This was a fun, second chance novella addition to the Playful Brides series.

Erienne Stone met Collin Hunt when they were children but by her teenage years they fell in love. Too bad Erienne's family thought that Collin wasn't good enough for their daughter. When Collin came back from the army to see Erienne, her father told him to go away and that someone of his stature should leave her alone. The next time Collin tried, he was told that the 18 year old Erienne moved to Shropsbury with her husband, the Viscount. Dejected, Collin threw his life into his work and 14 years later he is a General.

Feeling abandoned by Collin, Erienne goes to Shropsbury to be a governess. The only person she wanted to marry was Collin so if she couldn't have him, she'd be happy being a spinster. After 14 years working for the same family, Erienne must find a new governess job. When Mrs. Griggs refers her services to the Duke of Claringdon's house, Erienne is unsure of this because that is Collin's brother Derek. When Derek's wife, Lucy finds out who she is, she wants to play matchmaker and bring Collin and Erienne back together. Lucy hires Erienne, not realizing that Collin is on his way to their place. Guess Lucy's matchmaking ways are moving faster than she thought.

I just love a second chance story. Both Collin and Erienne were wronged by Erienne's parents and the funny part was neither of them could ever get over the other. They really were destined to be together. I really enjoyed what these two went through to get to their happy ending. I really even liked both of these characters. It was just sad that it took them so long to find their way back to each other.

This was a sweet novella. Ottawa tough genre, because the limited length means the story has to move very quickly. As with almost all novellas, I wanted to know more about the characters and their history; the broad outlines were there, but I wanted more development. Having said that, I love the troupe of reunited first live, and I believed the love between Erienne and Collin. Very sweet story.

Sweet but short. Always love Valierie Bowman. This was good book just wish it was longer.Loved the characters. Always love revisiting with Lucy!

Series: Playful Brides #11.5
Publication Date: 2/8/19
Number of Pages: 120

My rating is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a lovely second-chance romance novella. It is well-written, but I felt it was a bit rushed and I didn’t feel as if I were ‘finished’ with it at the end. I loved the storyline, I liked the main characters, I adored the secondary couple, and the children were wonderful. I just felt like there were chunks of story that were missing or things progressed much too fast. Too fast? Consider the scene during their first dinner and then moving to the library. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but when you read it you’ll see what I mean.

I loved that we got to spend time with Lucy and Derek again. Catching up with them and seeing their love and their life as a married couple was wonderful and their two children were a great addition to the story. It was nice to see that Derek has resigned himself to Lucy’s matchmaking and just loves her to distraction. This time, Lucy is matchmaking for Derek’s brother, Collin and their childhood neighbor Erienne Stone. I would have thought that Collin’s story would have come earlier in the series since Lucy and Derek were the featured H/h in the first book, but maybe it took a while to find just the right lady for him.

Collin and Erienne had a relationship of some sort when they were younger. You learn what that relationship was in bits and pieces as you move through the story. It is a story of family betrayal and feelings of unworthiness that cost these two fourteen years of being miserable and apart. Neither of them ever married.

Collin Hunt and his two brothers are basically ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’. Their father was put out of the army because of his overindulgence in alcohol. Their father was also cruel to them because he was training them to be soldiers. Both Collin and Derek were very good at soldiering. Derek’s success earned him the title of Duke of Claringdon for his heroism during the war and Collin is now a general and a high ranking member at the Home Office. Most of Collin's career can’t be mentioned because he spent his time as a spy.

Erienne defied her parent's marriage expectations and left home to become a governess. Now, fourteen years later, the children she was caring for are grown and it is time for her to move on to her next family. When the agency sets her up with an interview with the Duchess of Claringdon, she doesn’t feel she can turn it down. She’s truly surprised at herself when she finally – after much persuasion by the Duchess – accepts the job. She’s torn – she wants to know about Collin, but she’s afraid she can’t handle actually seeing him.

It really is a nice story, but I think I could have lived with a little less backstory if it bought me more time with the couple in the ‘now’. More time for me to know them and them to know each other and especially more time for a less abrupt ending. There was a distinct lack of conversation and discussion between them. They just go straight to lust and remain there. The proposal is entertaining but certainly lacks romance. As I read, I thought “What, this is it?” and it was.

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion.

I like Valerie Bowman's book, and this never ending series gave me a lot of fun already, so in a way, i was happy to see the Happy Ending of Colin also, even if the plot was a well known one and there were not so many surprises waiting for me....

Mi piacciono i libri di Valerie Bowman e questa sua serie quasi infinita, mi ha già divertito parecchio, per questo ho letto anche questa novella anche se la storia di Colin era piuttosto scontata e non ´è che ci fossero chissà quali sorprese in serbo per me....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

A story of true love that last a life time. Interesting characters and of course a matchmaker. You'll keep reading until the end to see how they get back together.

A entertaining quick read for a lazy afternoon. The Duchess of Matchmaking, Lucy is in need of a governess since she decided to match make her previous one. What she finds during her search, or rather whom she finds leads to sweet tale of second chance. As always Ms. Bowman writes with perfection and enjoyment.

