He never forgot her… him…
When Erienne Stone defied her family and fled her life of privilege, she never expected to be reunited with the man who’d abandoned her more than a decade before. But Lucy, Duchess of Claringdon, is a hard woman to say no to, even when Erienne’s heart is in danger of breaking all over again.
A meddling matchmaker may be the key to their second chance…
After a decade of pain and heartache, can two star-crossed lovers trust the truth in their own hearts?
more
Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series offers up another winning couple. The novella Mr Hunt, I Presume, available 2-8-19, is number 10.5 in the series! Can you believe it? I’m still reading and enjoying the stories of these interesting brides, so I was tickled to snag an ARC and start the journey.
Lucy Hunt, Duchess of Claringdon, needs a new governess. Hopefully fast. Lucy, or should I say the Duchess of Matchmaking, has no one to blame but herself. She matched her previous governess and the lady moved away with her new husband. No good deed and all that. Going through a stack of resumes sent by an employment agency, Lucy stumbles upon her next project. One of the prospects has a tie to her husbands family. Tornado Lucy is on the way and we’re about to get caught up in the twister.
Miss Erienne Stone was a governess in Shropshire for many years but now the children are grown and it’s time to move on. She’s relocated to London and signed with an employment agency. Now Erienne needs a job, quickly, she’s helping her beloved brother and every penny counts. Originally from Brighton, the lovely Miss Stone grew up with the Hunt brothers. She has a past with Collin Hunt, the Duke’s younger brother. Lucy doesn’t know the details of their relationship but when have details ever stopped Lucy? She hires Erienne and “forgets” to tell her husband until they’re all at the country house. Erienne will be up to her eyeballs in this plan before she knows what hit her.
General Collin Hunt has been told he needs to relax and regroup, he’s uptight and snapping at everyone. His boss at the Home Office won’t take no for an answer so Collin is on a forced vaca and heads to his brothers country estate. Thanks to his sister-in-law, Collin comes face to face with his biggest joy and biggest hurt, Erienne Stone. She’s just as lovely as ever, blonde hair of course, and he’s intriqued, wary, hopeful, regretful. So many emotions at once. Erienne’s having the same reaction so we know there’s going to be a happy ending for these two. First, there’s a lot of baggage to deal with and overcome before we have our HEA. Do you like the movie An Officer and a Gentleman? If so you’re going to be as pleased as I was.
Good news…book 11 is on the way. No Other Duke But You will be available in May of 2019. It’s about Delilah Montebank, a mini-me of Lucy Hunt. Delilah has been in the background of several books in this series and I can’t wait for her story.
Receiving a free book ARC is a privilege and one I truly enjoy and am grateful for. Being able to share my opinion is a pleasure. Both are free and without obligation. Happy reading.
#NetGalley #ValerieBowman #PlayfulBrides #MrHunt,IPresume #historicalromance
Bowman has special license to break my heart. She turns love into an intriguing adventure. From the first line to the last chapter, Collin and Erienne are a colorful blend of heartache, misunderstandings and second chances. Mr. Hunt, I presume is a mesmerizing look at what a happy ending could be.
You never know when the past will awaken again and there might be a second chance at love. Collin Hunt had done what he thought was right at the time and walked away from Erienne 14 years ago. When he realized he made a mistake, but it appears he was too late. So he goes into the service for his country and all these years later, he finally takes some time off and goes to visit his brother Derek, his wife Lucy and their family.
But it seems fate is having a merry time as he finds Erienne working as a governess for them! What he doesn’t know and she does not realize is there was matchmaking in play to bring these two together by Lucy. She had been working at one job for the past fourteen years and when desperately needing a new position, Lucy gave her an amazing salary!
As they see each other again, they find the old feelings are still there. But so much has gone on in between. Can she ever forgive him for leaving her in the past and can he now feel the same about her?
A fast paced story that hits all of the stops needed in a good romance. Tension, surprises, some humor and emotions that keep you engaged! I enjoyed this story and I know you will too!
4.5 stars
14 years ago Erienne Stone and Collin Hunt were in love, but in an effort to be noble, Collin pushed her away. When he later regrets his action and tries to reconcile, he learns that she is married and he is too late. He is heartbroken and buries himself in work to forget.
Erienne has worked as a governess for the last 14 years, but now that her charges no longer need her, she is seeking new employment. Lucy Hunt, the Duchess of Claringdon is looking for a new governess and when Derek lets slip one of the applicants, Erienne Stone might be someone from Collin’s past, nothing will stop her from meeting this woman.
