October 7th, 2026
Home | Log in!
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Welcome to FreshFiction

Are you a reader
or an author?

Help us personalize your experience. Choose your role below.
You can always change this later using the switcher button.

or

You can switch anytime using the floating button.

Limited Time Fresh Fiction Access

Exclusive Marketing Opportunities for Authors

Curious about how Fresh Access helps authors gain more visibility and connect with active readers?

Discover premium promotional opportunities, enhanced exposure, and author-focused services designed to help your books stand out.

Read More →
📚 New Books This Week 📰 Latest News 🎪 Reader Games

October Reads Worth Falling For

Danger, desire, second chances, and unexpected romanceβ€”discover this month’s Fresh Fiction Featured Books.

Slideshow image


slideshow image
A poisoned cousin, a five-year-old's life, and a family with too many secrets.


slideshow image
Supernatural sparks fly
between a bookseller
& her hard-boiled ghost.


slideshow image
If Her Highness thinks I’ll let another man claim her and my child, she’s lost her royal mind. Sophaya’s mine.


slideshow image
She found a body. Then she started asking the wrong questions.


slideshow image
He ghosted her ten years ago. Now she’s stuck with him for Christmas.


slideshow image
She’s the lady everyone overlooks. He’s the prince who can’t look away.

THE UNLIKELY LADY

The Unlikely Lady, May 2015
Playful Brides #3
by Valerie Bowman

St. Martin's Press
Featuring: Lord Garrett Upton; Miss Jane Lowndes
352 pages
ISBN: 1250042097
EAN: 9781250042095
Kindle: B00OFL6QKI
Paperback / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Purchase

"THE UNLIKELY LADY is erotic, enchanting, and lots of fun!"

Fresh Fiction Review

THE UNLIKELY LADY
Valerie Bowman

Reviewed by Miranda Owen
Posted April 29, 2015

Romance Historical

THE UNLIKELY LADY is Book three in Valerie Bowman's Playful Brides series. THE UNLIKELY LADY is Valerie Bowman's spin on Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and therefore I think it works as a stand-alone story, even though it's part of a series. In their little circle of friends, bluestocking Jane Lowndes and charming gentleman Lord Garrett Upton have circled each other for years with a sort of verbal dueling. THE UNLIKELY LADY shows what happens when passion is diverted from the hostile variety to the more amorous.

Although Lucy and Garrett's meddling but well-meaning friend Lucy does have a part in the two getting together, I was happy that Lucy's shenanigans are, overall, kept to a minimum and the focus is on the relationship between Garrett and Jane. I love how Valerie Bowman chooses to flip the dynamics of their relationship and introduce romance. Although I was looking forward to their story, I wasn't sure how I would like this romantic pairing. I love Jane and Garrett together. I love how they both discover new things about each other to like, rather than have their opinions change about each other strictly because of a physical attraction. The unexpected physical reaction acts as a catalyst to the new relationship that they develop. The romance in THE UNLIKELY LADY is incredibly sexy while still making sense and remaining true to the main characters.

THE UNLIKELY LADY is erotic, enchanting, and lots of fun! Although Jane and Garrett start out as unlikely lovers, Valerie Bowman weaves a beautifully romantic tale and adds depth to two great characters. The obstacles thrown in the path of Jane and Garrett's burgeoning love add an extra level of excitement to the story without obscuring the romance. For me, the obstacles only highlight how good they are together and how well they complement each other. I look forward to the next book in this Playful Brides series by Valerie Bowman and can't wait to find out what's in store for other favorite characters.

Learn more about THE UNLIKELY LADY

SUMMARY

FOR THE BACHELOR AND THE BLUESTOCKING… Certain that no man wants a bluestocking for a wife, Miss Jane Lowndes is careful to wield her books and her spectacles as weapons against matrimony. Convincing her ambitious mama that she's content to stay a spinster is easier said than done, however. It's a good thing Jane is not above a bit of manufactured scandal if it will keep her from the altar, and the argumentative, contrary Lord Garrett Upton… ROMANCE IS NEVER BY THE BOOK With the war over, Garrett is determined to enjoy his bachelor's life while he can, even when it means attending a house party in celebration of a friend's wedding--and suffering Jane's notorious disdain. But when a masquerade ball leads to a mistaken kiss, he's surprised to learn that Jane's bookish exterior hides a truly passionate soul. When two such headstrong people are determined to remain unattached, can love lead to a happy ending?

EXCERPT

No excerpt available.

BOOK SERIES

Playful Brides

The Unexpected Duchess
THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS
#1.0 β€’ May 2014
The Accidental Countess
THE ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS
#2.0 β€’ November 2014
The Unlikely Lady
THE UNLIKELY LADY
#3.0 β€’ May 2015
The Irresistible Rogue
THE IRRESISTIBLE ROGUE
#4.0 β€’ November 2015
The Unforgettable Hero
THE UNFORGETTABLE HERO
#4.5 β€’ February 2016
The Untamed Earl
THE UNTAMED EARL
#5.0 β€’ May 2016
The Legendary Lord
THE LEGENDARY LORD
#6.0 β€’ November 2016
Never Trust a Pirate
NEVER TRUST A PIRATE
#7.0 β€’ May 2017
The Right Kind of Rogue
THE RIGHT KIND OF ROGUE
#8.0 β€’ November 2017
A Duke Like No Other
A DUKE LIKE NO OTHER
#9.0 β€’ May 2018
Kiss Me at Christmas
KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS
#10.0 β€’ November 2018
No Other Duke But You
NO OTHER DUKE BUT YOU
#11.0 β€’ May 2019