Kiss Me at Christmas
Playful Brides
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
“Merry, intelligent, and wholly satisfying.”—USA Today
"Sizzles with sensuality." - Publishers Weekly
“Delicious and suspenseful.” —Kirkus Reviews
A spirited lady facing spinsterhood. A common man with a noble mission. And a surprise that just might be waiting for them under the mistletoe in Kiss Me At Christmas by Valerie Bowman.
Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf abhors Christmas. Carol singing and holiday cheer only remind him of a dark time. When a close friend calls on him for help, Daffin is happy to capitalize on the distraction. But when he learns the lovely Lady Regina is the one in danger, he’s to become bodyguard to the captivating woman...
Regina has one mission: to find a night of passion in the arms of a gentleman. Considered firmly on the shelf, Regina has given up on marriage—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be denied the pleasure married ladies experience. Daffin has long captured her attention…and when a threat calls him to her side, the sparks between them ignite. But how can a hired bodyguard find his way into Regina’s noble heart?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bowman's 10th Playful Brides Regency (after A Duke like No Other) sizzles with sensuality and mystery. Determined to experience one night of passion with the man of her choice, Lady Regina Haversham propositions Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf, begging him to take her virginity before she is forced to wed the Earl of Dryden. Though attracted to Regina, Daffin turns her down because of her impending engagement and his friendship with her cousin, Mark Grimaldi, who's both Marquess of Coleford and the Secretary of the Home Office. Mark is alarmed when Regina and his wife, Nicole, are separately involved in carriage accidents, and hires Daffin to protect the women. The magnetic attraction between Regina and Daffin heats up as they spend more time in close quarters, and their friendship and romance blossom, but the class difference means a future together is unlikely. Memorable characters, rich sensuality, and mystery will entice readers from the very first page.
Customer Reviews
She’s hoping he brought his handcuffs
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Kiss Me At Christmas by Valerie Bowman is the 10th book in her Playful Brides series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I would suggest at a minimum you read book nine A Duke Like No Other first because these two stories are closely entwined. Lady Regina Haversham is about to turn 30 and is also about to reluctantly wed the Earl of Dryden who’s been lusting after the land in her dowry for the last 10 years in order to appease her Uncle the Duke as he worries about what will happen to her when he passes. But before that happens she wants to live a little and so visits handsome heroic Bow Street Runner Daffin Oakleaf with a proposition that he relieve her of that pesky virginity. Nervous and tongue tied Regina stumbles through one of the most mortifying moments in her life thus far only to be firmly rejected. Shocked and flattered Daffin rejects Regina because she’s not only way above him socially but the cousin of his best friends so decidedly off limits. That might have been the end of it but Regina’s life is being threatened and Daffin is called in to help protect her acting as her bodyguard. They’ll be spending Christmas together and who knows what will happen but she’s hoping he brought his handcuffs. I very much enjoyed this story. Great Banter. Quite Steamy. Publishing Date October 30, 2018 #NetGalley #KissMeAtChristmas #ValerieBowman #stmartinspress