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Only an Heiress Will Do
Four soldiers face their greatest battle yet—the Regency marriage mart! Fall in love with the first installment of the Season to Wed miniseries.
A marriage made in haste…
Repented at leisure?
Major Adam Mayhew has returned from war to discover his family facing ruin. He no longer cares for the expectations of the ton, but he needs a wealthy, convenient wife fast!
Heartbroken by a scoundrel and with her reputation mud, Gwendolyn Trym agrees to use her sizable dowry to restore Adam’s fortunes—and he can restore her good name! Then they can both dispense with the chore of marriage.
Yet Adam is proving to be too clever, too rebellious and too attractive a husband…and Gwen's plan starts to unravel!
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
A Season to Wed
Book 1: Only an Heiress Will Do by Virginia Heath
Book 2: The Viscount's Forbidden Flirtation by Sarah Rodi
Book 3: Their Second Chance Season by Ella Matthews
Book 4: The Lord's Maddening Miss by Lucy Morris
A marriage made in haste…
Repented at leisure?
Major Adam Mayhew has returned from war to discover his family facing ruin. He no longer cares for the expectations of the ton, but he needs a wealthy, convenient wife fast!
Heartbroken by a scoundrel and with her reputation mud, Gwendolyn Trym agrees to use her sizable dowry to restore Adam’s fortunes—and he can restore her good name! Then they can both dispense with the chore of marriage.
Yet Adam is proving to be too clever, too rebellious and too attractive a husband…and Gwen's plan starts to unravel!
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
A Season to Wed
Book 1: Only an Heiress Will Do by Virginia Heath
Book 2: The Viscount's Forbidden Flirtation by Sarah Rodi
Book 3: Their Second Chance Season by Ella Matthews
Book 4: The Lord's Maddening Miss by Lucy Morris
ebook
About the author
Virginia Heath
139 books1,257 followersWhen Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Twenty books and two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, and it still takes her forever to fall asleep.
Her new Regency Romcom for St Martin's Press ~ Never Fall For Your Fiancée ~ is on sale November 9, 2021
If you want to find out more check out virginiaheathromance.com or follow her on Facebook @VirginiaHeathAuthor
Her new Regency Romcom for St Martin's Press ~ Never Fall For Your Fiancée ~ is on sale November 9, 2021
If you want to find out more check out virginiaheathromance.com or follow her on Facebook @VirginiaHeathAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 5, 2025
I had already read books two and three of A Season to Wed before picking up Only an Heiress Will Do — I know, shocking behavior for me. I owned those two thanks to some Harlequin Historical bundles I’d purchased, but this book had a couple of people ahead of me in the library hold queue, so I had to wait. Luckily, the stories stand on their own pretty well, but Only an Heiress Will Do is definitely the kickoff to the series and does a great job of setting the scene for our characters.
Major Adam Mayhew and his three best friends signed up to fight Napoleon, thinking it would only take a few months and they’d come back rich and covered in glory. Instead, it was six years of hell, watching their friends and comrades die in brutal battles. Now Adam is back in civilian life, free from the horrors of the army, but his next struggle is just beginning. His brother, a viscount who inherited a bankrupt estate from their spendthrift father, has a terminal illness. Adam needs to marry an heiress quickly to refill the family coffers and provide for his sister-in-law and nieces when his brother passes away. He knows it will be a marriage of convenience, but he hopes he can find someone he might eventually love.
Furniture heiress Gwendolyn Trym was ruined ten years ago at only seventeen, when she ran off to Gretna Green with a dashing lord only to find out he was a liar and a cheat. She left him there, ruining her reputation and effectively ending her chances of being accepted in society. In the years since, Gwen has taken over her family’s business, tripling profits and expanding into retail. Unfortunately, she needs society’s approval to continue growing the company—and she’d like a child to leave it to—both of which mean she needs a husband. When she bumps into Adam Mayhew at a ball, she hears him talking about needing to marry an heiress. Adam is attractive, comes from a noble family, and has a reputation as a war hero. Maybe he could be her convenient husband until she gets what she wants and they go their separate ways.
