This is my first read by Virginia Heath, and I have to admit that it was mostly because of the cover that I picked it up. I am such a sucker for this new trend of brightly colored cartoon covers, and the plot seemed interesting enough to give it a go.

And honestly, I really enjoyed it! This was a wonderful setup for the three Merriwell sisters, and it has a wonderful mix of comedic and heart-warming moments that I thoroughly enjoyed. Plus, who doesn't love a rogue like Hugh? Your classic fake-rogue who actually does a wonderful with the land and the ton just has no idea? You know the type. Minerva and Hugh had chemistry and banter, and I'm all about that.

I found Venus to be just a tad too much of a youngest daughter caricature, but hopefully as she ages up in the upcoming books, she won't be so... much.

Definitely looking forward to the next installment in the Merriwell Sisters series!

This was an interesting story with a fun premise. I enjoyed the idea of the made-up fiancee and the need to find a "real" one. I felt like there were a lot of repetitive moments, and I would have liked to see that be reduced.

This was a fun book! It made me laugh out loud several times. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is my first time reading this author, and while the writing flows well, I just feel like it is fairly wordy and draggy and has lots of repetition. It just didn't capture much of my attention to keep me hooked.

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, was trying to stop his mother's matchmaking attempts from abroad (she lived in Boston) by inventing an elaborate story about an imaginative fiancee to whom he's been engaged for over two years. When he got news that she was going to cross the Atlantic to push his wedding forward, he found a woman who happened to have the same name as his "invented" fiancee and asked her to join in his charade.

Minerva Merriwell had to play the role of a parent to her two younger sisters after her mother's early death and her father's abandoning them. When an opportunity for a good sum of money to help improve their lives arrived in the form of a nice and handsome earl, she decided to take the deal...

Overall, I just didn't feel the chemistry between Hugh and Minerva. I got a bit bored of Hugh repeating his reasons for not wanting to commit to a relationship or to marry. I also didn't understand why he had to try his best to portray himself as a rake while he was all decent and responsible. There were unnecessary miscommunications, and some secondary characters were quite annoying. While it had some surprised twists towards the end, I just felt like they were just bland. If you like a fake relationship trope with some shenanigans along the way, this book is for you, but sadly it just didn't work out for me.

*Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for granting me this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

-Release date: November 9, 2021.

We meet Hugh, he's a duke, his mom is coming to visit, and not just to see him but to finally meet his fiancé. A fiancé he made up!!!!! I am not going to lie to you, I was wondering how this will play out, because Hugh created this whole fake woman, and he has to find that woman to present to his mom, while she's in London for her visit. He meets Minerva, and I knew that this was going to be an amazing rom-com. Minerva is a no nonsense type of woman, and the way they meet marked the beginning of something great.

This book played out like a movie in my head while I was reading it. Hugh made sure he pulled all the stops, its crazy all that he planned to make his mother believe he was actually about to get married. This story I feel for once was more about Hugh, and finding his truth. Here is this great guy, that because of certain circumstances with his dad, he felt he was worthy of love or happiness. It was very touching to see him realize everything.

I cant wait for book number 2 already and I already know who its going to be about, so I cant wait for that. Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Gents, never make up a far fetched by realistic love story. May it never have a lady named Minerva who catches a disastrous health condition. May it never have you by her bedside with tender love and care. Why? You may use it as your "real" fiance when your OVER mom's matchmaking woes.
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Alas, our main character Hugh is stuck in a pickle with dear mom coming to help plan a wedding. On a chance encounter, Hugh meets Minerva and makes an offer she cannot refuse. But will she be up to fulfilling the tasks that Hugh needs to set his story straight? With meddling sisters, horsebacking failures and pulsing hearts this historical romance is a stunner.
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Victoria Heath writes historical romantic comedies well in this first of what is to be many in a series. Never Fall For Your Fiance has the right amount of spice, wit and charm that'll make readers wish they lived in historical times. Who wouldn't want to fall for a handsome earl?

