MY FAVOURITE OF THIS SERIES BY FAR! 😍🙏

The other books in this series doesn't hold a candle to this one if you ask me. Sure, they are nice, romantic and fun to read. But this just has something so different, so low key and so insanely romantic that it blows the rest of them out of the water. The relationship between Calvin and Belle was so great in its simplicity that I am hard pressed to find another Historical Romance couple that I like better.

"I owe all of my musculature to the drudgery of endlessly catching those who swoon into my arms."
- Calvin


👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Calvin and Belle: Trapped during a blizzard, Calvin and Belle are thrown together by circumstance and mutual need. Their relationship starts off as a work partnership and that was the part that I totally loved because it mirrors my own idea of romance so closely. Working together in comfortable, companionable silence they become so aware of each other but also so secure in each others company. Reading those passages were so nice and different from so many other Historical Romance romances.

Understated: Related to Calvin and Belle's relationship, the understated, quiet quality of their romance and, in effect, the entire book, was so wonderful. Usually Historical Romance is so over the top, so full of big words and grand gestures. Here were have two people who grow to love each other without all that extra-ness. I really, really loved that.

Ease: There was such an ease to this book. It was short and easy to get through, there was not much need to think overly hard about anything, but sometimes that is exactly what you need and that feeling went so well with the rest of the story.

Cute story with two people with who have interesting talents that mesh when they meet. The trouble comes when one pretends to be someone she is not. Wonderful chemistry with a well developed plot. Look for attraction and romance and finally a very nice HEA. A hard to put down story.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A quick, witty Winter warming with an interesting look at defined gender roles of times gone by and the men and women who liked to press them. I always find myself smiling stupidly when I read stories featuring big brothers who get more than a bit uptight about their little sisters, and whilst this isn't a major theme in this story, it did its job. 
I absolutely loved the tailoring aspect of this story,especially how it tied in to the arc in the end. Very little drama, lovely pace to the story and perfect for a winter evening.

Lady Isabelle and Calvin McAlistair are both stuck at the same posting inn on their way to Cressmouth 

To protect her honor Lady Isabelle has to lie about who she is.

Calvin is a anti-social tailor with pride 

DAWN WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley is a sweet and simple romance with not many big dramatic moments. I will sure read the rest of the series

I received an eARC from Erica Ridley and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Erica Ridley’s Dawn with a Duke is a delightful holiday historical romance. It is part of Ridley’s 12 Dukes of Christmas series but works nicely as a stand alone. 

Lady Isabelle is on her way to her Duke Brother’s Yuletide party when her maid (and bestie) falls very ill with influenza. There is also some very heavy snow to take into account. They stop at a posting-house in so Ursula has time to recover. Belle has always been under a lot of pressure from her Mother, so she is naturally quite paranoid of the scandal that will follow staying at an Inn unchaperoned. She decides to sign in as a widow, Mrs. Lepine. 

Calvin McAlistair is a brilliant tailor who has also become snowbound at the same posting-house. He is hard at work at his next project and doesn’t have room for distractions...like sharing a meal with a lovely Mrs Lepine or helping her with the buttons on her gown. 

I love a Christmas 🎄 story and Erica Ridley never disappoints. This is such a fun, whimsical tale. I love both characters and the situations they find themselves in... whether it is Belle seeking a maid at the crazy busy posting Inn or the companionable duo at work. Belle is so funny and a talented artist. Calvin is delectable. 

I’m now dreaming of holiday snow and cuddling up with a blanket before the fire. 

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This installment of the Series is a delightful and charming tale. The story is quite original in that our hero is not the rich and powerful aristocrat or the brooding, damaged recluse but an actual ordinary (but talented) man! There is some angst, but it isn't overdone. An enjoyable, easy read.

Dawn with a Duke by Erica Ridley is the 9th book in the series Dukes of Christmas.  This is a series where each book can stand alone, but the local and some of the people are links between the books.  Most of them take place totally in the town of Cressmouth (aka Christmas).   

Lady Isabelle  is traveling with her maid/companion to spend time with a friend and to enjoy Christmas with her brother.  However, the weather is getting a bit nasty and her maid is turning every color of white and obviously unable to stop puking.  Isabelle stops at the nearest inn and finds accommodations - not that they are fit for a Lady, but since she is concerned about her reputation, she claims to be a widow, Mrs Lepine.  It is here that she meets  Calvin McAlistair.


