Valerie Bowman’s Kiss Me at Christmas is a fascinating and lovable mix of sweet and spicy, with a heroine who on one hand, blushes frequently and is a model lady, and who on the other, propositions a Bow Street Runner of her acquaintance and offers herself as bait in order to find a potential murderer.

But let’s not get ahead ourselves.

Kiss Me at Christmas opens in London, December 1818, with the aforementioned heroine, Lady Regina Haversham, contemplating her impending engagement to the respectable—but boring—Earl of Dryden. Lady Regina won’t marry for love, but she decides she can decide who she wants to lose her virginity to, and the answer is the handsome and virile Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf.

Daffin is taken aback by Regina’s awkwardly forward offer, and says no. But he can’t deny his attraction to Regina, despite the fact that she is related to one of his closest friends and also of a higher class. Then a mysterious series of attacks against Regina’s family brings Daffin closely into her orbit as her bodyguard (sigh).

Who is behind the attacks and why? And more important for the romance-minded, will Regina and Daffin act on the chemistry between them, even if it won’t—can’t—be anything more?

There were times when I wished that Regina wouldn’t make her infatuation with Daffin quite so obvious—particularly when he was doing such a fine job of keeping his own feelings contained. But that is part of Regina’s appeal: she’s honest and open, and willing to make herself vulnerable in pursuit of a greater purpose (like losing her virginity before she’s 30 *wink) . She’s also resourceful and brave, and more than one scene had me cheering for her.

Regina is one of several characters in Kiss Me at Christmas who is largely unconventional, even though those characters also navigate through elite society with aplomb. This balance between convention and rebellion kept me engaged in Regina and Daffin’s story and invested in the outcome of their romance: whether it would lead to a HEA, or whether the social chasm between them—and Daffin’s insecurity over it—was too great to overcome.

Also keeping me invested was the action-filled plot, specifically the nefarious attacks against someone in Regina’s family, and Regina and Daffin’s subsequent investigation, which reveals their best qualities and the lengths they’ll go to keep others safe.

Kiss Me at Christmas is a delight—a steamy romance that reminds readers of the joys of the season and of chasing happiness—and one person who enters the giveaway below will win a copy for their very own. Lucky you.

**I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley but all opinions provided are my own.

Valerie Bowman continues her captivating Playful Brides series with her latest spellbinding installment, Kiss Me at Christmas. Sensuous, romantic, suspenseful and absolutely enchanting, readers who like their historical romances laced with action, passion and danger are simply going to love this book!

Lady Regina Haversham had resigned herself to the fact that love was simply not on the cards for her. With her thirtieth birthday fast approaching and a permanent fixture on the shelf, spinisterhood is looking like a very likely prospect. Yet, Regina is not about to let such a miserable fate befall her. She does not want to spend the rest of her life never knowing what passion truly feels like nor does she want to get to her deathbed never having known desire or the touch of a man’s hands upon her body. She is absolutely determined to spend a night of love in the arms of a gentleman and she has found the perfect candidate for the job: Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf. But there is a catch: Daffin has no idea that the beautiful Lady Regina is about to make him such a scandalous and outrageous proposition!

When Lady Regina tells him about her shocking offer, Daffin’s first instinct is to refuse outright. After all, while Regina is an aristocratic lady, Daffin is a mere Bow Street Runner without a single drop of blue blood in his entire body. And besides, if someone were to discover that he had consented to take Regina into his bed, the shock-waves that would ripple across all of polite society could have some serious repercussions on the pair of them. Yet, saying no to Regina might be the hardest thing Daffin has ever had to do. He would much rather face a dangerous enemy with murder on his mind then someone as breathtaking as Regina. What will Daffin do? Will he listen to his head and keep Regina at arm’s length? Or will he end up giving into temptation and succumbing to the red-hot flame of desire that sizzles between the two of them?

An inconvenient attraction to Lady Regina is the last thing Daffin needs at the moment. With the challenging nature of his job giving him plenty to think about, he hopes that immersing himself in his work might keep his mind off Regina. However, when he realises that Regina is the one in danger and he becomes her bodyguard, he realizes that he is going to have to get up close and personal with her in order to keep her safe from harm.

