Never Fall For Your Fiancée is a delightful, historical romance about a roguish earl who hires a fake fiancée to keep his meddling, matching-making mother at bay. But when real sparks start to fly, love threatens to complicate everything.

I absolutely adored this one!! It had me hooked from the very first page. The story was absolutely delightful with the perfect balance of humor and sizzling hot chemistry. This lighthearted romance truly had me snickering between pages. If you need another book to hold you over until the next season of Bridgerton, I totally recommend this one!

Huge thank you to @smpromance & @stmartinspress for gifting me this one!!

I really enjoyed this one! The character chemistry was great! Hugh was a great character and him and Minerva had great dialog. I love the fake dating trope and this on did not disappoint: this was a great series starter and I cant wait to read a second book! All the cast of characters were a lot of fun and this was a quick and fun read.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this ARC.

This is a great fun read. Never Fall for your Fiancee is a romcom and quick read.

To me it had pride and prejudice type vibes or proposal type vibes; with humor. I highly recommend when you want a quick, fun read. I find it hard to find light fun reads at times, so this was a great find.

Thank you Virginia Heath for your novel. I will be checking out your other books.

Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, never wants a wife, but his mother is hell-bent to find him a love match. In order to escape her machinations, he invents a fiancée, buying him some time to keep the matchmaking at bay. But this all blows up in his face when his mother comes to visit from America expecting to meet his fiancée Minerva. Luckily for Hugh, shortly after the letter announcing his mother’s impending arrival, he meets Minvera Merriwell. How fortuitous that she has the same name as his fake fiancée. And that Minerva is struggling to support herself and her two sisters after their feckless father abandoned them years ago. Hugh hires Minerva to pretend to be his fiancée while his mother is visiting. What ensues is a delightful mess as they attempt to keep the lies from unraveling.
This is a delightful romantic comedy filled with engaging characters, from the best friend, the sister, the butler and the mother. Readers will be delighted by the characters as they read the love story. Hugh and Minerva are likeable and characters worthy of finding love. You will find yourself rooting for them as they are surrounded by the zany characters in the book.

This book has been getting a lot of hype lately, so i finally bunkered down and read it! On occasion, when I have a book I'm really excited to read, I'll sit on it. This was one of those books... but man, I'm so glad I finally got to it! If any of you have read the "The Importance of Being Ernest", this book almost reminded me of that play. I think the similarities were in the two bachelors living in a mansion, so entrenched in a comical lie, you can't help but have fun along the way.

Blurb: Minerva Merriwell, is just trying to find a way to support herself, and her two sister's using her artistic talent as a woodcut engraver. It was that very skill, as well as her need for quick cash (not to mention her peculiar name), that led her to agreeing to be some rich Earl's fake fiancee. She never expected it to lead to more. Hugh Standish just needs a fake fiancee to get his meddling mother off his back. His ideal future includes no responsibilities, no commitment, and no string attached. He was never supposed to fall for the woman he hired to play the part.

Before I begin, I want to say, this book is funny! Like really, truly funny. Sometimes regency romances have the habit of being funny in a stuffy way (I imagine it's the time period). However, this book actually made me laugh out loud. I think that might have to do with the fact that Hugh really leans into his nonsensical character, and his light heartedness. Don't get me wrong, I love the brooding regency hero as much as anyone, but what a refreshing change of pace this was! As for Minerva, I love the strong matriarch characteristics she's taken on, while still being a closeted romantic. And Hugh's mother, I loved her! The stereotype of the mother in law hating her new daughter in law can be so overdone! Therefore, I liked that she was awesome, and funny, and totally on Minerva's side when her son was in the wrong.

If you couldn't tell before this review, the characteristics are definitely the shining stars of the story! Something to note, while this story is considered a romantic comedy, I say there's a heavy emphasis on the comedy (which I'm totally ok with).

I'm having a hard time critiquing this story... if anything, I can say Minerva's sisters are awesome background characters, but I don't want to read their stories. Diana was too brash, and Vee was rather selfish. Special thank you to Netgalley, Virginia Heath, and St. Martin's Publishing for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥

✍️ One Sentence Synopsis: It’s not over until the fake mother who has had too much brandy sings… really badly.

💭 Overall Thoughts:
This is a witty, light hearted fake engagement/forced proximity regency love story with some definite comedic relief.

Hugh, a duke trying to evade his mother’s push for him to marry invents a fake fiancee.. whom he never thought his mother (currently living across the ocean) would have to meet. That is, until she decides to come visit. Enter Minerva… her sisters… and an over the top actress hired to play Minerva’s mother.

It is a bit over the top and predictable but in an overall cute way. There are definitely some times you want to shake the main characters— communicate people!— and also some times when the characters are just a bit too whiney. Overall though, it’s a fun read and a good one to escape to.

What I Liked:
👍 The witty banter and comedic elements— it’s such a comedy of errors.
👍 The fact that in time Hugh and Minerva help each other grow through their relationship.

