I have thoroughly loved this series, and am sorry to see the end of it. Meg is scandalously naughty. Which is perfect for Lucien.

Since fleeing the revolution in his homeland of France after his parents were killed, Lucien le Duc has spent the last 18 years working to restore his fortune and aristocratic birthright for himself and his two younger siblings. Now he can finally return to France; even though his siblings will not be joining him, nothing will stop his leaving, especially not a flirtatious Englishwoman.

Meg Church loves her year-round Christmas-celebrating village almost as much as she loves the freedom her spinsterhood affords her. She has admired the perpetually scowling Lucien for years, but he pays her no notice at all. Until suddenly he does. Soon English lessons turn into much more, but despite their growing closeness, Lucien and Meg have different priorities that may be enough to keep them apart.

This was such a sweet story. Lucien was adorably broody and vulnerable beneath his hard facade and Meg was delightfully brash and irreverent. I didn't even mind that this wasn't a steamy read because these two had such great chemistry and were so sweet together. I loved them together and they demonstrated great growth, especially for such a short novella. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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

Luc and Meg seemed so wrong for each other but the more you read the more you see that they are perfect for one another.
Meg was a spitfire while Luc is more closed off and only has one goal and that is restoring his family name and it's wealth. But love is never a narrow road and as they spent more time together it shows them what is really important in life.

Another great read in the series and I can't wait what comes next.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***

Eighth of 12 Dukes of Christmas
Lucien le duc's goal of returning to France to reclaim his legacy is now possible. His brother and sister have found love in Cresswell and don't want to move back, but are willing to visit him there. But will he go? After interacting with Meg Church, he's unsure of himself, what he really wants and the sweet beautiful Meg. Together the pair heat up,get hot and steamy, and deal with the respective pasts. Travel the distance with the couple to see how the tale ends...you won't be disappointed. Sensual historical with humor.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to peruse.

Book 8 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas
A scandalous spinster versus a blacksmith who is a French noble with the last name le Duc.
I was really looking forward to Lucien's story. He tries so hard for his family.
The heroine was an unpleasant surprise. She is a nice person, but I wasn't expecting her to be promiscuous. She has an active sex life for a small town in 1800s England.
This story was one big dirty joke. It uses terminology of the time, even quoting from Fanny Hill.

I read an ARC from Netgalley.

I am seriously digging this series. Now, after 8 books, you might think... Ok, yeah, how much stuff could be happening in this small village of perennial Yuletide? So MUCH!

I have been WAITING for Lucien's story. I just love broody heroes. Meg, of the Christmas Megs, could not have been a better match for Lucien.

Lucien le Duc has been planning his trip back to France ever since he was forced to flee his beloved homeland during the revolution. His all-consuming goal has always been to recover his lost familial land as well as his title in the French aristocracy. Meg, given insider information, knows her time has come to either make her move on her long-time crush Lucien or let him leave for France forever.

Meg is just hilarious. I love her and her cheeky self. Lucien was wonderful in all his broody smoldering. I had so much fun reading their interactions.

I continue to highly recommend this series and am sooo looking forward for more.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.*

Meg loves the town of Christmas and her independence as unmarried woman. She does enjoy a one-night stand here and there with the tourists, but the only man that makes her heart beat is the sullen, grumpy eldest of the le Duc brothers.
Lucien can think of only one thing: his impending return to France to reclaim the property and social status his family lost in the french revolution, making him and his siblings searching refuge in England many years ago.
Since his siblings have married English spouses (a no-go for him, absolutely!), he decides to finally learn English in order to communicate with his nieces and nephews. As it happens Meg would be available as a tutor. She has some secrets in her past he better not find out about ...

This was a cute novella set in the town of Christmas, where the Holiday Season goes on year round. As all the other novellas in this series it is a stand alone. I would have preferred the environment being more "noble", I missed the stilted speech, haughty Dukes, and strict social rules of a typical regency romance. This being the romance between two nobodies (socially), it could be just as well set contemporary.

The Duke's Desire is the most enjoyable historical romance novel I have read in a long time. Meg is outrageously fun and original. A spinster with a huge crush on the town of Christmas's brooding french hottie, the things that come out of Meg's mouth will have you laughing out loud as she tells the great Luc what she would like to do with him. Lucien le Duc wants to reclaim his family's birthright that has been his only goal for the past 18 years but the spunky, spinster milk maid has him reevaluating what he wants in life. Funny, sweet, and sassy, this is by far my favorite story in the 12 Dukes of Christmas story. Meg is the kind of unconventional character that leaves a lasting impression. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

This book was fantastic! I laughed out loud so many times. Meg was an absolute riot and I definitely would have wanted to be friends with her. Lucien was deliciously broody. Which made it all the better when he was so sweet with Meg.

Another great book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series and this like the rest dose not disappoint. It is everything that we come to expect from Erica and leaves you wanting for more.

Erica your books are so good! This one is heavy on gothic romance references and absolutely hilarious. Meg is just so bold and funny. There is a part towards the end where Lucien says a short paragraph to Meg that just blew me away. I wish I could be more specific but I don’t want to spoil anything. The conflict they run into is really thought provoking, and I really wondered how it would all end. Can’t wait for the rest of the series!

