I really enjoyed Dukes, Actually though I felt it progressed too quickly. I would have liked them to overcome more of an obstacle. The characters themselves were fantastic, it was just over too soon!

Another terrific quick read by Erica Ridley

A shy, introverted duke comes out to his cottage where he hopes to reinvent himself by becoming less awkward in social situations. His assumption is that if he can be more outgoing, funny, interesting here then he can be like that in London and thus find himself the perfect duchess. Unbeknownst to him, his complete opposite is about to change his life. I love that Adam and Carole were honest with each other and had no issue with revealing their true selves. You wouldn’t think that two opposing personalities could be so interesting together. This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Erica Ridley’s books.

I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Adam Farland, Duke of Azureford, has been mistaken for an arrogant, aloof lord. What he actually is, however, is a quiet and shy lord. Adam devises a plan guaranteed to help him break out of his shell and find the society bride he needs. Miss Carole Quincy is as outgoing as she is unconventional, and will be the perfect practice for Adam’s flirting. Until that practice starts to feel very real...

I absolutely ADORED this title. Erica Ridley excels at creating heroes and heroines that are more than rakish lords or society ladies. And I love those heroes and heroines. Adam is one of my favorites for this series because I’m a sucker for a shy guy. Even better if people have assumed him to be arrogant because of his shyness. He was a great guy and I think Carole was the best heroine for him. She was fabulous in her own right and I enjoyed reading her emotional journey through the story.

This was not a very plot driven title but I found myself turning page after page regardless. I just could not wait for more moments between Adam and Carole. I was not a huge fan of the billiards games but they didn’t take away from the story at all.

Of course I cannot wait for the next title in this series! This title was well worth waiting a year for!!

A delicious romance a wonderful series.A shy duke an outspoken woman sparkling dialogue characters that come alive.A book to sit back cuddle up and enjoy.#netgalley#webmotion

Miss Carole Quincy likes billiards, fast carriages, and the beautiful, buttoned up Duke of Azureford. She’d be delighted to help him out of his shell and into her arms.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Erica Ridley is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

3.25 A cute, quick romance that was an easy read but I thought the brief glimpses of the side characters in the servants were more interesting than the main characters.

Another magical romance by the amazing Erica Ridley! I know when I start to read one of her stories, I will not be moving anytime soon. Plus there may be times I burst out laughing and others when I can only sigh.
Imagine a shy, introverted Duke. One who needs to learn to flirt to attract a potential bride. Then imagine a lady who is totally the opposite to the point of being everything bright and fun.
So begins Carole and her part time next door neighbor, Adam the Duke of Azureford's story!
Carole had been to a dinner party the Duke had given and lost her precious sketchbook. Well precious my not be the word for it... Scandalous is others got hold of it! Trying to find it, with an excuse of a lost earring, she begins to have conversations with him and realizes he is really shy.. That is the reason he hardly talks to anyone! But oh, did I mention how handsome she found him?
All I want to do is tell you the entire story because it was so humorous and truly delightful! I loved these two opposites that really did have one thing in common and who could have possibly know!
Prepare to be thoroughly entertained and smiling like crazy as you turn the pages!!!

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review - #12dukes #NetGalley
-I loved the wicked conversations between Adam and Carole. I loved how he didn't laugh at her sketches and she at his memories of his father and the books.
-Good pace, great descriptions, good character development.
-Fun to see other characters from the previous books.

Dukes, Actually is a standalone book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. The Duke of Azureford is extremely shy and awkward but everyone mistakes his behavior for rudeness or snobbishness. But the Duke has a plan to force himself into social situations and to find himself a wife. Miss Carole Quincy loves to draw the life she imagines for herself, a life of smoking, drinking, and playing billiards, doing the things men take for granted. A misplaced sketchbook puts Carole at risk and the only way to find it is to help the Duke of Azureford convert his library into a billiard room. Some corny pick up lines later and I found myself falling for the Duke. Funny and sweet, the story amuses and ends with a charming HEA that is totally predictable but irresistible just the same. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Even though the story has no particular tie to the Christmas season, it still manages to embody all the magic of the holiday. The most capable young woman in all England and the shy socially awkward Duke. On the surface, it doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven, but in the hands of this author that’s exactly what Adam and Carole’s story becomes. As the pair were falling in love with one another, I fell in love with them. I enjoyed reading this story so much and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.