Sparks soon begin to fly between the two of them, but will Daffin and Regina end up finding their way to one another? Or are there too many obstacles standing in their way?

Valerie Bowman does it again! A first class historical romance that hooked me from the very first page, Kiss Me at Christmas is an outstanding tale that once I started reading, I found myself unable to put down. With its cast of beguiling characters, nail-biting suspense, wicked humor, searing emotion, powerful sensuality and uplifting romance, Kiss Me at Christmas is a stellar read I absolutely adored.

I fell in love with Regina from the very first paragraph. She was a bold, gutsy and believable heroine readers will adore and sexy Daffin is a gorgeous and charismatic hero who is sure to make them swoon.

An engrossing tale historical romance fans are going to devour, Kiss Me at Christmas is another winner by Valerie Bowman!

This is an amazing Regency holiday read that immediately grabbed my attention and kept me entertained and intrigued from the first page to the last with strong characters, mystery, adventure, humor, suspense and heartwarming romance. I loved unique and original Lady Regina Haversham who is still single as she nears her thirtieth birthday and her dynamic with the other characters especially Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf. Ms. Bowman has given us another winner and I look forward to the next book from this talented author. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

This was the most delightful book I've read in a while! Kiss Me at Christmas by Valerie Bowman had me grinning from start to finish with the cutest heroine and a sweet, dashing hero. I didn't even know this was the tenth book in a series until a friend pointed it out to me! It stands alone that well. There are characters from the other books mentioned but, if you're a first time Bowman reader like I was, you won't have any problems picking this one up.

Picture me giving a standing ovation to all the sexual agency our heroine Lady Regina has. She is willing to marry a man she doesn't love for the sake of her family's peace of mind, but she doesn't want everything decided for her. What's a girl to do in that situation? How about proposition the hottie Bow Street Runner you met the previous summer. That's precisely what she does, and I applauded her all the way. Did I mention that Regina is thirty? I love a mature heroine who knows not only what she wants but goes after it.

Daffin was a fabulous hero, even if his name brought to mind the much less sexy Daffy Duck. I don't know what it is, but historical self-made men are really working for me right now (maybe it's the handcuffs). Daffin was so sexy (just ask our heroine) and sweet to boot, I enjoyed the fact that he had a troubled past but wasn't all dark and broody.

The chemistry between Daffin and Regina was perfect. Their banter was adorable and Regina's awkwardness kept me laughing. She was so relatable. I honestly didn't know who the villain was until they were revealed and it was just the right amount of action and angst.

I do wish there had been just a little bit more of the promised sexiness. Regina and Daffin were so great together, and I wanted them to explore it more than they did. I also feel like the character's motivations changed about mid-book. This combined with a few dangling plotlines kept it from being a five star read.

Overall, this is the perfect Christmas read, or really, anytime read. The plot isn't over the top Christmassy so I think it would be great all year round. This was my first Valerie Bowen novel, but it absolutely won't be my last.

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

This was super fun! I've read a previous book in this series so it was fun to see those characters come back. I really liked this romance and I loved how supportive her family was. The plot of the murder stuff was kinda weak though.

I was pleased to be chosen to review an ARC of this book because (1) I'm a sucker for a good Christmas story and (2) I recently read and enjoyed the previous book in Ms. Bowman's "Playful Brides" series, "A Duke Like No Other." Happily, I enjoyed "Kiss Me at Christmas" just as much as its predecessor. The main characters, Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleaf, played important roles in the previous book and made for very likeable secondary characters. I found myself rooting for them to get a happy ending of their own during Mark and Nicole's story, so it was wonderful to be able to watch their story play out here. I also enjoyed the chance to check in on Mark and Nicole and meet some of the characters from earlier books in the series, which I haven't yet read.

The central mystery of the book, involving a mysterious assassin's plot to hurt Regina, was well-written and engaging, though things did seem to drag a bit towards the middle of the book. The pace picked up at around 60% on the Kindle edition, and I found myself anxious to discover the culprit. The author dropped a couple of clues as to the identity of the plot's ringleader along the way, but still managed to fool me right up until the big reveal. (That's unusual since I can usually guess the bad guy's identity pretty early on in a story, so good job, Ms. Bowman!)