3.5 - A cute, funny, historical rom-com. It's light with just the right amount of heart and depth. I love Hugh and felt myself sympathizing with him a lot, and adored his deflection and effusive charm. The book definitely provides a hilarious cast of characters - especially the hired actress playing Minerva's mother. Venus got on my nerves as all youngest sisters do, but I think they all provided the humor the book needed. There's nothing new about the plot, as fake-engagements-turned-real go, but their chemistry was adorable and I enjoyed it. A good read!

This was a fun period read with a riotous ending. I can totally picture this as a comedic play and would buy the tickets to watch it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve tried a few times with historical romances thanks to Bridgerton, but I’m learning they just are not for me. I tried with this book but since this is a miss genre for me, I just could not get into it. It does have great reviews, so if this is a genre you like, than I’d give it a try.

I'm really excited for this series and I found the book to be a delight. Minerva is basically the most adorable, hilarious, and wonderful character. I enjoyed this so much more than the Bridgerton series!

I either hate or love historical romances and this one was a love for me. The characters were super cute and compelling. I would def read again and would recommend to people looking for a fun, easy romance read!

Parts of moved really slow for me at first but once all the characters were in play, the book moved a bit better. I found myself calling what would happen before it did. The romance that blossomed between Hugh and Minerva was cool, but I didn't feel that the sex scene was necessary. I do wish more information and story was given on the sisters and the "mom" just needed to go.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review.

Slow-burn, Regency, romantic farce

Hugh Standish, the handsome, 32-year-old, rakish Earl of Fareham, made a vow to himself at age 16, soon after the untimely death of his father, that he would never marry. Instead, for the past decade and more, he and his best friend, Lord Giles Sinclair, who is the reluctant heir to a dukedom, have been freely sampling the sexual favors of opera dancers and married women of the ton who fit a crucial profile: they are beautiful, discreet, and more than willing to engage in uncommitted sex. But, unfortunately for Hugh’s chosen path of untrammeled bachelordom, his doting mother is blissfully married to a second husband and, as a result, is absolutely convinced that her darling Hugh can only be truly fulfilled when he experiences the same connubial bliss that she enjoys in the arms of her devoted spouse. As a result, she has been doing everything in her power for many years now to find a wife for Hugh—and her considerable, social clout, as the daughter of a duke and widowed spouse of an influential earl, have allowed her to extend her loving tentacles into Hugh’s life from as far away as Boston, where she lives with her wealthy, American husband.

Huge is absolutely convinced that, if he doesn’t give his beloved mother what she wants, it will break her heart. But at the same time, he has had a desperate need to escape from beneath the oppressive yoke of her never-ending matchmaking. In order to accomplish these two diametrically opposed goals, rather than having a frank conversation with his mother and setting some realistic personal boundaries, two years ago Hugh invented a fake fiancée. He has waxed lyrical in an extensive correspondence with his mother about his beloved, “Minerva,” from their thrilling first meet, through their long courtship, to a near-death bout of illness he thrust upon make-believe Minerva, and on and on, in order to prevent his mother or her busybody friends, fellow aristocratic ladies with marriageable daughters, from hounding him night and day. As the story opens, Hugh and Giles are brainstorming whether it might be appropriate to finally kill off imaginary Minerva when, without warning, Hugh receives a letter informing him his mother and his step-father are on a ship bound for England, and she will be on his doorstep in a matter of weeks in order to start planning his wedding to the wonderful fiancée she’s heard so much about. Hugh is naturally greatly alarmed that his elaborate ruse to placate his mother is about to implode in his face when, by the greatest stroke of luck, he gallantly rescues of a beautiful, impoverished, young gentlewoman in London from a sticky situation, only to discover that her name just happens to be…Minerva! Hugh immediately decides this fortuitous meeting must be fate and offers real-life Minerva a paid position temporarily acting the part of faux Minerva for his mother’s benefit.

