In thirty days, Lady Regina Haversham will turn thirty years old. She’s never married, never been in love, and now her guardian uncle insists that she marry the Earl of Dryden. Dryden has long sought her for his wife, lusting not so much for her, but the property she would bring to their marriage. Resenting her lack of control over her own life, Regina decides to take a lover before she is forced to marry, and it will be a man of her own choosing. The ideal candidate is the handsome Bow Street Runner she met last year, as he investigated the unfortunate murder of her cousin.

Daffin Oakleaf is surprised when Regina shows up at his office – and he’s shocked when she nervously makes her proposition. When they met last year, they had a friendly and flirtatious relationship, but nothing beyond that. Daffin firmly refuses Regina, telling her that he’s not for sale, and she is mortified at her clumsy request. She hurries home, hoping to never run into Daffin again.

On the way home, Regina’s carriage has a near miss with another carriage, the second such incident that has happened recently. Coincidence? Regina’s cousin, Mark, doesn’t think so, and calls on his friend, Daffin, to protect Regina while he has to be out of town. With Daffin living in the same house, Regina knows she has to apologize and clear the air, or life will be unbearable. Daffin accepts her heartfelt apology, and they easily slip back into their friendly relationship.

I love the connection between Daffin and Regina. He is working class, and she is an aristocrat, yet they treat each other as equals. Their interactions are fun, honest, flirty, and they genuinely talk to one another, even able to now joke about her proposition. When Regina honestly explains how trapped a woman is, Daffin understands how she would have longed to break free and make her own choice. It’s not long before some lovely kisses are exchanged, and they begin to have strong feelings for one another. When the would-be murderer shows up and makes another attempt, Daffin realizes just how deep his feelings run. He’s not of her class, but he has an even deeper secret, one that surely makes any future together impossible.

I adore both Daffin and Regina. She is strong and smart and doesn’t believe she’s superior just because of the circumstances of her birth. Daffin is confident of his abilities, and is determined to be honorable and not ruin Regina. I love how compliments from Regina truly warmed his whole world. He had a sad childhood, and despite his fame and notoriety as a successful runner, he lives a very lonely existence. Can this star-crossed couple find a way to be together? That is, if Regina even survives.

Daffin and Regina have an amazing sexual chemistry, but when they finally give in to their passion, I felt that the handcuff element took away from, rather than added to the intimacy. I believe that this was meant to show trust between them, as well as show their adventurousness, but it didn’t totally work for me. The whole previous story showcased their closeness and intimacy just by their conversations and interactions. Overall, KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS is a fun, romantic, steamy, and entertaining read, with a bit of adventure. I felt the strong connection and love between Daffin and Regina, and I cheered as they found the way to happy ever after.

Daffin Oakleaf has worked as a Bow Street Runner for years, and generally hates everything about Christmas. This allows him to work during the holiday season, making a profit. On this occasion, he is asked by a friend to protect Lady Regina, a beautiful woman considered all but a spinster. She's determined to know what it's like to feel passion even though she's given up on marriage, and her uncle is pushing for an arranged marriage with a neighbor if she can't find a husband of her own. She had always had some interest in Daffin, so she considers this the perfect opportunity for her.

Kiss Me at Christmas is part of the Playful Brides series of novels, so readers will be familiar with Daffin. It's all right if readers aren't familiar, though, because there are paragraphs outlining the bare minimum to know about Daffin and how Regina met him. The flirtation they had in the earlier book is referenced early on; nothing happened then, but it had stuck with both of them. Regina is nearly thirty and not enthusiastic about marriage, but is practically betrothed to make her uncle happy. Daffin is exceedingly proper, not wanting to do anything because of the engagement, and not wanting to impose on his friendships due to class differences. Regina's friendship with Nicole is adorable, and I really like how they bolster each others' confidence.

The set up to bring Daffin and Regina together, of course, involves both proximity and that threat of danger. Daffin is in the role of protector, which he excels at, but Regina also isn't a damsel in distress. She is willing to work with him to find out who could be targeting her or Nicole, and would rather put her safety on the line to protect others. There is an actual stalker willing to harm Regina, however, which ups the ante even as the two intermittently flirt and acknowledge the feelings they have for each other. The inevitable confrontation and kidnapping happens earlier than expected and proves to be the last push that they needed to admit their feelings for one another.

