Never Fall for Your Fiancée

The Merriwell Sisters #1

by Virginia Heath

The first in a new historical rom-com series, a handsome earl hires a fake fiancée to keep his matchmaking mother at bay, but hilarity ensues when love threatens to complicate everything.

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one, even from across the other side of the ocean. So, Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother’s matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns his interfering mother is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his complicated, convoluted but convenient ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman, who might just be the miracle he needs.

Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. Work as a woodcut engraver is few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that while the scheme sounds ludicrous, the offer is too good to pass up.

Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course, nothing goes according to his meticulous plan. As hilarity and miscommunication ensue, while everyone tries to keep their tangled stories straight, Hugh and Minerva’s fake engagement starts to turn into a real romance. But can they trust each other, when their relationship started with a lie?

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Regency

370 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2021

About the author

When 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

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!

You’ll understand why this definition stuck with me when you’re reading the book! It is sooo irresistibly tempting! I adore fake engagement premise and sizzling attraction between couple can explode entire regency era!

The storyline is simple and intriguing: Hugh Standish is charming, flirting gentleman who has commitment issues, thinking he inherited his father’s philanderer tendencies. But his mother Olive who lives in the overseas with her husband Jeremy is so adamant to see his happily ever after. So making her mother happy he created a fake fiancé named Minerva reminds us of household appliances brand name ( I’m kidding it’s the name of Roman goddess of wisdom) and elaborated his story with so many interesting details ( like the girl suffers from consumption which could be fatal disease at those ages, she sings like an angel, a competent horse rider and he saved her from carriage accident like a quiet brilliant knight in shining armor)

But when his mother insists to visit to England to meet with her soon to be daughter in law, he thinks he’s in real trouble. He has to find a woman ASAP to act like his fiancée and the universe answers his prayers quickly. He bumps into a talented artist, creating woodcuts, needing to be paid for her services. He solves her problem by confronting the man who rejects to pay her with his negotiation skills, saving the damsel in distress!

Guess what! This tough, outstanding, witty damsel named Minerva and she takes care of her two sisters alone at her young age. He sees this as a sign and offers her to be his fake fiancée with handsome compensation.
She cannot reject this offer because she and her sisters are so close to live at streets and starving to death. Her weasel father left them penniless five years ago. So poor girls are on their own to survive!

One thing Minerva and Hugh don’t count is since they bump each other, the sparks are already starting to fly around them. The attraction is undeniable! Chemistry is blasting!

Hugh also has no idea Minerva will be accompanied with her two sisters: bold, intimidating, brass Diana already hates his guts, acting like man-hater as young Vee is too shy, having deep trouble to adjust in her role play, throwing tantrums. She might ruin their pretending game!

Hugh’s brazen, man-whore friend Giles advises him to send the young sister back and warns him losing his authority because he is affected by Minerva’s charms.

Hugh’s attempt to talk with Minerva results with a big fight which makes things more complicated. Now Minerva wants to leave the place but surprise, surprise...Olivia decided to arrive earlier and she’s already at home! She already meets with girl’s mom. Okay! I’m correcting: she meets with the actress who is playing the girl’s mom! So they should continue their farce ! And Giles’ sudden work related disappearance makes things more complicated!

Now Hugh is trapped in his house with his mother, the fiancée who is seething after their argument and two unreliable sisters with over exaggerating actress a.k.a their fake mother! And did I tell you that fake mother can turn into more eccentric character when she drinks too much!

This book is truly entertaining! I liked the chemistry and connection of Minerva and Hugh!
I loved supporting characters. Payne as a sweet pain in the arse was my favorite one!

Only thing bothered me was ending which was too rushed! And Hugh’s obsession about inheriting dysfunctional relationship patterns from his father was a illogical. Why he thinks he cannot be capable to form a lifetime long relationship?

I’m still rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 because I had truly great time during my read! It was unputdownable, engaging, stimulating, feel good romance I highly recommend!

I hope we get the sequel we need sooner ( probably it will be Giles and Diana’s story: enemies to lovers premise already intrigued me ! )

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

INT. BOARDROOM – DAY

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Alright, so we need a new historical romance. Something light.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Tessa Dare? Doesn’t she have one more book in her Girl Meets Duke series? Isn’t that supposed to come out this year?

ASSISTANT: Looks like the expected release has been pushed to…2024.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Excuse me?

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Never mind, scratch that. What about Julia Quinn? The Bridgerton adaptation was big. Does she have anything coming up on the docket?

ASSISTANT: …

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: OK fine. They no longer have the same luster anyway. Take a dash of Dare’s twee fluff and a sprinkle of Quinn’s comedy of errors and mix it all together.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Yes, yes great. We can do that.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: I really liked that Dare book, When a Scot Ties the Knot. The one where the female lead invents a dashing hero to avoid the pressures of London society and marriage. But then it turns out the man she was describing and pretending to correspond with actually exists!

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Oh yeah, that was a pretty good one.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Yes, get me another one of those.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Another one of that… same set up?

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Yes, but gender swap it so that it’s the male lead who fabricated his sweetheart. And give me fake dating. Fake engagement I guess? And add even more lying. I want lies all the way through this thing.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Oh you know, I have just the draft manuscript in mind!

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Fantastic. Make sure the heroine has a niche interest. The heroine always has to have some kind of nerdy hobby in a fluffy historical romance.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Algebra? Making marzipan? Keeping snails as pets? Painting feminist murals on civic buildings?

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Art… yeah that’s working for me. Maybe she draws scientific illustrations?

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Um… or she makes woodblock prints!

