Member Reviews

Another wonderful, fun romp in the town of 'Christmas' this time a little different but still engrossing. Can't wait to read the rest of the series, sadly I don't have many left, but they are the sort of books I could happily read again.

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Another enjoyable read by Ms. Ridley in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. We see two characters whom are caught in the feud of their fathers. Once business partners, they separated and run their own horse farms. The feud extended onto the children, one more passionately against it, the other, the one whom has been in love since her first saw her. However, kids are cruel and humiliation is the worst kind. Olive became a stronger woman, proving she can do things like any man can, even denying those more powerful than her. Eli is passionate about botany and is manipulated by his father, who dangles things in front of him to get his way. Eli will have to figure out what he is willing to give up before he loses Olive forever. Olive has been in love with Eli, but is very stubborn. She begins to see another side to Eli, which opens her heart once more. But other manipulate them and they need to turn the tables on them if they want their happily ever after.
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I enjoy this series but I thought that there was just something extra special about this entry. Olive and Eli's story was like a Cupid's arrow right to my heart! I fell so hard for these two characters. I felt that even though these characters were often at cross purposes, you could very easily feel for them both. I thought Olive was fierce, yet vulnerable and Eli was brilliant and quite sweet. I adored them together! The story hold your attention with a skillfully crafted blend of emotions, humor, twists, drama and heart. This book is now officially my favorite of this whole series.

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Olive's father has just told her that she must marry the man that humiliated her years before. He will even get her beloved stud farm when the marriage is final. The horrid man even shows up with a marriage license in hand. There is no way the Olive will do her father's bidding.

Elijah is ready to end this family feud. He has been in love with Olive for years and the feud has gotten in the way. He gets Olive to agree to being wooed for 10 days. Can he win her love in that short amount of time?

I really enjoyed Olive and Elijah's story! I just loved how Elijah was trying to better the world because of what his mother had gone through. If Olive and Elijah could have just gotten their father's to back off years ago, they might have found their happiness many years before! Interfering fathers...grrr!!

I'm so excited for the last book in the series to get here!! Although I've throughly enjoyed this series, so I'm also said to see if finished.

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Ten Days with a Duke by Erica Ridley is book 11 of the 12 Dukes of Christmas Series. A regency romance set at Christmastime is always a fun read. Olivia and Eli were well thought out. They both had a hard life and still are loving even though misguided at times. This allows for some cute twists and turns before ending like a great regency romance should! There is one surprise that most of these books don’t have – a different kind of Duke.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

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Loved reading the engaging and amazing historical romance. When Eli Weston comes to the Harper Farm, Olive wants nothing to do with him. Eli and Olive parents have been sworn enemies and are making a match with their eldest children. After Olive and Eli spend time together, their attraction and chemistry for each other ignites. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read love story.

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Again, this is another wonderful story in this wonderful series. I loved the second chance at love/enemies to lovers trope. I liked the characters and how they developed. While part of a series, it reads as a standalone. It was a well written book. My only complaint with this book is I wish it was longer.

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

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Another cute addition to the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. This one sees horsewoman Olive Harper get her happily-ever-after with the son of her father's business rival. It's a lightning quick read that offers a couple of steamy scenes and an enemies to lovers storyline that is about on par with the rest of Ridley's Duke series. People sure fall in love/lust FAST in this little Christmas village!

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Olive and Eli have a wonderful story. This book shows that no matter old rivalries love can happen in Christmas. These two must overcome Olive's trust issues but true live always wins!

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3 1/2 rounded up Ok, so I somehow got into this series of books, and each one that comes out I have found myself ready to be drawn in. They are short and usually sweet stories with the inevitable happily-ever-after.

This time around the duke in the title is a horse. Olive Harper is a head-strong horsewoman who is excellent at what she does with breeding and training her horses. They are coveted and are only given to those who are most deserving.

Elijah Weston is the son of another horse farm. His father has tried to push him into the family business, but he just isn't as interested in horses as he is in horticulture.