I enjoyed reading through this. The predictable formula for the novel is comfortable and familiar, which is part of the fun with Regency romances. I want to see a feisty heroine succeed and find love even within the constraints of society, and that a handsome hero is willing to fight for what he believes in and the one he loves. Then I can heave a contented sigh at the end and go about my day with a little bit of happiness. This book perfectly fits that criteria.

Ms Bowman is a newish author for me and each book I read makes me want to go grab her backlist and start reading!

Kiss Me At Christmas is the 10th installment of the Playful Brides series, but only the second that I’ve read. The series seems to work in sequential order and there is some continuity of story lines, at least for the 2 books that I have read.

Regina and Daffin are both excellent characters and seem to reflect that changing social structure of the society they are living in. I appreciated that Regina is a strong female character in a setting where that would have worked against her.

This is a story that blends historical elements with romance and intrigue in excellent proportions. Characters from prior books make appearances here as supporting characters, but only Mark and Nicole are key players (as they are Regina’s family).

This series is quickly becoming a must click for me.

3.5 stars
This book was kind of lukewarm. The heroine was really personable, and I really liked that she was assertive, knew what she wanted and could save herself. But I thought that the conflict between h and h could have been better and that the reason why they couldn't be together was not that strong.
It is a nice book and worth spending an afternoon with, especially if you've read the previous books from this series, as past protagonists make appearances throughout the novel.

I fell in love with Daffin and Regina in the other books of this series and I was looking forward to reading their story.
Regina has been waiting to fall in love all her life but now that she is nearing spinsterhood, her uncle has chosen someone for her. Not willing to give in so easily, she wants to experience something more at least once in her life, preferably with a (rather dumbstruck though intrigued and slightly scandalized) Daffin Oakleaf.
Oakleaf is far too honorable to even think of betraying his friendship with Mark Grimaldi, Regina's cousin, whom we met in "A Duke like no other" where he reconciles with his wife. He is not only just a Bow Street Runner whereas Regina is a Lady but he is also illegitimate.
None of that is powerful enough to stand in the way of true love though, and when those two have to work together to eliminate a thread again Regina, well, let's just say that their feelings intensify... Will true love get a chance despite their circumstances?
Regina and Daffin are wonderful characters and I loved the writing and the style of all of these books a lot. "Kiss me at Christmas" is another great addition to this series that I can fully recommend!

I’m not sure there’s anything Valerie Bowman could write that I wouldn’t like. Kiss me at Christmas is the tenth novel in her Playful Brides series and I adore it. What do I adore about it? The characters and how vibrant they become. How I feel like I’m a fly on the wall witnessing all of their interactions. And I am zapped repeatedly by the chemistry.
So, let’s meet these characters. First we have Daffin Oakleaf, a Bow Street Runner. He’s a commoner, though lately he’s been heralded for his ability to track down criminals and bring them to justice. If he lived today, he’d be on the cover of every gossip magazine as Man of the Year. Because not only is he brilliant at sleuthing, a champion for the underdog, he’s also a beautiful specimen of a man.

Enter our heroine, Lady Regina Haversham. She has one goal in her life. To lose her virginity before she’s forced to marry. And even more special, her thirtieth birthday is a month away. And what would be the best birthday present? To be with the one man she can’t have forever, Daffin Oakleaf.

<blockquote>Lady Regina Haversham’s thirtieth birthday was precisely one month away, which didn’t leave her much time to lose her virginity. Not that she wanted it lost. She wanted to know where it went and choose to whom she gave the dratted thing. </<blockquote>

Well, suffice to say, as this is a romance, Lady Regina and Daffin will have their Happily Ever After. Though it’s not so quick and easy. Lady Regina will have to work to peel away Daffin’s layers, and Daffin will have to realize his worth is more than he thought.

It’s a feel-good Christmas historical romance with medium steam. One I highly recommend for the holidays.

I am on a huge historical romance kick. As we near the holidays, there is something about reading love during this time period that makes my heart warm. And Valerie Bowman's latest, Kiss Me at Christmas is an exceptional example of that warm love.

