I loved this story, it was such a fun, good paced read. The characters were all likeable, I had to smile at Lucy’s (the duchess) antics. Eirenne and Colin had loved each other many years ago but had lost touch due to a number of circumstances. Now they meet again. They have never forgotten each other but a number of things have happened since they last saw each other. Other influences affected their relationship last time, will it be any different now? This can be read in an afternoon, but it’s an delightful way to spend your time. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sweet & Endearing! I absolutely devoured this book starting with the first page. Beautifully written and absolutely charming second Chance romance. From the lady of the house Lucy Hunt and her inability to stop her meddling matchmaking, to the adorable little Lady Mary and her brother Ralph, as well as Erienne Stone and Collin Hunt our heroine and hero who are still in love with with the other even after fourteen years one month and sixteen days that they have been parted. Sigh inducing, Endearing, sumptuous, with heartfelt emotions.

Valerie Bowman writes a full length novel or a short story or now a novella. All with the same intensity of emotions, same depth in characters, same subtlety in feelings... She is a supreme commander of words, a true markswoman I must say, her words find the target in our hearts. Bullseye, every time. Loved it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman is book 10.5 in the Playful Brides Series. This is the story of Collin Hunt and Erienne Stone. I have read the previous books (and loved them!) but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Collin and Erienne about 14 years ago were young and in love but then Collin step away to do the right thing...which set in motion hurt and distrust. Now all this time later he is taking a break from the military to go to his brother's country estate. There he meets Erienne again...but can he walk away this time. Erienne was crushed when Collin didn't choose her and has since went into the work life of being a Governess. When her 'kids' are to old for one she goes to take a new job within the Hunt family. Although she knows it is risky to be so close to Collin's family, but she wants to see what is happening with Collins....besides the money being offered for the job is more than she can turn down.
So in love with their story and this second chance at love.

Great book. So much fun. Love matchmaking people like Lucy. Collin is such the alpha man. Great characters and series.

Mr. Hunt, I Presume (Playful Brides, #10.5) by Valerie Bowman Another great story by Valerie.. I'm enjoying this series (PLAYFUL BRIDES) Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Collin Hunt(never though he was good enough...and let her go) Erienne(has always loved Collin and never married) Lucy the "matchmaker" sees a change to bring them back together... there are tears, laughs and steamy times all leading to a HEA. Can't wait for the next book.. NO OTHER DUKE BUT YOU.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Witty Funny Happily Ever After Wonderful characters Page-turner Easy-to-read Steamy Romantic Entertaining

FINAL DECISION: This was an enjoyable little story where two people who were always meant to be together get a second chance at love. The length of the story means that the story isn't as developed as I would want, but I found it a quick and amusing read.

THE STORY: General Collin Hunt is forced to take a holiday so he goes to visit his brother, the Duke of Claringdon. What he doesn't expect is that his sister-in-law, a notorious and successful matchmaker, has targeted him. She has hired a new governess who happens to be the woman Collin once (and perhaps still) loves. Erienne Stone didn't expect to be reunited with the man who abandoned her a decade before but one meddling duchess is determined to give these two a second chance.

OPINION: I enjoyed this little story. As a novella, the story is compressed and the characters are not as fleshed out as one would expect from a full length novel. Despite this, I enjoyed this story which contained a great amount of humor brought by Lucy who is a determined matchmaker. Readers will have to accept that much of the story is compressed. Erienne and Collin are in love when we meet them although they have been apart for over a decade. Despite this, however, I enjoyed the chance to see these two who want so desperately to be together manage to find ways to stumble apart. There is a definite sweetness to this story even as it has some over the top dramatic moments. Some might be annoyed by the drama, but I found it consistent with the humor of the series in general and this story in particular. Unfortunately, the length of the story means that much of the emotional drama between the characters is resolved too quickly, but this is a quick read that made me laugh in places and gave me the chance to see familiar characters from the Playful Brides series again.

WORTH MENTIONING: This story is almost more for fans of Lucy and Derek than those wanting a new story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MR. HUNT, I PRESUME is book 10.5 in the Playful Brides series. This novella can be read as a standalone although Derek and Lucy from THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS play significant roles in this story.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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.

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.

I didn't realise when I picked this up that it was so far into the storyline! It's book 10.5 of the series, so plenty has already happened, but although references are made to past characters, this stands alone perfectly well. Mr Hunt, I Presume is a sweet second-chance romance - matchmaking Lucy hires a governess who used to be engaged to Lucy's brother, with the intention of working out what went wrong all those years ago. Erienne Stone thinks she can cope with the occasional sighting of Collin - he's allowed to visit his sister, after all - but she's not expecting him to arrive at the same time she does, and the feelings they've both been repressing for years are very hard to conceal.

