Showing results by author "Valerie Bowman" in All Categories

Every fortune-hunting female in London is after the newly titled Earl of Drake, but he's intent on finding a wife whose heart is true. So, while drunkenly jesting with his friends in a pub one night, he has an idea - what if the ladies of the ton didn't know he was a wealthy earl? All he has to do is pose as a servant at his friend's summer country house party and make sure the guest list is full of beautiful, eligible debutantes. What could possibly go wrong?

When Veronica said "I do" to Sebastian Sinclair, Duke of Edgefield, she thought all her dreams had come true. He was dashing and doting, and she absolutely adored him—until he betrayed her trust, shattering their marriage, and her heart, into a million tiny bits. She hasn't seen her husband in the two years since, and she'd just as soon make it twenty. But when she learns that her beloved grandfather's dying wish is for her and Sebastian to attend the family's Christmastide celebration, she swallows her pride and asks him a favor: to pretend they're the happy couple they once were.

Rhys Sheffield, the Duke of Worthington, has bet his friends an ungodly sum of money that despite his loftiness, he can pass himself off as a servant at the house party of the Season. But when his ex-flame arrives and recognizes Rhys pretending to be a groomsman, she realizes it's the perfect opportunity to pay him back for breaking off their engagement. 

Lady Jessica Whitmoreland has been waiting for her first Season her entire life and she has her eye on the best catch of the season, but when the gentleman of her dreams turns out to be a nightmare, what's a debutante to do?

Clare Handleton was ruined ten years ago and has borne the consequences ever since. Branded as "Scandalton" by the ton, she has long since stopped caring about Society's fickle rules. Now, at twenty-nine, she's mastered the art of slipping past her mother's scrutiny, appearing unfazed by it all. But when the dangerously handsome Marquess of Trentham crosses her path, he stirs something she thought long buried.

For fans of the Lovelight series and The Pumpkin Spice Café, this cozy and sexy romance follows a young event planner who returns to her family’s inn on an apple orchard to help run their Harvest Festival—only to find herself butting heads with the handsome son of the apple orchard’s...

Miss Sophie Payton might be engaged, but she's not in love. The only man who ever captured her heart was Phillip Grayson—a soldier who was slain a year ago. But when her stepmother decrees that Sophie will marry Phillip's cousin, the new Duke of Harlowe, she's in no position to refuse. The ton thinks Phillip Grayson died a hero on the battlefields of Europe, but he's very much alive, and he has returned to London. He doesn't understand how Sophie could have betrayed him; she can't forgive him for letting her believe he was dead. And yet neither can deny the attraction between them.

A dutiful lady's maid, Miss Madeline Atwater knows precisely what her future holds: countless nights of dressing her mistress in silk gowns, pinning her hair in elegant curls, and selecting the perfect pair of slippers before sending her off to the ball. But Madeline harbors a secret dream. Just once, she'd like to be the one who attends the grand party—and tonight could be her chance. All she needs to do is borrow her mistress's cast-off dress and sneak downstairs during the Twelfth Night Ball . . .

Fresh off the battlefield, Captain David Ellsworth has returned home to discover the shocking and unwelcome news that he's the new Earl of Elmwood. Though David had no idea he was in line for a title, he and his sister must now navigate the snark-infested waters of the London ton. He knows how to be a soldier, an officer, and a brother, but he hasn't a clue how to be an earl. David will need all the help he can get. Even if it comes from the undeniably beautiful woman...who is the darling of the world he detests.

Ewan Fairchild, Viscount Clayton, has been busy ticking off the boxes for a bright future. Become a rising star in Parliament? Check. Find a lady he intends to marry? Check. Make his stables the envy of every man in London? Check, thanks to the prize Arabian thoroughbred he's just won at auction. Clayton's on his way to having it all and won't change course for anyone - not even the beautiful young woman next door.

Lady Eliza Whitmoreland just wants to be left alone. A season and a husband are the last things she needs or wants. But when the ton's biggest rake tries to charm her, instead of rolling her eyes, she sees her chance. She challenges the blowhard to a game of chess. The prize? If she wins, he has to pretend to be her fiance for the rest of the season to get her mother off her back.

