The Duke Who Hated Christmas by Dorothy Sheldon

A Missed Opportunity for a Usually Reliable Author

Rating: ⭐

This latest release unfortunately falls short of the standard I’ve come to expect from this author. While I typically love diving into her stories, this stands as her weakest narrative yet, requiring a frustrating four-day slog to finish due to pacing and dialogue roadblocks.

The primary hurdle lies in the character development. Both leads feel largely interchangeable, lacking distinct voices or individual motivations to ground their dynamic. This bleeds directly into the dialogue, which tends to loop through the exact same conversational beats scene after scene, stalling any momentum.

Because the interactions remain purely chaste—featuring affectionate gestures rather than genuine romantic chemistry—the emotional stakes never quite crystallize into a convincing love story. Instead of building tension, the repetitive exchanges often induce fatigue rather than engagement.

Constructive Takeaway: A return to sharper character differentiation and tighter, more varied dialogue will go a long way in her next book. Looking forward to seeing a rebound in the next release!