Another interesting story in this series. Eve and Bastien are delightful together and it is obvious from the start where their passion will lead. I was a bit baffled at the relationship between Eve and her father; he is overly strict, but she has the freedom to roam the village and sleep in the printing press. The ending felt a bit rushed and her conflict was turned around with dizzying speed. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series

I absolutely loved Eve and Sebastien's story! Sebastien struggles with wanting to return home to France and his budding relationship with local journalist Eve Shelling. This was a perfect Christmas novella!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the author. Thank you!

We always buy Erica Ridley for our library. The 12 Dukes of Christmas is a delightful series that can be read in any order.

A perfect Christmas Historical Romance.
The women empowerment is strong in this one.
Eve is a journalist, or at least she's trying to, since she's the manager, writer and printer of the Gazette her father owns. Said father is overprotective and he decides which content may go in the journal, focusing on their town, specifically in Christmas in they town. But Eve wants to report real news and become a serious journalist, whatever it takes.
Sebastien le Duc is a blacksmith and a French refugee from the Revolution. He and his sibling want to go back to their country asap, and that Christmas it may be possible. Only if they manage to sell their smithy. And here enters the help of Eve and the Gazette.
When Sebastien and Eve start interacting, sparks fly, and everyone's plans are not so clear anymore.
This was really nice, and really fast paced, and you could totally feel the sizzling chemistry between the main character.
Their relationship, since their acquaintance to their friendship to something more, is really healthy, passionate but with strong companionship and support, specifically from Bastien to Eve and her wants and dreams. And Eve is a really empowering character who stands for what he wants and learns to be considerate of other people feelings, and her own.
And there's a cool dog which complements the story perfectly.
All the cute Christmas feels.

Bastien and Eve were amazing. Eve is dealing with her father not allowing her to run their quarterly newspaper and Sebastien is dealing with leaving to go back to France even though they find they have feelings for each other. Great end to the story, and their HEA.

A delightful, romantic novella. At times I felt like the story moved too fast but it wasn’t completely unexpected. I loved the interactions between the two brothers, Bastien and Lucien. As someone who grew up with only brothers, I found the brothers’ relationship entertaining and I was amused that Lucien refused to speak English even though he understood it.

The books can be read as stand alone, but if you read the previous book, then you already know Sébastien, the French blacksmith who can't wait to return to his country (he and his siblings had fled so they wouldn't end up dying by the guillotine, as so many other acquaintances), but who did not make his fortune by honest work.

When the opportunity arises to return to France - and after his sister Desiree married a Briton - Sébastien decides to sell his business. To do so, he asks Miss Eve for help writing an ad in the Cressmouth Gazette.

Eve is keen to be a real journalist, but finds herself trapped in writing unimportant subjects in an almost-newspaper-pamphlet run by her father.
Sébastien came to her for help, but she finds out much more about the wealth of that Frenchman who was duke in name.
That information would make Eve credible as a journalist, but Sebastien was too charming to resist...
4 stars

THE DUKE’S EMBRACE is the seventh book in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series. Each stands on its own, but I highly recommend reading them all and in the order of release; there is mention of previous couples in subsequent books.

Every time there is another chance to return to Christmas/Cressmouth, England, I am quick to jump into my sleigh and look for the next of the 12 gifts of Christmas. This time it is seven swans a-swimming, before they fly away for the winter.

This is a perfect parallel to the plans of Sébastien and Lucien to fly away from England and return to France as soon as the Christmas season is over. That is until Sébastien is tamed by Eve. She has as effectively ground him as those birds who have had their tails salted. I don’t think Sébastien minds one bit!

Lucien’s sister and brother have each found love in England and chosen to remain; is it any wonder that the next book will find him an English rose, as well?

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.


Title: THE DUKE’S EMBRACE
Series: Twelve Dukes of Christmas #7
Category /Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: 18+ due to sexual content
Grammar/editing: A – near perfect
Received from: Erica Ridley (as an ARC gifted copy)

Unfortunately this book wasn't holding my attention. I ended up skipping quite a bit. The storyline wasn't interesting to me.

Loved reading the engaging and enthralling seventh book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas. When Eve is researching for a Christmas-themed story to add to the Gazette, she finds a story to write about, Sébastien and his brother are selling their smithy. As Eve and Sébastien spend time together, sparks and attraction ignite. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

The Duke's Embrace is the seventh book in Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series. Sébastien le Duc, one of the local blacksmiths in the town of Cressmouth, is eager to return to his home country of France now that the family debt is paid off. Eve Shelling aspires to be a journalist whose stories are more than just fluff, yet finds it hard to be taken seriously in a world ruled by men. When the le Duc men decide to sell the blacksmithy in order to fund their voyage home, Eve is right there, telling their story.

I really enjoyed Eve's ambitions in a world that did not favor women's independence. She's strong-willed and pushes the boundaries, trying to grow the Cressmouth Gazette into a true newspaper, even as her father circumvents her ideas. You won't find Eve without her bullmastiff, who seems to be enamored by the le Duc's pig, Chef.

Sébastien is still a bit of a mystery to me even with him being a point of view character. It might be that his current concerns were so limited in scope that we didn't get a deep dive into who he is as a person. I did enjoy that we got both de Luc brothers interacting often in this story, especially as Lucien was quite a mystery after book six.