I haven't read the Playful Bride series since the first two books: The Unexpected Duchess and The Accidental Countess. Before I began reading Kiss Me at Christmas, I couldn't remember much of this world, (older brain) but I did remember the characters, the writing style, and the feeling that I enjoyed it.

Lady Regina's time for finding true love, and now her uncle has set a match. But before the year of freedom is over, she wants to approach a man of her choosing to ignite the sparks for a once-in-a-lifetime, and a one-night-only, deal. She has chosen her champion of this passionate night, and it's none other than Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lady Regina! She is such a fun character, all with romanticized ideas of true love. Given her upbringing and her past, I yearn for her passions and desires. But beyond that, I love how she views Daffin. The one scene that made me fall in love with this story is her indecent, and very awkward, proposal! Daffin is a good and stable character. He is a good balance of stoic and enigmatic, but he goes well with Regina.

This was not exactly an opposites attract trope, but more fitting as a friends-to-lovers trope. Their relationship is fun and flirty. I also appreciate seeing past characters in this book, even for brief moments at a time.

This world is filled with action, spies, mystery, intrigue, with lovely romance. The overall world stayed true to the theme of the other books in this series. And while there are hints of the previous characters of the series,  there was a very specific goal evident in this story. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I want to read more in this world. Did I just buy all the other books in this series? I sure did.

Thank you to St. Martin's Paperbacks for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Kiss Me At Christmas
Author: Valerie Bowman
Series: Playful Brides #10
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Price: $7.99 (e-book) $5.98 (mass market paperback)
Rating: ❄️❄️❄️❄️
Christmas Rating: 🎅🎅 1/2

I guess it is that time of year again--it is finally acceptable to listen to Christmas music on repeat! Yes! Unfortunately, I read this book in October and was getting a lot of weird looks when people heard snippets of Shake Up Christmas. Honestly, this wasn't the earliest I've listened to Christmas music. That honor goes to my review of Snowfall on Haven Point for the Smart Bitches, which I wrote in the middle of one of the worst heat waves in Northern California back in June of 2017. But you're not here for a recitation of my Christmas music woes, so let's do this thing.

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

London, December 1818

Lady Regina Haversham’s thirtieth birthday was precisely one month away, which didn’t leave her much time to lose her virginity. Not that she wanted it lost. She wanted to know where it went and choose to whom she gave the dratted thing.

Her coach came to a stop in front of the offices of the Bow Street Runners in central London, and she drew in a deep, unsteady breath. She pressed her hands deeper into the white fur muff that sat atop her lap and willed her pounding heart to slow its nervous beat. Christmastide was her favorite time of year. She was in high spirits, but she was also as nervous as a young lady making her debut on her way to see the queen. This particular outing had every chance to end in disaster.

She glanced out the window. She probably should have hired a hackney. It would have been less conspicuous than her uncle’s resplendent coach. There were already several onlookers staring up at the black-lacquered conveyance with the Duke of Colchester’s seal on the side. She glanced down at her clothing. No doubt her ensemble was too elegant for marching into the offices of the best private investigative team in London, but she had no other clothing to wear, and this particular message was best delivered in person. She didn’t know Daffin Oakleaf’s home address, and she hardly thought a note to him for what she had in mind would be appropriate. No. Regardless of the stares, she had to see him in person.

Regina had settled on the perfect birthday gift to herself. She would spend the night with a man. Not just any man. The finest candidate. One who had the face and body of a Greek god. Thirty years old. Tall, fit, and handsome. Blond hair and green eyes that held a twinkle she found irresistible. She’d met him last summer at her uncle’s estate. Her family had been gathered there for the unfortunate purpose of her cousin, the marquess’s, funeral. John had been murdered, and inappropriate or not, the man Regina had come to covet was the Bow Street Runner who’d helped investigate his murder.

She hadn’t seen Daffin since he’d left the estate that hot July day taking away the two murderers in shackles. Rarely a day passed since that Regina didn’t think of him. She’d read about him in the paper, too. Lately, there’d been a series of articles in the Times focusing on his exploits. He’d caught criminal after criminal and, according to her cousin Nicole, made hefty bounties doing it. Now that Regina’s period of mourning was over and her uncle was forcing the issue of her marriage, Regina was here to ask Daffin Oakleaf, legendary Bow Street Runner, to make mad, passionate love to her.

