Never Say Duke (12 Dukes of Christmas #4) by Erica Ridley

From Goodreads

Miss Virginia Underwood cannot resist rescuing a stray. Her latest find turns out to be a surly, reclusive war hero trying to recover from his wounds in peace. He doesn't want her help—and Virginia definitely doesn't want to fall in love. Not when a future with him would mean returning to the the same haut ton who laughed her out of Town during her very first Season.

Theodore O'Hanlon, Viscount Ormondton, sequestered himself far from London to heal in anonymity. For now, he can be himself. As soon as he returns, he's meant to wed the woman his father selected years before. But when Miss Underwood turns his carefully mapped life upside-down, Theo must decide which battles are truly worth fighting for.

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.  It is some time since I downloaded my copy of this and in the mean time I have purchased and read the first two books in this series.  The third in the series was also a NetGalley read.

This is the fourth in the 12 Dukes of Christmas series.  All the books are loosely linked with some returning characters in them.  However, you do not need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. 

I am enjoying this series of books.  They are the perfect read for this time of year or any time of year to be honest.  They are stories that you can immerse yourself in and have that feel good glow as the romance between the lead characters develops.  You know that at the end they will be together, but it's the journey that they go on along the way that draws you in.

This story telling the relationship between Theo and Virginia as she helps him come to terms with the wounds that he has and encourages him to own them and be proud of them, rather than hide them away and in some ways be ashamed of them and the man he has now become as a result of them.  It is the man inside that is more important than the outer wrappings, like a Christmas present revealing the hidden goods as you unwrap it.