What I Didn’t Like:
👎 The plot was a bit over the top in seeming farfetched in general but also almost anachronistic.
👎 Some of the secondary characters just get a bit too whiney…


💞Read this if you liked: Bridgerton

⚠️ Content Warnings: death of a parent, family estrangement/ abandonment

How utterly adorable! I couldn’t put this down. The writing went right into the plot and just didn’t stop. Hugh was thoughtful and sweet and NICE. Minerva was everything a strong, smart, independent heroine- love interest should be. I laughed out loud so many times, and “awww’d” quite frequently. Charming and just so readable. Love this. Five stars. Only—I need more!

Hugh isn't looking for a wife, but his mother has other plans for him. Even if she's all the way across the ocean, she's determined to find him a partner. This leads Hugh to invent a fake fiance to keep his mother away. But soon his mother is coming to visit and expects ot meet the love of his life. With just his luck, he runs into Minerva, a girl with the same name as his fake fiance. She's struggling to support her family ever since her father left and when Hugh makes her an offer she can't refuse, she has no choice but to stay with him at his home and pretend to be his fiance. As Hugh and Minerva try to keep their stories straight with Hugh's mother, they spend more time together and wonder if everything they say is truly a lie.

This was one of the first historical romances I've ever read and I enjoyed it a lot! It was so nice to be swept away into 1800s England with Minerva and Hugh. I loveee a fake dating trope and luckily enough this one also had some forced proximity going on. It was so entertaining and funny to watch Hugh and Minerva try their best to keep their lies in order only for his mother to continue prying. Minerva is a strong and independent woman and I adored her! Hugh on the other hand is a playboy who seems like he wishes he could break free from the past and what he considers to be his fate. At certain parts of the novel, I felt like the momentum slowed down and I wasn't as interested. I wish I had some more intense moments! Still, this was an adorable book and great if you love historical romances!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 stars
What I liked:
~light, easy, predictable read

What I didn’t like:
~The constant referral to being “cursed with his father’s bad blood” got annoying after a while. We get it. No need to continue to refer to it.
~The lack of communication between characters, particularly Hugh and his mother, and Hugh and Minerva. So many issues could have been prevented if only they spoke honestly with one another. When they finally do, the book just ends.
~It was slow to progress and for large chunks of the story it felt like nothing really happened.
~I don’t think it was honest to the time period in regards to relationships and reputation, especially what will happen to Minerva’s reputation when the whole charade ends.
~I’m not sure I liked Hugh. It’s hard to like a guy who goes to such lengths to continue to lie to his mother.

Honestly, I just didn’t like it as much as I was hoping to. It had a lot of potential, but it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It was good! I enjoyed the writing and the flow. The plot was a little predictable and some themes were repeated to the reader a little too redundantly at times (I feel some readers like this while others do not), but it was super cute! It had some really fun and funny moments. Giles was my favorite. His character was always saying what I was thinking. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a fun historical romance.

The fake dating trope has always been my fave. And this book completely lived up to my expectations.
The characters were human, with enough faults that no-one could doubt their authencity. Both were hot-headed, and Hugh was so secretive at times it made you want to pull your brains out, and Minerva's jadedness towards love was likewise frustrating. But both were so intrinsically good, empathetic and intelligent and alive. And their chemistry was alive too, from the beginning, but their wariness and opposition to their feelings for each other kept the book from being an instalove.
The setting and other characters came alive off the page; the book was beautifully written, the author spinning scenes that appeared before one's eyes. The constant deception of the MC's towards Hugh's mother and their almost-slip ups added to the comical elements of the book, and I laughed aloud often while reading it.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys regency romances.

As I began this book I was quite skeptical if I would like it, as I typically do not enjoy historical writings. However, I was thoroughly surprised to have liked this book as much as I have. I read this entire book in less than a day (began around 9 last night, finished around noon today). The writing was beautiful and very clear. I enjoyed the characters that were introduced and the plot was very clear. Although the title does point to how the book ends, I was kept in suspense of what would happen next. With the role that Minerva, the sisters, and the paid actress had to play, there was always some new surprise in every chapter. I enjoyed the forced proximity trope that was created and how the entire truth came out in the end. Further, I enjoyed the way the author used the characters to create an unlikely love story of the poverty-ridden girl and the Earl to create a knight-in-shining-armor type of romance.
(Copied from Goodreads)

This book was truly adorable!

I usually read dark, dystopian novels, or mysteries, or adventures or something intense. But everyone once in a while, i crave a light, fun romance novel and this fit the bill perfectly. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and it did not disappoint.

I won't summarize the book, since the publisher can do it better than I. What I will say is that it was such a fun, funny, charming book and I loved it.

I loved the characters and might have developed a little book crush on our leading man. I always enjoy a good fake fiancee book and this one was done well. There was romance, there was humor, there was family. I am hoping to read another book with these characters - I really enjoyed being in their world.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

Omg, I loved loved loved this book! It was so ridiculous and witty and such fun. I loved the use of the fake fiancée trope here, especially when they didn’t throw any crazy last minute misunderstandings that would take a long time to clear up. The characters were great; flawed, but loveable hero? Check. Beautiful, but poor heroine who is intelligent and realistic? