Posted May 1, 2019 by Marsha in Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Series / 0 Comments
SINGLE LADY SEEKS DUKE
Lady Delilah Montebank has her marital sights set on the Duke of Branville. There’s just one problem: he barely knows she exists. But no matter, she’s got a plan to win him over with her charm, her wit—and perhaps the love potion she has in her possession wouldn’t hurt her cause…
Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, thinks his best friend Delilah’s quest to become a duchess is ridiculous. He’s always said he’d rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life. Besides, he knows that Delilah’s love potion can’t possibly win over Branville…since she accidentally gave it to him instead. But perhaps this is the excuse he needs to show her he’s always loved her…
Delilah can’t believe she gave the potion to the wrong duke. Then again, Delilah could do a lot worse than win the hand of her handsome best friend. Could it be that the right duke has been before her eyes all along?
Titles in the Playful Brides series include: The Unexpected Duchess – The Accidental Countess – The Unlikely Lady – The Irresistible Rogue – The Unforgettable Hero – The Untamed Earl – The Legendary Lord – Never Trust A Pirate – The Right Kind of Rogue – A Duke Like No Other – Kiss Me At Christmas – No Other Duke But You –
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Tags: No Other Duke But You, Playful Brides #11, Regency Romance, Valerie Bowman
Posted October 30, 2018 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Regency Romance, Series / 0 Comments
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. . .
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?
Titles in the Playful Brides series include: The Unexpected Duchess – The Accidental Countess – The Unlikely Lady – The Irresistible Rogue – The Unforgettable Hero – The Untamed Earl – The Legendary Lord – Never Trust A Pirate – The Right Kind of Rogue – A Duke Like No Other – Kiss Me At Christmas – No Other Duke But You –
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Tags: Christmas Romance, Kiss Me at Christmas, Playful Brides #10, Regency Romance, Valerie Bowman
Posted May 2, 2018 by Marsha in Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Series / 0 Comments
General Mark Grimaldi is devoted to his service for the Crown, risking his life and giving up everything for his career. The political promotion he’s always wanted is now within his reach, but he needs to convince his estranged wife to return to England and play the role of happy bride in order for him to get the position.
Nicole Huntington Grimaldi has spent the past ten years in France, not having seen her husband since she left England. But now he’s on her doorstep, asking her to return with him, and Nicole sees the opportunity to get something out of this deal. So she agrees, on one condition: she wants a baby.
Titles in the Playful Brides series include: The Unexpected Duchess – The Accidental Countess – The Unlikely Lady – The Irresistible Rogue – The Unforgettable Hero – The Untamed Earl – The Legendary Lord – Never Trust A Pirate – The Right Kind of Rogue – A Duke Like No Other – Kiss Me At Christmas –
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Tags: A Duke Like No Other, Playful Brides #9, Regency Romance, Valerie Bowman
Posted October 31, 2017 by Marsha in Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Series / 0 Comments
Viscount Hart Highgate has decided to put his rakish ways behind him and finally get married. He may adore a good brandy or a high-speed carriage race, but he takes his duties as heir to the earldom seriously. Now all he has to do is find the right kind of woman to be his bride―ideally, one who’s also well-connected and well-funded. . .
Meg Timmons has loved Hart, the brother of her best friend, ever since she was an awkward, blushing schoolgirl. If only she had a large dowry―or anything to her name at all. Instead, she’s from a family that’s been locked in a bitter feud with Hart’s for years. And now she’s approaching her third London season, Meg’s chances with him are slim to none. Unless a surprise encounter on a deep, dark night could be enough to spark a rebellious romance. . .for all time?
Titles in the Playful Brides series include: The Unexpected Duchess – The Accidental Countess – The Unlikely Lady – The Irresistible Rogue – The Unforgettable Hero – The Untamed Earl – The Legendary Lord – Never Trust A Pirate – The Right Kind of Rogue – A Duke Like No Other
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Tags: Historical romance, Playful Brides, The Right Kind of Rogue, Valerie Bowman
Posted June 24, 2016 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments
Title: The Unforgettable Hero
Series: Playful Brides #4.5
Author: Valerie Bowman
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance
Published: February 2, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 4 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:
To escape a forced marriage to her loathsome, social-climbing cousin, Cecelia Harcourt banks on selling a romantic novel. But when she’s hit by a coach on the way home from meeting a potential publisher and loses her memory, the accident leads to an encounter with a fascinating man. . . who she’s convinced is the hero of her novel.
