Review: Kiss Me at Christmas (Playful Brides #10) by Valerie Bowman

Print Length: 299 pages

Publisher: St.Martin's Press (October 30, 2018)

From Goodreads.com: 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?

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My Rating: 3 stars out of 5

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.

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                               Kiss Me at Christmas is available from Amazon.com