For the past five years, 24-year-old Minerva Merriwell has struggled to support herself, her 22-year-old sister Diana, and her 17-year-old sister Venus (“Vee”), ever since their shiftless, drunken father abandoned them. In truth, they haven’t actually been much worse off after he departed than when he lived with them, because he squandered every penny he made on booze when he intermittently deigned to work, becoming increasingly worthless as a parent ever since their mother died 15 years ago. The one good thing her father ever did for Minerva was to train her in his own craft, woodcut engraving, an artistic skill that has allowed her to support her family, and which Minerva excels in far more than her father ever did. Up until the past year, she had steady work doing engravings of lovely calling cards for aristocratic ladies exclusively through a printer near St. Paul’s, until old Mr. Morton, the owner of that business, died. Since then, engraving jobs have been few and far between, and the Merriwell sisters are nearly penniless and on the point of starving on the streets. So, when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée for a few weeks, for the princely sum of 40 pounds, the ludicrous and morally dicey scheme is an offer she can’t afford to refuse.

I was intrigued by the plot of this book because it reminded me somewhat of a favorite movie of mine, the 1992 romantic-comedy farce, Housesitter, starring Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. If I had had to read that story as a novel, rather than brought delightfully to life by the performances of two comedy masters like Hawn and Martin, it’s possible I would not have enjoyed the farcical elements of their elaborate lies nearly as much. By the same token, if this novel’s events were brought to life in film, portrayed by a series of comically talented, British actors, I imagine I would have enjoyed it far more than I did reading it on the printed page. For example, if a young Hugh Grant (HG) were playing the character of Hugh Standish, I’m sure I would have been utterly delighted with the meek, placating, reticence Hugh displays toward his mother, which is the entire source of the farcical events of this novel. HG excels at portraying diffident characters like Hugh, and in a film, all of Hugh’s nonstop, melancholic musings of the same phrase over and over, which sums up why he believes he is not worthy of being a husband and father, would be removed from this comic plot entirely. It is only when periodically Hugh is not feeling sorry for himself, and just rolling with the punches of the preposterous charade he has set in motion, that I found it possible to like him. He is especially sympathetic when he is engaged in witty, affectionate repartee with Minerva.

Overall, my favorite characters in this Regency romp are Minerva, Hugh’s delightful mother, and Hugh’s cynical best friend, Giles—who has some of the most humorous one-liners in the book. Minerva is an admirable, strong, determined woman, who is loyal and hard-working. Diana, on the other hand, seems rather judgmental and priggish, and Vee comes off, almost the whole of this novel, as an obnoxious, narcissistic brat.

I appreciated very much, unlike 90% of historical romances, that this is a “slow burn” romance, with no sexual activity until close to the end of the book. Unfortunately, when virginal Minerva finally gets hot and heavy with Hugh, she behaves toward him in a sexually aggressive way that only a sensually sophisticated, highly experienced woman would be capable of, and it is quite jarringly unmotivated—as well as extremely anachronistic.

Overall, fans of historical romance who enjoy comedy, and are looking for a plot with some unique features not commonly found in more dramatic historical romances, will very likely enjoy this novel.

This book is the first book in an eventual trilogy, with each of the three sisters having their own novel. I am personally looking forward to Diana and Giles butting heads in the second book in this series, in a classic, “enemies become lovers” plot.

I rate this novel as follows:

Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Subcharacters—Sisters: 3 stars
Subcharacters—Everyone Else: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 3 stars
Farce Plot: 4 stars
Sex Scenes: 3 stars
Setting: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars

I really loved this book! So fun and spirited with characters (including secondary characters) that seem fully formed and interesting (not always the case in romance novels) Any fan of the Bridgeton series will love this on!

This book was gripping. I was sucked in and could not put it down! The concept was so unique, I loved this book.

