#merriwell sisters

[bookclub-reads]

When the main couple has already kissed, but you still got 200 pages left….

[lovelyloveday]

 Never Wager with a Wallflower is the third and final installment in the Merriwell Sisters Regency rom-com series. This delightful addition to the series surpasses the previous books in every way. 

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath https://bit.ly/3Bm0pVN

[christinaroseandrews]

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, is in a bit of a pickle. For the last two years, he's been telling his matchmaking mama about his fiancee, Minerva. A fiancee who is quite fictional. Now his mother is traveling from America to meet this estimable woman... a woman who doesn't exist. But when Hugh intervenes in a conflict between an artist and her deadbeat client, he comes up with a wonderful plan -- have this woman, whose name happens to be Minerva, pretend to be his fiancee for the holidays. It's perfect!

Minerva Merriwell is in dire straits. Her mother died years ago. Her father abandoned them when she was a teenager. Now with her middle sister newly out of a job and clients refusing to pay her for her commissions, she needs money and fast -- else she and her sisters will be out on the streets. Salvation comes in the form of a handsome nobleman who not only convinces her client to pay her but also wants to hire her. Not for her talent with a paintbrush, but to pretend to be his fiancee. It's enough money to keep her family housed and fed for a year. How hard could this be?

They only have to pretend to be besotted with each other.... nothing needs be real. Except that's not how it turns out.

Virginia Heath is a new-to-me author and I'm going to have to check out her other works because this book was delightful. It's a light strangers-to-lovers romp that features situations that wouldn't be out of place in an Austen novel. In a way, this book reminds me of Emma or Sanditon, and I loved that. This is a pure romantic comedy with the usual comedy of errors, manners, and even a few situations. Because of that, there's some secondary embarrassment potential, but nothing worse than what you would find on an average sitcom.

I adored Hugh. He was such a good boy. The poor dear is convinced that he'd be a horrible husband and father because of genetics. That he's broken. And thus doesn't deserve love because he feels he cannot be faithful to the one he adores. It's kind of adorable. He's such a good man. In fact, that's his weakness and what gets him into trouble. He wants to make people happy... which means he does things and says things that he thinks they want to hear rather than the truth. It's an interesting way to present a hero.

I also liked Minerva. She's a commoner. Poor. Determined.  She's resourceful and knows how to make the best of a bad situation, but she's also hobbled by the desire to protect her youngest sister from the cruelties of life... which bites her in her rear.

The romance was well done... it's definitely a slow-burn romance with plenty of obstacles along the way. But they're realistic obstacles and ones of the characters own making. There's a lot of good foreshadowing and neither character is a reliable narrator. It's well done.

There do need to be some trigger warnings for people: Triggers for parental abuse, parental neglect, parental abandonment, infidelity, parental death, depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, and more I may be missing. It's a fun book, but make sure you're in a good place before reading it.

In all, I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing what happens next in this series.

Five stars.

If this is your jam, you can get it here.

If you like these kind of honest reviews, please consider supporting us here!

I received an ARC of this book on NetGalley

[headlineeternal]

An exclusive chat with Virginia Heath, celebrating the release of NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FIANCÉE - featuring her period drama recs!

What inspired you to write your Merriwell Sisters series?

It was an idea that had been bubbling around in my odd head for a while. I love the dynamics you get with a family, hence I the sisters focus of the series. Siblings always have the most interesting and complex relationships because you have that unbreakable bind of love and loyalty butting against the different personalities and ages. Minerva, Diana and Venus Merriwell both adore yet regularly want to strangle one another which I think anyone with a brother or sister can relate to. It also makes for good comedy. With the Merriwells, I wanted to write a romcom cross between My Fair Lady and The Importance of Being Earnest, with a bit of Bridget Jones in a corset with some of the farcical aspects of TV’s Frasier tossed into the mix. I’ve always had a love of Oscar Wilde and the old Hollywood musicals - sad but true. I adore Wilde’s witty prose and the flawed but endearing characters he creates, so in homage, my hero Hugh is a lovable rogue a bit like Earnest, and his match-making mother has elements of Lady Bracknell about her. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched My Fair Lady, and Eliza Doolittle’s journey from the gutter to the highest echelons of society certainly formed part of the inspiration for Minerva Merriwell my heroine.

Why do you love writing historical romance?

It’s a proper escape from everyday life, and after the last eighteen months, I think we all need that right now more than ever. I am - was - a history teacher by trade so I’ve always had a love of the past and that background certainly helps now that I write about it. There is something compelling about a historical backdrop because the characters feel familiar - because people are reliably people no matter what century they happen to exist in. Yet there is a romance to the customs and rules they had to abide by in days of yore. Limitations which we in the modern world do not have to deal with but which add a unique frisson to a historical romance, and a sense of gallantry, honour and politeness which seems to be often missing nowadays. And then, of course, historically, history loved to throw up obstacles to keep women in their place and so obviously, that provides the perfect setting to create kickass heroines who refuse to comply and run rings around the heroes. That’s the best part of my job!