Erienne knows she is a fool to go anywhere near the Hunt Family, but she can’t resist. When Lucy offers her an outrageous salary, one that would enable her to help her family pay for her brother’s medical bills, she can’t say no. She knows seeing Collin again might be a possibility, but Lucy assures her it wouldn’t be anytime soon. She accepts the position, for the money of course, but secretly hopes to learn about Collin, the only man she ever loved.
Collin is now a general in the army and has an important position at the Home Office. He works constantly and his commanding officer insists that he take a holiday. With no choice in the matter, he decides to visit with his brother Derek and his family. He arrives and soon learns that Erienne is working for them. He wonders what happened to her husband and tells Derek that this will not be a problem.
Erienne is not as sure, but attends dinner at Lucy’s insistence. He is even more handsome than she remembers! He asks her odd questions and soon she is just overwhelmed and flees. Later while walking in the garden, they meet again. He apologizes for hurting her and kisses her. It is clear that the passion between them never died, but can they overcome the hurt and put the past behind them? Or are there some wounds that even love can’t heal?
I thought this was a well written, fast paced novella with enough backstory to establish a believable love between Erienne and Collin. The story is entertaining and satisfying, with amusing moments (provided mostly by Lucy and Derek), lies, betrayal, steamy love scenes and a very overdue HEA. If I had any complaint, it would be the ending seemed a little rushed, but it is a novella… I am happy to recommend this book, it is part of the Playful Brides series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title with no problem.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
Erienne Stone never imagined taking a governess position with the Duke and Duchess of Claringdon would change her life. The man who broke her heart when she was but eighteen is the brother to the Duke, Collin Hunt, and he’s arrived on a much needed vacation. She panics when she discovers he’s staying in the same house as her. She pleads to the Duchess to not intervene but Lucy doesn’t listen. Erienne’s feelings for Collin flood her heart. Why did he leave me? What must I do?
Collin is a general and overworks himself. His boss orders him to a two-week holiday. Collin agrees and decides to go visit his brother and sister-in-law. When he arrives, he’s greeted with the only woman he’s ever loved, Erienne. Misunderstands ensue and Collin is left with one choice: bare his aching heart to Erienne in the hopes she’ll forgive him or go back to a lonely life devoid of emotion.
Wow, what a wonderful second-chance Regency romance! I’ve never read anything by Valerie Bowman before this one but I have just 1-clicked her entire Playful Brides series. Yes, it’s that good.
Wonderfully woven with engaging characters, plenty of misunderstandings and a matchmaker intent on bringing two brokenhearted people together in the name of love. Emotional in only the best possible way, this is a must-read!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in the hopes I’d review it.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Mr. Hunt I Presume by Valerie Bowman
Playful Brides #10.5
Lucy Hunt LOVES to play matchmaker and is given the perfect opportunity to do so in this book! She needs a governess and just happens to have a name come across her desk that might be the woman her brother-in-law once loved…the only woman he ever loved. This is definitely a second chance at love for Collin and Erienne whoa re both now in their 30’s and never thought to be together ever again. The unfolding of why they did not get together years before and how they do get together in the end is a sweet and sometimes steamy story that left me happy when I finished the last page.
Thank you to NetGalley and June Third Enterprises for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
I love star crossed lovers and second chance romances and this one is a great mix. Fate brought them together with a little help from Lucy. The flashbacks of them just pull at your heart and it’s clear that they were meant to be together. No matter what their minds told them, their hearts were leading the way. I absolutely loved the proposal scene.
Erienne couldn’t do what her family wanted while her heart was broken. I loved how much she cared about her brother and would do anything to help him. She was very strong, but also knew her heart was pulling her.
Collin doesn’t know how to relax and leave work behind. His heart always belonged to her and he wasn’t letting go this time. My heart broke when he was told the lie about where she was.
This is a great quick read.
Copy Provided for an honest and voluntary review via NetGalley.
“Let me go.”
Who knew just three little words could be so heartbreaking? You’ll see just how devastating they can be in this lovely novella in Valerie Bowman’s Playful Brides series. Erienne and Collin were childhood sweethearts. They lived on different sides of the track, so to speak. As time progressed, Collin joined the army and Erienne prepared for her debut. They sent coded messages to each other. However, the last time they meet under their sycamore tree, Collin said goodbye and left, handing her a note with those three little words.