Lord Hugh Standish, the Earl of Fareham and an unapologetic bachelor, has a problem he doesn’t know how to deal with: his meddlesome mother. In an ill-fated attempt to thwart her matchmaking, he invents a fake fiancé. Since he and his mother live on different continents, he is quite pleased with his misguided reprieve until he learns of her impending visit. By mere chance he crosses paths with a young woman who shares the same name as his fake fiancé, and seeing that as a sign of fate, he offers her a business proposition she is too desperate to refuse; pretend to be his betrothed for a few weeks, and he will pay her enough money to save her and her two younger sisters from destitution. With his rakish best friend, recalcitrant butler, and a hired actress of questionable skill all in on the act, what could possibly go wrong?

I thought this short novel was a fun read. The main characters are flawed yet endearing, and their unraveling scheme and ensuing shenanigans were at times ridiculous, but also laugh-out-loud funny. The “real” romance is awkward, layered, frustrating, passionate, poignant…………and quite believable; and while it is also predictable, it had me smiling at the end. All in all: “Excellent!”

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, is so dead set against marriage, that he creates a fictitious fiancée, Minerva, with quite an elaborate back story. Now it seems that his mother is calling his bluff by coming back to England and meet said fiancée and set wedding plans into motion. Hugh is now left to scramble to find someone to portray Minerva. And imagine his luck when he finds a young women whose name is actually Minerva, that needs money, and is willing to play fiancée for no more than a week. You see, Hugh has come up with a whole scheme to have his fiancée leave him too.

But none of Hugh’s plans are going accordingly. It seems one snafu after another is mere seconds from exposing them. But the more time Minerva and Hugh spend together, the more they actually start to care for one another. If only Hugh wasn’t so stubborn.

I love a good historical fiction, romance novel. And this sated my appetite. Hugh is our stubborn hero, reluctant to marry for all the wrong reasons. And Minerva doesn’t need all the rescuing she thinks she needs. Minerva jokes often that Hugh is her white knight, when truly she is strong and capable on her own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to see a spin-off with perhaps Minerva’s sister Diana and Hugh’s best friend Giles.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this.

One of my favourite tropes to read whenever I’m reading a romance book? Fake relationship. Fake ANYTHING. It will have me buzzing as I read. This amazing rom com just so happened to have a fake engagement and what better to pair fake engagement and historical romance together in one book? Not to mention on off the charts romance? You get exactly what you came for.

I think one of the funniest plot points authors use in historical romance books is men wanting to please their mothers and that’s exactly what you get in this historical rom com. Hugh Standish can have every woman he wants. He flirts excellently and has quiet a positive impact on women and a very interesting reputation that doesn’t leave much to imagination. And when his mother is persistent Hugh introduce her to her future daughter in law, he does the only thing he can think of. Save a damsel in distress and offer her a once in a life time experience....of course that comes with some terms and conditions, one involving a ring and some very excellent acting.

This was an absolute delight to read. I genuinely had a lot of fun reading this which I wasn’t surprised about given the plot devices used etc. I was extremely happy reading this and it’s definitely something I will read in the future. This was probably one of the easiest 5 out of 5 stars I’ve ever given to a book before!

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 now how it turns out.

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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 embarassment 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.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley

I voluntarily received an eArc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Full disclosure I dnf'd this once and after a couple weeks I picked it up to try it again and almost dnf'd it a second time and decided to power through it.

I really liked Minerva as a main character. She was strong willed, sassy and loyal. Though I wish we could have seen more of her talking about the trade she worked in as it seemed important to her. However, I did not like the hero for most of it. He talked a lot about how he was flaky and bad.

Later in the story when their charade is falling apart was definitely my favourite. Loads of things were happening around them but they were finding themselves truly broughg together.

Unfortunately this wasn't the book for but I wholeheartedly believe its well written and if someone is looking for the drama of the fake fiance trope this could be the book for them.