The Duke's Embrace sheds a bit of the overly-witty banter found in the 12 Dukes series, which is a refreshing change and kept me more engaged in the story. It was a bit surprising that no one specifically named Sébastien as a "duke," breaking the consistency from previous books in the series (though book six points out that all three le Duc siblings are "dukes" of Cressmouth). The village remains as charming as ever, regardless, though we see less of its inhabitants this time around.

The 12 Dukes books are all fast reads, but this one in particular would have benefited from a bit more development with their relationship. I still wasn't sure why the couple fell for each other by the end, other than attraction. The conflict between the two was also too quickly resolved, as if both were willing to just forget the hurtful words they tossed around without at least talking out their problems.

This is a fun read that can be easily squeezed into a busy holiday week. What excites me the most about The Duke's Embrace is the anticipation it creates for Lucien's story, which will come in book eight.

Each time I think the next book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series can not be as good as the previous ones, I am proven wrong. Erica Ridley is a master of delightful tales. The town of Cressmouth aka Christmas spurs the imagination. It is as quirky as its inhabitants. Just think, a town where it is Christmas year around with most of not all of its residents participating in Yuletime fun. Add to that the legend of the 12 dukes, a reader can not help but be fascinated. It is so much fun finding out who or what the Duke is in each book since not all are human or even breathing organisms. The Duke's Embrace features Bastien le Duc, the town smithy and proclaimed dandy, and Eve Shelling, the town's newspaper's only journalist. Bastien and Eve seem to spend quite a bit of time trying not to notice each other. Their attraction to each other is too strong to deny. As they work together to find a way to advertise the smithy so the le Ducs can finance their return to France, the unthinkable happens. They call in love. However, love is not without its issues. Mr. Shelling does not like the le Ducs or wants his daughter involved with one. The bigger issue arises when Eve and her father find out about Jack Skeffington and the le Duc's smuggling enterprise. Will they expose them ? Let them be arrested? This was one of my favorites among the Duke books. As always Erica Ridley 's characters are very likeable,and the story plot entertaining. This series is a must read!

This has been a fun series to read. Now we have a journalist who wants to do great things with the town newspaper but her father holds the reins tight on what ever she puts in the paper. Her newest idea for Christmas is to write about Sebastian le Duc the local blacksmith who works with his brother. They have been wanting to return to France and reclaim their family properties. Now they can do that but Sebastian is falling in love with Eve Shelling who is wanting to write about him. The big decision is whether to go with his older brother as they had always planned or to stay and marry Eve?

What a great story. The heroine is wonderfully strong and smart. The romance is actually quite sweet and heart-warming even though the setting of the time period really isn't that sweet. I love the hero too. They are great together and balance each other out.

A charming and heart warming read! The perfect romance book that I greatly enjoyed. This is a great escape book that draws you in and I found myself smiling through it. Plenty passion and romance within these pages!

As a reporter Eve Shelling has two strikes against her. One - she is trying to make a career for herself in what is typically a man’s world and two – her father owns the newspaper she writes for. Anyone else would have given up but not Eve. She’s determined to be taken seriously as a journalist no matter what it takes. But once her heart is involved will she be able to push ambition aside for love?

What I love about this series is that all the heroines are slightly out of their time. They all have careers or ambitions beyond finding a suitable husband, preferably titled with a good income but they all still somehow manage to find men who are willing to support and encourage them in their dreams and endeavours no matter what they are. The characters are all likeable and with entertaining storylines all in all these books are an easy way to spend an hour. Despite being part of a series these novellas can all be read as stand-alones without any spoilers.

The Duke's Embrace is the next heart lifting romance in the Twelve Duke's of Christmas series. Miss Eve Shelling is an aspiring journalist trying to turn her father's newspaper into a series business instead of a walking advertisement for their village. Sébastien le Duc's family is biding their time to return to their homeland of France and reclaim their royal titles lost in the war. A mutual beneficial deal later has an unconventional lady winning the heart of the most sought after local dandy. The story is a sweet, feel good romance that leaves a you little more in love with the village of Christmas. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

The seventh book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series is a fun quick read about a couple overcoming obstacles to be together. The writing always flows and I'm a happy reader. I know I'll get a sweet (sometimes spicy) regency romance with a happy ending.

This story focuses on Bastien le Duc, one of the le Duc siblings who fled their native France and found refuge in the quaint town of Cressmouth, where Christmas happens year round. Once royalty, Bastien is now a well-respected blacksmith. But he and his brother have always discussed returning to France when they have the means and safety to reclaim their fortune. Bastien is on board, now that they have repaid their debts, but he's fallen for the local news reporter, Eve Shelling.

While this was not my favorite of the series, I still liked it and can't wait to read about Lucien, Bastien's brother.

I cannot say enough good things about this series. I have never loved Christmas more. Sebastian and Eve had such a lovely story. I cannot wait for the next book.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Duke’s Embrace.

I’ve enjoyed this series set in the village of Cressmouth so far. Sébastien with his quirks made him a compelling character. He was interesting in that he was a dandy and a blacksmith who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He is caring and kind. Eve as a female journalist had challenges to face. She was very focused on what she wanted to accomplish career wise and was set on achieving her goals. They were both likable characters that were well suited to each other.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series.