The Duke of Azureford isn’t the arrogant, aloof lord his peers perceive him to be. Yes, he’s awkward, but he has a plan to fix it. In order to woo a respectable lady, he must learn how to flirt.
Carole who lives next door left her treasured sketch journal in the Duke's library by accident. She will do most anything necessary to recover it including helping him obtain a suitable Duchess or will she.
I have been looking forward to the continuation of this series for nearly a year.
I read the first four books as ARCs last year and am thrilled to see book #5 which is now ready for release. This tale didn't disappoint.
I read this in one sitting and am ready for book #6.
I gave this one 4.25 of 5.0 stars. This is a basically sweet series of novellas with no overt intimacy.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book to read from the Author via NetGalley.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Oh my God! Of all the books in this series, this one has become my favorite.
Azureford and Carole are simply PERFECT together !!!

Adam Farland, the 6th Duke of Azureford, is considered superb, cocky, and in some cases people are afraid of him. All because when he is in any event, he usually stays by himself, gloomy, talking to no one. But the great truth is that he is... SHY!
He simply gets scared in a very crowded place, and doesn't even know how to start a conversation.
On the other hand, his fame in the House of Lords - the Parliament - is that of an articulate guy who always has the best arguments for the laws that will be voted on.
He must reverse this picture of his image if he wants to find a wife and have an heir.
His plan, then, is to take advantage of his time in Cressmouth, his countryhouse, and make some changes.

His huge library will be donated - with the exception of a few books that belonged to his father - to a city location, and he will have a billiard room built instead.
This game allows not only that he can interact with other gentlemen, but also with the ladies who usually stay close watching.
There is, of course, a big problem: He knows nothing about billiards, but the plan itself is very good.
As he was approaching his property, he is challenged by his neighbor, Miss Carole Quincy, the one who has let him have wet dreams since the last time they met.

Carole has a secret. Well, an almost secret. She has a sketchbook, which would be normal among the ladies. But instead of her drawing animals and flowers, she draws... projects.
That's right. Carole has a secret desire to design environments and see them become real, as an architect.
And because of this secret of hers, she got into trouble.

The last time she was at Azureford's house for dinner, she took her small sketchbook and managed to get into one of the rooms and redraw it. But on leaving, someone bumped into her, causing her sketchbook to fly away and fall under furniture. Not wanting to draw attention to the object, she watched as Swinton, the butler, took the sketchbook and thought it was some of the duke's book, put it on the shelf.
Carole went there a long time later to try to get it back, but the shelves was totally different. Instead of the books being color-separated, as before, employees used some other method.

Her notebook was lost!

She needed to find it before someone else caught it and discovered her secret.
In the meantime, Azureford arrives at the house.

Knowing that in a few days the library would be donated - and her sketchbook gone forever - in a panic, Carole offers to help him catalog everything.
She finally finds the sketchbook, and to her despair, the duke notices when she tries to hide it in her purse.

End of the secret.

But a new opportunity has arisen.
Knowing his intention for the room, she offers to help remodel it.

A man in a possession of a fine billiard room is undoubtedly in want of a wife

Turns out Carole was an expert at playing pool. Not that it was common among ladies, but since her mother died when she was eight, Carole's father allowed her daughter to play with him, and taught her all the tricks.
Being good at calculating, she soon learned to make equations so that the white ball was exactly where she wanted it.
Azureford eventually gave in, and as soon as the room was ready (the billiards party would be 1 month from now), Carole teaches him how to play.

And they both flirt.

Adam already had a crush on Carole, but she didn't have the proper behavior to be a duchess, even though she was funny, intelligent, persevering, good daughter, good hostess, beautiful... and so receptive to his kisses.

What a hell! Who made the rules of what a duchess should look like? And then he asks her to marry him.

And she rejects it.

It's all right to want things you can't have. It's all right not to be perfect; to be sad; to be happy. It makes you human, not incomplete

Carole never imagined she would marry.
Her family had several loss tragedies and she didn't want her daughter to suffer the same as her, the same as her mother and grandmother. And seeing her father so overcome with depression since his wife's death didn't help her change her mind either.
But Adam was so wonderful! And he seemed to accept her unconventional side.
After the billiards party, he departs from Cressmouth. For good.