Calvin McAlistair is hiding out in the inn working madly on finishing up his vision for a ready wear men’s collection.  He is finishing up while waiting for the storm to stop and the roads to be open.  He knows this is his opportunity to move forward and is not interested in anything else, until Mrs. Lepine - needs her buttons undone - since her maid is so ill. 

Another fun start to an Erica Ridley book - buttons.  The characters are fun.  Lady Isabelle lies about her status and name just added to the drama.  I enj0yed reading Dawn with a Duke by Erica Ridley.

This book was exactly as expected. A fun, lighthearted, short, romantic romp. If you're looking for a pleasant way to zone out for a few hours and forget all of the terrible things happening in the world, here's your book!


Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas is a fun little series set in a charming Christmas village. It is a little bit deliberately "on the nose" in the best way. I enjoyed the characters in this story. Calvin especially is *french kiss sound* fantastic!

Dawn with a Duke was a quick & easy read.  Novella length love stories advance quickly by design, but I found myself wanting more time & development with the characters.  I enjoyed the twist on the duke theme. I look forward to reading the other 12 dukes of Christmas.

I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance readers copy of this story

Dawn With A Duke, by Erica Ridley, is available at booksellers on 9-4-2020.  Once again we're in Cressmouth, or Christmas, and I'm loving it.  Part of the 12 Dukes Of Christmas series it works as a stand alone story but it makes you want to get more involved with the series and this magical town.

I'm giving out a rare 5 stars for Calvin and Isabella's journey.  It's just so cute and heartwarming and I was rooting for these 2 from the start.  I actually was trying to guess how they would work thing out, good ending by the way.  2 wonderful, likeable characters and a perfect Christmas setting.

#EricaRidley  #Netgalley  #12DukesOfChristmas  #DawnWithADuke

I’m so glad to be back to reading this series, these books are just so fun and easy to read that I gobble them up too fast. Dawn with a Duke I enjoyed but it’s not a favorite of mine. The romance was good I really saw their chemistry, but it was too rushed for my liking. I am all for insta love when done right, not to say that this wasn’t, but it was just a little to fast for me. I really loved the characters and am very excited to read the next book, I can’t wait to see what happened!

Another wonderful romantic fun book in the Christmas village series.This book was so sweet with a touch of mystery.Another Erica Ridley book I will be recommending.Pick it up sit down and enjoy.#netgalley#webmotion

The webs we weave when first we attempt to deceive. When Lady Isabelle finds herself in a potentially compromising situation while stranded in a small inn during a vicious snowstorm, her traveling companion stricken ill, she finds herself depending on the honor of an anti-social stranger.

DAWN WITH A DUKE by Erica Ridley is a sweetly romantic tale of two people, from different stations in life who find their heartstrings being knotted together, with Calvin’s pride and Isabelle’s deceit the only thing standing between them.


This sweet romance doesn’t have an over-the-top, macho hero, instead it has a man of substance and emotion trying to earn his way in life. Isabelle is a wonderfully lost member of high society that had me chuckling at her inability to dress herself! A delightful tale with all of the warmth and surprising twists that Erica Ridley is known for!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Erica Ridley and and Web Motion! This is my honest and voluntary review.

I don’t generally read in the genre, but I have seen a lot of good reviews for the Duke series and so I requested an Advanced Reader Copy of Dawn with a Duke. I have been craving light and fun reading with everything going on in the world, and this book was very charming.

Set around the Christmas holiday season, this is a historical romance with Lady Isabelle as the main character.  Belle gets waylaid while traveling because her maid falls ill and she ends up snowed in at a remote Inn.  Though she is the daughter of a Duke, she decides to pose as a wealthy widow for safety.

Once there she meets Calvin, a tailor who is preparing for an upcoming business meeting with a potential investor.  Of course everyone falls in love and it’s adorable and very improbable and it actually did make me forget about the world for a little bit, so I call it a success!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC, I enjoyed it, and I’ll probably dip back into the series from here.

Will she follow or break the rules she was breed in ...

