Eli and Olive’s story might just be my favourite in the series. Don’t get me wrong - there’s not a bad book in the bunch but these two are extra special.

Enemies to lovers with plenty of banter, great chemistry and loads of LOL moments. I absolutely loved this one.

Olive lives for Harper Farm noted for their horse breeding and trainers. . Her father started the farm years ago. When her father decides she needs a husband, he offers his shares to his enemy's son, Elijah Weston. When Elijah shows up with a special license, Olive says no with a stipulation that looks impossible for Elijah to fulfill, if she decides to say yes, he has ten day to try. There are underlying secrets that will force them both to trust each to make their own life together. A clever series set in the town of Cressmouth, known for celebrating Yuletide all year long.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This is book 11 in the 12 Dukes of Christmas book series. It isn't necessary to have read the other books first to enjoy this one, although I intend to as I would like to know more about the town where Christmas is celebrated all year long. While every book in this series has the word 'duke' in the title, the duke in question may not be who or what you expect.

One thing I loved about this book is that not every major character is an aristocrat. Olive, the heroine, works on her father's horse farm, which she mostly runs now that he is older, and expects to inherit one day. Her father is deaf, and Olive and he communicate via sign language. Years before, he had a partnership with a nobleman who was also a close friend. They had a serious quarrel that resulted in ending both the partnership and the friendship. His ex-partner took the land, and he kept the horses. Olive is badly shocked when her father tells her that he and his ex-partner now want to mend their feud by the marriage of their children.

Elijah, the hero, is the son of the noble ex-partner, a marquess. Elijah isn't comfortable around horses at all. He is a botanist whose passion is developing medicines from plants and has been under his father's unkind thumb for his entire life. He and Olive had been close friends growing up, but he had hurt her very badly when he mocked her about her appearance when she was a young girl.

This is an excellent and unusual love story and I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book from the author and publisher via Netgalley. These are my opinions of the book.

‘Ten Days with a Duke’ is another great book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series. Whilst each book has been entertaining, you will still enjoy this book without having read the previous books in the series.
Olive Harper has fought long and hard to forget Elijah (Eli) Weston, who embarrassed her in front of the town, after he kissed her. The fathers were once close friends and business partners. Yet, it appears that Olive’s father would like to resolve their differences and has decided that if Olive would like to maintain the fathers would like them to maintain ownership of the family business, that she would marry Eli. However, Olive is mortified but the more time she spends with Eli, the more she fears the pain of rejection.
What made this such an enjoyable story was that as Eli and Olive spend time, her confidence in herself grows. The goodness in Eli is so obvious, with his respectful nature towards Olive’s father and his easy-going nature with Olive. Their behaviour towards each other and their painful past, becomes apparent as the story progresses and secrets are revealed.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Olive Harper’s father has a scheme to marry Olive off to the son of their prime horse farm rival, the Marquess of Milbotham. The son of the Marquess, Eli Weston, has been secretly in love with Olive since they met as teenagers. Due to an unfortunate incident, Olive has vowed never to see or speak to Eli. When he turns up on the doorstep of her family home, will Olive fall victim to his charms once again? Find out in this scintillating, witty and somewhat scandalous tale set in Regency England.

Mr. Harper and Mr. Weston had been partners in raising and training horses; then something happened (we don’t know what), the business was split, and they have been feuding for decades. Now it appears they plan to repair the rift with a marriage between Elijah Weston and Olive Harper. Why, all of a sudden, do their fathers think this is a good idea. Elijah kissed Olive when they were younger, then he taunted and humiliated her. She will not let it happen again. She doesn’t know Elijah wanted to kiss her, but taunted her because he feared his father. She has no intention of giving in to this marriage, but she will take a bit of revenge with her “test.” Elijah, who is more interested in horticulture that horses, has ten days to make friends with Duke, Olive’s famous stallion. Can he do it? Maybe, but it may not make any difference. Things are not what they seem.

This is a heartwarming story. There is drama and humor in equal parts. Olive and Elijah are so good together, before and after they realize they like and eventually love each other. The story has some interesting twists, thanks to the feuding fathers. A visit to Cressmouth is always a joy. Elijah’s visit is no exception. Miracles always happen in this happy Christmas village. If Elijah and Olive can escape their manipulations, maybe the scheming fathers can call a truce. This lovely story is a wonderful addition to the series. By the way, Olivia is one of the eleven ladies dancing at Nottingvale’s Twelfth Night Ball. One more Duke to go. Wonder who it is?