Her stomach performed a somersault. Could nerves make one physically ill? She suspected they could. Suspected hers would. She winced. It wouldn’t do to cast up her accounts in front of the man.

That certainly wouldn’t attract him.

She glanced at her maid, who sat on the seat facing her, back ramrod straight. If the proper young woman knew what Regina was thinking, no doubt she’d be scandalized. Precisely why Regina had said as little as possible about their outing today. Genevieve hadn’t asked many questions. Thank heavens.

The coachman opened the door and Regina took one more deep breath. “Wait here,” she said to Genevieve. “I shouldn’t belong.”

After all, how long could an indecent proposal possibly take?

CHAPTER TWO

Daffin Oakleaf pushed himself away from his office desk and scrubbed both hands across his face. He was tired. Bone tired. He hated Christmastide. He’d been running himself ragged chasing a particularly nasty thief across London for the last fortnight. Daffin had nearly had him, or so he thought, when a clue he’d been pursuing had turned to nothing. He was back to the start of his investigation, and severely out of sorts.

Daffin loved his work. It was perfect for him, and it had made him a wealthy man, but days like this were frustrating as hell. He much preferred to be taking down criminals and delivering them to gaol, instead of pacing his office with little to go on while they roamed free.He was obsessed with each one of his cases, but this one kept him up at night. This case made his blood boil. A child had been injured by the bloody thief, and if there was one thing Daffin couldn’t countenance, it was a grown man being violent with a child. He would track down this monster if it was the last thing he did.

Most of Daffin’s investigations were done with the promise of a hefty purse at the end, but he was doing this one for free. He always took on a case or two for charity at Christmastide. It was the least he could do. Not to mention it kept his mind from the blasted season. Focusing on his cases made the holiday easier to ignore. Easier to forget.

He pulled a notebook from his inner coat pocket and scanned the words he’d written on the case so far. Perhaps he’d missed something, some detail that would finally lead him down the right path to Henry Vickery.

“Oakleaf!” came the voice of Paul, the secretary, who sat out in the offices’ main room and fielded inquiries from people who came in off the street.

“I’m busy,” Daffin called back, not in any mood to be taken away from his case. It was probably someone else who’d read about him in the paper and wanted to make his acquaintance. The papers hounded him of late. One reporter in particular. Mr. H. J. Hancock.

The man seemed obsessed with following Daffin’s cases. Week after week, for months now Daffin had been mentioned in his articles. The stories made him sound like a bloody hero. They described how he chased down bad men in the dark of night, vaulting over walls, climbing up to rooftops, and taking more than one bullet. He’d never have answered the reporter’s bloody questions if he’d known the man would go and write things like that. Being a hero wasn’t Daffin’s purpose. Never had been. He did his work to put the scum of society behind bars. To get evil people off the street. To spare their future victims.

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️

Review

If you noticed at the top of this page, I gave Kiss Me at Christmas two separate ratings--the first is my standard rating, representing my overall feelings about the book, and the second is a Christmasy rating, which is basically a representation of how much it put me in the Christmas Mood. One Santa (🎅) is the standard non-Christmas book (because let's face it, even regular books require a dash of Andy Williams or Bing Crosby crooning about how wonderful and white (snow, not tiki carrying neo-Nazi white) Christmas is. Five Santas on the other hand, has me picturing a crackling fire, a giant tree, and carolers ringing my doorbell (if my doorbell worked). My overall rating for this book is 4 snowflakes because it was just so good. However, it only got 2 1/2 Santas because despite having Christmas in its title, it didn't make me want to roast some chestnuts on an open fire, which as everyone knows is a standard for how Christmasy something is.

I really enjoyed my time reading this book--so much so that after finishing it I posted on Twitter that it was exactly the book I needed to read that week, which considering how awful that week was (transiting from a full-time job with a globally recognized commercial real estate brokerage to a part-time job with a small property management company and all the stress that went along with that change) is really saying something. What makes me happy about signing up to do this Blog Tour in the middle of all that was that I would never have chosen this book on my own. As long-time readers know, I don't typically pick up books by new to me authors (especially when the hero's name is Daffin), and while I've definitely heard of Valerie Bowman, I've never read anything by her before. After reading this book, that will change.

