Wonderful!

I had a smile on my face all the way through Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleave's story.
A fascinatingly intelligent romance with the added spice of murder and the plight of two seemingly star crossed lovers. Well at least two people mad for each other with one from the wrong side of the tracks and fighting the attraction every inch of the way.
Bow Street Runner Daffin takes his mind off Christmas' a painful time for him, by agreeing to be the bodyguard for Lady Regina. Regina is definitely approaching "on-the-shelf" age and has decided that to go into spinsterhood without the experience of untrammelled passion would be a crime.
Daffin has always interested her ... So what would be the harm? apart from finding someone who engages her just by his very being. Could she just walk away? I mean when your whole body zings when he's around, what's a determined lady to do?
A startlingly different approach to life from Lady Regina that s just so enjoyable. And that Daffin! Sigh!

A NetGalley ARC
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Kiss Me at Christmas is the latest in the Playful Brides series from Valerie Bowman. Like other stories in this series, there's a mystery to be solved that will keep you guessing, and a sizzling romance with obstacles to overcome. Daffin Oakleaf is a Bow Street Runner super detective, and Regina, who is about to turn 30, is the niece of a Duke. They met briefly before and enjoyed flirting with each other, but they are from different classes and a lasting relationship is impossible. The characters are well-developed and likeable, and the plot is wonderful, suspenseful, and funny, making it a pleasure to read. Looking forward to the rest of this series!

Another amazing book by Ms. Bowman. Just amazing. Believable story, characters that held my attention...and a love story to talk about for a while yet to come. Beautiful!

Kiss Me at Christmas by Valerie Bowman
Playful Brides #10

Lady Regina Haversham is nearing thirty and would like to divest herself of her virginity before being married off to someone she does not love. She has someone in mind to do relieve her of her V-card so heads off to his office to proposition him. Things do not go as planned but it is what it is and she feels she may have to live the life of her peers without getting the birthday gift she would like to give herself.

Well, suddenly there is need of a bodyguard and who should her cousin and his wife call in to take that job than Daffin Oakleaf – the man she propositioned. As they unravel who wants to do her harm and spend time together under the same roof they get to know one another and share and care and eventually one thing leads to another BUT… Will they find out why her life is being threatened? Will they find the person intent on murder? Will Daffin’s secret be exposed? AND, Will they find the person threatening her life?

This was a well written story that had me guessing the answers till the very end. I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the series and look forward to reading whatever the author writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Kiss Me at Christmas by Valerie Bowman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Regina knows what she wants and what she wants is Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf. Of course getting everyone to agree takes an entire book. There are problems but I loved how Regina and Daffin interacted. This has it all; action, romance, fun dialog, danger, and tension. Of course in the end all ends well.

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

An exciting, hot, mysterious read. Regina and Daffin are so good together that one can't help but root for them.

Kiss Me at Christmas is the tenth book in Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I’ve enjoyed the other Playful Brides books.

Readers were first introduced to Daffin and Regina in the last book- A Duke Like No Other. As this next adventure begins, Regina has given up on marriage, but she has decided that she wants to lose her virginity to commemorate her 30th birthday. She attempts to recruit Daffin, a Bow Street Runner, to help her with this, but naturally, he refuses. However, when it appears that someone is targeting her family, her cousin Mark hires Daffin to serve as bodyguard. Despite some initial awkwardness stemming from Regina’s earlier request, they strike up a friendly rapport. Soon enough, they realize that there really is a genuine attraction that is getting harder and harder to deny. But even though they have retreated to the countryside for Christmas, it seems as though that threat has followed them from London. Who is trying to hurt the family and why?