All of London knows Beau Bellham as the marquess of Bellingham, but only a trusted few know he also works for the Home Office. His specialty? Scouting out traitors to the Crown. So, when one of his friends pretends to be a footman at a house party in order to find a wife, Beau decides posing as a valet at the same gathering will be the perfect cover for him to spy on the men he suspects of treason. What Beau doesn't count on, however, is butting heads with a far-too-certain-of-herself maid who gives him hell at every turn. 

Lady Gemma Brooks was still in her awkward phase when a spiteful young woman dared her to ask the unattainable Duke of Grovemont for a dance. But what began as a harmless dare spiraled into scandal, and Gemma soon finds herself forced into an unexpected marriage with a man she barely knows.

Meredith Drake has sworn off marriage after her disastrous union with a much older man. But when her best friend returns from war, the young widow pledges to help him find his bride. Griffin Brooks grew up as the "spare" son, who no one noticed. He went to war to forget that Meredith was out of his reach. But now he's back, and no longer the "spare." With a dukedom at stake, he must take a bride. And for him, there is only one choice.

Read by award-winning narrator Andi Arndt! Her narration brings the cozy atmosphere of the Honeycrisp Orchard Inn to life. For fans of the Lovelight series and The Christmas Tree Farm, this cozy Christmas romance follows an overworked publicist who is snowed in at the Honeycrisp Orchard Inn with...

Ellie Lawson, 29 Jahre, Eventplanerin, hat einen Plan. Nach einem beruflichen Desaster und einem noch größeren Liebes-Fiasko flüchtet sie zurück in ihre Heimatstadt Harvest Hollow. Ihre Rettung: Die Planung des Harvest Festivals, denn wer wäre geeigneter als sie, der Kleinstadt wieder Leben einzuhauchen? Aiden, ihr bester Freund aus Kindheitstagen – nun erwachsen, heiß, mit Sixpack – sieht das anders. Früher waren sie ein unschlagbares Team, aber heute ist er nicht gerade begeistert von ihrer Rückkehr und noch weniger von ihren modernen Festivalideen.

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 that the lovely Lady Regina is the one in danger, he’s to become bodyguard to the captivating woman.

Meredith Drake hat der Ehe nach ihrer katastrophalen Verbindung mit einem viel älteren Mann abgeschworen. Doch als ihr bester Freund aus dem Krieg zurückkehrt, schwört die junge Witwe, ihm bei der Suche nach seiner Braut zu helfen. Griffin Brooks wuchs als Zweitgeborener–als „Ersatzsohn“–auf, der von niemandem beachtet wurde. Er zog in den Krieg, um zu vergessen, dass Meredith für ihn unerreichbar war. Aber jetzt ist er zurück, und nicht mehr nur der „Ersatzsohn“. Da ein ganzes Herzogtum auf dem Spiel steht, ist er gezwungen, sich eine Braut nehmen. Und für ihn gibt es nur eine Wahl.

Sie ist ein wandelnder Skandal Clare Handleton wurde vor Jahren in den Ruin getrieben und hat seitdem unter den Folgen zu leiden. Von den Mitgliedern der feinen Gesellschaft als „Scandalton“ gebrandmarkt, hat sie schon lange aufgehört, sich um deren wankelmütige Regeln zu scheren. Jetzt, mit neunundzwanzig Jahren, beherrscht sie die Kunst, sich den Blicken ihrer Mutter zu entziehen und unbeeindruckt von allem zu erscheinen. Doch als der gefährlich gutaussehende Marquess of Trentham ihren Weg kreuzt, weckt er etwas in ihr, das sie längst begraben glaubte.

Sie geht das Wagnis ein. Lady Gemma Brooks befindet sich noch in ihrer unbeholfenen Phase, als eine boshafte junge Frau sie auffordert, den unerreichbaren Duke of Grovemont um einen Tanz zu bitten. Gemma stimmt zu, nicht um ihrer selbst willen, sondern um die anderen Mauerblümchen vor bösartigem Klatsch und Tratsch zu schützen. Doch was als harmlose Mutprobe beginnt, entwickelt sich bald zu einem Skandal, und Gemma sieht sich gezwungen, völlig unerwartet einen Mann zu heiraten, den sie kaum kennt.