When his twin brother the rake announces his engagement, all the eligible young women re-align their matrimonial sights toward the bookish and peripatetic Christopher Pringle, who up till now was in his brother's shadow. Escaping to join an astronomy tour, his eye is drawn by the tour guide, only to be appalled at her cavalier attitude to the proper names of constellations. She's gleefully encouraging the tour to re-name them however they like. Imagine his surprise when he is referred to her not only as a matchmaker, but to repair his broken telescope!

Past hurts have both these people running away into the stars. It turns out they both own the same state-of-the-art telescope, in fact. But Gloria blames the ocean and all water for robbing her of her family and refuses to even skate upon the local pond, while Christopher has been traveling for so long that he no longer views it as avoidance but as pleasant discovery.

Ridley choreographs the way these two dance around their challenges and learn to bend into doing things together, in order to balance out a life they can share. Settling into idiosyncrasies could have left them as two lonely 'characters' in stagnation. How they work it out is both heartening and tear-inducing.

This book follows "Kiss of a Duke" and really should be read after that one. The MCs in this one are the brother of the H and the BFF of the h in the preceding book and it helps in keeping the characters in order.

To be honest, in the preceding book, I liked these characters better than when their story was expanded in this one. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they seemed...more interesting in the other book?

I could have maybe read these books too close together and the luster is rubbing off of the star, but it didn't have the same feel as the other book to me.

Now, that is NOT to say that this was a bad book, far from it. I did enjoy it and I can't wait to read the next one in the series, it's just this one had a slight slump for me.

It nicely avoids the trope of two women competing for the attentions of the same man, which I greatly appreciate. The MCs from the previous book also make an appearance in this one, so continuity is there, which I appreciate as well. Probably not overly historically accurate, but that's not why I am reading the series.

Not a bad book and one I would recommend, with the warning that the preceding book should be read first. 3, solid I still want to read the next one, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and WebMotion for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I did not like this book as much as the previous ones in the series. I found it hard to accept a heroine, Gloria, who loves to break all the rules but is afraid to go anywhere outside her town and a hero, Christopher, who loves adventure but never does anything against the rules. This did not work for me.

Wish Upon a Duke is the third book in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series by Erica Ridley. It can easily be read as a standalone story but if you are anything like me you will enjoy catching up with characters from the previous books in this instalment if you have read the previous two.

In the last book, Christopher's twin met and married his soulmate. Now it's Christopher's turn. He wants to marry for love and his main requirement in a wife is that she loves adventure and to travel. He has a month to find the said wife, and when it's suggested that he use a matchmaker to help him he agrees.

Gloria Godwin lives in Cressmouth and is determined to never leave there. She does love the place but secretly she would love to be able to travel. Fear holds her back after losing people she loves thanks to travelling, so she contents herself with reading about people and places. She also loves the stars/astrology and once a year she takes guests on a walking tour where she shows and names the stars and constellations. A serious start which then leads to a fanciful one when she gets people to pick names by saying what they themselves think the stars look like. It was during the fanciful part of the tour that she and Christopher first engage. There is an attraction for both of them at first sight, but the minute that Christopher hears her naming the stars all wrong he tells her off.

It is, therefore, a shock to them both when the next day Christopher is knocking on her door with his request that she be his matchmaker. Of course, he didn't know it was her that he had been sent to, hence them both being as shocked as each other. Gloria's friend made the suggestion that she help Christopher and it's only because of that that she agrees.

The problem is that the more time that they spend together the more they find themselves possibly falling for each other. A worse pairing couldn't happen because they are absolutely opposite to each other. Gloria wants stability and to stay in Cressmouth, Christopher wants to travel, explore and have many adventures. Can she overcome her fears for them to have a chance at love together, or will her fears win out? Can Christopher really expect her to change so dramatically when it seems her fear is so overwhelming? Is there any chance of a compromise or will Christopher have to choose one of the many other women vying to become his wife?

This was a lovely, lighthearted quick read set in the lovely Christmasy town of Cressmouth. A place full of fabulous unique people that will make you smile. Christopher and Gloria are the perfect couple and the perfect example of opposites attracting. When they give in to that first kiss it was just perfect and from that moment on you just knew that they would have to end up together. Reading their romance develop was just wonderful and had me smiling. I really loved this story and can't wait for the next one. Why can't I live in a place like Cressmouth?!

A cute romance read from the delight Erica Ridley. As always, her story is well written with lovable characters, engaging dialogue, and a plot that is enjoyable yet overly complicated. The perfect read just in time for the holidays, this is a must read for historical romance readers everywhere.

Well written Christmas romance. Christopher and Gloria were wonderful together. This was an emotional, but cute story.