I’ve been reading a stretch of newer historical romances with prickly or openly unlikable heroines, and I’m really enjoying the trend. Usually, when we encounter a marriage of convenience story, the hero is the one who believes the relationship will be temporary and plans to pack his wife off to the country once he has an heir. Instead, Gwen has the plan to separate from Adam as soon as she has the reputation and child she wants, while Adam hopes their marriage will grow into a mutually beneficial partnership built on affection, if not love. I loved how Virginia Heath flipped the script on the trope and gave us something fresh.
So much of this book is about outrunning the past. For Gwen, it’s the scandal that cast her out of society before she was even formally introduced. Everyone knew the man who betrayed her was a scoundrel and he was cut from the ton, but no one extended grace to a teenager who grew up outside high society and made a mistake. For Adam, it’s the trauma he endured in the military and the ongoing strain of financial insecurity. Because they’re both so focused on the past, neither makes any real plans for the future. Gwen assumes she can simply walk away from Adam once she gets what she wants, but what would that actually look like? And Adam hasn’t thought beyond paying down debts to what supporting his family would really mean until he’s backed into a corner and has to make career choices based on necessity, not desire.
I really enjoyed this book. Of the three I’ve read so far, this one is my favorite—it delivers a sharp, determined heroine, a hero learning how to rebuild, and a fresh twist on a familiar trope. On to book four! 5 stars.
Major Adam Mayhew and his three best friends signed up to fight Napoleon, thinking it would only take a few months and they’d come back rich and covered in glory. Instead, it was six years of hell, watching their friends and comrades die in brutal battles. Now Adam is back in civilian life, free from the horrors of the army, but his next struggle is just beginning. His brother, a viscount who inherited a bankrupt estate from their spendthrift father, has a terminal illness. Adam needs to marry an heiress quickly to refill the family coffers and provide for his sister-in-law and nieces when his brother passes away. He knows it will be a marriage of convenience, but he hopes he can find someone he might eventually love.
Furniture heiress Gwendolyn Trym was ruined ten years ago at only seventeen, when she ran off to Gretna Green with a dashing lord only to find out he was a liar and a cheat. She left him there, ruining her reputation and effectively ending her chances of being accepted in society. In the years since, Gwen has taken over her family’s business, tripling profits and expanding into retail. Unfortunately, she needs society’s approval to continue growing the company—and she’d like a child to leave it to—both of which mean she needs a husband. When she bumps into Adam Mayhew at a ball, she hears him talking about needing to marry an heiress. Adam is attractive, comes from a noble family, and has a reputation as a war hero. Maybe he could be her convenient husband until she gets what she wants and they go their separate ways.
I’ve been reading a stretch of newer historical romances with prickly or openly unlikable heroines, and I’m really enjoying the trend. Usually, when we encounter a marriage of convenience story, the hero is the one who believes the relationship will be temporary and plans to pack his wife off to the country once he has an heir. Instead, Gwen has the plan to separate from Adam as soon as she has the reputation and child she wants, while Adam hopes their marriage will grow into a mutually beneficial partnership built on affection, if not love. I loved how Virginia Heath flipped the script on the trope and gave us something fresh.
So much of this book is about outrunning the past. For Gwen, it’s the scandal that cast her out of society before she was even formally introduced. Everyone knew the man who betrayed her was a scoundrel and he was cut from the ton, but no one extended grace to a teenager who grew up outside high society and made a mistake. For Adam, it’s the trauma he endured in the military and the ongoing strain of financial insecurity. Because they’re both so focused on the past, neither makes any real plans for the future. Gwen assumes she can simply walk away from Adam once she gets what she wants, but what would that actually look like? And Adam hasn’t thought beyond paying down debts to what supporting his family would really mean until he’s backed into a corner and has to make career choices based on necessity, not desire.
I really enjoyed this book. Of the three I’ve read so far, this one is my favorite—it delivers a sharp, determined heroine, a hero learning how to rebuild, and a fresh twist on a familiar trope. On to book four! 5 stars.