Fourteen years later, Collin is now General Hunt, while Erienne is a governess and has just joined the household of Collin’s brother and sister-in-law. What would happen when they meet again? We soon find out! This is a very sweet and spicy second chance romance. What happened all those years ago? Can love rebloom the second time around? Settle in a comfy chair with a hot cup of tea and warm up on a cold winter’s day with this delightful story and find out!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
Mr. Hunt I Presume:
A Playfull Brides Story
by Valerie Bowman
Collin Hunt has never forgotten the woman that got away, the only one that he’s loved- Erienne Stone. That was a lifetime ago she’s more than likely married to a titled gentleman with a passel of kids. Forced to take a much needed holiday he sets off to his brothers estates and comes face to face with his past! Maybe this is his second chance, he’d be a fool to let it slip away!
Erienne Stone had pledged her heart to Collin Hunt, he promised to make her his wife but instead he abandoned her. She’s taken a position as governess for the Duke of Claringdon’s young children and is shocked to see that the duke is non other than Derek Collin’s older brother. With a little matchmaking from Lucy the duchese who believes in second chances, Collin and Erienne are thrown together. But of course Collin has to grovel a bit before Erienne forgives him for not trying hard enough for their love.
This was a heartwarming fast paced sexy read. I loved the tension and chemistry between them. So glad they got their happy ending!
I recieved a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest unbiased opinion,
A quick happy read. Colin and Erienne get a second chance at love courtesy of a matchmaking sister-in-law Lucy. It is a fast paced story with fun conversations and witty retorts. The children are delightful. Lucy has another success as another couple heads to the altar.
This was such a delightful novella to read, I’ve always loved second chances! Fourteen years have passed since Erienne and Collin have seen each other but once they come face to face again at his brother’s home, it’s to learn that their chemistry and passion is alive and well! Collin had left her all those years ago because he didn’t think he was good enough for her and he dedicated his life to becoming a spy for the Home Office. As for Erienne, she had become a spinster and governess because she knew she would never love another man as she loved Collin. I really enjoyed their story and thought it very well written:)
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Quick Read 3.5*
Inveterate matchmaker Lucy on discovering that her brother-in-law has only ever loved once in his life, promptly employs said woman as her children’s governess. They meet, their attraction is still strong but there is 14 years of betrayal on one side and misguided pride on the other to overcome. I felt it would have worked better as a longer book, perhaps with Collin courting her when he realised that he had been deliberately misled all those years ago. Everything happened too quickly for my liking with little romance or tender feelings/emotion.
I do wish the author had used the word River rather than Creek but otherwise the story was relatively free of errors.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oh how I love a second chance romance. The will they or won’t they get back together and how devastating was their misunderstanding. This novella is very short but I think it gets across the level of miscommunication and resolves it quickly but in a manner that makes it a good read. Collin and Erienne are such wonderfully written characters that I wish they had a full length story but it did not detract me from loving their story.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Loved the story. It is well written, fast pace and keeps your attention. It is the story of love that has endured for fourteen years of separation. Erienne and Collum come together after all those years apart and the old feelings come back. The story is fairly short but still a great read that I would highly recommend.
You can’t stop a matchmaker from matchmaking, and this is exactly what happens when Lucy, Duchess of Claringdon was looking for a governess. Upon seeing the name of Erienne Stone, Lucy’s husband, the duke, lets slip out that he and his brothers had known a girl by that name in Brighton. Now, was she the reason why Derek’s brother Collin had never married? And wasn’t it a very fortunate coincidence – and it truly was! – that General Collin Hunt had to take a holiday, and chose his brother’s country estate to rest.
While part of the Playful Brides series, MR. HUNT, I PRESUME stands perfectly on its own. Valerie Bowman supplies all the necessary background details, as well as the story behind Erienne and Collin’s young love and subsequent separation, which was lovely and touching. I was suitably impressed with Ms. Bowman’s ability to make this novella as richly textured as a full-length novel. The descriptions of the surroundings sparkle, the prose is fresh and graceful, the characters are fully fleshed-out – Lucy is a veritable force of nature! – and the story progresses at a brisk pace. I was also pleasantly surprised that the lead characters are somewhat older: Collin is 35 and Erienne 32.