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Perfect. The heroine should also have quirky sisters or female friends who also have niche interests. We’re building a series here.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Absolutely, no problem. It’s always fun to get to a group scene in the last book of a series and realize you’ve read about the sex lives of everyone in the room.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE AND ASSISTANT: …

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Anyway.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Anyway. The couple should have good chemistry. I want to see some very kind people who are genuinely good to each other.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Oh of course, consider it done!

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: I love fake feelings becoming real feelings. Who can resist?

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Not me, that’s for sure! So to confirm, under Conflict I’ve noted “piles and piles and piles of lies that threaten to collapse under the weight of their own absurdity” does that work for you?

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: I feel like we need a bit more.

ASSISTANT: What about if the hero is landed nobility, and the heroine isn’t? And he’s a reformed rake? Readers love a reformed rake.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Eh…

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Oh, oh what if they can’t be together because the hero’s father and grandfather were thoughtless philanderers and he thinks he can’t commit to marriage because of his “tainted bloodline”?

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Yes, I LOVE IT. No soul searching whatsoever. Absolutely no ownership or accountability. Just blame it on the rotten family tree.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Bloodline. He’s very clear on having defective blood. He mentions it at every opportunity.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Whatever. As long as it can be resolved in one conversation in the last chapter. I want this wrapped up neatly. Super easy, barely an inconvenience. We don't have the page time for more given the layers and layers of farce we need to have at the climax.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Fun!

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: Oh, and it needs to have an illustrated cover. Illustrated covers are all the rage with contemporaries and they’re starting to become popular with historicals too. We can’t be behind the times.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: What about this one? I do love the look of the Regency era. So dreamy.

ASSISTANT: Um, the draft manuscript says this book takes place in 1825.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR EXECUTIVES: And?

ASSISTANT: Well, technically speaking the Regency era ended in 1820.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR EXECUTIVES: And?

ASSISTANT: And while sometimes “Regency era” is used more fluidly, women definitely weren’t wearing narrow gowns like that in the mid-to-late 1820s. They looked more like this.

SENIOR EXECUTIVE (physically recoils): Ugh, I can’t sell a romance novel with that poufy monstrosity on the cover, are you kidding? What kind of person even pays attention to these things anyway? Readers want Austen vibes. They want Bridgerton vibes. Give me that.

JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: Yeah, stop being so petty.

ASSISTANT: But…

SENIOR EXECUTIVE: You’re fired.
-- FIN

[aly ☆彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't something new and recycle plot (especially for fake dating trope) is really tricky because after reading so many writings of similar, you’ll come around to get bored with it. And this book stands between the rock and the hard place as the only distinctive feature it had is that it was set in the 1800s.

Hugh Standish, a charming, flirty gentleman with commitment issues, invented a phoney fiancée named Minerva in order to keep her mother out of his love life. However, all of his well arranged falsehoods are about to burst when his mother sends an unexpected letter announcing her coming to England to meet her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Until he comes upon a gifted woodcut artist who demands payment for her services from one of the locals, saved the day, and only to find out her name is... You guess right. Minerva. Ceasing the opportunity at hands, Hugh offers Minerva to become his fake fiancée in exchange of forty pounds, soon after realizing Minevera’s precarious financial situation.

To an extend, this book is enjoyable but the tragicomedy was weary at times, and a little too intricate for what was supposed to be a fun read. Undeniably, the romantic connection was apparent; what started off as abhor later turned into attraction. Though I believe lots of Hugh's POV is just him mistaking love with lust blergh. There were a ton of up and downs but Hugh and Minerva are full of banter and sweet moments which I do enjoy their progress as the story goes despite the shortcoming.

Notwithstanding the mediocre romance, this book relies on the miscommunication trope which isn't my favourite (I feel like that has always been the case for historical romance). This part is employed to offer the hero some emotional growth, but it also leads to unneeded misinterpretation, as is the case here. Hugh, I believe, was the reason I didn't enjoy this. He had some redeeming traits, but they never entirely redeemed him in my opinion. In comparison to Minerva, he felt immature and thoughtless.

The nature vs nurture theme here can be both aggravating and compelling. I like that it depicts the society as the debate started mid 1800s but Hugh's reasoning of being commitmentphobic because of his father's philanderer tendencies felt ridiculous at times (especially when truths were revealed). One second, this book had me on a grip only to have me pull my hair later.

The side characters were delightful though; the droll Giles, the militant Diana, the irrational Vee, the overly in character paid actress —all of them help to bring more colours to the plot, even when I felt some of the overdetailed scenes were unnecessary. But my most fav has to be our brutally honest butler, Payne. He tells Hugh precisely what he thinks, has a dry sense of humour, and supports Hugh and Minerva's romance before they even realize they're in love. The very dearest kind!

Overall, the storyline was fun and over the top but could still use a room for improvement. I enjoyed it, but I felt that some of the characters lacked the depth I was looking for. While I liked the book, I’m not sure I would want to read the next instalments in the series. But hey! If you're looking for some dumb hero book (somewhere like a himbo or worse), this one may be exactly what you're looking for.

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Historical Romance, and this is the first book in the Merriwell Sisters series. I have to say that Historical Romance is normally not my thing, but the storyline in this book made me want to read it. I did love the storyline, and I found parts of it so funny. The writing in the book was a little bit to flowery and over done for me. I found the characters in the book to be well developed, and I enjoyed most of the characters. I just did not like how somethings in the book just keep coming up over and over. Overall, I found this book just ok. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Dora Koutsoukou · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 😔😔⭐️s

It was supposed to be a historical romance read but (classical) historical was not.

I struggled to finish it…
It was boring, the characters were irritating, the plot had a slow pace, many inner thoughts and descriptions tired me.

I was fed up with Hugh’s belief of his family lineage, that the men in his family were incapable of falling in love or remaining faithful.
Chemistry between Hugh and Minerva was nonexistent. There was so much telling that lessened my interest.