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

Fun, sexy second chance at love romance

Valerie Bowman’s Mr Hunt I Presume the latest in her wonderful Playful Brides series was pure pleasure.
Colin and Erienne had loved one another since they had been teenagers but lies and obligations had kept them apart. When fate and Colin’s well meaning sister-in-law Lucy bring them together 14 years later sparks fly. A novella by definition is a short story, and this was no exception. While I would have loved for the couple to have more time together before their HEA the story was so engaging I finished it in one sitting.
After reading the short excerpt at the back of the book I look forward to reading the next book in the series No Other Duke But You out May 2019.
I received an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

I started this novella with so much hope and optimism but ultimately was left disappointed. And annoyed. And frustrated that it took 50% of the novella for the hero and heroine to reunite and for us to learn what happened that drove them apart fourteen years ago. The beginning half was a constant stream of "I loved Collin with all my heart but will not think of him because he broke my heart" and "Erienne is the only woman I have ever loved but will not think of her because she broke my heart" and after a while I was over it. I think Collin (and Erienne's mother) are responsible for the majority of the heartache and misunderstandings that kept these two separated, and I therefore had little sympathy for him. If he'd just told Erienne what her mother had said to him SOONER, she wouldn't have run off without knowing the truth.

Oh well. Overall, I'm disappointed and not as enthralled by this one as I was with Kiss Me at Christmas, but ultimately enjoyed it and would recommend it in between other reads. I will continue to read more by this author.

Mr. Hunt, I Presume is a beautiful second chance romance. Collin and Erienne were cheated of their love story fourteen years earlier. Having grown up together, their love matured and was as natural as breathing. While he was in the military and she still living at home, they developed their own secret code in order to be able to communicate important messages in their letters. Both knew her parents were checking their correspondence.

Erienne and Collin were kept apart by said parents. Erienne left home after home after Collin gave her a note telling her to let him go. Blame that on her father. She knew she could not marry someone she did not love even if it would save her parents financially. Her mother outright lied to Collin, telling him Erienne had married and was living in another village with her husband. Neither of them had found happiness during the lengthy separation.

Now, fourteen years later, she is a governess to his brother’s children hired by his sister-in-law. (Lucy and Derek from another book in the series). Lucy is a self-proclaimed matchmaker and went to work matchmaking.

This is a delightful novella that has this couple yearning for each other. Although part of the Playful Brides series, it can be read as a stand alone, but I have enjoyed reading it as part of the series. Looking forward to the next book.

I received an ARC of this novella to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Mr Hunt, I presume is book 11.5 in Valerie Bowmans delightful Playful Brides series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I have really enjoyed reading the series and highly recommend it.
General Colin Hunt fell in love with Erienne Stone when they were in their teens but at the time her parents felt he was not good enough for her and they parted. Now many years later they encounter each other when she is hired to be the governess to his brothers children and will he be be smart enough to go after what he’s always wanted and will Erienne forgive him for breaking her heart all those years ago? Lovely second chance at love story, medium steam. Publishing Date February 8, 2019
#NetGalley #ValerieBowman #MrHuntIPresume #JuneThirdEnterprises

Collin and Erienne's story may be a novella, however it is one you are definitely going to want to read. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.

I've read several titles by Valerie Bowman, and I will have to say that this is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed each of the characters, but Collin was the best! He was such a strong character, but gentle and kind with the ones he loved. The only problem that I have with this book was the length. I really wish it would have been longer so the author could have gone more in depth with the story and the characters.

Though I usually am not a fan of second chance at love stories, I enjoyed Collin and Erienne’s. I wish this was longer so the author could have fleshed out the main characters a bit more. I thought the ending was rushed, especially the proposal.

3/5 stars.

I received this book from the author and the publishers in exachange for an honest opinion. This does not in any way affect my opinion of the book and it's characters.

The plot of the book is laid out really well in the blurb itself, it's a classic second-chance romance between star crossed young lovers. Only this time aided by Matchmaker-in-Chief of the Playful Brides series, Lucy Hunt. This time however, it's personal for Lucy as the man she's trying to match make is her brother-in-law. That too, against the explicit wishes of her husband Derek. You can guess where this is going to go.

General Collin Hunt the decorated War Hero and Spy, now paper pushing military man and brother to Duke has been living his life for work and country for over 14 years. His father ensured that he and all his brother's dedicated their lives to the service of the crown and country. No time for love, basically. Someone forgot to give this memo to Erienne Stone, a young girl born to a Baron who lived close by to Collin and his brothers. She went ahead and fell in love with him since she was about 16, and Collin tossed his father's memo out the window and fell right back in love with her. Considering this is a second-chance romance we all know things weren't hunky-dory after this. 21 year old Collin Hunt arrives back from the war and tells 18 year Erienne Stone that she deserves better than him and leaves her. But not before asking her to let him go.