Do you remember the book that made you first fall in love with romance fiction? What do you think makes the best kind of love story?

I’ve always been a reader so its hard to narrow that down to just one book, so I’ll plump for a few authors instead who made me fall in love with the romance genre. Penny Vincenzi and her colourful doorstoppers often kept me company on my tube rides into London in the 90s when I worked in the city. So too did Jackie Collins, Sandra Brown and the amazing Nora Roberts. Her Montana Sky is my all time favourite contemporary romance as it’s a work of genius involving 3 warring sisters, 3 separate love stories which are all woven together seamlessly while a deranged serial killer tries to top them off one by one. My gateway into historical romance cam by accident when my local bookshop had no new contemporary paperbacks, so I picked up one just so as I had something to read on my commute. It was The Duke and I, the 1st book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series and frankly it changed my life. Not only did it I devour every regency I could get my hands on afterwards, when I finally got around to writing my own books, that became my genre too. And what makes the best kind of love story? That’s easy. One that takes you on a rollercoaster ride but still ends happily.

Do you have a personal favourite of all the novels you’ve written? Which is the book you get the most fan-mail/reader love for?

My favourite novel is always the one I am currently writing, so at this precise moment in time it's Never Rescue a Rogue, the sequel to Never Fall for Your Fiancée and the middle Merriwell sister Diana’s story. I am immensely proud of both books and hope readers love reading them as much as I’ve loved writing them. From my backlist, the books I get the most fan mail about are my Wild Warriners series where 4 down on their luck brothers each jump through hoops to find the woman of their dreams. Its another sibling series, and thanks to my love of those Hollywood musicals again, was inspired by Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Can you tell us what is coming next?

Never Rescue a Rogue, obviously, followed by the final book in the Merriwell Sisters trilogy which I still have to write. I have no clue what happens yet as I cannot plot. Weird but true fact, I see and hear the story live as I type like a film in my head, so I never know what is going to happen in any of my books until the words appear on my computer screen. I’ve also got another new historical romance series coming out around Valentine's Day. My Very Village Scandal series kicks off with The Earl’s Inconvenient Houseguest. I’m breaking with the standard Regency romance traditions with this series because there are no lords (apart from the one in 1st book and to be fair to him, he never saw a peerage coming), no ladies and absolutely no Mayfair ballrooms. But in the quaint Essex village of Whittlestone-on-the-Water 30 miles from the capital, where everybody knows everybody else's business and love is in the air, there are, as you would expect from me, shenanigans aplenty.

And lastly...

My top 5 period drama recommendations are:

Bridgerton - because it’s a sumptuous, escapist delight.

Pride and Prejudice - because Colin Firth as Darcy is delicious.

North and South - because Richard Armitage makes me swoon and delivers the BEST. SCREEN. KISS. EVER.

All Creatures Great and Small - either the new or the old TV version. Or the books. Because naughty Tristan Farnham was my first serious crush.

Emma - the latest version because the fresh way Johnny Flynn plays Knightley is an absolute triumph.

Never Fall for Your Fiancée is available now from Headline Eternal! A hilarious, sparkling historical romantic comedy, with an irresistible family at its heart, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton and Martha Waters. Buy here: smarturl.it/NFFYFVH 'Virginia Heath's fun characters and situations will have you laughing out loud! Don't miss this wonderful read!' Sabrina Jeffries 'Filled with fabulously British banter, wit, and heart, this delightful book is one of my must-read rom coms of the year' Evie Dunmore

Author Photo (c) Nicholls Photography

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC DNF Reviews: Never Fall for your Fiancee by Virginia Heath AND An Heiress's Guide to Deception and Desire by Manda Collins

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Publishing November 9, 2021

Synopsis:

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?

My Review:

★

I was drawn in by the cute cover and description but alas, this book is not for me. The characters are oh-so-flat, the dialogue is stilted and awkward, and the writing stumbles along with almost entirely telling. Also the hero and heroine's connection is 100% 'oh no she's hot' and 'oh no he's hot.' Hugh has lied to his mother for literal years about a fake fiancee (who is battling consumption and then in mourning for her unexpectedly dead fictional father) and now has to produce a fiancee when his mother arrives. Or, y'know, tell her the truth? But I guess not. But miracle of miracles he immediately stumbles over a woman who clearly needs money and who also shares the name Minerva with his fictional fiancee. What are the chances? DNF *Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an e

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Publishing November 16, 2021

Synopsis:

Former lovers become reluctant allies in this delightfully witty historical rom-com from the bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem—for fans of Evie Dunmore, Enola Holmes, and Netflix's Bridgerton! England, 1867 : As half of the writing duo behind England's most infamous crime column, Miss Caroline Hardcastle has quite the scandalous reputation. It may have cost her a fiancé, but she would much rather bring attention to crimes against those ignored by society than worry about what the ton thinks of her. After Caro's dear friend is kidnapped, however, she has no choice but to work with Lord Valentine Thorn, the same man who broke her heart. Worse, when her actions put her father's business at risk, a marriage of convenience may be her only solution . . . but can she trust Val to stand by her? Or will their past repeat itself? Val--the new Viscount Wrackham--is in an untenable position: His father is demanding he find a respectable bride to secure the succession. Yet the only woman he's ever loved, Miss Caroline Hardcastle, is notorious for behaving improperly. And she's never forgiven him for his youthful transgressions, missteps made in the name of familial duty, but ones he still regrets to this day. As they grow closer to unmasking the culprit, Val sees an opportunity to show Caro he's a changed man. But can he convince her to give their love a second chance--before death does them part?