The fathers of these two used to be in business together. There was a lot of animosity between the two men. But the one day Elijah shows upon the Harper doorstep with a marriage contract that Olive is not interested in signing. They broker a deal for 10 days to prove that Elijah is worth what he says. But Olive doesn't realize there's an ulterior motive.

Again- a cute story. The horses in the middle were a fun twist to the Duke title. I mostly enjoyed this one. There was a steamy scene, but it was easy to skim over. And of course I'll be reading the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and WebMotion for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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4.5 stars

This book is book 11 in a series but it reads well as a standalone. Olive's father is a famous horse breeder. A Few years ago a rival outfit humiliated Olive when the hei, Elija, kissed her and due to his fathers pressure insulted her. Now Olive's father wants them to become betrothed and to force her to do so he threatens to give away her livelihood. Olive counter offers that Elijah must court her 10 days. The author allows us to hear the perspectives of both our hero and our heroine. It starts with kisses and eventually Olive understands that Elijah really likes her and desperately trying to solve the cunumdrum that their fathers have created. I think you'll enjoy this quick read and I'm looking forward to the last in the series.

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

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Loved it! 10/10!!!
It’s the same standard as always with Erica Ridley. There shall be moments when you can feel the chemistry coming off the page!

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TEN DAYS WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley is a true Regency Romance with capital Rs! As entry number eleven in her series of Twelve Dukes of Christmas, it had an H who reached right into your heart and ran away with it! No, he wasn’t the duke. Still, he was a true romantic with the difficult job of proving to a skeptical, long-ago love that he really means it.

Eli needs to make Olivia see that he never meant to embarrass her when they first met, many years ago. Although Olivia is blessed with a loving, well intentioned father, Eli has not been so lucky. It was due to his father’s harshness that he failed miserably at his first meeting with Olivia. He has a second chance to convince her only because her father wants to give away her treasured inheritance to his worst enemy, the Weston family. Although this sounds terribly contradictory, it does all come together and it must do so in ten days.

I was lucky enough to be gifted with a pre-release copy of TEN DAYS WITH A DUKE by the author via NetGalley. Please know that the opinion I have given is all mine and has been done independently, without any outside interference. It’s just easy for me to praise this book because I N DAYS WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley is a true Regency Romance with capital Rs! As entry number eleven in her series of Twelve Dukes of Christmas, it had an H who reached right into your heart and ran away with it! No, he wasn’t the duke. Still, he was a true romantic with the difficult job of proving to a skeptical, long-ago love that he really means it.

Eli needs to make Olivia see that he never meant to embarrass her when they first met, many years ago. Although Olivia is blessed with a loving, well intentioned father, Eli has not been so lucky. It was due to his father’s harshness that he failed miserably at his first meeting with Olivia. He has a second chance to convince her only because her father wants to give away her treasured inheritance to his worst enemy, the Weston family. Although this sounds terribly contradictory, it does all come together and it must do so in ten days.

I was lucky enough to be gifted with a pre-release copy of TEN DAYS WITH A DUKE by the author via NetGalley. Please know that the opinion I have given is all mine and has been done independently, without any outside interference. It’s just easy for me to praise this book because I absolutely loved it— and I truly believe that you just might do the same!

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This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily given and in my own words, for this ARC. ok, i have said this before and will say again. I ADORE this series!! I am also not a fan of Christmas stories. These do not count as Christmas stories. Each and every book has the quirkiest most delightful characters and storyline. So many people who seem out of place but end up EXACTLY where they should be. Go on, you know you want to read them all!

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SETTING: Miss Olive Harper’s father runs a horse-breeding business, which is quite successful. She is being “groomed” to take over the reins of the business in his place. Marriage is not in her plans. Therefore, when her father announces her betrothal, she is shocked! To make matters worse, it is to the son of his enemy! For his part, Mr. Elijah Weston is also being pushed into marriage by HIS father. How these two young people overcome the strain of this relationship makes for exciting reading.