I eventually came to the conclusion that as many times as I tried to read books with cartoons on the cover, they just don’t work for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Sîvan Sardar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sorry I love pathetic men who’s only thought r the love interest it’s literally crack to me

ok edit

ive changed my rating from. 4.5 to like a 3.5/4 i think, i was reading a few passages back this morning and though this romance was SOOOOOO CUTE, and he was so pathetically whiny which was amazing, the writing style does kinda get releltive and it felt long winded at times, idk i feel like im liking it less in my mind as time goes on which im not sure why 😭😭

[Alexis Hall]

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

This is quite a difficult review to write because this book was … um. Fine. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t have particularly strong feelings about it, and I’m worried that’s going to make it anything I say about come across as faint-praisey.

In any case, the basic premise here is that the hero, Hugh Standish, Earl of Somewhere-Or-Other has been lying to his mother for two years about being engaged to and in love with a woman called Minerva. This is because she desperately wants him to marry for wuv, he believes he is incapable of marrying for wuv because his father and grandfather were both philanderers, and he doesn’t want to disappoint her. But now she’s returning from America, where she’s been living with her new husband, leaving Hugh in the awkward situation of having to admit to his mother that he’s been lying to her for the past two years. ALTERNATIVELY he could meet a woman called Minerva at random in the street and pay her forty pounds to pretend to be his fiancé.

As you can probably tell from that description, this is a light, frothy, low-angst kind of read given the main conflict is a man not wanting to upset his mum. And, to be fair to Never Fall For Your Fiancé, the book is pretty clear that Hugh’s behaviour does not reflect well on him. To quote Minerva herself (who is not above the occasional zinger): “What sort of man invents a fiancée because he finds responsibility too daunting and is frightened of his own mother?” Well, quite.

And, in many ways, Hugh is an unusual character. Yes, there’s nothing particularly unusual about the whole Now We Got Bad Blood (in the hereditary sense) arc, but people-pleasing, sensitive and conflict-averse aren’t exactly standard romance hero fare. I rather wish more of had been made of it, if I’m honest, but the book was also at pains to emphasise his feckless fuckboyness as well, lest—I suspect—he came across as insufficiently masculine. Minerva is sharp, clever and likeable, but also felt more typical. She also starts the book as a talented engraver, struggling to get work because of her gender, a … I don’t even think it’s a plot exactly … a story element perhaps … that gets completely subsumed into pretending-to-be-an-Earl’s-fiance-and-then-falling-in-love-with-him business. Which, I don’t know? Maybe that’s fair enough? If I was a woman in the 19th century and my options were deal with institionalised sexism in the engraving industry or marry an Earl, I might go with the marry an Earl option too?

Anyway, Never Fall For Your Fiancé has all the hallmarks of an entertaining, light-hearted histrom: amusing dialogue, an absurd premise, a well-drawn supporting cast, and strong chemistry between the leads. Why I think I struggled occasionally when I wished to romp was that the writing sometimes tended towards the over-expository (at least for my personal preference) and towards the end there are a run of miscommunications between Minerva and Hugh that got a little wearing: she thinks he’s asking her to be his mistress, he’s just asking her to wait until he sorts his head out, she thinks he’s rejecting her because she’s not of his social class, he’s actually rejecting her because he does feel he’s worthy etc. etc. I also pedantically tripped on the actual plot in the sense that Hugh meets Minerva entirely at random and is all like, oh thank god, a woman called Minerva who can pretend to be fiancé. Couldn’t he have just got ANY woman? Like, they’re lying about everything else. Why did it matter that her name was genuinely Minerva?

On top of which there’s sex scene at the end that I personally didn’t feel was doing anything other than being a sex scene: I know banging in romance is a heavily contested subject, with some people feeling banging is integral to the romance genre but, personally, as a reader, I’d rather have no sex or less sex, than sex that wasn’t meaningfully part of the characters' journey. But, let me emphasise, that’s personal preference. I’m not saying the sex scene is bad or books with non-narratively driven sex-scenes are wrong. Just, to me, having Hugh put his dick in Minerva felt less about who they were, both as individuals and together, than, for example, the picnic they’d gone on earlier in the book. PLUS an earlier point of misunderstanding/conflict had been Minerva being offended she thought Hugh had wanted her to be his mistress, because she wasn’t going to “debase” herself for him. And while he’s assured her didn’t mean that, he’s still not ready to confess his feelings or, y’know marry her, but she’s suddenly all I WANT TO DO THE BANGING. And I don’t think I quite got how having sex with a gentleman without an offer marriage went so abruptly from not-okay to okay. Because wouldn’t sleeping him under the circumstances of his not being ready to do any marriage stuff but he might be maybe at some point in an undisclosed future mean she was sort of in practice his mistress anyway?

There’s also some of the … um. I guess I’m just going to call it the standard histrom stuff that might not be ideal for some readers? I don’t mean to pick on this book specifically for it because it’s so widespread as to be almost a genre feature (though, let’s be clear, I kind of wish it wasn’t). So there’s a bit of gendered language in here (hot men affecting ‘feminine parts’ etc.) and a middle-aged stage actress who is used solely for the purpose of comedy. Hugh has hired her to play the part of Minerva’s mother, and when she’s first introduced she gives a delightful speech about method acting so I thought the joke was going to be that she was going to be pretentious but awesome at her job. Except no. The joke is that she is fat, old, vulgar, and drinks too much. The hero even imagines her when he needs to control his desire for the heroine. Which is, you know, not cool. And, listen, I know that histrom is specifically the place where we indulge our fantasies about aristocrats (and Never Fall Your Fiancé goes out of its way to note Hugh’s privilege, which I appreciated) but I really wish that didn’t always come at the cost of portraying anyone who isn’t an aristocrat as morally and aesthetically moribund. It strikes an especially strange note here, too, because Minerva and her sisters are genteel but impoverished, and their father is dodgy AF, so instead you get semi-Dickensian distinction enforced between the virtuous and the non-virtuous poor. And as far as I can tell, Lucretia DeVere’s only flaws are daring to be fat and earn her own living.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath is a 2021 St. Martin’s Griffin publication.