My Review:

★★

This book was.... boring. Which is unexpected for a mystery but there you go. I wasn't interested in the characters, who all seemed rather shallow and prone to misunderstandings, or the plot, which was a bit thin, or the love story, which was annoying more than anything. If the characters would have just talked to each other there wouldn't have been a plot I suppose. The writing was decent at least but failed to draw me in. DNF *Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an e-arc for review.

[faithlean]

[PDF] Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters, #2) - Virginia Heath

Download Or Read PDF Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters, #2) - Virginia Heath Free Full Pages Online With Audiobook.

  [*] Download PDF Here => Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters, #2)

[*] Read PDF Here => Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters, #2)

 Virginia Heath?s Never Rescue a Rogue, the next book in the Merriwell Sisters series, is filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain?not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common?the secrets they can?t risk escaping.When Giles? father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it?s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover

[darlenefblog]

Never Fall For Your Fiancee - 2021

I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.

You're going to love this book. I rarely ever give 5 stars to a story, it's got to be wonderful to rate a 5. Ms Heath get's a huge 5 for Never Fall For Your Fiancée. It's a romance, that's a given, but it's funny too. I actually laughed my way through the book, out loud laughed. All the characters are a little off, eccentric might be a good term. The families are a mess, on both sides. The hero is the funniest character I've read in a long time. Hugh's inner monologs are a hoot. and you won't want to skip around and miss them. I don't think I should say too much about the story because it's part of what's so funny. Just read it for yourself and then call your friends with a book reccomendation. Better yet it would make a great Christmas present. This is book 1 in the Merriwell Sisters series. I hope, please, that the next book has Lord Bellingham in it. I love him.

#VirginiaHeath #NeverFallForYourFiancee #St.Martin'sPress #MerriwellSisters #Netgalley #romance #historicalromance

[olivias-shelf]

I absolutely love the fake dating trope, so to see that I got approved to read this regency-era fake fiancée story made me so excited.

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, has a problem. He has created an elaborate story of a fiancée to get his mother to stop matchmaking, and now his mother is coming to visit him and he doesn't have a fiancée. Enter Minerva Merriwell, a woodcut engraver that captivates Hugh the second he meets her and is in needs of money to support herself and her two sisters. Conflict-adverse Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fake fiancée while his mother is visiting as a business proposition.

I sped through this book, laughing at all the mishaps and hijinks that kept getting progressively more ridiculous.

Things I loved: the very important hand touch that always pops up in period dramas and showed up several times over the course of this book.

I absolutely loved the side characters, but I wish that they were a bit more fleshed out. In particular, I wish Hugh and his mother's relationship was looked at more since her painted meddling was all we saw of her until the very, very end. I'm excited to see the next books in the series, where we'll hopefully see more of the Merriwell sisters and Giles.

I did love the way Minerva and Hugh felt well matched in their stubbornness, and despite their uneven power dynamic (Hugh is an earl), it did feel like they were on equal ground whenever they conflicted.

The pacing in the novel didn't feel consistent to me - the second half seemed to speed past the first half, and the last quarter of the book in particular felt rushed. There were many threads that were very conveniently tied up very quickly, and I remember thinking when the book ended "that's it?" I expected a bit more built on their relationship, especially since they didn't seem to really know each other even by the end - especially by Hugh's own admission of covering up his own work (preferring to appear to be a carefree rake). It felt like even the relationship moves that were made were incredibly large jumps in a short period of time compared to the progress that had been built over much longer time throughout the rest of the book and didn't feel like the most logical conclusion given the rest of the novel. There were also a lot of secrets that everyone seemed to carry that were hinted at but not really explored - hopefully we see a bit more of that in the future.

This is a great book for you if you enjoy lighthearted period books that aren't too much of a stickler for regency conventions, the fake dating trope, and love strong heroines that aren't afraid to speak their mind.

A thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

[lovelyloveday]

Virginia Heath’s Never Rescue a Rogue, the next book in the Merriwell Sisters series, is filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.  Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath  https://bit.ly/3sE0gso

[lovelyloveday]

Virginia Heath’s Never Rescue a Rogue, the next book in the Merriwell Sisters series, is filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.  Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters #2) by Virginia Heath  https://bit.ly/3aP9oFc 

[lovelyloveday]

Never Fall for Your Fiancée (The Merriwell Sisters #1) by Virginia Heath - Review

Never Fall for Your Fiancée by Virginia  https://bit.ly/2SVjqM1 @stmartinspress @smpromance 

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,…