Dukes, Actually is book 5 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. It was a very sweet and enjoyable read. I loved how Carole was such a mathematician and that she had dreams of putting all her designs to use. I also liked how she didn't follow the typical mold of a society lady she wishes to have kids. Adam was a poor duke that hid behind his title. He came off as aloof, but he was just a shy man. The difference in personalities between them made them very compatible. I liked how Adam used her designs for his billiard room and gave her credit for all the work. She proved to him that she knew what she was talking about.
I liked how the author described how billiards where played and how math played a big role.
Great story!!

Thank you to the author for sending the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an amazing book. It’s books number 5 out of 12. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Lighthearted, quirky and fun, this delightful romance sums up the theory that opposites attract. Only, the Duke of Azureford and Carole Quincy are so far off the spectrum of their respective scales, that it is a wonder that they ever found anything in common. Yet they did just that, bonding over billiards. In the process, Adam discovers that he no longer wants to find the perfect duchess, but rather the right woman, one that will fulfill him and become light and life to his icy solitude. Although this novel is fairly short, it is nevertheless fun and made me laugh out loud. Adam is a completely relatable character as I know men just as introvert and uptight as he is, and couldn't help but giggle when I saw the comparison. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Wonderfully romantic! Our welcome back to Cressmouth is a great addition to the 12 Dukes series. I loved this story. Adam is shy and so sweet. Carole is a bit of a hoyden but loves her father and wants to spend as much time with him as she can. I enjoyed reading how she cared for her family and was not always at odds with them. Billiards drew them together but their understanding of each other and the love that developed was a beautiful story.

Short xmas novella in the xmas town.
Cute and funny. Love a heroine who can play billiards because she knows her geometry! Not me alas, but why not? I have friends who are architects/engineers and can do all this, it was just the social customs then that made females un-emancipated.
As always a nice read.

Part of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series this book can still be read as a stand alone book without having read any of the previous ones.
As soon as you turn the page you are enveloped into the life of Christmas and the beautifully developing romance between Carole and Adam.
A whirlwind romance to warm a reader on a cold winters day.

This was a cute short read. I wish there had been a bit more intrigue but given it was a short story I don't really see how that could possibly be done without creating a full length novel. I do feel this had all the hallmarks of turning into a ful fledged read if the author chose to do so. All in all I liked the characters, I do wish we knew a little more about them especially the duke. After all, how can he possibly have no friends at all before he learns billiards, it's just not rational given he would have gone to Eton and then Cambridge or the like. I feel like the presence of one friend would have rounded off his character. The same could be said about Carole. We had the perfect opportunity to craft a close friend of hers with the newlywedded friend at the beginning, but we never saw her until the mentioned introduction at the billiards party. I guess in a nut she'll I just wish there had been mor. But was was present was great.

I received this book from the author, Erica Ridley and Netgalley. Oh my goodness, what a fantastic love story! Erica Ridley keeps outwriting herself with every story I read. I absolutely adored this Cinderella like story. Erica Ridley writes with so much love and dedication to her characters. She made me feel the magnetic pull between the characters and oh, did she make me cry as well. Absolutely loved reading it.

Although the characters are likable in Erica Ridley's latest in her 12 Dukes of Christmas series there is too much of a modern sensibility for me to feel as if it is a true Regency. Combined with the attitude about the sex which is graphic it makes 'Dukes, Actually' a bit of a fail for me. Fortunately it is short and the resolution is pleasant enough to get it a 3 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Another in the Dukes series. I enjoy these books as they are quirky, short and amusing. Lots of unique characters and of course lots of romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I think I have read every one of this series. I don't really get into "christmas" romances but these are so different. A town called "Christmas", quirky unusual characters with some rather unique traits and skills. Each story is different except for the sweet lightness that is in all of them.

When a shy duke decides to reshape himself in a more confident version of himself, who’s better to help than his loved by everyone neighbor’s daughter...

Wow it has been close to a full year since I am waiting for this new installment in the Dukes of Christmas series.
What a sweet story it was, both heroes have set their path, him open himself to the other to find his perfect bride, she continue to manage her little environment and take care of her entourage.
Adam is good man whom hides himself from society’s lenses behind a stern aloof composition when in fact he does not know how to fight his own awkwardness and bashfulness.
So in order to change himself he has a special project, which leads him to agree to Carole’s offer.
And the closer they are together, the more it shapes his own requirements for his future duchess.
Carole has devoted her entire life to her father and his household, but her talent to manage everything had been put to use even outside her home as she is a caretaker in the soul.
Upon meeting Adam, she understands his needs and proposes her help to arrange what he has in mind.
Their journey together was a sweet tale with funny moment like the fortunes teller’s scene and the interactions between Adam’s butler and Carole’s Lady’s maid. A cute story of refusing to follow society’s expectations to create their own requisites.
4.5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the author, and I preordered my own.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.