At its core, this is a sweet story, but there is an undercurrent of danger throughout the narrative. The big reveal of the mystery element was a little unexpected, but this is forgivable because of the attention to character development. We don’t get to see all of the characters from the previous books in the series, but young cousin Delilah (and her parrot) return, so that was a nice treat. Daffin makes for an interesting hero because he isn’t titled (or even from an aristocratic background), so he has had to work for everything he has. Daffin does not enjoy the Christmas season because of his past, and spending Christmas in a manor house is out of his comfort zone, but he has a responsibility to protect the family. Regina is a delightful heroine. She’s smart and resourceful, and she’s not afraid to go after what she wants. She’s just perfect for Daffin- he just needs to figure that out!

I would recommend Kiss Me at Christmas. Even though this book is the tenth in a series, it functions pretty well as a standalone. If readers are looking for somewhere to start, A Duke Like No Other features many of the same characters. This is a good book to get into as the holiday season approaches. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series!



I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

3 1/2 stars. Nice romance with a touch of intrigue. Regina, as all the women seem to be in this series, is ahead of her time. She wants Daffin to take her virginity before her uncle marries her off. He wants to avoid any entanglements, especially a lady. He feels unworthy and doesn't want to "soil" her. I liked seeing him slowly succumb to his feelings and I loved how open Regina was to new experiences. I did have a bit of an issue with the uncle at the end. He told Daffin one thing and then seemed to have completely different feelings to the others. Otherwise I did enjoy it.

A christmas job may lead spinster Regina to her dream of having a night of passion. This book is part of the playful brides series and has a nice blend of love and adventure. This was my first book by Valerie but I would love to read more from her.

I really wanted to love this book, but I really struggled with it. It took me so long to get into and when I did it was for the last 35% of the book. Slow burns are my favorite, but this was more like slow torture. I read three other books from the time I started this until I finished it. And to be honest, I can’t really put my finger on why this book didn’t really click for me. I loved the characters as we met them in a previous book and they were both strong characters in this one. Maybe there was just too much filler? I don’t think I really felt the sparks between the H and h. I liked them, but together they just fell flat. Oh well, can’t love them all.

Let me say right off the bat that while this is labeled as book #10 in a series, I do believe I have only read three, maybe four of the others in this series. And while for me, I don't think this fact kept me from enjoying this one, I will say that the couple from book #9 do play a very large role as "support" so it probably would help to know at least a bit about them.

I very much enjoyed the romance between Daffin and Regina - but again - we got to see the majority of their friendship develop in a prior novel. If you can overlook the specifics and simply be content with the fact that they did know each other, and they did have a flirtatious relationship prior to this story, then again, you should enjoy this one very much. There is more banter between them, and a lot of sharing of secrets and really getting to know each other on a deeper level - both of which I enjoyed.

Where this one fell flat is with the mysterious person who wishes Regina and/or Nicole harm. When all is said and done and the culprit revealed, it made no sense. Nor did I feel any real sense of closure. Sure one person had been apprehended, and perhaps with Regina finding a bit of romance with Daffin and Nicole happily settled with her husband, the "bad guy" would just move on with their life, but I wanted more. I wanted the person actually accountable to be held as such and I don't feel as though we got that.

All things considered I'm sure there are a number of people who will enjoy this story, and some that will not. I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The hero of Kiss Me at Christmas, Daffin Oakleaf, is a Bow Street Runner. He's smart, funny and honorable. Regina is of the aristocracy. Regina doesn't care that they are of different classes, but Daffin can't see past it.
While all of this is going on there are bad people plotting even worse things. Daffin has to use his skills to save Regina and catch the criminals.

Lady Regina Haversham will very soon be 30. Her uncle the Duke of Colchester would like to see her settled with the Earl of Dryden. She decides she would like one last passionate night with Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf a man she had met the previous year at the murder of her cousin. She had a irresistible response to him and now wants to take that passion further. Before she can wear Daffin down Regina becomes involved in a threat to her life. This is a story that shows the difficulty that Ladies had to be in control of their own lives, or as many found , it was set from birth which class you married into. The story comes to life in the second half of the book where Daffin has to confront his past to help save Regina.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I normally quite enjoy Valerie Bowman but this was painful to get through. The heroine lacked substance and the hero was just plain pompous. Couldn't bear to read much past 40% and skimmed through the last 60%. Not for me.