Due to his brother’s influence, Lieutenant Adam Hunt finds himself honorably discharged from the army. Adam intends to make his way in the world without the help of a war-hero duke, brother or no. He finds his plans for independence sidetracked by a chance encounter with a lady whose memory has gone. She believes he’s a hero. Can Adam become the man he was meant to be and fill that lofty role?
Read on for my thoughts on The Unforgettable Hero. No true spoilers, promise.
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Tags: Playful Brides #4.5, The Unforgettable Hero, Valerie Bowman
Posted November 3, 2015 by Marsha in Series / 0 Comments
Title: The Irresistible Rogue
Series: Playful Brides #4
Author: Valerie Bowman
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: November 3, 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:
Lady Daphne Swift comes from a family with two brothers who have proudly served the Crown. She may be a female, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to prove that she’s as useful to the war effort as her brothers. She even went so far as to secretly marry a spy. The fact that she just happened to have been pining for Captain Rafe Cavendish for years didn’t hurt matters. But after their first mission, when she realized their marriage had been strictly business, Daphne immediately wanted an annulment. The fiery Daphne has always been a multi-tasker and now she’s hell bent on two things: finding the men who killed her brother and securing her engagement to another man to forget about Rafe forever.
As a spy for the War Office, Captain Rafferty Cavendish has been on dozens of missions. But one mission haunts him, the mission that resulted in the death of Daphne Swift’s eldest brother, Donald. Rafe agreed to work with Daphne once and put her life in danger. Now he must find the men who killed Donald, avenge the family, and convince Daphne to give him one more chance. But Daphne’s enlisted her other older brother, Julian, to help her get a quick and quiet annulment so that she can marry a fop who only wants her for her title and money. Can Rafe convince Daphne to give him one more chance, on the mission and win her heart?
Read on for my thoughts on The Irresistible Rogue. No true spoilers, promise.
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Tags: Playful Brides #4, Regency Romance, The Irresistible Rogue, Valerie Bowman
Posted May 8, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments
Title: The Unlikely Lady
Series: The Playful Brides
Author: Valerie Bowman
Genre: Regency Romance
Published: May 5, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
My Rating: 5 stars
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis:
Miss Jane Lowndes is a confirmed bluestocking. She’s convinced that if she can wait out her parents’ demand that she marry, someday she can be a confirmed spinster and hold intellectual salons, her fondest dream. No man wants a bluestocking for a wife, after all. And that’s exactly the way Jane likes it. In fact, she’s invented a fictitious chaperone to help her achieve that purpose.
Lord Garrett Upton is a devil-may-care confirmed bachelor. He’s lived through the war, and now that he’s back in London, he intends to enjoy life to the fullest. Marriage is certainly not a part of that plan. He’s known Miss Lowndes for years, and the two of them have long engaged in a war of words. Jane’s latest scheme to pretend she has a fake chaperone is none of his business . . . until her desire to involve herself in a scandal becomes all too personal.
When Garrett and Jane mistakenly kiss at a wedding party masquerade, their well-documented dislike for each other is turned on its ear. And when a devious widow, who will stop at nothing to have Garrett, plots to keep them apart, will their desire for each other overcome their dreams of remaining unattached?
Read on for my thoughts on The Unlikely Lady. No true spoilers, promise.
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Tags: Regency Romance, The Playful Brides, The Unlikely Lady, Valerie Bowman
Posted January 17, 2015 by Marsha in This one's a Keeper / 0 Comments
I recently finished up the second novel in Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series: The Accidental Countess.
Back cover blurb:
For seven long years, Lady Cassandra Monroe has waited for the man of her dreams to return from the war. Unfortunately, he happens to be engaged to her flighty cousin. What Cass wouldn’t give to take her cousin’s place! When he mistakes Cass for Patience Bunbury, a fictitious friend her cousin has invented to escape social obligations…even with her future husband, Cass thinks this is her chance.
LEAD TO TRUE AND LASTING LOVE?
After defeating Napoleon at Waterloo, Captain Julian Swift is not quite ready to settle down and enter into his unwanted arranged marriage—especially when the real object of his affection turns out to be a beguiling beauty he meets at a party. Patience Bunbury is witty, independent, passionate…and, unbeknownst to him, the cousin of his current fiancée. When the truth about Cass comes out—and Julian discovers that their courtship is anything but accidental—will he surrender his heart to a woman who really is too good to be true?
I totally enjoyed this next installment in the series (and hope it’s not over after the next ‘cos there are more ladies who need their stories told!)
Read on for my review. No true spoilers, promise. 🙂
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Tags: Historical romance, Regency, romance novel, The Accidental Countess, Valerie Bowman