The Duke's Christmas

Noble Holidays #5

by Anthea Lawson

Escape into the warmth of a Victorian Christmas, where the scent of fresh-baked gingerbread and the festivity of the season conspire to mend an old family feud and bring together a couple perfect for one another (if only they could see it), in this newest sweet tale from USA Today bestselling author Anthea Lawson.

Turned out of their home just before Christmas, Miss Mena Clarke and her mother have no other option than to accept an invitation from Andrew Harrington, the 5th Duke of Beckford, to spend the holidays at his country estate. Mena wants nothing to do with the boy who teased her so horribly in their youth, not to mention the bitter quarrel between their parents that has kept the families apart for a decade. Yet, as the snow blankets Yorkshire in white, fresh beginnings don't seem quite so impossible, after all...

In the mood for even more Christmas romance? Don't miss Noble Holidays, the first collection of award-winning sweet holiday tales from Anthea Lawson.

Genres: Historical Romance, Christmas

117 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2020

About the author

Anthea Lawson, called "a new star of Historical Romance" by Booklist, has won readers with her combination of spicy love scenes and elegant prose. Her first novel, PASSIONATE, was a Best First Book finalist in the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA awards.

Anthea also writes award-winning YA Urban Fantasy under the pen name Anthea Sharp.

Reviews

[Andree]

This is the second romance novella I read in a week to try and break a reading slump. By coincidence, the plot of both was essentially "childhood friends reunite for a week after not speaking for the better part of a decade, for reasons, an fall in love." In both, the heroine is peniless, and the hero is basically the catch of society. And despite not speaking in a decade, they manage to fall in love over a not particularly eventful week. And I think that just doesn't work for me anymore. I need more to invest in, even in a novella.

So, 2.5 stars, but this time rounding down, because the other one I read was slightly better.

[Becca]

I hate to say this since I typically live Anthea Lawson holiday novellas, but this one was a stinker. There was no romance. The families had a feud that was silly and supposedly the two leads were attracted to each other but I saw no spark whatsoever. I’d highly recommend any of Lawson’s other holiday novellas but this one didn’t work for me. I couldn’t finish it and stopped at 60%.

[Michelle Fritz PA]

One beautifully covered book that flowed well with likable characters and a sweet romance. A Victorian Christmas makes for the perfect backdrop of a reunion, remembered companions, and the end of a decade-long feud. What's not engaging about a penniless heroine on the brink of uncertainty and a hero who rises above social standing and fears rejection by his lady love!?

This novella was charming and witty. I adored all of its characters and was rooting for the happily ever after. The short story was heartwarming as well. For clean romance reads, this is the perfect addition to your holiday.

[Michelle Fritz]

One beautifully covered book that flowed well with likable characters and a sweet romance. A Victorian Christmas makes for the perfect backdrop of a reunion, remembered companions, and the end of a decade-long feud. What's not engaging about a penniless heroine on the brink of uncertainty and a hero who rises above social standing and fears rejection by his lady love!?

This novella was charming and witty. I adored all of its characters and was rooting for the happily ever after. The short story was heartwarming as well. For clean romance reads, this is the perfect addition to your holiday.

[Debby Lee]

A delightful historical Christmas story set in England. Though not as well off as her neighbors, Mena is level-headed and smart with a gift for baking gingerbread. Andrew, the neighbor who happens to be a Duke, is kind and witty, and loves his family. There was animosity between their mothers, but the heartwarming ending was one to savor. The bonus short story at the end of the book was a hysterical comedy with a happy and satisfying ending. I highly recommend more sweet romances by this author.

[The Book and Beauty Blog]

Slight Spoilers

Mena Clarke and her mother have no choice but to rely on the charity of their estranged friends after the death of Mena’s father. They can no longer keep their home and with limited options, they need somewhere to stay during the holiday season. Though the older generation of Clarkes and Harringtons had a disagreement, the younger generation did not and they want to soothe the rift between the families. Mena, though feeling slightly awkward, is happy to be with her childhood friends once again. She hasn’t seen the Duke of Beckford, Drew, since he was a young boy and can’t help but notice how handsome he’s grown. She knows a relationship between them will never work because of their different stations in life but the Christmas season has a way of leading to happy endings.

I wanted to like this novella so much more than I did. It definitely had potential but it simply fell flat. My main issue is with the romance. Mena and Drew had almost no chemistry. They reminisced about their childhood antics but there really wasn’t much other interaction between them. There was no cute banter, tension or flirting. They decided to get married based on their mutual attraction and childhood friendship alone. That makes for a really boring romance. I also thought the other characters were bland. You could have removed almost all of them and still had basically the same story. “The Duke’s Christmas” isn’t awful but it’s not on par with most of the novellas in the Noble Holidays collection, also by this author. I don’t regret reading this novella because it was so short but I recommend the Noble Holidays collection more.

For other reviews, go to https://thebookandbeautyblog.com/

[Ashley Nichole]

Too unrealistic and not romantic at all. You want me to believe that two people who haven’t seen each other in a decade and have feuding families are just going to fall in love again immediately? No. Mena spends the whole story basically saying the Duke is a piece of crap, then he proposes out of nowhere and she’s like sure, okay. Unfortunately this was just not the sweet Christmas novella I was hoping for.

[Aurrora James]

A superb Christmas romance!

I loved this sweet tale of Mena and her childhood friends unexpectedly reconnecting over the holidays. She and Drew were well matched and all of the side characters were delightful. I hope to read their stories in the future!

[Lori]

Delightful!

The Duke’s Christmas, the fourth novella on Anthea Lawsons’s Noble Hollidays series is and absolute delight! What fun characters, and a beautiful story of forgiveness, friendships rekindled, and how love can blossom when showered with the joy of the holiday season!

[Candyce Rude]

Heartwarming!

I truly enjoyed this Christmas story very much. The characters were truly interesting. Romance is always wonderful during the holiday season.

[Terra Cross]

Fun Christmas story

I read this sweet Christmas romance to my husband on a road trip. It was worth the read. A story full of forgiveness and love.

[Moey17]

More of a family tale than a romance, but still sweetly entertaining.

[Boho Beannie]

Quick, cute seasonal read

[Jen Desmarais]

This was short and sweet. I enjoyed reading it.

[Kathy]

loved this

A Cinderella Christmas story about forgiveness, renewed friendships, and love. This Noble Holidays series has been an absolute joy to read.

[Nicole Normand]

I was gifted this book
A lot of cheerful holiday reminiscence, friendships gone wrong, a complete second chance for two families to rewrite their future. Fun read, but sad at moments.