The Duke’s Desire is another delightful romp in the past by Erica Ridley. I enjoyed the developing relationship between the two lead characters. And, I loved, the opportunity to see how everyone in Cresswell is doing. The interplay between the series books is enjoyable as I can see how the other characters I loved on previous books are doing in their lives. The character arc(s) in this book were more satisfying without a lot of angst and back and forth misunderstandings. This series just gets better and better with each new book.

The Duke’s Desire is the eighth book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. It can be read alone, but this is such a fun and wonderful series and better if read in order. We were introduced to the main characters, Meg Church and Lucien le Duc in some of the previous books. Luc was always glowering and refused to speak English. Meg was outlandish and very forward with her banter. She loved Cressmouth because she finally felt like she had family, friends, and stability. She had lived in France as a child and didn’t want to ever return. Luc never hide the fact that he hated England and wanted to go back to France. He refused to speak or learn English because he was too proud, and he never considered England his home. He was determined that he would restore their family’s land and their rightful place in French Society. He slowly came to the realization that he would miss Cressmouth and his life there. The book was fast paced and full of witty banter. Meg was sassy and full of mischief and I loved seeing Luc slowly open up to her. They both had bad memories of France but would they be able to forget the reasons they lost their parents and get their happy ever after.

Yay! Duke number eight is about Lucien, finally! After his sister Desiree (The Duke's Bride) and his brother Bastien (The Duke's Embrace) found their happiness in England, Lucien was the only one left with a desire to go back to France. So, in a few weeks he will leave for France to reclaim his title and his land. Alone. Lucien isn't used to feeling not needed. Ever since they flew to England eighteen years ago, Lucien has been taking care of his brother and sister. And now they are settled and Lucien doesn't know what to do. Because he never learned English (what would be the use if he is to return to France anyway), he feels isolated and alone.
When he realizes that he should learn English to be able to talk to his new nephew and niece, he turns to Desiree and his sister in law Eve for help. In turn, Eve turns to her best friend Meg, to tutor Lucien. And Meg is very happy to oblige, since she has set her sights on Lucien ages ago. And this will be her last chance to be near him.
While learning English, Lucien realizes his feisty teacher can speak French better than most and that she has relatives in France. So, she is actually French like him! Or is he English, like her? Easy banter, funny tales and a heartwarming story about family and heritage. About choices and destiny. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc!

The worst thing about the latest installment of the 12 Dukes of Christmas series is that we have to wait ten months for the next one. This is such a great series, filled with humor, quirky characters, an even more quirky town, and of course romance. We met Lucien le Duc in the previous two books that featured his younger siblings. He comes across as a gruff, very French, not willing to learn English man. However, Meg Church sees through that rough exterior to the anything for family man underneath. The two seem like bookend opposites, but find they have a lot more in common than either knew. What happens when they collide? Will Lucien agree to English lessons from Meg? Will Lucien return to France alone? Erica Ridley's books are always nicely done, with unique storylines and very likeable characters. The Duke's Desire continues that constantency with a very pleasurable read.

This story is sweet and poignant and filled with the magic of Christmas, (and Cressmouth). With the other le Duc siblings happily settled, I’ve been anxiously waiting to see how Lucien’s story would play out. Meg is so delightfully outlandish. So many of her comments had me howling with laughter. I adored watching this pair banter, no matter what language it was in. It broke my heart that circumstances were conspiring to keep them from being together. To the point that I was nearly in tears a couple of times while reading this book. I loved the ending and I can’t wait to dig into the bonus epilogue.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.

This is the 12th book in the series but it can be read as a stand-alone. Such of fun and entertaining historical read. Meg and Lucien are total opposites. Lucien dreams of return to France and Meg hopes to never see it again. When they meet and Meg offers to tutor him in English sparks begin to fly. This paced read with wonderful characters and a story that is funny and so entertaining. I wonderful holiday read.

I'm loving this 12 Duke Series! Here is another great one, Meg is super witty, smart, and super funny! She tells Lucien what she wants with quotes from her Romance books! Meg helps him with his English as from previous books he hates speaking in front of anyone but family. He learns that she speaks French and is a bit French. Their chemistry is just perfect!

I love this series, and I went back to read the first part of the series to learn all about this history of the village and learn all about Christmas! These books have strong female leads and just love the fully developed characters in short books!


*I received an eARC from Erica Ridley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this story. I really enjoyed watching Meg and Lucien relationship grow through your the story. I hope there will be more books in the series

Ripley once again gives us a delightful romp in Christmas town. I've enjoyed the series and getting to know the people in this wonderful village and castle. Love is the key in every element of the story.. In this latest, The Dukes Desire, we find that they don't know what they really need and it's each other. Le Duc has spent his whole life taking care of his family after the death of his parents in France. All of their property and history is lost. Meg has the same loses but for different reasons. She has no fond memories of France like he does. I loved the dialogue in this story. Cute and slightly risque at the same time. Other readers will enjoy the development of the romance and the ending.