In the latest entry in the “Playful Brides” series, this follow-up to A Duke Like No Other centers on Lady Regina Haversham and Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf. A number of the characters from the previous book appear here, and events from that book are referred to, as Regina is cousin to Nicole Grimaldi and niece of the Duke of Colchester whose son’s murder occupied the previous book. The Duke has arranged a marriage between Regina and the Earl of Dryden, largely because their neighboring estates would then be joined. While Regina considers Dryden a perfectly nice man, she doesn’t love him, but she’s resigned to doing her duty. First, though, she would like to lose her virginity to a man she has strong, even passionate feelings for - Daffin. Daffin declines the honor, but then Regina becomes the target of an attempted murder and subsequently is kidnapped. Can Daffin save her? Despite the reference to Christmas in the title, this is by no means a typical holiday story. A strong heroine and a troubled, but sympathetic hero, plus some very good writing, and perhaps a few too many coincidences, make for an exciting if somewhat improbable tale.

This is the first book in the series that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Daffin and Regina’s romance was great but other elements of the book kept me more engaged. The spy drama was interesting to me. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed Ms. Bowman's book! It was refreshing having not the usual main characters. She was an older lady and he had a different profession. Great reading!

I enjoyed that for a historical the heroine was of a mature age. I also liked that the hero had an interesting profession, and his life provided a contrast to the upper class lifestyle of the heroine. I felt like the "threat" plot wasn't developed enough, it didn't really feel like much of a threat. The motive was a bit thin.

Lady Regina is almost 30 and would like Daffin Oakleaf to make love to her before her uncle marries her off to a neighboring Earl who wants her land. Her uncle is not mean, he is ill and wants her settled before he dies. Daffin makes a good living being a Bow Street Runner, but he believes she off limits as a lady and his best friend is her cousin Mark. Mark Grimaldi is working with Daffin on a possible police force for London. His wife, Nicole, has also helped with solving cases. However, Nicole thinks Regina and Daffin would make a wonderful couple and wants to help her cousin.

Recently, Regina and Nicole have had 2 near misses when a carriage nearly ran them off the road. Mark wants them to return to the country estate while he is away on business, but they don’t agree. So, he hires his friend Daffin to stay with them in London, then closer to Christmas, escort them to the country estate. They are not sure which of the ladies is the target, so both must be protected. After another shooting incident, they agree to have Daffin take them to the country estate where he hopes they’ll be safer. However, the estate is not safe either.

At this point, I will not spoil the rest of this wonderful story. Regina is still in danger but from whom? Read this wonderful book to get the answers. Of course, there is a HEA, but getting there is a very enjoyable read. I can easily recommend this one.

An intriguing mystery with suspense, twists and turns plus a beautiful Christmas romance, all wrapped into this book.

Daffin Oakleaf is a Bow Street Runner, a member of a small force of detectives attached to the court at Bow Street who investigate crimes. He loves his work and it has made him a wealthy man. Lady Regina Haversham is a rich lady of the ton. There may be a connection between them but Daffin sees Regina as off limits. His wealth doesn’t make up for the gulf between their social status and her family would never allow her to marry him. But he likes her, she is practical, kind and easygoing. They have a lot in common and they both grew up without parents. Daffin can’t stand to see her accept a loveless marriage, even though she seems resigned to her fate.

But there is something odd going on, and there are accidents that can’t be explained. Someone is trying to harm Regina and she has the feeling that she is being watched. Regina is a captivating character, headstrong and courageous. Daffin is determined to protect her and to track down the villain threatening her.

Regina and Daffin truly belong together but first they must overcome all the perils that will plague them.

This book is a fast, suspenseful read and I enjoyed going along for the ride. The mystery was well executed and kept me guessing. The reader is led along at just the right pace and the facts are discovered in just the right way.