12 Dukes of Christmas Series by Erica Ridley

 I read 3 books in the series so far: 

Once Upon a Duke (Book 1, which I acquired on Amazon Kindle)

- One Night with a Duke (Book 10, which I got through Netgalley)

- Ten Days with a Duke (Book 11, which got offered to me via e-mail by the publisher)

I like how Erica Ridley writes. Her books might not be great literature, but she manages to produce a nice, light read, that sweeps you along. 

And when I am in the mood for such a read, I know I can turn to her, because she delivers. Pretty much every time.

Now about the series. All the stories are set in the lovely little town of Cressmouth, or 'Christmas´as the locals call it, and that holiday is a big thing in the town, they thrive of it, turned themselves into a kind of theme park. 

Each story features a Duke (yes, the title is a bit of a giveaway). A nice twist, not every Duke is the two-legged kind, amongst them are a cat, a horse and a mannequin. 

I acquired the first part, Once Upon a Duke, earlier this year (about February, I think), on Amazon Kindle and read it pretty much straight away. It was charming. Just enough romance, just enough tention. A good solid read. So good in fact, that when I saw another part of the series on Netgalley, I knew I. Had. To. Read. It.

Good thing I already had the third book, because One Night with a Duke was almost a letdown. Of the three that I read, it was the weakest, in my opinion. Maybe it was the lack of antagonism between the two main characters that made me feel a little lacklustre. At about halfway through, Angelica´s (female protagonist) brother appears, and the pace picks up slightly. 

Like I said, good thing I already had the next book, because after Book 11, thinking the pace in the series just teethered out, I might not have picked up Ten Days with a Duke. I sure am glad I did. Although Elijah (male protagonist) lacked a bit of dimension, the story had tention, a strong female lead, and a bit of naughtiness. The ending (without giving too much away) was slightly too sacharine and quick, I would have loved to see what happened in the last chapter as a complete sequel. 

In conclusion, although there were a few things I would have liked to see different, I will definately pick up another book by Erica Ridley in the future.