Years later, 14 to be exact, enters our mingler-in-cheif Lucy Hunt when she hires Erienne as Governess to her two children. But of course, her primary objective is to re-unite her and Collin and get another notch of successfully constructed romances in her ledger. Lucy's basically once again prioritized her matchmaking side-habit over the education of her children (One of them an heir to be to a dukedom FYI) and I can't decide if that's adorable or just bad parenting. I'm going with adorable because I quite like Lucy. I wish I had a Lucy in my life. I'm digressing, back to the main couple.

Finally, around the 40% mark, Erienne and Collin meet each other and I won't lie, I had been waiting for the ultimate meeting after fourteen years. I was surprised, pleasantly, by Erienne's cheek in the tense but well written dinner that followed. It was clear, abundantly so that both Collin and Erienne still deeply loved each other and it wasn't difficult to root for them to find each other again. In this aspect, the author did a good job. I was highly enjoying myself until not much after the tense, almost awkward dinner things suddenly turn between the MC's. Not that I mind a little bit of hanky-panky, but it felt so out of place that I literally sat blinking for a minute and went back and checked if I skipped an entire chapter by mistake.

[ Nope, we went straight from high-stress first encounters to fingering in a library. I guess that's how Military Men roll? Not much later there's a random af near death experience for Erienne because she can express her deep seeded desire to fondle his ding dong. I don't even know what the purpose of this was but hey, I guess this is how Miltary Men's ex-lovers roll! (hide spoiler)]

Post their inevitable meeting things move at Fast and Furious - Tokyo Drift speed. It's whiplash inducing, and the author should have truly spent more time on their development and reconnection rather than the plot of them coming together. In all honesty, the result of all this is that while I did root for Erienne and Collin, I left this book with more love for Derek and Lucy as a couple than the actual MC's. I found it adorable how Derek has completely accepted that he is incapable of changing his wife's matcmaking nature, and is resigned to the fact that he'll love her to distraction despite that nagging failure. Collin and Derek's conversation around Lucy and Erienne while they were fishing just cemented how much I loved Derek and Lucy.

And they aren't even the main couple in this book. Sigh.

Don't even get me started on the ending random proposal right out of a soap opera. Overall, I enjoyed the book as much as I enjoy other books by the author but I feel there was potential for a lot more. A lot lot more of character development, just some decent conversations about their past and what they've been up to for 14 years is a good place to start. But no instead we got a lot of other things except that . I think the fact that this was a novella made the author speed up the ending, which left me with severe whiplash and going back to read some of my favorite novellas because I know it can be done well.

If you're looking for a quick, no strings attached book then this will be right up your alley! Prepare yourself to be enamored by the side-couple that weren't really the point of the book but hey, they made it better!
12 likes

Erienne Stone has never forgotten the love of her life, Collin Hunt. When she realizes that she is interviewing for a position in his brother's household, Erienne almost turns it down. Unfortunately, the pay is good and she needs the money to send home to her beloved brother who was injured in the war. Also, Erienne hopes to at least hear news of Collin.

General Collin Hunt cannot believe it. His brother, Derek and his wife, Lucy, have just hired a woman he never thought he'd see again, Erienne. Collin made a mistake all those years ago in letting her go. He came back, but was too late... it seemed Erienne had married another. Collin has tried to get over her, but it's been near impossible. With Erienne single and working in close proximity, Collin knows he might be in for heartbreak all over again, but he never could resist Erienne.

MR. HUNT, I PRESUME is a novella in author Valerie Bowman's endearing PLAYFUL BRIDES series. Although it is short, it is oh so sweet! I am a sucker for second chance romances and Collin and Erienne's story really tugged at my heart strings. Circumstances and hearsay keep these two from connecting the first time, but with a certain little matchmaker's (who holds a place in my heart, Lucy Hunt, Collin's sister-in-law) meddling, Collin and Erienne cross paths again. Historical fans are sure to fall in love with MR. HUNT, I PRESUME.

What a wonderful book. Typical great read from this author. I will not repeat the story. I will tell you it’s a gentle love story. We all know that romance novels have a great ending. But it’s a good author will take you there and make sure continue wanting to go and finish reading. This is a book you will not want to miss

Erienne and Collin were childhood sweethearts. From the time she was 13 and he was 16, they knew they loved each other.
Then Collin went off to war. They wrote each other, incorporating secret messages in their letters so her parents wouldn't know what they were doing and how serious they were.
But her parents did know and they decided to intervene, asking Collin to end their relationship. They had bigger plans for their daughter and who she would marry.
It's now 14 years later and they have a second chance at rekindling their love.
This is a novella, so it is short but sweet.
You also get to revisit with Lucy and Derek, characters from the first book in this series.
I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is the 10th in the series. It can be read alone, but the series is so good that you’ll want to read them all. Collin and Erienne were in love when they were young but war separated them. Then years later Erienne became a governess in Collins brothers home and Collins sister-in-law Lucy puts her match making skills to work.
Sweet quick read.