Romantic comedies overwhelmingly land in the contemporary category these days, it seems, so when I saw this book was marketed as a historical romantic comedy, I had to check it out.

Hugh, the Earl of Fareham, is in a panic. He is not marriage material in his opinion, but his mother, who married for love, is determined to see Hugh happily married. To prevent her constant matchmaking, he invented a fiancée, named Minerva. But when his mother announces, she is coming to meet his intended face to face, he fears the jig is up.

When he comes to the aid of a young woman in a heated argument with a man who owes her money, he learns to his utter disbelief that her name is Minerva! He offers her a job posing as his fiancée and because this kind of money could help her care for her two younger sisters, she agrees.

Naturally, deception rarely works out as planned. Hugh and Minvera’s plans go terribly awry when Hugh’s mother arrives early, and their plans to ‘end the engagement’ is unavoidably delayed…

This book is a breath of fresh air!

The premise is not a new one in the world of romance, by any means, but Heath freshens the trope by adding droll humor and a non-stop comedy of errors. (The butler is hilarious) This is just the kind of book I needed right now. The light tone, the delicious scandals, and the humor kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish!

Overall, if you need a mood enhancer or just want to enjoy a nice, easy and fun story for a change, this is the book for you. I can’t wait to read the next installment!

4.5 stars

[Janet Newport · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the arc.

Never Fall for Your Fiancee is as refreshing as a fruit sorbet on a hot afternoon!
While the fake fiancee trope and plot were predictable to romance readers, the characters of this story were truly delightful.... as were their antics (think 3 Stooges).

I do hope for further adventures from this bunch!

[Aoife - Bookish_Babbling · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25*

Fun final read for 2021
Regency & fake dating as a combo haven't hit my radar very often and this eye-catching cover deffo caught my beady magpie eye for an enticing trifecta 🤩

Jeremiah & Payne were hands down my faves and a scene near the end with the brandy legit made me snort laugh 🤭
Olivia was a treat and well up to "handling" her tricksy son 😈
I was a little disappointed that Diana & Giles didn't get a bit more on page sparring but perhaps that'll be the next book in the Merriwell Sister series...not sure how I really feel about a romance there if Giles is the same age as Hugh tho 🤔
Vee has a bit of growing up to do and has been quite sheltered by her sisters so I'm reserving judgement altho I did enjoy her ability to step into the breach with quick thinking towards the end even if one of her final scenes was a little unfortunate but no spoilers and again I understand it because of her "immaturity".

Minerva & Hugh were enjoyable MCs and the fake dating set up was well done with entertaining, to me, 'Importance of being Earnest' style snowballing/house of cards at the end. As often with a fake dating premise it flirts with poor/miscommunication but for a period piece I like how they handled it and how upfront each was at the beginning of the bargain - even if the whole thing is utterly far fetched and unlikely to have ever truly happened 😅

As is my wont to nitpick and sulk at the highly annoying presence of "z" in words which would not be there in "English" English especially, I imagine, in the 1800s...so they caught my pedantic beady eye and knocked some of the shine off an otherwise enjoyable reading experience to cap off the year 🤗

[Jess Conte · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2022/...
Aunque lo acaban de publicar en castellano, lo he leído en inglés y eso siempre puede afectar a mi valoración🤷‍♀️
Pues eso, típico Lord reacio al matrimonio que contrata servicios de una falsa prometida y a partir de ahí ninguna sorpresa.
El secreto de estas novelas es la gracia que pueda tener la autora para desarrollar esta típica historia de enredo, supuesta comedia.
No he encontrado la gracia en ninguna escena🤷‍♀️ y el final es tan precipitado, poco sorprendente y con conflicto, en ese sentido, casi inexistente que me he quedado estupefacta
Quizás es más un "soy yo" no sé 😅🤷‍♀️

[Hannah B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon reread I’m dropping to 4/5 just because it wasn’t as fun as book 2 and the blackmailing father was annoying. I still really enjoyed it and I LOVED the audiobook narrators. 🌶️.75/5

✨God I love a fake, hired family moment.✨

This was super cute and quite hilarious!! It reminded me of the original Christmas in Connecticut where there’s fake family members and absurd hijinks. It’s even a bit Christmasy. Never Fall for Your Fiancé is a true historical rom-com. There were times when I simply couldn’t contain my laughter. The Mozart scene really did me in.

Hugh was a very compelling hero and I really liked him, especially when he got a little feisty. I did find his whole “faulty Standish bloodline” state of mind kind of flimsy and annoying but overall it worked. I was so tickled to find out that her name really was Minerva and that I liked her older sister mentality. Her and Hugh fit well together but I liked it best when they ✨chaffed✨ a bit.

It wasn’t very steamy but there was a little somethin somethin—I wasn’t sure what we were going to get with this one so I was pleasantly surprised. I did end up deducting .5⭐️s for the lack of steam just because it was a lengthy book and the build-up was super slow-burn and intense. I just think we could have been given more to completely round out the story. I did appreciate the shameless nipples however.

