When I requested this ARC I promised to give a fair and honest review. Who in their right mind would marry, live together for less than a year and then go live separate lives for 10 years? Who in their right mind would look for a way to get out of inheriting a duchy? This book will answer all those questions. Well written. A bit sappy at times but worth reading

I like the reminiscing scenes. It was great to see how Nicole and Mark came to be. Their love story from beginning to end was beautiful.

Love this book!!!! Simple misunderstanding destroys a marriage but 10 years later it's time to start again. Really enjoy Valerie Bowman's style and this book continues to impress.

Mark has dedicated his life to his work. First as a soldier, a spy, and now it his goal to become the Home Secretary. It’s all within his grasp until he’s informed he won’t be considered without proving he’s a family man and must present a wife. That’s going to be tricky because Mark already has a wife and they’ve been separated for ten years.

Nicole is wild and free. She is not one to settle into what society dictates. For years she has lived her life in France where she is able to live the life she enjoys. However, she waits each day for the letter that will inform her that her husband has been killed while in service to his country. When he suddenly appears at her doorstep, her emotions are all over the place.

I loved this second chance story of a couple that have obstacles to overcome. There was just a tiny bit of misunderstanding that started the rift between them, but at the heart of it is a true separation of trust, beliefs, and wants. Perhaps a long honest conversation might have helped at the time but the fact that Mark was set in his belief of her position could not be ignored. Now, years later with more maturity and the opportunity to truly see one another, they may be able to heal what is broken between them.

Mark had every reason to feel the way he did but I personally thought he was a bit boneheaded. Nicole could have fought harder for him and what they had but she fled instead. Nevertheless, when you take those two decisions away, this story is quite charming with a bit of angst. I enjoyed reading how they reunited, placed conditions on each other, and came together for a common cause.

This is a really enjoyable book and I’d love to read about some of the secondary characters as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love this story line. A really good historical romance with a surprise. Love the sassy heroine and the stubborn hero. A fun read

I just finished this book and now have a stupid grin on my face. What a fun story this was. It's part of the Playful Brides series, so if that's any indication...

Mark and Nicole haven't seen each other in 10 years. To say they had a bit of a falling out, after they got married, would be an understatement. Lots of hurt feelings and misunderstandings kept them apart. But now, they need each other. Him, for work. In order to get the promotion he's been working for, they want a family man in the position. So he needs Nicole to come back and play the loving wife. As for her, after 10 years alone, she'll come and help him, but only if he helps her. And what she wants is a baby. A legitimate baby.

So essentially, they're already together, but they're really not. This reconciliation was not without heartache and sorrow, but it had an underlying of love. It was hard, I'll admit, watching these two circle one another. They both had past hurts, but together they can heal from them.

I've only read one other book from this series, but I am definitely going back and reading them. We see a few people pop in, and I'm sure they're from the series, and I liked the way they interacted with each other. They weren't just co-workers, they were friends. They made quite an impression on me and I look forward to reading how they found love. I bet it'll be just has fun.

Don't let the fact that this is labeled number nine in a series deter you from picking this one up. You do not have to have read any of the prior novels as this one completely stands on its own.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this story. The characters were both stubborn and independent. I do think a lot could have been resolved much sooner if they weren't so stubborn and had merely given the other time to think before attempting a rational conversation, but then I doubt they story would have been as fun.

One of my favorite aspects of this story is the way the author managed to weave this story of re-connecting with a murder mystery. The way these two characters worked together to get to the bottom of the who and the why was probably one of the most entertaining aspects.

On the other side, I wish when they reconnected there would have been a little more talking, catching up, etc and a little less jumping into bed. Even though I understand then necessity of it for their bargain, it just seemed like again, things could have been resolved sooner if they had opened up to one another.

Overall, I think this novel will appeal to historical romance fans.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

In this book of the Playful Brides series we finally get a closer look at the famous spymaster, Mark Grimaldi. Personally, I have been anxiously waiting for his story. Who will capture the heart of a man who is literally married to his work? Apparently, a woman has already captured his heart - a decade ago - and married him. It seems that Mark needs to be a family man in order to get the job of his dreams - Home Secretary. He has been working up to this position for years and is determined to get it no matter what. But with so much time passed and both living in different countries, will Mark be able to persuade his absent wife to reconcile - at least for appearance sake until he gets the job?

