The Duke of Azureford isn’t the arrogant, aloof lord his peers perceive him to be. Yes, he’s awkward, but he has a plan to fix it. In order to woo a respectable lady, he must learn how to flirt. The completely inappropriate girl next door would make a perfect instructor, but a terrible duchess. So why can’t he walk away?
Incorrigible hoyden Miss Carole Quincy likes fast carriages, carom billiards, and the beautiful, buttoned-up Duke of Azureford. She’d be delighted to help him out of his shell and into her arms. Who cares if they’re just pretending to flirt? The heady, breath-taking, soul-consuming feeling inside her runaway heart surely can’t be love…
I admit it. I have fallen woefully behind in my TBR pile. Some of that is the need to read outside the genre for a palate cleanser. Some is competing interests, busy work schedule, etc. But, with being house-bound for a couple of weeks I am making reading a priority.
So, while this was a Christmas themed release, I am presenting it in March. Because I read it in March. And it worked. It wasn’t soooo Seasonal that it felt weird, and if Hallmark can run Christmas movies right now, I figured some of you wouldn’t mind a little Christmas book review.
The Christmas isn’t over the top, either. There are some threads loosely tied to the Partridge in a Pear Tree song, and a couple of mentions to the Season, but other than that it easily could have been a New Years or late winter book.
I am so glad I picked this book to break my stall. It was delightful, sweet, and featured absolutely lovable MCs with very little angst (perfect for the holiday season or a global pandemic).
The Duke is delicious. Tall, dark and handsome, and super shy guy. Cinnamon roll to a tea. He enlists the help of his popular, charismatic neighbor to help him set up his billiard room and become the toast of local Society. He is supportive, kind, and very intelligent. All in all a sigh worth hero.
Carole is delightful, a bit like Emma in her duty to her father and popularity in her town. She also is an avid draughtswoman and lover of maths. I like that she has some depth of character but is not necessarily an obvious tortured type.
Along the help-another-find-a-lover trope lines, this book features a bit of holiday magic but mostly a lot of joy and sweet love. This is a case of characters finding their complimentary match and making it work despite obstacles.
Most of the obstacles come in the form of personal reservations, including Carole’s decision to stay unwed. I enjoyed how Ridley worked with this subtly and honestly, and the depression of Carole’s father. Although not much is shared about Carole’s father, it is clear he suffers from ongoing depression mainly as a result of his wife’s death. Its a tough subject that isn’t given a lot of on page time, but I felt Ridley was nonetheless gentle with it.
Its kisses only with one scene that gets close to some heavy petting, but generally good for readers who prefer closed door intimacy.
I highly recommend this book for any season and readers who love a shy, cinnamon roll of hero and a whip smart, character of a heroine.
4.75 out of 6 Kisses only help-another-find-a-lover trope filled gooey historical with light Christmas/Seasonal Themes
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Not much, references to family deaths | |
| Intimacy | |
| Lots of kissing, near heavy petting incident | |
| Violence | |
| Nope | |
| Overall |  |
|---|---|
| Great for all readers | |