There’s a point at the end where you’ll be like “there are absolutely not enough pages to resolve everything” but never fear—everything came out of the wash spick and span. There was also a really fun little twist near the end. I only wish the father would have been punished more for his unsavoriness but perhaps in books two and three? I also can’t wait to see Vee’s transformation in her book and what type of hero she gets because I really found her annoying here. I can’t wait to see her challenged.

It’s very unfortunate that I’ve read this book this far before release (11/21) because I already need book two. Diana is going to be such a prickly pear and Giles is her perfect foil. I also can’t wait to see the cover color because I really love this orange color. I hope one of them will be emerald (like their eyes) since there are far too few dark green romance books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶🌶🌶/5

P.S. Another fake family Christmas movie comp is Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck.

[Whitney Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for this light hearted rom com. The bright cover caught my eye and drew me in. Some parts were really entertaining and gave me a little laugh. Minerva’s sisters and the hired actress to play her mother add some extra drama. The storyline was of course very predictable, but it was still a fun read.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in return for my honest review.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Historical/Regency Romance

I really loved the beginning of this book. It was charming, witty, and even laugh out loud funny a few times. I also liked the end and how everything finally wrapped up with a nice HEA.

The middle and latter portions of the book is why my rating dropped. What started off as amusing, whimsical, and cute became a bit melodramatic, repetitive, tedious, and frustrating. The hero and heroine both began to irritate me. It was so obvious that they both had strong feelings for each other, and the solution to their predicaments seemed so clear and simple. The hero's stubborn insistence of his inability to love and remain faithful because of his Standish bloodline became annoying.

Hugh and Minerva finally come to their senses and talk, and the end of the book brought back the charm and humor. I wish there had been an epilogue though. I really hope we get a book for Hugh's best friend, Giles, because he's a hilariously unrepentant scoundrel.

[Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author, and I had laugh out loud moments. The Earl needs to have a way to convince his mother that he is engaged and a way to break the engagement. So he comes up with a fiancé which is where fun really starts. It's a historical comedy with a bit of steam. The side characters are a great addition. I will continue to read the next in the series.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher.
I reread this book for the BOM. I almost never reread a book as it lacks the surprise of what comes on the next page for me. I found that to be very true of this book. It dropped a star for me even though I enjoyed the book I had to suspend belief a bit too much.

[saffiyah✧ఌ]

And on today's episode of Historical Fake Dating, we have something that better live up to my unreasonably high attainable expectations.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this a B- at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars

Virginia Heath has been one of my favourite authors of historical romance since I read her second book (Her Enemy at the Altar) for Mills & Boon/Harlequin back in 2016. Her stories are generally light-hearted and a lot of fun although not without a more serious side, her characters are well-rounded and engaging, her prose is crisp and the humour never feels forced.   Never Fall for Your Fiancée, the first book in her new Merriwell Sisters trilogy, is her first book for St. Martin’s Press, and it bears all the hallmarks of her style - a gorgeous hero, an intelligent and snarky heroine who won’t put up with any crap, sparking dialogue and genuinely witty banter - although it’s a tad overlong and the chemistry between the two principals isn’t quite as compelling as I know she’s capable of delivering.  The plot isn’t going to win any prizes for originality, but Ms. Heath makes good use of the fake-relationship trope and her bright and breezy writing style carries the day.

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, is in a bit of a bind.  His mother, who lives in Boston with her second husband, is on her way to England for a visit expressly to meet Hugh’s fiancée Minerva, the young woman to whom he’s been engaged for the past two years.  The problem?  Minerva is entirely a product of Hugh’s imagination, invented in order to head off his mother’s constant reminders that he should get married and her offer (which Hugh saw more as a threat) to come home to help him find a bride.  Hugh adores his mother, but he is absolutely convinced that a man should only enter into a marriage when he had every intention of honouring his vows, and being sure he isn’t capable of either love or fidelity, he has decided to eschew matrimony.  But his mother’s arrival is imminent, and the idea of telling her the truth weighs heavily.  He never, ever wanted to hurt her and, if he’s honest with himself (which he tries hard not to be too often), he also wants to avoid admitting to her that he’s far too much like his late father to consider settling down.

Minerva Merriwell has been the family caretaker since their mother died when Minerva was nine, and has been solely responsible for her younger sisters Diana and Vee (short for Venus) since their good-for-nothing father abandoned them when she was nineteen.  Now twenty-four, Minerva ekes out a living as an engraver but it’s a hand-to-mouth existence and her worries are never-ending.  Today’s is that one of the people she’s produced work for is four weeks late with payment; she’s confronted him outside his house to request – politely – that he pay her right away and things are deteriorating when a gentleman steps in and offers his assistance.  The bluster displayed by Minerva’s ‘employer’ can’t hold up in the face of the stranger’s aristocratic hauteur; the debt is settled and the gentleman offers to escort her home.

Hugh can’t believe his good fortune.  Not only does this young woman share the name of his fake fiancée, she’s entirely captivating – beautiful, witty and self-assured – and on the spot, he decides the answer to his problem is right in front of him.  He’ll pay Minerva to act as his fiancée, and then engineer some sort of falling-out that will end their ‘engagement’.  But he’s surprised when Minerva expresses reservations.  It’s clear she needs the money he’s offering, but she’s not happy about the idea of practicing such a deception; the Merriwells may be on the cusp of destitution, but they had morals.

Well, of course Minerva does agree and she – with Diana and Vee, who are as unhappy about the scheme as Minerva is  – travel to Hugh’s Hampshire estate to await the arrival of his mother and to learn their roles while they wait.  Unfortunately, however, Hugh’s mother and step-father arrive much earlier than expected – well before Minerva has acquired enough ‘polish’ – which necessitates some more impromptu, highly creative falsehoods on Hugh’s part.  The story moves fairly briskly, the central characters are likeable and the humour is dry and nicely observed, but around the middle, it gets a bit bogged down and some of the contortions Hugh has to make in order to perpetuate his lies get a bit overly convoluted, and I sometimes felt as though I was in the middle of a French farce.  Perhaps that was the intention, but although I’ve said that the humour in Ms. Heath’s books isn’t forced, it comes close a few times here.