Nicole Huntington has only loved one man, her husband, Mark. But when he accuses her of deceit, she leaves him to start a life in France. She hasn’t seen him in 10 years and only hears snippets of news from his cousin and her mother. So when he shows up at her doorstep asking for a favour, she makes a deal with him to give her the thing that she wants most in life. It seems that both Mark and Nicole will get their wishes but will they be able to go back to their old lives when the deal is over?

A sensual read with plenty of flashbacks and a murder mystery thrown in. I found the 10 year separation to be a bit extreme considering what caused it, but I guess it depends more on the people involved and how they respond to the incident, than the incident itself. I absolutely adore Valerie Bowman’s books! A true delight for all fans of regency romance. Can’t wait to read Regina’s story, hope that her’s will be the next book in the series!!!

General Mark Grimaldi, half British, half Italian, dedicated his life to the service of the queen.
He abdicated everything, was even far away on the occasion of his mother's death.
Now, at age 34, he would finally achieve the job he wanted: to be promoted to Home Secretary.
Lord Tottenham is the person to choose who would hold this position, and he really appreciates Mark's dedication.
But there was one important detail: Tottenham was known to always prefer settled men - with family - and Mark was known as a bachelor.
Would he have to find a wife as fast as possible?

As a spy for Her Majesty, Mark knew well where to find secrets that no one else knew, and he himself had one.
In fact, Mark was already married. For 10 long years.

Nicole Huntington was making her debut (her mother and grandmother wanted her to choose the Marquess). But she had different aspirations.
Even though she was the granddaughter of Countess of Whitby, she wanted to be remembered for doing something important, helping people, not being part of the nobility.
Therefore, when in a pursuit of a thief, she met Corporal Grimaldi (with aspirations to be a General), she fell in love at first sight.
Without having to make any scandal, they were married two months later.
Nicole came from a wealthy family, but Mark wanted to live on his own, and Nicole was too much in love to think differently from her husband.
But they knew little each other. And some secrets, from both sides, when brought up, made their relationship crumble.

They decided to live far from each other, and Nicole followed her dream of working as a spy, and moved to France with the help of a friend of Bow Street Runner.
Ten years have passed.

Now Mark needed to introduce his wife in England to get the job he fought for.
He goes after her. She makes a counterproposal. Yes, that surprised Mark.

And on their return home, Mark finds himself involved in a murder case, and this revelation is a further problem for his already confused relationship with his mother's family.
Mark would have a single decision to make, and this could make him have more than he dared to dream in life at too high a price.
Would his job be more important than making peace with his family?
Was his job more important than the woman he'd been dreaming about for the last ten years?
5 stars

DNF at 30%.
I loved the idea of this book but it was just written poorky. Nobody spoke as if they were in 1800s Britain and the odd French word being chucked in amongst the English when the character was supposedly speaking in French was very irritating.
These characters were toxic together and after skin reading the last 70%, it became clear that they weren't actually willing to talk through what had separated them in the first place. Reads as more of a cheesy YA than an adult romance. 1 star.

4 of 5 stars

I'm a fan of Ms. Bowman and looked forward to reading this latest read. I wasn't disappointed. This story was very enjoyable. General Mark Grimaldi is a master spy who hasn't seen his wife Nicole, but now that he wants the job of Head Secretary, he's been told that they want a family man in the position. He tracks her down in France and convinces her to come back to London with him. She has a condition--she's wants a baby and Mark is the only one who can give her legitimate one. Their bargain made, the duo traveled back to London and within a few days, Mark's cousin John is murdered. What no one knows except Nicole is that Mark is a duke's grandson. Now Mark and Nicole must try to find John's killer while trying to deny their feelings for one and another.

Ms. Bowman weaves a powerful story of want, hurt, love and redemption. I loved Nicole--she was strong, feisty and dearly loved Mark. She'd spent the last 10 years trying to forget him to no avail. Mark is honorable to a fault and that nearly costs him everything. The plot moved along at a good pace and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what happened with Mark and Nicole. Fans of regency romances will definitely enjoy this book.