I received an ARC of this book from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Each book has transported me back in time for a magical romance in a place that can only be a living dream. I am amazed when I see each one get better than the last. I’m sad to think there’s only one left, but extremely anxious to start it. Book provided by NetGalley.

Another great romance story ❣️. I enjoyed reading this book more than the previous one as I think that this book did well in the department of character development.

I enjoyed the strong, confident, wise and kind Olivia. I enjoyed the the ambitious, charismatic and kind Elijah.

Both of them did suffer because of the feud of their fathers. I just love how the story dwell more in the development of the romance although I just felt that some tiny parts were rushed (the last 20-15%) of the book (I think).

I definitely recommend this to those who are looking for a short and quick Christmas, historical romance themed book. This is such a lovely read ❣️.

One of the things I liked most about this book was how relatable Olive was. Her self-consciousness of her mouth/teeth and how a few moments of someone making fun of her looks when she was younger affected her into her adulthood. Many people can relate to that and for that reason, they are going to cheer for Olive. Once you get to know Elijah as the book goes along, you can also feel along with him with not being able to please his father and trying to do everything he can to avoid his father's machinations and anger. The characters' back stories were well developed and even though this is a novella, the depth of the character's stories come across well.

Another wonderful read from Erica. So far the best in the series. Loved the Christmas village and the people in it. Looking forward to the next one in the series

I just love this series of books and to my my mind this is one of the best because it has all the elements we have come to expect from Erica.
Two people who through the actions of other people hate each other but through all obstacles learn to love each other and become a force to be reconnected with.
Can’t recommend it enough

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ten Days with a Duke is my favorite of the series so far (even if I have some issues with where it falls in the series, given that it would have been a perfect tenth entry with that title…but I can see why the over-arching plot made this order necessary, even though I haven’t read the entire series yet).

Prior installments have been more fun and surface level, but I like the way this one grappled with the emotional weight of the characters’ past actions, thus making the transition from mortal enemies to lovers feel more well earned. I deeply resonated with Olive, whose self-confidence is destroyed thanks to the Westons and refuses to associate with them again. And there’s also a great growth arc for Elijah, who knows from the beginning he did wrong and works hard to prove he’s changed and win her heart. And the fact that this is complemented by Olive‘s love of horses (her favorite being called Duke) and Elijah working to overcome his fear of them is also beautiful.

I enjoyed this installment, and given what’s been set up, I can’t wait to see what goes down in the final book (I’ll hopefully read the rest before then!) If you love historical holiday romance, this series has been a delightful, from the town of Christmas (actually called Cressmouth) to the wonderful, dynamic characters.

I loved this story, it was one of my favourites from the series although I have enjoyed the whole series. A strong heroine and a scholarly hero. Almost everything about this book I loved except for the sex. It was a lot hotter than the last for me (I always skip the sex and it doesn’t affect my enjoyment of the book). The characters were as usual well written with lots of emotion both humour and sadness. Each book covers a different occupation which makes it an interesting read and not just your usual Ton romance. I look forward to the next book, it will be sad to see the series end. Christmas is a town I would love to visit. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.

I like this book. The story is really sweet and romantic. It made me sad in different passages, but it was really enjoyable.
Olive Harper is a strong woman who suffered a public humiliation from Elijah Wenston and his father. Both families have been feuding for decades. Now both parents want them to marry each other and end the feud joining their land. But Olive doesn´t want to marry the rogue who kissed and hurt her twice.
Scholar and botanist Elijah Weston prefers horticulture to horses. He's been desperately in love with his mortal enemy ever since he kissed her—and, yes, publicly destroyed her—all those years ago. When he's given ten days to win Olive's heart, he arrives with marriage license in hand. But where lies and double-crosses abound, how can lifelong rivals learn to trust their hearts?
What I like most about the story is the chemistry between them. The sweet dialogs, the steamy moments. It has a lot to enjoy and quite a bit to learn about forgiveness and second chances. I highly recommend this story.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was super cute! I love an enemies to lovers, and this was a complex take on that. Her Dad playing matchmaker was pretty adorable, and I loved the ending. I definitely need to go back and read the rest of the series now!