Minerva is a great heroine, a young woman forced to become a parent when she wasn’t much more than a child herself and who puts her own wants and needs last every time. She’s intelligent, witty, generous and determined, but she’s grown so used to being her sisters’ sole support that she has sort of lost sight of the fact that they’re young women now, and should be taking responsibility for themselves.  I liked Hugh a lot, with some caveats.  He’s charming, funny, perceptive and caring, but he goes out of his way to act the indolent wastrel (not that we ever see that on the page) when he is in fact a conscientious landowner and employer, and an all-round decent man.  It doesn’t take Minerva long to work out that there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye, but what she can’t work out is why he’s so set on letting everyone around him believe he’s shallow, selfish and lazy.  (And quite honestly, neither could I.) BUT – and here are the caveats.  Firstly, he is convinced he’s bad husband material because the Standish Blood Runs In His Veins; his grandfather was a rotten bastard, his father was unfaithful to his mother, and Hugh isn’t going to visit heartbreak upon any woman – like his cheating sire and grandfather before him, he isn’t capable of love or commitment.  This is stated so very often that I felt I was being hit over the head with it;  I lost track of how many times the “bad blood” or the “Standish way” or the philandering grandfather and father were mentioned.  A grown man of thirty-two is responsible for his own behaviour, and Hugh was perfectly capable of steering his own course.  And then there’s the deception.  As Minerva says – “What sort of man invents a fiancée because he finds responsibility too daunting and is frightened of his own mother?” And that says it all, really.

There’s a small but well-drawn supporting cast.  Hugh’s mother is a delightful woman who obviously thinks the world of him and just wants him to be happy, Payne, the butler is a nineteenth century Jeeves –an expert in the pithy bon mot –  and I liked Hugh’s friend Giles, who I’m assuming will be the hero of a future book in the series.  I liked the middle sister, Diana, who is lively and forthright (and there are definite sparks between her and Giles) although Vee is… well, a bit of a wet blanket, honestly.  She’s still convinced their dead-beat dad is going to come back and won’t hear a word against him, and she presents a number of problems for Hugh’s scheme.

That said, Never Fall for Your Fiancée is fluff of the highest quality, and if you’re looking for a well-written, funny historical rom-com with some shrewd observation on the side, it might be just what you’re looking for.  But I can’t recommend it unreservedly, because much as I liked Hugh, I didn’t buy the reasons for his ‘I am not worthy’ act and all the miscommunication and misinterpretation became a bit wearing.  I like the fake-relationship trope, and I like Ms. Heath’s writing, but this one didn’t quite tick all the boxes for me.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Never Fall for Your Fiancee” is a first time read by Virginia Heath, new author to this reader. I thought this story was well-written and enjoyed the characters. Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham and Minerva Merriwell pretend an engagement of sort that would benefit both parties and one to keep Hugh’s mother at bay as she is on the hunt to find him a wife. This was a delightful historical rom-com that I totally enjoyed. I thought Hugh was a charming person but one who didn’t think he was deserving of love. Then there is Minerva, who is eager to please and is selfless when she thinks of her sisters. As with any historical romances, I look forward to a bit of steamy in relationship building and although this one had a little over half, the chemistry made up for it. I do like tropes that involve “fake engagements/fake fiances”. The humor and cast of characters made this book a sweet and delightful read. Recommend the read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Never Fall for Your Fiancee was such a cute romcom book! After all the mystery books, I definitely needed something light and fluffy to make my heart all kinds of happy. Plus, anything with a fake romance (or engagement) definitely hits the spot because the outcome is always the same: Happy!

Even though things were a little predictable, I couldn't help falling in love with the characters and their romance. No, seriously. Minerva and Hugh were freaking adorable. It was obvious that they had so much chemistry but I came for the banter people. Let's be real.

Then there's the drama. Oh the drama! Yes, it was equally predictable but it needed to happen. We needed people to dislike.. and maybe even hate. Mostly because it helped us root for the people we liked.. maybe even loved.

In the end, I'm so happy that I got the chance to jump into this wonderful book and I can't wait for the sequel!

[Beary Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4
Never Fall For Your Fiancee by @virginiaheathwrites was wonderful. This book is exactly what you need if you're having a bad day. I was smiling and laughing from page one. The banter between all of the characters was hilarious especially between Minerva and Hugh. I thought they had great chemistry and even though they were infatuated with one another early on there was no insta-love. The plot was fun and ridiculously over the top (in a good way) and the story Hugh made up about Minerva was entertaining.

I loved that each character had depth and their own personality. I absolutely adored the relationship Minerva had with her younger sisters. She did a great job raising them after her dad abandoned them when she was 19. She literally proves to her sisters that she would do anything in order to keep them fed and a roof over their head. I also enjoyed the relationship between Hugh and Giles. They definitely seemed more like brothers than best friends. Giles would do anything for Hugh and proved it by going along with his whole charade.

Honestly, this was such a fun romantic comedy with a refreshing historical setting. This book takes place in 1825 and the author did a great job of making the reader feel as though it was actually 1825. The plot, writing, pacing, setting, and characters made for a good story. I cannot wait to continue reading this series to see what happens with the sisters!

*Received an eARC through #NetGalley and @stmartinspress
in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Men in love see little fault in the women they have given their hearts to, whereas women are always much more pragmatic, don’t you think?
We see the faults clearly, but learn to live with them.