I loved Collin and Erienne together! The flashbacks to them as lovestruck teenagers were adorable, as were the scenes of them trying to deny their feelings for each other in the present. There's only 110 pages in the story, so nothing is too drawn out or angsty, and you're left feeling warm and smiley as they finally find their Happy Ever After. There's plenty of humour and warmth in the writing, and it's left me wanting to check out more by the author. Four out of five stars!

This was a cute novella. I liked the characters and the 2nd chance romance is one of my fav tropes. There was a little bit of humour, and a little bit of drama. The only complaint I have of this story is that at times it was a little rushed, with some situations going from just meeting again to intimacies. Pacing in shorter stories is always a very tricky situation, and I think this book could have benefited with another chapter or two to help develop the confirmation of feelings. That being said, it was still a good book to add to the Playful Brides series. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

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.

A very sweet read, managed in one sitting, i truly enjoyed this book very much and will be collecting its sisters.

I won't give spoikers but will say ithas everything, a great journey, a very satisfying roller coaster of emotions to go with it, with a beautiful ending, i defy anyone who loves historicals not to adore it too.

I really enjoyed this novella! It was well written and fit nicely into the series. I am looking forward to the next one.

Collin Hunt left Erienne when they were teenagers and in love. She thought she would never see him again. He didn't think he was good enough for her so he went into the military. Years pass and they never forget each other but their paths have gone in different directions. He is a general and works in the Home Office. She never marries and becomes a governess. When she is hired to be the governess to Collin's niece and nephew, she thinks that she may hear news of him but only see him during holidays. Lucy, Collin's sister in law is a born matchmaker, but it seems that she may fail this time. The love between Collin and Etienne is still there, but will they be able to trust each other enough to be together again? I loved this story. Two people parted by circumstances beyond their control. Will General Hunt care enough to pursue love this time? I loved the story. It begins with a sweet teenage love to a grown up love which may or may not work. I received this book from Net Galley and June Third Enterprises for honest review.

H❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
An enjoyable read , that held my attention, just felt it was lacking slightly in some places .
The characters are interesting and fit wonderfully in the story ,
And it ticks along great in most places . Now and again it seemed to loose a little steam and became slightly flat , but in all it’s a good book and fans who read this author frequently will love every minute.
Thankyou to the author and publisher at Netgally for allowing me to read and review , this is a voluntary review and all thoughts are my own x

To be honest, when I started reading this book I didn’t know it was a novella. I figured it out somewhere in the middle when I saw how fast I’m progressing through the book.

Anyway, I think it would be better if it was a whole book because I think some parts of the book were rushed, especially the ending. Since they were separated for 14 years I expected more resentment or emotions from the heroine but it all quickly evaporated when they met again and fell into each other arms.

While this was a cute novella with good writing, I definitely wanted more. So, yeah, I’ll follow Ms. Bowman future books (this was my first by her) but this one just didn’t hold the appeal.

3 stars.

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.

<i>I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. </i>

A typical Victorian romance, yet it made me cry.

I can feel the emotions that was poured when this was written. The rawness of asking to be let go because of the station of ones life.

Fate however, is always working her mysterious ways. And the ending of this book was truly amazing. A bit abrupt but it works. I like Colin, the had to let go of the only light he had. Erienne, on the other hand had to live on, but she never forgot her feeling.

Lucy, oh how I love her! She was the most integral part of the book. I look forward to reading more books from this series.

Valerie Bowman’s latest novella ( a “half-step”in the Playful Brides series) will tide over readers who are awaiting Book 11, “No Other Duke But You”. Lucy Hunt, the Duchess of Claringdon, is playing matchmaker again, and this time she has her brother in law in her sights. He is determinedly single, after losing the love of his young life over ten years ago. But when that love comes back into the life of the Hunts, well, the temptation is too great for the matchmaker.
There isn’t a lot of plot or character development that we can expect from a novella, but this one is a charming, quick read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When General Collin Hunt is ordered to take a much-needed holiday, he resigns himself to rest and recreation at his brother, the Duke of Claringdon's country estate. But when the only woman he ever loved and selflessly gave up shows up as his sister-in-law's Lucy’s governess, his carefully ordered life is turned inside out.
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 fourteen before.
A meddling matchmaker may be the key to their second chance.
I love The Playful Brides series especially the matchmaking Lucy. All the other books in the series are full length novels. I still loved this novella, which I read in a sitting as I couldn’t put it down. A captivating, engrossing second chance romance. Collin & Erienne are well portrayed & certainly deserved their HEA, selflessness & then deceit parted them but luckily for them Lucy gets the bit between her teeth & orchestrates some of the events. A lovely addition to the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read