I follow this series since its first book, and each is a delight as the duke is oft far from the usual and expected peer of the realm.
This new couple is a fun association, as they each stand at one edge of the society’s ladder.
Yet they are so complementary.
Belle has been repeated again and again what she must do or not and thinking is one of the deeds a lady must forbore. Her lady’s edicts are so engrained in her, she at first chooses greater discomforts to lesser one to follow the rules as to be at ease she would have to set aside everything she had been taught.
It was fun to see her discover by herself the many impediments her breeding weights on her freedom. It was like she landed in the twilight zone, as she has to think and rethink everything twice from Lady Isabelle’s view then her new alter ego’s.
Calvin is such a sweetheart, while he dresses like a man of the ton, he is no gentleman nor rake, just a man who wants to better his fellow men’s life. He is devoted to his trade which he envisions like a kind of affordable art, he creates but it is not for an elite, it must be shared for everyone. 
I loved how they come from strangers to neighbors of unfortunately stuck in the same place to a kind of associates before becoming friends.

This new addition to this series is a cheerful and delight, with two out of the ordinary people.
5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

The latest in the village of Christmas series. A short book which is a fun read. Hidden identities, unusual activities for a lady and the inevitable happy ending. Can’t wait for the next book.

What a wonderful romance on the way to Christmas!

Calvin and Belle find themselves snowed in just long enough to fall in love!  Both are on their way to Cressmouth, the mountain town where Christmas is celebrated year-round, and circumstances force them to rely on each other far more than propriety would allow.  

I absolutely adored the way these two were so uncharacteristically at ease with each other right from the start.  It's a perfect match of two people who have a deep, innate connection even though they're from such far different worlds.  

Watching them fall in love is the sweetest part of the story, and just as their forever seems within reach, all Belle's secrets come rushing out and their HEA appears to have melted away with the snow.  I really liked the way the author developed these characters.  Belle's dilemma was heartbreaking, and her bravery to overcome it was admirable.  

This entire series is enchanting and I can't wait to read the next installment.  Do yourself a favor this holiday season and binge-read all of these delightful books.  I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

This has to be one of my favourites in this series. It's a delightful storyline where two strangers have a chance meeting on their way to Cressmouth, the picturesque Christmas place which has now become familiar.

Calvin likes his own company. He isn't one for socialising and avoids being noticed at all costs.

Belle is a Duke's daughter. She has to behave "properly" as the high society demands. She has her own dreams, but she feels obligated to honour her family name.

Calvin and Belle meet when they are stranded in a post house, just outside Cressmouth. Her maid is taken ill and she acts quickly to retain her reputation. She feels gauche without a chaperone and as it happens the only free dinner table is occupied by Calvin. He indicates the free seat, but regrets it straightaway. He is not one for small talks. Belle feels even worse as she is not used to the lifestyle offered in the post house. This is an awkward situation, but will they try to make the best of it?

Calvin and Belle's interactions are adorable. The build up to their romance is rather sweet. Belle's desire to please her family at the cost of the own happiness is frustrating. In the end she goes for what she really wants and she does so admirably. Beautifully portrayed.

I received an ARC from the author and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Great fun, excellent escapism. Erica Ridley develops a warm relationship between likeable characters with a bit of jeopardy thrown in. If you like Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James then this is for you. Thankyou for providing this free ARC in return for an honest review. I will be looking out for more by the author.

Dawn With a Duke is the latest story in Erica Ridley's 12 Dukes of Christmas series, but it doesn't take place in the village of Cressmouth and it doesn't involve a duke.

The plot revolves around Lady Isabella Borland, the sister of the Duke of Nottingvale. En route to his Christmas house party, her journey is cut short when her maid becomes ill. They then are stranded at an inn due to a winter storm that halts all travel. During her stay at the inn, she meets Calvin, another guest who is a tailor with plans of starting a line of ready-made clothing for working-class men. In order to protect her reputation while her maid is ill, Isabelle poses as a widow who has no need of a chaperone. Isabelle and Calvin develop a friendship, then collaborate on his business plan. As their feelings for each other grow, Isabelle realizes that her real identity as a member of nobility would threaten her relationship with Calvin.

I loved the characters, the writing, and the plot of this story. There were no villains and no abductions, just a lovely story of how 2 people from 'different levels of society find common ground in which love can take root,