What I loved:
✅ Fake dating
✅ historical setting aka Bridgerton/Downtown Abby
✅ cute
✅ funny

What I didn’t like:
❌ slow pacing
❌ felt longer than it actually was

[Lady Nilambari Reads HR · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, maybe 2.75 Stars

I read this book as a part of the BOTM challenge for HRBC.

My Thoughts
- This is my first Virginia Heath, and let's just say that it was interesting. This book's appeal lies in its rom-com like nature, unfortunately, though, it predominantly looks like a farcical theatrical production, tied together with a historical bow, and if you tug on that bow, the whole thing will unravel. This is my creative way of saying that this felt contemporary than historical romance.
- The story in itself was wildly outlandish for its period. I found it to be a mixture of The Proposal and The Pretty Woman. Was it fun? Yes. Would I have liked reading something like this? Also, yes. Do I want this in an HR genre book? NO.
- The writing was modern as well. There were many phrases to indicate that - All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy; get the hang of it; carbon copy; stinker; dibs on you; bite the bullet etc. Also, for British aristocratic characters, these words are quite American.
- As for the technicalities, the pacing was off, it was too long, the character development was rushed, and finally, there were too many characters.
- This was a very funny book, absolutely humourous, that brought to mind Megan Frampton's writing style. Alas, just humour was not enough to save it from some glaring issues.
- The writing was so in your face, there was no room for interpretation about anything, not the emotions, nor thoughts, or the characters. It had all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, as every noteworthy peculiarity that the author wanted you to note was italicized.
- Weirdly enough, the romance I believed, well, the overtones of it at least. The forced proximity, pretend engagement, desperate need to have honest conversations to keep the pretence going paved the way for a believable romance.
- One complaint I have about the romance is the lack of steam. This almost counted as a clean book. I enjoy steamy goodness in the romance novels I read.
- Minerva was the saviour for this tale. She was a great, strong, amazing heroine. I enjoyed her pragmatic side, her softer side, and her steel spine. Whatever hand she was dealt, she played and played it to win. She managed her sisters well, took care of them, manoeuvred Hugh brilliantly, and managed to forge a great relationship with his mother as well. I found her to be the epicentre of this story, which I enjoyed reading thoroughly.
- Hugh was a man child. A petulant, whiny, exasperating man child. For goodness sake, he was 32 years old but behaved like a 12-year-old for the most part. His entire charade of a fake fiancé could be chalked out to whimsy, but the "no depth, shallow puddle, no need to be maudlin, irritation with wingback chairs, and the worst of all, the tainted Standish blood" tirade was tedious. I hate a man who refuses to show depth, acts shallow and thinks he knows best. I just found it very difficult to like him, and I am exceedingly forgiving with heroes.
- Minerva's sisters were difficult to digest, especially Venus. Most 17-year-olds were married by that age, but this one was stomping her feet and crying for daddy like a 7-year-old. Gah! Diana was rude, plain and simple. Rules of propriety and basic courtesy were thrown out the window in her presence. But Diana was tolerable as compared to Venus.
- Is it bad of me to say that I enjoyed Giles and Payne more than I did Hugh? What brilliant, sardonic, witty characters they both were. I maybe, and it is a big maybe, inclined to read Giles's book.

My Recommendation
I had a few laughs and chuckles, but this author is not for me. There was too much of too many things. I like my books centred and crisp. Plus, if I want to read a contemporary romance, I shall find one and read it. I do not need it masquerading as a historical.

[Suzanne]

I love myself enough not to force myself to finish this. Skimming at 10% is never a great sign. Just not compelling and the setup doesn’t really make sense.

I was assigned this book for review and received a free copy. I’m obviously not covering it, but there’s my disclosure for the FTC

[Inna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. What could have been an excellent romcom turned out to be just mediocre in the last act.

The book starts out in a fun tone - with enjoyable (but often silly) characters, lots of banter, and an over-the-top plot that can only be described as hilariously ridiculous. There were lines that made me snort, and I often had a smile on my face during the first half. Unfortunately, the story eventually became a bit too convoluted and often just plain stupid. The author tried too hard to prolong the plot, and it did the story no favors.

The best example of this: the hero’s whole debauched lifestyle was because he knew his father to be a philanderer. The hero refuses to settle down because he doesn’t want to hurt a woman like his father hurt his mother. He can’t seem to see past the shadow that his father’s life has cast over him. Except, in the last act it comes out that his father wasn’t a philanderer at all, and that his parents essentially had an arrangement, each with someone they loved. The hero initially found out about his father’s mistress on his father’s deathbed, when his father invited his “other family” to be by his side. Instead of explaining any of this to the hero, both of his parents left him assuming the worst and stewing with an incorrect assumption for years and years. The hero assumed that his mother was greatly hurt by his father’s infidelity. What a total load of bull - why wouldn’t they have explained this to him before bringing the other woman into the home and allowing the hero to believe the worst?? The whole story is based around this totally stupid premise that the hero’s loving parents would completely neglect to communicate with him. And on top of that - why didn’t the hero’s father ever tell him the truth prior to death - if the other family wasn’t actually a dirty secret?? So many plot holes and I hate plot holes - especially when the whole story is based on one.

Also, I just want to mention one part of this philandering father storyline that was really skated over by the author….the hero’s father impregnated his mistress (and love) the night before he married his mother. He was trying to convince the OW to marry him, she refused, he slept with her as a goodbye, and then married another woman the next morning. How is this not considered a completely dick move??? There are many old school romance books that have the hero seeing his mistress for a final send off before his wedding, and they all disgust me. How sleazy. Why would any author make a guy who does this into a romantic hero? 🤢

This story is decent if you don’t mind constant reminders of the hero being a rake (although in fairly vague terms) and don’t mind plot holes. Although, I mind both- and I mind that the poor virginal heroine now probably has genital warts for the rest of her days. 😢

Safe; virgin heroine, manwhore hero with many mentions but minimal details, no scenes with om/ow, no major om/ow drama, no cheating between MCs.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

"What a pointless and wholly avoidable mess."