Such sweet, adorable romance. Eli was a really great hero, I loved his passion for botany and for helping women have a safer labor. I am sad that this is the second to last book in this series, because I really have enjoyed it. Especially these last couple of books, they have been so great! Can't wait for the last book!

I received an advanced reader's copy of Ten Days with a Duke by Erica Ridley.

Olive and Elijah both had experiences that deeply impacted them growing up. Despite the challenges they each managed to excel in their respective fields. I loved how Olive and Elijah interacted throughout the story. I felt they complemented each other.

Olive is able to look at herself and admit where she has held herself back. Elijah also changes and it was wonderful to see his transformation.

I have enjoyed all the stories in this series and this latest story is one of my favorites.

I'm looking forward to the last book in the series.

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review.
-First and best LOL moment: "Eli burst out laughing and chucked the last bits of carrot at Rudolph. "She's not coming back, is she?" Rudolph shook his head with a disgruntled snort...". One Olive, zero Elijah.
-This book made me laugh, cry, hope, despair, laugh some more and cry from joy.
-When Elijah said no the first time to Lord Milbotham, I suddenly had hope, because I've been crying for the last chapter or two.
-I loved how Elijah told the truth (the whole truth and more) to Olive. She then had a choice to make and I think she made the correct one. She also reciprocated to him.
-I really liked the end, especially with the nice twist.
-I was glad to see Duke's fashion popping up again. We haven't heard about it since Lord Nottingvale agreed to finance both Calvin and Jonathan.
-In Ridley's notes at the end, she wrote "It's important to note that reading lips is not easy". In one of the last Christmas I spent with my brothers, one of them noted that any one of us at that table during the evening did read lips to know what was going on. True. We all did. Our father, who was deaf from one ear and couldn't understand much from the other, taught us well. It just becomes awkward when you're reading lips from a guy you really like in school and get caught doing it...

I am thankful to Erica Ridley and Netgalley fot giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this fabulous story. "Ten Days with A Duke" is another romantic love story set in the town of Cressmouth. Olive Harper has been told by her father to marry Elijah Weston, but their two families have been enemies for the past 30 years. This may be the best story of hurt, betrayal, revenge and a coming together that I have read in a long time. I was fascinated by the characters and their fears and desires and their overcoming these emotions. A must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Erica Ridley for the chance to read an advance copy of this book!

I continue to adore this funny and romantic series, and I am also selfishly happy that this book returned to steaminess after the last one, which while adorable and sweet in nature, was also a "sweet romance" in heat level as well.

One of the best running jokes in the series is that every book is about a duke, but it's not always a human aristocrat. We learn at the end of chapter two what this book's twist on "duke" is, and it's hilarious.

Olive is so smart and competent, and Eli is so smart and adores Olive for how smart she is. He's been a real jerk to her in the past because of daddy issues (I mean, standard issue for romance heroes, haha) but I still couldn't help but swoon over how much he's always pined for her, especially when he has thoughts like "Nothing was more attractive than a clever mind."

Our secondary characters are a delight as well -- since this is kind of a forced-proximity story, mostly we just see Papa Harper and the horses. Papa is Deaf and signs with Olive while Eli needs to have a spoken translation, which not only leads to some funny miscommunications (and Papa's snoopy lip reading) but enforces this theme of mix-ups and misunderstandings. We also have some great horse antics, including a completely hilarious, over-the-top romantic comedy climax that I could see in my head like a movie.

Also, Eli's mission to use plants for public health is truly admirable and it's such an interesting concept as well, centered around women's health. I'll warn you that the word "placenta" is used a LOT. But it's so inspiring and again, even though he definitely has a lot of inner conflict about stuff he's doing and has done, you can see exactly why his mission is so important to him.

Don't forget to read the author's note! She talks a little about the history of sign language, but also about her personal experience with translation as she speaks Spanish at home but English professionally.

Finally, even though this is *10* Days with a Duke, it is book 11 of 12. Next book we'll finally get the Duke of Nottingvale's story! I'll be sad to see this wonderful series end, though I actually have quite a few of the earlier books to catch up on.

By the way, for those who are curious -- this is much less Christmas-y than book 10, One Night with a Duke, and is more similar to book 9, Dawn with a Duke, because the characters have things to get done that are not directly related to the Christmas celebrations.