Overall, this was a relatively light, sweet romance, despite the focus on the assassin's pursuit of Regina. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and look forward to reading more of Ms. Bowman's work myself. In fact, I plan to go back and catch up on the earlier books in the "Playful Brides" series in the near future; the Cavendish twins, in particular, are very intriguing! Also, is it too much to hope that the Duke of Huntley and Delilah will be featured in the next book in the series? (I have a feeling their love story would be quite something, with a number of laughs along the way!)

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

We first meet Lady Rachael and Daffin Oakleaf where they met during an investigation into her cousin’s murder and they both enjoyed a little flirtation in A Duke Like No Other. After the murder was solved they both went their separate ways, but neither has forgotten the other. Rachel is quite on the shelf and nearing thirty when her uncle the Duke decides she needs to marry before he dies and informs her of a forthcoming marriage contract unless she can find someone to marry by Christmas. She decides to ask the one man who has ever held her interest to take her virginity and give her one night of passion before she marries, Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf. Daffin is quite surprised and tempted, but he refuses her proposal since he’s such good friends with her cousin, Mark Grimaldi.
Daffin abhors Christmas and his case solved when his good friend Grimaldi asks him to protect his wife and his couisin Lady Rachel. What’s a friend to do but except the duty and challenge to watch his wife and the very sexy Lady Rachel whose proposal he can’t get out of his mind. Rachel is so embarrassed by her proposal to Daffin and offering to pay for his services that all she wants to do is avoid him at all costs. A captivating story I love these two characters they so perfect for each other if only they realize it before it’s too late. This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

Lady Regina is the beautiful, wealthy, virginal niece of a duke who has almost reached her thirtieth birthday without ever meeting a man she wants to marry. Finally running out of patience, her uncle gives her an ultimatum. Find an eligible suitor to marry before Christmas or enter a marriage of convenience.

Problem is, the only man who’s ever caught her eye is definitely not eligible. Daffin Oakleaf is a Bow Street Runner. Marriage is out of the question, but one night? That’s a definite possibility.

The story starts with Regina’s hilarious attempt to ask Daffin to relieve her of her virginity, a request he declines. It takes a rather serious turn when an attempt is made on Regina’s life, though, and Daffin winds up engaged to protect her from a mysterious enemy.

The romance is inextricably tied to the subplot of Regina’s enemy and the deadline she’s under to find a husband. I liked Regina a great deal and she and Daffin matched well together, bouncing off each other with humour and mutual concern. They both clearly cared about each other’s feelings and future and I very much believed in them as a couple.

Though this is the tenth book in this series and characters from previous books do appear, most notably Regina’s cousin Mark Grimaldi and his wife Lady Nicole, there is no need to have read the previous books in the series to thoroughly enjoy this one. With a well-written Regency romance combined with an excellent suspense plot, the only thing I can pick on about this one is that the major villain of the piece wasn’t actually dealt with at the end of the book. It’s possible they might be being saved for a future book, but considering how personal the attacks on Regina were, I felt rather let down justice was not served.

Four stars for an engaging read which just missed out on a satisfying ending.

I an avid fan of this author’s historical romance. This is the 10th installment of the playful brides series. Old characters and new romances made me appreciate the stories I already read and hopefully more to come. Mrs. Bowman continues to captive me from start to finish. The author has a great way bring to life some special spiritually ladies. This book is another winner.

If you believe that women’s lib started in the 1960s when feminists burned the bra, think again because some historians say that the movement for women’s rights began during the French Revolution (1789) where thirty-three of the famous lists of grievances presented to the Estates General expressed female demands. https://www.historytoday.com/martin-pugh/womens-movement

With that historical trivia, the premise of “Kiss Me at Christmas” becomes more plausible, i.e., women of the haute ton like our heroine, Lady Regina Haversham, niece of the Duke of Cochester is capable of giving Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf an indecent proposal!

“Kiss Me at Christmas” revolves around that said indecent proposal. With a mystery and bit of police procedural thrown in, this Regency era romance turned into an exciting read. Daffin and company might not be Jack Ryan, but there are enough plot twists to keep you guessing till the end.