The story was marvellous until the first intimate scene, and then the sex per se. Apart from some rather tense and somewhat impersonal exchanges in the company of Derek and/or Lucy, Erienne and Collin just never talked. They never had a real conversation, they never reconnected, they barely mentioned the past, and I never felt the passion. There was a gaping hole of fourteen years that was never filled. I felt regret and sadness at what might have been, what could have been, but not the overwhelming chemistry that would have made the physical intimacy unvoidable and believable. Often, you do feel it, even when a considerable period of time is magically erased, because of that pull between the characters; furtive glances, brushing fingers, but unfortunately there was no sexual tension, no sparks here. Fourteen years apart is a long time, people change, evolve; did they still feel the same? There were no visible signs, and for me, I never felt that the romance had been rekindled.
I give 3 1/2 stars
Erienne Stone has been working as a governess for the past 14 years, but now that the children under her care have grown up she has come to London seeking a new position. She never expects her agency to send her for an interview at the Duke of Claringdon’s home. She never expected to see him again after his younger brother, Collin, whom she’d been madly in love with, abandoned her more than a decade prior. But the salary being offered is enough to pay for her brother’s much needed surgery, so after much convincing from Lucy, the Duchess, she accepts the governess position and hopes not to have to see Collin.
General Collin Hunt, valued spy and senior official at the Home Office, is being ordered to take a holiday, so he opts to rest and relax at the country estate of his brother, Derek, the Duke of Claringdon. But when the only woman he’s ever loved arrives as governess to his young niece and nephew, his world is turned on its ear. Before the elevation of his family from their poor status during childhood to their wealthy, titled, military hero status now, Collin was in love with Erienne, but her gave her up thinking he was doing what was best for her. After all, she was the daughter of a baron and he was just a poor boy from the wrong side of town.
Then the two are thrown together by Collin’s sister-in-law, Lucy, but the meddlesome matchmaker’s endeavors may not be enough to convince either to risk their heart again.
This was a great little second chance romance. Of course it’s short (it’s a novella!) but these two had chemistry as soon as they met again, just as if they’d never been separated. I think if they’d had a longer book, Collin would’ve had more time to mess things up again. They’d already waited so long to have a chance to be together, they didn’t need to wait any longer.
I received an ARC via NetGalley. Thank you!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received Mr. Hunt, I Presume written by Valerie Bowman from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is a novella that is part of her Playful Brides series. I first read Bowman’s books via NetGalley and enjoyed them greatly. This was no exception.
Collin Hunt is ordered to take a holiday by his boss from Home Office. Overworked and stress, he heads to his brother’s home in the country only to run into the one women he ever loved, Erienne Stone.
Erienne Stone’s heart was broken when Collin chose his work over her. So when she runs into him at her new employer’s home, she isn’t sure what to do. With a matchmaker of a Duchess in charge however, Collin and Erienne are forced to face one another and conquer their hurt feelings finally. But can the past be conquered or will there be heartache and pain?
Delightfully written novella that is just light enough and deep enough for a short story. Bowman doesn’t get hung up on all the particles that can bog down a short story. I have greatly enjoyed all of Valerie Bowman’s stories! #MrHuntIPresume #NetGalley
3.5 stars
Annoyed that it took 50% for the MCs to reunite but overall enjoyed it
Mr. Hunt, I Presume is a fantastic historical romance by Valerie Bowman. Ms. Bowman has once again impressed me with her storytelling abilities. Mr. Hunt, I Presume is a well-written book with characters that are just plain lovable. Collin was forced to take a break from work. He decided to visit his brother, only to discover the love of his life had been hired on as the governess. Erienne works as a governess to avoid being pushed into marriage and to help pay for her brother’s surgery. Collin and Erienne’s story is loaded with drama, humor and steamy sex. I loved every page of this book and look forward to my next book by Valerie Bowman. Mr. Hunt, I Presume is book 10.5 of the Playful Brides Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
Oh my stars! I seriously cried at parts. This was such an emotional story. It is full of angst and joy all in one. Ms. Bowman has such a way with words. I was immediately drawn into this story. I read this in one setting. The plot flowed by so smoothly, it was like being right there in the middle of the story.
Collin was a young man in the army and gave up his true love so she could have more than he could give her. Erienne was so hurt that she moved away and become a governess. Such a tragic story. Collin was such a drool-worthy hero in this story. Erienee was adorable. For one so young, she grew up and turned her back on society after the love of her life left her. What courage and spirit she had. I fell in love with both of them. I was so drawn into their story of a second chance romance.
This story is not erotica but should be read by a mature reader. I highly recommend this book.