Playful Brides
9 primary works • 12 total works
Book 1
Lady Lucy Upton's tongue may be too sharp to attract suitors but her heart is good and when her painfully shy friend Cassandra needs help she devises a brilliant scheme to help her discourage an unwanted suitor, the Duke of Claringdon. Lucy knows just what to tell Cass to say to discourage the Duke of Claringdon...but it turns out that he's made of sterner stuff than either of them anticipated. And Lucy is shocked to discover that tangling with the tenacious man is the most fun she's had in ages. Lord Derek Hunt made a promise to his dying friend to marry the demure Cassandra, and for a man who wants nothing more than peace and quiet after the horrors of war, she'll make the perfect bride. If only the impudent Miss Upton will let him court her! Doing battle is the last thing on his mind, but bantering with Lucy behind the bushes is too tempting to resist. And the spoils of this war just may be true love...
Book 2
Lady Cassandra Monroe is about to see the man of her dreams for the first time in seven years. He may be nearly betrothed to her cousin, but that doesn't stop her from admiring Captain Julian Swift from afar. Cass soon learns that her cousin has invented a fictitious friend, Patience Bunbury, whom she uses to escape social obligations including those with her fiance. But when Julian doesn't recognize Cass, a meddling friend invites them all to a house party declaring that Cass is in fact Miss Bunbury. Can Cass win Julian's heart amid the most scandalous lie of all? Captain Julian Swift has been away in the army fighting the French. After nearly dying at Waterloo, he's recovered and coming home to make some much needed changes to his life. Julian is determined to find his estranged fiancee and end things with her as soon as possible. An unexpected invitation to a house party where she'll be staying seems just the thing until he meets the beautiful Miss Bunbury. Will he lose his heart to a woman who seems too perfect to be real?
Book 3
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'd 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 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?
Book 4
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 with her heart?
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 with her heart?
Book 5
1816. Lady Alexandra Hobbs, the daughter of the Duke of Huntley, has intended to marry Lord Owen Monroe since she first glimpsed him from the window of her bedchamber, back when she was just a girl. But the duke has already chosen Alexs infamously spoiled elder sister, Lavinia, for Owen. And now theres no turning back. Owen has spent most of his bachelor years drinking, gambling, and skirt-chasing. He wont see another pound from his parents, however, until hes engaged to Lavinia. Desperate, he accepts an offer from her innocent and spirited--and absolutely beautiful--sister Alex: She will turn him into a perfectly tamed suitor, and show him how to woo the shrew. But when Alexs true motives come to light, will their bargain lead to recriminationsor to a romance that defies everyones expectations?
Book 6
Book 7
Valerie Bowman continues her Playful Brides series with Never Trust a Pirate: a delightful twist on The Scarlet Pimpernel. Mr. Cade Cavendish is a ne'er do well, a rumoured pirate, and a man with too many false identities to count. In fact, Cade's a spy for the English government, and he's recently returned to London to hunt for a master of disguise involved in a plot to bring back the exiled Napoleon. Miss Danielle LaCrosse fled France after the wars, determined to begin a new life in England. Her position as a lady's maid is the perfect start...until she's tempted to join her employer's devilishly handsome brother and Danielle suddenly finds herself in grave danger, trying to uncover the identity of the elusive Black Fox. As Cade and Danielle are foiled at every turn, they realise that no one is who they claim to be. Can love survive when the truth could mean their death?
Book 8
Meg Timmons is without a dowry, and with a family steeped in scandal, she's a spinster in the making. It also doesn't help that she's been in love with her best friend's brother, Hart Highgate, for years. But when Meg learns that Hart has decided to choose a bride, she realises this is her last chance to blossom... Set to inherit an earldom, Hart Highgate requires an appropriate bride with whom to start a family. A former rake and gambler, Hart has never paid much attention to things like marital duty. But when his little sister's best friend reminds him of a kiss they once shared, will he be tempted by the woman who's the perfectly wrong choice? Valerie Bowman whisks readers away to a Regency-inspired take on the most famous love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet.
Book 10.5
Book 11
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.
A Duke Like No Other is a Regency spy caper with Valerie Bowman at her best as husband and wife match wits and may just fall in love in the process.
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.
A Duke Like No Other is a Regency spy caper with Valerie Bowman at her best as husband and wife match wits and may just fall in love in the process.
It’s the Christmas season, and the Playful Brides series embraces holiday cheer, and forbidden love, with a dash of mystery!
The aristocrats in Regency London are shaken by a series of crimes plaguing them during the holiday season. The chill in the air isn’t just from the first hints of snow, and the Christmas spirit hasn’t hit society.
Daffin Oakleaf, a Bow Street Runner, one of London’s first official police force, is on the case, but realizes he needs some assistance questioning members of London high society to solve the crimes.
When he enlists help from the granddaughter of a duke, the lovely Lady Regina, sparks soon burn between them, despite their class differences. But could a romance between them ever work?
This next Playful Brides installment from Valerie Bowman is sweet, heartwarming, and filled with exciting action and sweeping romance that she does best!
The aristocrats in Regency London are shaken by a series of crimes plaguing them during the holiday season. The chill in the air isn’t just from the first hints of snow, and the Christmas spirit hasn’t hit society.
Daffin Oakleaf, a Bow Street Runner, one of London’s first official police force, is on the case, but realizes he needs some assistance questioning members of London high society to solve the crimes.
When he enlists help from the granddaughter of a duke, the lovely Lady Regina, sparks soon burn between them, despite their class differences. But could a romance between them ever work?
This next Playful Brides installment from Valerie Bowman is sweet, heartwarming, and filled with exciting action and sweeping romance that she does best!