, smart, and humorous. The attraction is potent.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.

Diana is a woman who knows what she wants. And what she wants is not be be a possession of a husband. She has made herself a wallflower at society events by dressing to match the wallpaper. She dresses to make herself invisible thus able to visit establishments to check their weights and measures.
Cole is the Duke of Colehaven. He has never lost a bet and takes on his friend, Thaddeus’, wish to get his ward, Diana, married. Cole discovers that he is intrigued by Diana, but how to change her mind about marriage?
A delightful tale. I received an ARC of this book.

The Duke of Colehaven loves to make wagers, and when the Wicked Duke dares him to marry off a friend's ward, who is he to deny the challenge? A determined wallflower, Diana Middleton is not someone easily swayed into getting married off. It doesn't take long for Cole to realise that this is a wager that is near impossible to win, especially when he finds himself slowly falling in love with her.

I do hold a certain judgement against the characters included within. Diana, on first impression, is someone independent, passionate, and extremely smart. In the past when women were supposed to be demure and all things proper, it was pretty refreshing. She isn't a doormat, willing to let anyone step on her. Like a lot of heroines in historical fiction books written nowadays, Diana's character, as well as Cole's sister's character, are very common. And I'm not tired of that. As a feminist, I most definitely am not. But as I continued to read, I realised that despite Diana's intelligence, she seems to have forgotten this very fact: having made the decision to not get married, that choice has, very obviously, become a burden to her guardian. Yes, she is passionate, but she is also selfish and arrogant, in some way. How could she possibly go on to think that basically EVERYONE supports injustice? Everyone but her? For a woman her age, that seems immature. Cole, too, also has his own handful of stupid thoughts that didn't quite make sense, and I felt like slapping him the whole time he wanted to propose. I really liked how the two of them developed overtime, though, and that through the feelings they have for one another, they learnt to improve themselves, but it did happen too little too late and — did I mention how abrupt that ending is?

I found this book so-so. How everything started was pretty much how every other Regency romance does: both Cole and Diana being attracted to one another's appearance. But... I didn't see it as an event that was terribly rushed. Even though this book is a short read, the story was well-paced, in my opinion. The author had not dragged it out needlessly, and I liked that. I just hoped she had handled the ending a little better instead of closing the story in a manner that is considered abrupt.

In addition to that, this book, with its facts on weights and measurements, made me a very confused reader when Diana first spoke about it. Living a double life is really original, I admit. I learnt quite a bit as the story went on, but most of the time, I found myself ignoring the topic of both their arguments, and I think that's pretty wasted.

All in all, a book I would recommend to readers who would like a quick, romantic read. But if I were to compare it to Julia Quinn's books, this one definitely lost. There was not enough humour and just not enough feeling. I do still find myself looking forward to the next book, however, and I do hope it'll be better than this one!

London - 1817

Caleb Sutton, fifth Duke of Colehaven, has just entered the tavern known as the Wicked Duke. There, he sees his friend, Valentine Fairfax, sixth Duke of Eastleigh. Another friend. Thaddeus Middleton, is lamenting about the costs to clothe his cousin and ward, Diana Middleton, as she prepares for her season. As she is now 25-years-old, he may have a difficult time marrying her off. So, Colehaven accepts a bet to see that Diana becomes a married woman.

Diana Middleton has no interest in marriage but enjoys making sure that businesses deliver correct items to people and do not overcharge their customers. She goes by the name of Mrs. Peabody as she visits various establishments ensuring their compliance with her demands.

To please her cousin, Thaddeus, Diana agrees to participate in soirees
but manages to slip away and continue to investigate different merchants to ensure their compliance with proper standards of weights and measures. Even so, Diana cannot help but be attracted to Colehaven.

One night, Diana meets Felicity, 24, Colehaven’s sister. It turns out neither of them is anxious to marry because Felicity enjoys learning the mechanics of things. Colehaven had asked Felicity to introduce Diana around. So, both ladies set out to thwart his ideas. When Diana learns of Colehaven’s wager to marry her off, oh hell no!

But more time spent together as Colehaven tries to push Diana out into society more, ends up in the two of them sparking an attraction. Oh my goodness. What now?

This is a well written book with a really good plot. I liked the characters and when a basket of kittens is thrown in for good measure, I was hooked. Cats are my passion. Come along for the fun of this book. The humor thrown in will make you laugh at loud. Well done, Erica Ridley.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This cute Regency romance is the first in the Wicked Dukes Club series by two of my favorite romance authors, Erica Ridley and Darcy Burke. The main characters and secondary characters are likable and fun to spend time with. It is always a pleasure to read about a strong, smart heroine with agency.

There were times when I struggled to suspend disbelief, but it is a fun fantasy with frequent touches of humor. I liked that the conflict was mostly based on good people having conflicting goals. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys light historical romance or romantic comedy.

Note that there is some mild swearing and one not too explicit scene of premarital sex if such things bother you.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review. The ARC I received was well written, appropriately edited, and neatly formatted.

I loved this book and can't wait for the next in the series. So what do I love...I love how Erica Ridley writes. It's smart, the story flows, there is chemistry between our leads, and it's believable.

I love the history infused with the story, in this case standardizing measurements. And that our heroine Lady Diana Middleton is smart, spunky, and had a backbone. I love how our hero the Duke of Colehaven had met his match and the bet he wagers on turns on him. For love, of course. He's protective, yes, but he's also progressive got that time period.

I can't wait to read the next installment.

A light romantic funny read. I laughed so hard at times. Strong female role with a sweet smooth Duke.

I tend to fly through Ridley’s books and this was no exception. A promising start to Ridley and Burke’s new series, Wicked Dukes Club, One Night for Seduction had everything that I wanted: spunky heroine, swoony Duke, and a colorful cast of characters surrounding them.

I loved the idea of a vigilante mathematician going about thwarting unscrupulous shopkeepers and it was so much more amusing to imagine Diana and her disguises. Colehaven was a swoony, down to earth gentleman that was as intelligent as he was handsome… to hear Diana tell it anyway.

Diana and Colehaven’s romance was a whirlwind with spot-on chemistry. Watching them come to terms with having different paths to the same goal was a bit painful as you would think two brilliant minds could come to a compromise or a solution sooner, but I enjoyed the conflict all the same. Readers that prefer their love scenes on the clean side, this was a fade to black.

I wish we had a few stories to back up the nickname of “Wicked Dukes” because I just didn’t get that mischievous feel from Colehaven. He reminded me of a golden retriever, which was wonderful and I adored him but not quite what I expect from the term “wicked”. A mischievous streak is clearly in there somewhere because the banter was playful and a delight to read.

This proved to be a romantic, quick read that I would have finished in one sitting if I didn’t have a toddler to chase. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series!