“Kiss Me at Christmas is Rated T for Teens. Parental advice strongly advised due to some mature scenes.

Lady Regina is a spinster. She gave up marrying, but she did not give up on an adventure, even if only once. For this she chooses Daffin Oaklef.

Daffin is the perfect honest gentleman who uses a bad experience of the past at Christmas time to help other people.
When he discovers that he was chosen by Regina to be the one who would introduce her to the world of carnal love, he may have been surprised, but the same does not happen when something serious happens, his gentleman side emerges to help.

A novel that mixes a bit of comedy and a lot of espionage, with all the Christmas spirit involved.
3,5 stars

Lady Regina is about to turn thirty and about to be engaged to a peer she doesn't care for, but before she resigns herself to a dutiful marriage she wants to make one choice just for herself: take a lover of her own choosing. Unfortunately, Daffin doesn't go along with her request. And immediately after her rather embarrassing proposition, he moves in to serve as her bodyguard following a series of mysterious accidents. Over the weeks they grow closer while trying to figure out who is trying to hurt Regina.

So, right in the first couple of chapters we find out Daffin is kinky, and I have THINGS TO SAY about that. Which is mostly 1) I want more historical kink, please, yay! and 2) oh, uh, that...uh, was an interesting way to do it. It's mentioned early in the book but nothing comes of it until near the end when the couple have sex at last. Which happens right after Regina was kidnapped. As much as I liked aspects of the scene, it felt really self-contained, like it was dropped in from a different draft, and nothing about it connects to the rather traumatic event she just went through (either positively or negatively) and that just...I guess could be considered rather minor, but it really bothered me.

Outside of that one scene, the two are great together and I really loved their flirting and banter. There were a lot of characters to keep up with since it was #10 in a series, but that's mostly only a factor near the end of the book and by that point I was well engaged with the main characters so the new ones didn't throw me out of things. I really liked the way Regina and Daffin had such frank and open discussions about their situation without coming off as either clinical or losing their interpersonal tension.

I just finished an ARC copy of Valerie Bowman’s Kiss Me at Christmas. It was wonderful! The story follows Regina and Bow Street Runner, Daffin who we met in A Duke Like No Other. One of my favorite things about Ms. Bowman’s books are the friendships she writes between the female characters. Regina and Nicole from ADLNO have a wonderful friendship.
The chemistry between Daffin and Regina starts immediately. Regina is turning 30 and wants to give her virginity to the man of her choosing. This is a book where the h knows exactly what she wants and figures out a way to accomplish her goals. I loved this book!

Fun well written regency

This is the first book in Valerie Bowman's Playful Brides series that I read and it reads well as a stand alone story.
It is evident that Regina and Daffin met in the previous book and the author quickly brings us up to date. Her independent thinking brings us to the beginning of their first awkward meet in this book. A threat of danger throws them together and I enjoyed the banter between Regina and Daffin that is threaded throughout the story. There are some interesting twists and turns before they get their HEA. The supporting characters also added depth to the story.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

Loved the story of Daffin and Regina! Attracted to each other, but knowing Daffin is not in her social class. Regina doesn’t care though and asks Daffin to be her lover before she’s forced to marry an earl. He refuses, but they are forced together as he protects her from an unknown danger.

Loved the romance and the mystery and catching up with Mark and Nicole from the previous book. The author does justice to both romance and mystery and combines them into a very entertaining novel.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Kiss Me at Christmas
by Valerie Bowman

An enjoyable read! . Lady Regina Haversham wants to fall in love, if she’s to marry, but time is running out she’s not a young debutante she’s a woman on the shelf as she approaches her 30th birthday, her uncle is forcing her into mariage. But things get shady when someone seems to be a threat to her. Her cousin Mark hires his friend Daffin Oakleaf who’s a Bow Street Runner to investigate who is threatening her, sparks fly between her and Daffin. Who is trying to hurt Regina and why? Daffin is intrigued with Regina he can’t seem to keep his distance, he knows that engaging his emotions on the case is dangerous. He’s in danger of losing more than just this case and the more time he spends with Regina, he realizes the attraction is mutual. Well written with plenty of intrigue and mystery keep you turning the pages. Plenty of chemistry keep the heat turned up a notch. I loved the mystery aspect, kept me second guessing on who was the villain. Just when I thought I knew there’s twist thrown into the mix, that throws you off. Fans of regency romances will definitely enjoy this story. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