Before I talk about what I loved about this book, I feel like I need to justify giving a book that made me so happy only 4 snowflakes rather than the full five I normally would give a book that was as good as this one was. My main issue was the fact that the heroine was determined to lose her virginity by her 30th birthday. Even though I understand her reasons for this, it just didn't seem very realistic to me. I seriously doubt that any Regency-era noblewoman would be willing to just give her virtue away, especially when she was still planning to marry. I would have had less trouble with this if she was trying to ruin herself so she wouldn't be forced to marry the man her uncle had chosen for her (who was absolutely awful, btw).

The other thing that bugged me was just how awful the man she was supposed to marry was. This man was more or less a caricature of the worst Social Darwinist ever born. He looked down his nose at anyone who wasn't born into the aristocracy, including the hero, who was a Bow Street Runner. He was also exceedingly egotistical--at one point, he pouted because he wasn't the only "honored guest" at Christmas Dinner. The fact that the other honored guest was the hero probably really chafed him. I did, however, enjoy the heroine and her cousin (cousin-in-law?) finding things that the Earl would dislike about the heroine in hopes of him not proposing to her. Apparently, he doesn't like dogs, which automatically takes him out of the running with this dog-lover. Even if he wasn't odious, this would have been enough to have me rooting against him.

Now that we've covered what didn't work for me, let's get to the good stuff. I absolutely loved Daffin and Regina's chemistry. It was just so natural and easy. As I'm writing my NaNo Novel, I can attest to how hard it is to reach that perfect level of chemistry/flirting. I also thought it was great how no one told Regina she couldn't do something just because she was a woman. The fact that she didn't wait around for Daffin and the other men to come and save her made me so very happy. Not only did she come up with a plan to get herself out of danger, but she also managed to execute an escape and make it home to her friends and family before they could walk into the villain's trap.

The thing that made me happiest, though was that despite being the 10th book in the Playful Brides Series it absolutely works as a standalone novel. Not having read the other nine books in the series, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. As I said earlier, I am going to track down the other books, especially the one right before this one, but one doesn't need to have read them to understand the character relationships and the plot points of this book. For a book so far into a series, this is not easy to do.

If you're looking for a fun Regency Romance with a little bit of holiday flair definitely check out Kiss Me At Christmas--and if you're looking for some Christmas music to binge as you read, I've got you covered.

For the most part, I enjoyed this title. I found Daffin and Regina to be very enjoyable characters. I really enjoyed having a hero that wasn’t a typical member of the aristocracy but actually had an occupation.

Probably my biggest “issues” with the book were the fact I hadn’t really read the previous 9 books in the series. While this book works as a stand-alone, there were several mentions of characters and plot from previous books and it could be distracting at times. Also, I was much more interested in the romance between Daffin and Regina than I was the big mystery plot.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and I did fly through it fairly quickly but I really need to read the other Playful Brides books to know what's going on in this series. I did enjoy the relationship between Regina and Daffin but I wasn't really invested in the story at all. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't felt like I've read this story numerous times before by different authors. I know it's not the first time I've read a story where the heroine tries to get rid of her virginity before getting married. I've also read stories where the hero is a Bow Street Runner. I did like this story and I will read the next book in the series after I read all the other Playful Brides books.

Regina offers Daffin an indecent proposal which he, as a gentleman, refuses. But she's in danger, and her cousin hires Daffin, a Bow Street Runner, to guard her and find the culprit. Spending time together makes their passions ignite, but they fight the desire.

They have similar pasts in losing parents young and this seems to unite their interest and trust in one another. Daffin knows her family will never allow a marriage between them--he holds a secret about his past which prevents the match--he was born on the wrong side of the blanket. Knowing this, he gives her a special night.

Regina is kidnapped and Daffin will do anything to save her. But saving her won't be enough to overcome the obstacles between them. Will they find a way to ignore society and find a love that's true before it's too late?

Another wonderful book in the series. A delightful Christmas story I highly recommend!

**received an ARC from NetGalley**

Regina and Daffin were a wonderful, hot couple. She accepted the fact that she would have a loveless marriage dictated by family. I loved her determination to find some control to her life and to help end the danger she was in. Daffin was a man who wanted to protect Regina and resist her as best he could. Secrets could keep them apart, but their honesty with each other led the way to love. I recommend this story.