After witnessing for years the kind of marriage his parents had - they didn't even talk with each other at home - Azureford had different plans, and had even made a list for it:

Required Qualities for my Future Wife
⇝Friendly
⇝Fearless
⇝Good with children
⇝Must like each other!
⇝Honest
⇝Reciprocates feelings
⇝Thoughtful
⇝Puts family first
⇝Knows what she wants
⇝Does everything she can to achieve it
⇝Even though she doesn't need me... Still wants me

Now Carole would have to use that same determination to go after who and what she really wanted: Adam and her happiness.

The story is funny, dynamic, different and romantic.
5 stars

Dukes Actually is the fifth book in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley and appropriately the theme of ‘five gold rings’ runs throughout this novella. The Duke of Azureford is a man who has no problem standing before his peers in parliament debating the latest bills but when it comes to a social setting he is painfully shy and tongue-tied giving everyone the impression that he’s arrogant and aloof. He has come to his cottage in Christmas to learn how to make friends so that on his return to London he can find a lady with the suitable attributes required to be his Duchess. He soon meets the acquaintance of his neighbour, Carole Quincy, a woman most unsuitable but gradually, as he gets to know her better, he begins to realise that she meets all the requirements on his list.

The books in this series are light-hearted, quick & easy, humorous reads, perfect to fill a couple of hours on a rainy afternoon. And Dukes Actually has got to be one of my favourite books in the series so far mainly because, other than the ‘five gold rings’ theme, Christmas itself with all its schmaltzy joy & happiness because it’s Christmas isn’t dominating the story

Adam and Carole prove that friends make the best lovers.

Adam knows he's supposed to marry someone "appropriate" to ensure the continuation of his title, yet his shyness has kept him from being able to make the rounds of the Marriage Mart to find a suitable match. Carole, still adrift from the loss of her mother as a young girl, is determined to remain single so she can focus on her devotion to her father and protect herself from future grief.

These two embark on a mutually beneficial friendship, knowing from the start that there's no possibility of a future relationship. This story was so sweet, engaging, and instantly captivating. Both Adam and Carole are likable characters, and their blossoming feelings made for a beautifully understated romance. I really enjoyed the way they each brought out the best in each other.

The heartwarming HEA was doubly satisfying as it resolved a secondary romance as well. I have loved each of these literary visits to this magical town, and highly recommend this book along with the entire series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

And now Adam and Carole’s turn in the mountain village of Christmas. While this book is a continuation of additional stories, it can be read as a stand alone.
Adam is a duke who is shy and awkward around people. He decides to create a billiards room and become proficient so that when he returns to London, he will be more comfortable socializing and searching for a bride. Carole is the girl nextdoor who has her own set of dreams. She sketches everything around her and wants to decorate Adam’s billiards room. Their HEA is a sweet tale.

So far I've loved every book in this series. Carole and Adam were fun to watch as they fell in love, but I was almost more caught up in Judith and Swinton's romance! Loved the imperfect chaperone! Thank you for the advanced copy, I only ended up crying at chapter 16!

I really enjoyed this story in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. It was such a delight to read and one of my favorites. I love the town of Cressmouth, better known as Christmas, I think I could live in a town like that. Beautiful story, beautiful characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early copy. I have chosen to leave a review.

It has been a while since I smiled so much and chuckled as I did while reading this book. I loved it. It is endearing, charming, whimsical, caring with a romance so sweet it was hard to put this book down. The main characters, Carole and Adam were well written, realistic, down-to-earth, open minded, relaxed with each other. There were no pretenses between them. Adam starts the ball rolling when he is convinced by Carole to help him achieve his goals. Together they achieve goals they never thought they would. A very pleasant read and I highly recommend. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Cute story about an extremely shy Duke who decides to practice his social skills on the free-spirited lady next door. I received an ARC of this book.

A shy Duke gets help from the girl next door. She teaches him not only what he is hoping to learn, but he finds out what he really needs in a wife! Very sweet romance.