This was a good second chance romance for a married couple. It was a bit extreme to be apart for ten years though, but it made for a good story through flash backs and current events. Surprising murder mystery. Loved seeing the Cavendish brothers again.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Mark and Nicole married for love, but it quickly fell apart and led to a 10 year estrangement. They each need the other for something and get back together and then there's a bit of mystery to solve. Nicole is a great heroine - strong, unconventional, take charge. I did grow a bit frustrated at their inability to just talk to each other to solve their issues.

Bit more of a miss than a hit for me. Mark really annoyed me and Nicole wasn't much better.

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*


It is good to know that I haven't truly burnt out on historical romances even though I binge read so many a few months ago. I'm still not interested in reading more, but I was still able to enjoy this one.

The story is something unique that I haven't seen before. The couple is already married, but have been separated for 10 years. They already fell in love, but now they fall back in love. It was such an interesting take. Yet, still had an enemies to lovers feel since there is a misunderstanding which lead to their negative feelings to one another.

I ended up liking both characters and enjoyed reading about their past together too. Nicole is a great investigator and is bold, interesting, while Mark is... well, I mean he does seem like your standard historical romance main character. They are both stubborn though and don't want to "lose" to one another which is what leads to their biggest problem...

The thing is I'm really tired of reading romance books and the biggest problem between the couple is the lack of communication and running away/making judgments at the first sign of a problem. So. Tired.
I understand that communication is a must for a relationship already! Give me something else!!
And for "spies" they both really take things at face value, don't they??

I did like the inclusion of the murder mystery. I liked to read something besides whatever was going on with the romance at the time. I had to suspend belief a bit with Mark's boss and the potential promotion --also the confession to the boss??? Like... really? Just felt so awkward and out of place.

Yet, I was going to give the book 4 stars, until I got to the ending. Ugh way to wrap it up but ignore like a huge thing. I hate miscommunication and misunderstandings, but when they aren't even brought up in the end to signify "hey, I'm sorry, maybe we should be more open?" I get so frustrated!
So, 3 stars.

I probably would recommend this to a historical romance fan, as long as they don't mind suspending belief on a few things. Emphasis on the romance part of fan, not so much historical.

General Mark Grimaldi, who has devoted his life to service to the Crown, wants a promotion, but, to get it, Mark must convince his estranged wife Nicole that she must return home from France and act like his happy, loving wife. Nicole figures she can extract one thing she really wants, for doing this, from Mark, a child. Thus, she returns to England to be Mark’s happy wife. However, both characters are soon swept up in a murder case, mixing their re-enkindled romance, with a lot of flashbacks about how they got together in the first place, with an interesting murder case.

This book read easily. The characters were well developed and came across realistically. The fact that they had been estranged and now were trying to patch things up, each for their own reasons, was an interesting twist. However, there was so much time spent on the flashbacks and murder case, that little time was left, as other reviewers have also pointed out, for the re-enkindled romance between the two main characters. It may have been just too much to put into this one book, in my opinion. I am also not so sure how convinced I was with the idea that Nicole, bored with her season and life, began bringing in criminals to Bow Street, and did so well, that she began doing it regularly, even starting to work for the French police. The book was a good but not terribly memorable book for me. It can help a reader pass the time in an entertaining way. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

I received an advanced review copy of this book.

I always enjoy Valerie Bowman’s books. Her stories and characters are engaging. Mark and Nicole’s story of second chance romance did not disappoint. The couple had not seen each other for ten years after they’d married. Nick seeks her out since he’s up for a promotion and his chances of getting it are improved if he is seen to be a settled married man. Nicole agrees to return with him. They had to deal with some unexpected situations upon their return but it is these circumstances that allow them to work through the unresolved issues and hurts from their past.

Wonderful historical romance! I loved reading Nicole and Mark's story. I could not put it down until I was finished reading it.

Sometimes you just feel like a good historical romance. This one hit the spot for me.

This is the ninth book in the Playful Brides series by Valerie Bowman. I believe that you don't have to have read the other books in the series to enjoy it. That being said I couldn't really get into this book. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the sassy back and forth banter of the main couple but when I started to read it I couldn't really get a feel for it. Maybe I'm just burned out right now on Regency romance novels. I enjoyed the writing style and I'll probably pick up more of her books in the future however this just wasn't the book for me.