I received an ARC of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

I first read about these two in the previous book in this series and was very intrigued by what their story was going to be like, and I was not disappointed.

Lady Regina is coming up on her thirtieth birthday as well as an engagement that that she is not looking forward to. So she takes a risk and offers her virginity to Daffin, a man she is very attracted to but feels like she can not marry as she has promised her Uncle she would marry a man with a title.

After this encounter (I won`t say how that turns out), Daffin is tasked with being a body guard for Regina and her cousin as they are pretty sure they are in danger.

I found this to be a really romantic and interesting read. I loved that Regina was so bad ass and Daffin had a really great back story. I very much enjoyed this book.

Kiss Me At Christmas is a story full of action, mystery, danger, romance and humor. Regina and Daffin are wonderful characters and make a great couple. Regina Haversham, a feisty lady approaching her thirtieth birthday, wishes to have one night of passion (lose her virginity) before she faces spinsterhood or worse, a forced arranged marriage. She has chosen Daffin OakLeaf, a handsome and brilliant Bow Street Runner who helped to solve her cousin’s murder, to fulfill her wish. For a number of reasons, he declines the honor. When he is hired to guard Regina against attempts on her life, the attraction between them becomes increasingly harder to fight. The danger to Regina and the villains involved are quite a surprise. The stories, the mystery and the romance, capture and keep your attention from the beginning to an ending you will absolutely love. I enjoyed this one and recommend it. If you like some mystery and danger with your romance, you’ll love it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and volunteered to review it.

Lady Regina is fast approaching 30 years of age and decides to choose her own man to lose her virginity to. I Liked that Regina and Daffin had met before so it wasn't "insta-love". They had good chemistry but unfortunately in order to move the story along, Ms. Bowman once again, gives us a lame threat. She herself said this was hard to write and it's not hard to see why. This story needs more meat to it to really make it shine.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

I was introduced both to Lady Regina Haversham and Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf in the previous book of this series, so I was curious to read how their romance plays out. Both characters have some baggage to deal with.

In Lady Regina's case, her uncle (who is her guardian) is dying and wants to see her married and settled while he's still alive. She's not fully resigned to the match he's promoting with the Earl of Dryden. Dryden's a nice enough gentleman, but he doesn't set her soul on fire the way Daffin does. If she has to live unhappily wed, she at least wants to experience some passion first. This story begins as she nervously approaches Daffin's office with an indecent proposal. He's just as attracted to Regina as she is to him, but her cousin Mark Grimaldi is his best friend and would kill him if he agreed.

The story moves on to the Grimaldi's town home, where Regina is staying in order to be with Mark's wife Nicole during her confinement--and Regina is also hoping to fall in love and offer her uncle a better alternative than Dryden. With her elevated social position, her uncle would never allow her to marry a Bow Street Runner like Daffin. She doesn't believe he has any interest in her anyway.

Daffin re-enters the story when it appears someone in Mark's household is the target of a killer. Mark engages Daffin's professional services to protect the ladies. It takes a while to narrow down who the target might be and even longer to flush out the killer. During that time, Daffin and Regina are often in company with each other, and the tug of attraction between them continues to grow. Nicole is unreservedly angling to get them together, even though Mark has cautioned Daffin to keep things professional with Regina. Also, Daffin holds a closely-guarded secret and is certain Regina would be disgusted if she knew the truth about him. It's the Christmas season, but he has personal reasons to hate Christmas.

I like the characters, but the execution of the plot doesn't always make sense. Considering that a number of these murder attempts have been when a carriage has tried to force theirs off the road, how would Daffin being inside the carriage with the ladies serve as "protection?" All he does is scan and watch out the carriage window. How would that stop a marauding vehicle from hitting them? Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be riding a horse or driving another vehicle nearby? His protection is pretty wimpy for a supposedly great Bow Street Runner.

Also, the resolution of the romance is very anticlimactic. Very much-ado-about-nuthin'.

Nicely written. Interesting characters and story. A bit loose with plot details.

Received an ARC from netgalley. Opinions are my own.

Loved this book. It showed a different perspective of the genre. The lady starts everything off, gets rejected, embarrassed and then is thrown together with our hero. Yes, it's a story we have all seen before, but a refreshing angle. Enjoyed it immensely.