A great enjoyable read kept my attention from start to finish and I’d recommend reading it the author had a way with words that had me hooked can’t wait for more

This is the story of Gloria and Christopher. Gloria is the resident astronomer for the town called Christmas. Gloria also has anxiety issues. She has a form of Agoraphobia. She'll leave her house but not her town. All the people she had every loved have left Christmas to travel, only to never return. Her father, a Naval captain, died at sea. Her fiancee went to India to make his fortune and never came back.
Christopher is also an astronomer and an adventurer who loves to travel. He is visiting Christmas with his brother in hopes to find a bride before he leaves on an expedition to the Americas.
He and Gloria meet and have an instant attraction. They have so much in common. But at the same time they couldn't be further apart. So do they find a way to work it out or di they go their separate ways?

This book was just ok for me. The character of Olivia irritated me with how she was so terrified of life because of things that happened in her past and Christopher was just kind of a bland character. There really wasn't anything that caught my interest and I finished the book only because I agreed to write a review. Thumbs down on this one.

I have come to love this series of books. Each story takes place in a picturesque village covered in snow all year round. The stories are romantic and quick to read. What I love most is the characters. They are all strong women who overcome their personal fears that are holding them back. Many characters are introduced in one story and you will find them again in the next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is the 3rd book in the series 12 Dukes of Christmas and they are truly a joy to read. What better place to read about than a town called Christmas where love and joy blossom all year round. The characters in this book could not be more different in one way but in other ways so much the same. They are both scared of living life to the fullest until they find one another and they discover that together they can find where they belong. As usual Ms Ridley has written with warmth, humour and love. For a holiday read anytime of the year you can’t go wrong with these books. Each book flows from the one before but can all be read as standalone. I received this book as an ARC.

4.5☆
Enjoyed it

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
The humor
Part of a series: 12 Dukes of Christmas
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

WISH UPON A DUKE is the third book in the Twelve Dukes of Christmas series. They completely stand on their own and can be read in any order.

I simply love this series! There continue to be references to famous, familiar, and traditional Christmas stories and songs. The romance is sweet and comfortable. Plus, there are puns!

I think my favorite part of the story was Ms. Ridley’s choice in how to reference the three French hens (as the partridge in the pear tree was in the first book and the two turtle doves were in the second). Beautiful, inspiring, and heart-warming.

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

This is a fun , easy and quick read for the holidays. An interesting story in a town that celebrates Christmas throughout the year, catering to tourists. Though Christmas wasn’t celebrated the way it is now during regency years, this story does, so you need to suspend the truth of the time period. Still, it’s a fun, light read.

The series only gets better. Christmas is a wonderful town with quirky fantastic people. I enjoyed Christopher and Gloria's story. Both have reasons for running away and find out that they need each other to stop running. Great read and will continue to enjoy the town of Christmas.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Christopher and Gloria.
It was a delightful and lighthearted quick read that I didn't want to put it down.

This was a case of our hero having very definite ideas of what he wanted in his bride ………………. he has experienced far away places , whilst she has only ever dreamt of them .
Their growing friendship allows him to convince her that her fears can be overcome ……. the future holds love for both of them .
I felt Gloria was holding on too much to the past and came across as whiney but it all worked itself out in the end .
I will certainly read the other books in the series .

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

I have not read the previous books to this series but I enjoyed it! Gloria and Chris have such a cute Christmas love story! There were fun little Christmas related names and such in the book that really made it feel perfect for the Holiday season! If you are looking for a fun romantic weekend read for Christmas then look no further! I love it!

I felt like this title got off to a slightly slower start than the previous one, but I loved it in the end.

I love enemies to lovers stories and thought this was a great one. I really liked Christopher from his brother’s book and was really excited to read his story. Gloria was a very sweet woman and I enjoyed her backstory and getting to know her better.

I loved Gloria’s attempts at matchmaking and thought it was a very different way to have two people fall in love. I also thought the conflict was a very real one and that it was resolved in the best way possible.

I cannot wait for the next title in this series!!

Yet another wonderful addition to this sweet Holiday series. My favorite thing about Ms. Ridley is her ability to write strong female characters in a genre that hasn’t traditionally supported them. The heroine’s determination and fortitude are believable, admirable and desirable. The Duke Series is enchanting holiday reading!

The series continues in the third Christmas town novel. A fun-loving lady gets entangled with a gentleman who believes there is no deviation from facts. She dreams of far away places, where as the gentleman has experienced some far away places. Through their budding friendship, he realizes that being single isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be. With his help she begins to overcome her fears. As with the first two books of this series, Erica has interwoven items from traditional Christmas stories/poems/songs making it a loveable and fun read.