Unfortunately, I think this quote sums up the book too well. I found it a frustrating slog rather than the intended slow burn.
This fake engagement is based on tall tales and an intricate, fabricated backstory. Hugh hires Minerva to fill the role of his fictional fiancee of the same name, and chaos ensues. I had several general issues with the book:

 • There's casual slut-shaming in regards to who is wifely material. Reference is made to a marriageable woman's "pristine sheets" in contrast to the unworthy legion of lovers in Hugh's past.
 • It gets worse when Hugh's "primal, wholly male, and visceral" jealousy (a different beast from bargain brand jealousy) causes him to seethe about her potential past with a sweetheart despite his own promiscuous past, particularly dwelling on the question of what degree of physical intimacy they enjoyed.
 • A conversation on body image suggests that women know their own "faults" as a ...positive?
 • Any comments describing the US as a land of freedom and fairness make me gag.
 • The actress hired to play Minerva's mother provides comic relief, and her apparent alcoholism causes her to be characterized as a "drunkard" with her embarrassing, potentially incriminating behavior as the major concern rather than her well-being. All alcohol is removed from the premises with Lucretia as a passive recipient of the decision. Nothing is done to actually support her or treat her with any degree of empathy.

Characterization relied on telling (sometimes repeatedly) more than showing. I also disliked Hugh, both his faults and supposed strengths. Please enjoy my list of Hugh-shaped complaints:

 • Philanthropy is used as shorthand for his inherent goodness (lazy).
 • Acknowledgment of his rich white man privilege goes no further than discomfort and guilt, and it was exhausting to see it play out in slow motion on the page.
 • The man has an actual knight-in-shining-armor complex. Hugh's top-secret (but why?) desire to "rescue" the downtrodden results in his offer to pay Minerva enough to entice her from her clear poverty for her role while knowing it is a pittance in his own terms. Minerva's view of him as her personal knight fans the flames of his instalove for her as he sheds a lifetime of adamant refusals to settle down. That dynamic was cringey.
 • I was irritated by his nonsensical fear of biological programming towards infidelity. I shouldn't hate on another's mental health issues, but he goes in circles at a mind-numbingly unproductive pace. He also never actually moves past this block, just rewriting history to be happy with his believed inherited character.

Despite some brief comedic bright spots, I don't think that makes it worth the read. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this surprised me.

It seemed like this was overhyped. I heard it was funny. This is a bad combo on my enjoyment. Often over-hype kills funny for me. Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised by this. My first by Virginia Heath, and I will seek more out.

[Dann · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Adventures should always take your breath away."

That quote couldn't be more accurate. This book, however, was not an adventure.

This particular insta-love story somehow ended up being boring, despite the premise. It's basically Chasing Cassandra (in terms of plot), minus the stellar humor.

Also, the concept was ludicrous to begin with. Hugh thinks unfaithfulness runs in his blood (because of his dad and grandpa), so he doesn't want to get married. His mom wants him to. So he pays Minerva to be his fake fiancée. That's the plot. Pretty much.

Not sure how this ended up on my tbr list...

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was filled with farce that had me giggling my way through it.
All the characters are well developed and I do love a fake relationship in a story.
Reminded me of a comedic version of Bridgerton.
Much love to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my DRC.

[Estíbaliz Montero Iniesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5⭐
Nunca te enamores de tu prometida es un romance de época llena de sinsentidos y de toques de humor. Hugh y Minerva se embarcan en una relación falsa (ella porque necesita el dinero y él porque quiere quitarse de encima a su madre) y digamos que la situación cada vez se embrolla más y resulta en más y más situaciones de las que cada vez es más difícil salir.

Una cosa que me ha gustado de esta historia es que ambos se sienten atraídos el uno por el otro, pero lo definen así, como «atracción». No acaba de ser amor a primera vista, aunque evidentemente, los sentimientos de ambos se van intensificando con el paso del tiempo y gracias al roce. La relación entre ambos me ha gustado bastante, sus escenas juntos me han tenido enganchados, aunque el drama de él es de esos que me parece que con un poco de cabeza, uno ve que en realidad no hay ningún drama. Pero bueno, no se les puede pedir a los personajes que sean perfectos desde el principio, o no habría evolución.

Además, he disfrutado de la actitud de Minerva. A pesar de estar sufriendo y estar enamorándose de Hugh, no le permite que se pase de la raya y lo pone en su lugar cuando hace falta.

Otra cosa que me ha gustado mucho del libro han sido los secundarios. Por un lado Payne, el mayordomo de Hugh, que es el típico sirviente que lleva tantos años trabajando para un amo que ya no se muerde la lengua. Sus aportaciones son sensacionales. Y por otro lado, Diana, la mediana de las hermanas Merriwell. Su libro será el siguiente y le tengo ganas porque es un personaje de armas tomar y con las cosas muy claras. Giles, el amigo de Hugh, para lo poco que ha salido también me ha caído bien. La que me ha sacado un poco de quicio con su actitud es la hermana menor, pero bueno, es la más joven y es hasta cierto punto comprensible, teniendo en cuenta la difícil situación familiar de las hermanas.

Lo que sí que me ha parecido es que el estilo de la autora en ocasiones es un poco forzado, como si se esforzara demasiado para que la narración fuera más lírica o elegante de lo que toca y al final, en algunos puntos no queda del todo natural.