A fun story for the upcoming holiday season, Kiss Me at Christmas left me filled with laughter and good cheer! Valerie Bowman created such genuine characters that left me with the feeling that true love will always find a way. I loved how she created two characters who were flawed yet charming, and I found their bumbling method of courtship to be both entertaining and endearing. This is definitely a story to pick up if you get the holiday blues or if you just need a book to curl up with alongside a cup of hot cocoa.

Lady Regina Haversham is through with being a virgin and she knows just the man to help her with the issue. The problem is that she has no idea how one goes about propositioning a man to take her virginity, so when she tries, things go horribly awry. Daffin Oakleaf is a highly successful Bow Street Runner who helped Regina's family in the past, so when Regina comes to his office asking for help, he assumes it's of the same nature as before. Thrown for a loop by her indecent yet intriguing proposal, he sends her away, but soon finds himself in her company anyway when her life is threatened. Suddenly in the role of bodyguard, Daffin must try to resist Regina's charms and keep her safe. But the close proximity has them barely resisting temptation, and it might just be the thing that brings them their happily ever after.

Regina...oh my gosh, I felt so sorry for her. She has such a hard time of it in the beginning of the book. I found myself gaping when she made her proposal to Daffin, and then her dealing with the aftermath was the stuff of comedy. Daffin, poor fellow, was so flabbergasted by her out-of-the-blue decision to have him be her cherry popper, his internal dialogue was hysterical. Once they found themselves thrown together, their initial awkwardness made for entertaining scenes. At one point Daffin is injured and drunk, and he removes his shirt. Their banter during this time is the best! I love when the two main characters flirt for an extended time before eventually coming together - it makes for a much stronger relationship and one I enjoy all the more.

Definitely Valerie Bowman's best in the Playful Brides series and one that has given me renewed interest in seeing where things go from here. If there are more in this series, hopefully they follow the same vein as this one!

Such a great and enjoyable read.Regina is a rich socialite , and the niece of a Duke. Nicole her cousin is married to Gram, a dear friend of Daffin. Daffin He’s a good man, with a troubled past, which does not stop him from helping others – on the contrary. Regina and Daffin are great together and I really loved their flirting .

Lady Regina Haversham is turning 30 and with the prospect of an unwanted marriage looming, she decides that she wants to make her own choice of who she gives her virginity to and she has selected the perfect man for the job, Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf. She met him over the summer when he helped her cousin Mark investigate the murder of their cousin John. They flirted and she has not been able to forget him and has been following his exploits in the Times. Her mind made up, she goes to see him at Bow Street.


Daffin Oakleaf hates Christmas, he keeps busy during the season to ward off the bad memories Christmas brings. He is shocked to learn that Lady Regina is calling on him and agrees to see her. He is floored by her bumbling proposal and refuses. She is horrified, she not only did she embarrass herself, she inadvertently insulted him. Humiliated, she returns home, grateful that their paths will not cross again. But as she leaves her carriage is almost run off the road - this is the second incident and she knows she has to tell Mark and Nicole.


She tells Nicole about her meeting and the incident with the carriage - Nicole hatches a plan. When Mark learns of the threats, he says he will cancel his trip, but Nicole suggests that he hire Daffin to protect them. Mark thinks this is a wonderful idea and rushes out to hire him.

After a briefly awkward reunion, Regina apologizes and Daffin is gracious and perhaps a bit flirty. They talk and start to get to know each other better, some kisses ensue and they grow closer, even while trying to uncover the threat that is clearly against Regina. When Daffin is shot while with Regina, they decide they will return to the country estate with her uncle to wait for Mark's return,

The more time they spend together, the more they share and the more they realize all they have in common and all that stands between them. Daffin doesn't tell Regina everything about his past and that past comes back to torment them.

This was a nice story with likable leads, characters from the previous books, secrets, relatives with good intentions, unwanted suitors, kidnapping, steamy love scenes, a baffling mystery and finally a hard won HEA. So why not 5 stars? Well, the threat against Regina was a bit far fetched and ultimately the person responsible gets away with no punishment at all, there were also some title errors and way too many "Merry Christmases" for a book set in England. But this was a really good read and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*