We met Lady Regina Haversham in A Duke Like No Other....she is Mark Grimaldi's cousin. During Mark's story, Regina was very attracted to Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf. So much so that she decides that she wants to lose her virginity to some one of her choosing before her 30th birthday when she will be forced to marry the Earl of Dryden. Of course Daffin turns her down even though he is attracted to her.

Skip forward and it appears that someone is out to harm Lady Regina so Mark calls on his good friend Daffin asking if he would be Regina's bodyguard while he is out of town. Daffin reluctantly agrees even though this means he will be staying under the same roof as Regina.....now the sparks can ignite!

While trying to figure out who is after Regina, Daffin and Regina spend a lot of time together making their chemistry combustible! Just as things heat up, all hell breaks loose. Now they just need a Christmastide miracle to get these two love shy people to open up their eyes and see what is right in front of them. When all the dust settles, Daffin and Regina will finally get their happy ending!

I loved these two characters. They both had such sad events happen in their childhood which had left both of them fairly jaded. Together they brought out the best in each other. Overall I really loved this story!

Book #1 Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon October 2018.


Lady Regina almost 30 and is tired of her family making choices for her. She wants to marry a man of her choosing and that is Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf. They were drawn to each other straight away, but Daffin knows Regina is not really accessible to him although she has made him a proposal.

Regina has grown up without her parents as they passed away in a carriage accident when she was only 12 and the memory of that still haunts her. I was caught up in the book from the start.

Her uncle wants Regina to wed as he's elderly but Regina wants to finally make a choice for herself in a life where everyone decided everything for her.

Daffin is extremely dedicated to his work and very successful at it. He's Regina's bodyguard of sorts and there's so much passion between them, although it's subtle at first.

I enjoyed this and wasn't sure about the ending. The romance and characterisation is good. Same with the flow, word choices and atmosphere for much of the book, but I just found the story slower towards the end. And also I felt that we were told that Regina did not like the Christmas season too many times which was a little annoying and unnecasary.

4 stars. This is the second novel I've reviewed by Valerie Bowman after A Duke Like No Other (Playful Brides #9). Good continuation to the series and I'm planning to make my way through the earlier books, too.

Regina is being forced to marry but wants one night of passion first. Someone wants to hurt Regina, but why? Will Bow Street Runner Daffin be able to find out? Regina thinks this is the perfect opportunity to ask Daffin to take her virginity. Will he? Plenty of drama and suspense. Entertaining story and steamy chemistry. I liked it.

"I know this is a big mistake. No, it's not a mistake. I know what I want and I want to lose my virginity to Daffin Oakleaf." Lady Regina Haversham's thoughts are swirling crazily in her head as she exits her uncle's coach outside of The Bow Street Runners offices. She is about to turn thirty and her beloved uncle, the ailing Duke of Colchester wants to see her settled so is pressing her to accept the proposal of marriage from the Earl of Dryden. But Regina doesn't love the Earl of Dryden and he doesn't care for her beyond the land her dowry would bring him. Regina met the Bow Street Runner, Daffin Oakleaf the previous summer and greatly enjoyed their flirtation and time together. Too bad they are not of the same social standing. Regina is a very independent young lady and feels she must enjoy her independence while she can. Thus the plan to lose her virginity to someone she likes and admires. Too bad Daffin turns her down. How embarrassing! Unfortunately she won't be able to avoid him much in the future as he is great friends with her cousin Marquess Mark Grimaldi and his wife Nicole.The meeting becomes unavoidable when the Marquess hires Daffin to protect his wife Nicole and Regina after a series of suspicious accidents occur. Will having Daffin as a bodyguard with daily interaction make a diffenerce in their affection for each other? What about these suspicious accidents? Readers will enjoy learning the answers in this fun Christmas romance when they pick up this book. I know I sure did.