February 27, 2025
3.5 stars. I really enjoy Virginia Heath. This marriage of convenience story was fast moving where lust came first then feelings and just came after marriage. The female lead was in "trade", running and expanding her father's business. I liked the hero a bunch, too. This had some parallels in it that represented some behaviors and things in real life (like repeating things and seeing the difference when it's with different people). I read this quickly and felt it was an engaging read.
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February 1, 2025Historical Fiction, Military Romance, Sagas, Regency Romance
Miniseries
A Season to Wed (Book #1)
Miniseries
A Season to Wed (Book #1)
February 28, 2025
The delicious Major and the determined Gwen Trym
This was a brilliant story. Gwen, our driven heroine, is focused on marrying a convenient poor nobleman to boost her exclusive furniture company. Unfortunately, due to a past indiscretion, and whilst rich (trade), she cannot simply 'do' a season. Enter war hero Major Adam Mayhew, devoted to his family, including his terminally ill elder brother, determined to lift the burden of debt saddled on them by their spendthrift deceased father. Drunk, he encounters Gwen at a ball, and this convinces Gwen that he is the perfect candidate for her plans. She is so wrong! Adam is perfect for her but she struggles deviating from her rigid plan, and Adam is a fighter, and a strategist. And he does not give up easily! I love the ingredients to this story; feisty heroine who is master of her own destiny, a clever handsome hero with his extended family fighting his corner. It has some hot moments as Adam ruthlessly uses his gorgeousness to distract his wife from her plans and undermine her rigid focus because he understands that it is rooted in her fear of not being in control. And then there are Adam's ambitions for the law being suppressed because he does not want to be completely reliant on his new 'wife'... Loved this story, loved the characters. Five stars!!!
This was a brilliant story. Gwen, our driven heroine, is focused on marrying a convenient poor nobleman to boost her exclusive furniture company. Unfortunately, due to a past indiscretion, and whilst rich (trade), she cannot simply 'do' a season. Enter war hero Major Adam Mayhew, devoted to his family, including his terminally ill elder brother, determined to lift the burden of debt saddled on them by their spendthrift deceased father. Drunk, he encounters Gwen at a ball, and this convinces Gwen that he is the perfect candidate for her plans. She is so wrong! Adam is perfect for her but she struggles deviating from her rigid plan, and Adam is a fighter, and a strategist. And he does not give up easily! I love the ingredients to this story; feisty heroine who is master of her own destiny, a clever handsome hero with his extended family fighting his corner. It has some hot moments as Adam ruthlessly uses his gorgeousness to distract his wife from her plans and undermine her rigid focus because he understands that it is rooted in her fear of not being in control. And then there are Adam's ambitions for the law being suppressed because he does not want to be completely reliant on his new 'wife'... Loved this story, loved the characters. Five stars!!!
May 15, 2025
Gwen is a woman with a past, but also a woman who's inherited a business from her father and improved it, the next step is to open a store in fashionable London, but she is aware her reputation may spoil the shop and destroy the business. So she makes a list for a husband with fairly objectionable qualities. By coincidence she literally bumps into Major Adam Mayhew when he is drunk and he asks her if she's an heiress.
Adam has left the army after the Battle at Waterloo, disillusioned with war and the people who run the armed forces, happy to go back to his one passion the law. But if horrified to learn his brother is dying, so decided to marry money so his brother and family don't have the worry about debts hanging over them.
So they marry, a bumpy path given why they married but are starting to settle when Adam finds Gwen 's notepad with the damming list of requirements and disappears.
This started very slowly and I didn't much care for Gwen, but I pushed through and by the end was happy if read it all as it improved. Had patches of repetition which got a little tiring.
First of four in a series of returning war heros.
Adam has left the army after the Battle at Waterloo, disillusioned with war and the people who run the armed forces, happy to go back to his one passion the law. But if horrified to learn his brother is dying, so decided to marry money so his brother and family don't have the worry about debts hanging over them.
So they marry, a bumpy path given why they married but are starting to settle when Adam finds Gwen 's notepad with the damming list of requirements and disappears.