CRITIQUE: I found this variation on the trope of “enemies to lovers” unusual and quite interesting. The barriers to their relationship were formidable, and at first glance I did not think it possible for Olive and Weston to overcome them. This refreshing and clean story is enjoyable for readers all ages.

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Ten Days with a Duke is a heart-warming romance with a strong, independent female character, Olivia and the hero, Elijah,  who prefers horticulture and has been in love with Olivia for years. Olivia is the heiress to the Harpers' stud farm and quite capable with the horses. When she comes face to face with the person who stole her first kiss and humiliated her, she vows to get back at him even though she is now expected to marry him.

Elijah is a delight, strong, tall, handsome and brooding, he is caught up in his father's plans and in trying to win Olivia's heart. As the story progresses, our characters learn to let go of the past, find their own way and even to forgive finding love along the way.

This book is a pleasant and quick read set in the time of Christmas in a rather picturesque village! It is indeed the season of love!

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*3.5 stars*
This is my first read from Erica Ridley and my, my, this was a solid one. This is a an enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance between Olive and Eli, after an incident years ago when they were teenagers turned sour and Eli humiliated Olive in public. Olive Harper had been insecure ever since and held a grudge against Eli Weston and his father.

I loved how different this was compared to the regular duke/rogue/rake/scoundrel trope. Olive is a horse caretaker and rider (also a former competitive horse racer) at her family's stud farm and she's one of the best in the field. She's passionate about what she does and I loved seeing that. I especially loved that Olive doesn't let this hinder her passion for horses since her humiliation years ago also involved her being called a 'horse girl'. simply because she had larger front teeth which is not something I read about often in historical romances. Eli also has an unconventional passion: he is a botanist and wants to further his research in medicine to hopefully improve the process of childbirth and help women around the world. Again, not a scenario I read often at all.

I loved Eli and Olive together. I liked Eli more than Olive as her defensive attitude got a bit old further on. The first half of this book was a bit slow at first and I wasn't really into it. It may just be me as I've never read Ridley's earlier books in this series, so adjusting to all the side characters took a bit of my brain power. I also didn't like how easily the feud between their fathers got so easily solved at the end, because part of the reason I liked the middle chunk of this book so much was seeing Eli's dilemma to the problem and I was anticipating how it would be solved near the end. Alas, I was disappointed at the resolution of that aspect.

I'll definitely keep an eye out for other works by this author if the synopsis or trope catches my eye. This was not bad for a relatively short book.

*ARC was kindly provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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I love the fact that Ms Ridley has characters that are not typical of Regency romances. While there is a mix of titled and commoners as characters, there are also people with disabilities, such as Olive's father, who is deaf. Their differences are not played up nor are they treated any differently and that is what I love with this series. It is inclusive of everyone and in 'Christmas' everyone is welcome and treated equally.

I love an enemies to lovers story and this one did not disappoint. Olive and Eli were meant for each other and I loved how passionate Eli was about discovering a way to protect women in childbirth from the poor outcomes often associated with labor.

I can't wait to get my hands on the last in the series.I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Olive Harper was devastated by Elijah Weston when she was a young teenager, and it has followed her ever since. Elijah has been unable to forget how upset Olive was and can't forgive himself for being so cruel. Their fathers decided that the two should wed, and the couple is pushed into a ten-day trial period. The resulting time is sweet and funny and so entertaining to read. I couldn't put this book down and read it over an evening.

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Olive Harper's father has made given her an ultimatum marry her enemy to gain and keep the family horse farm she loves with all her heart. The Weston’s have been the harpers enemy for several decades, so why does her father want her to marry Elijah Weston the one young man who broke her heart. His family owns a prosperous horse farm and humiliated her ten years ago. Elijah knows nothing of horses, horse farming he’s a scholar and botanist, but Olive throws down the gauntlet and challenge he knows he can’t refuse. A captivating story as these two come together with fire and water and grow to respect one another and fall in love despite their fathers. I have voluntarily read and reviewed these excellent story.

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