This started very slowly and I didn't much care for Gwen, but I pushed through and by the end was happy if read it all as it improved. Had patches of repetition which got a little tiring.
First of four in a series of returning war heros.
July 29, 2025
I really enjoyed this. A bit of a twist on a sunshine/starchy pairing in that it’s MMC who is the happy go lucky one and the FMC is a cold and aloof one. MOC due to MMC needing money and FMC needing society connections and wanting a baby. Background of MMC having a crisis of purpose, possibly losing his brother to cancer. FMC has some trauma and high hopes for her business.
This is the first in a multi author series about a band of brothers from the army settling into civilian life so I imagine we’ll get more updates on this couple’s baby status and whether MMC’s brother survives (I hope he does I do like him and his wife) - it seems relevant to know if our MMC who wants to be a lawyer would have to somehow juggle that with inheriting a title. I would have preferred to find this out in this book but maybe the future authors will refer to it in the next books?
This is the first in a multi author series about a band of brothers from the army settling into civilian life so I imagine we’ll get more updates on this couple’s baby status and whether MMC’s brother survives (I hope he does I do like him and his wife) - it seems relevant to know if our MMC who wants to be a lawyer would have to somehow juggle that with inheriting a title. I would have preferred to find this out in this book but maybe the future authors will refer to it in the next books?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2025
Clever
Gwen is utterly unlikeable until about half way. Her past scandal though cruel and horrible, is not a good enough excuse to treat Adam so badly.
Adam is an engaging and entertaining character. He’s honourable, kind, and deserving of love while at the same time still tinged with elements of schoolboy immaturity.
As Gwen becomes more like the girl she was, and reveals the caring and compassionate woman that she is, the romance starts to come together. The failure to be honest and a disastrous discovery, takes the reader through the tangled mire of their perceived problems, to a finale that is both heartwarming and delightful to read.
Gwen is utterly unlikeable until about half way. Her past scandal though cruel and horrible, is not a good enough excuse to treat Adam so badly.
Adam is an engaging and entertaining character. He’s honourable, kind, and deserving of love while at the same time still tinged with elements of schoolboy immaturity.
As Gwen becomes more like the girl she was, and reveals the caring and compassionate woman that she is, the romance starts to come together. The failure to be honest and a disastrous discovery, takes the reader through the tangled mire of their perceived problems, to a finale that is both heartwarming and delightful to read.
August 5, 2025
O livro é bem escrito, a história é interessante. Me incomodam como sempre as imprecisões históricas. Não há nenhuma maneira de uma mulher resguardar qualquer dinheiro, negócio, renda, lucros do marido antes de 1835.
A única maneira seria manter dinheiro em um fundo fiduciário ao qual ela também não tivesse acesso. Claro, ou a boa vontade e generosidade do marido. Mas legalmente, se é da esposa, é do marido. Inclusive os salários. Lembrando que o caso que motivou a lei foi de uma mulher que não tinha direito ao salário pq o marido tomava tudo
A única maneira seria manter dinheiro em um fundo fiduciário ao qual ela também não tivesse acesso. Claro, ou a boa vontade e generosidade do marido. Mas legalmente, se é da esposa, é do marido. Inclusive os salários. Lembrando que o caso que motivou a lei foi de uma mulher que não tinha direito ao salário pq o marido tomava tudo
March 1, 2025
It was a wonderful trip to happiness for two wounded people. The war scarred Hero hides behind outraged colourful waistcoats. The heroine with a broken Heart hides behind Her work and a very strict schedule.
Mrs Heath writes an very enjojable story.
Mrs Heath writes an very enjojable story.
March 11, 2025
Virginia Heath's MCs were excellent as always. The story itself is just too steamy for my taste.
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March 14, 2025
Almost really liked this one. But heroine stayed unlikeable for too long and story dragged until oddly dissonant third act breakup.
July 12, 2025
Fab-U-Lous!!
Easily one of my favourite of Virginia's books - Review coming!!
Easily one of my favourite of Virginia's books - Review coming!!
July 30, 2025
The way I wanted to just shake some sense into this girlie every 5 pages 🫠
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews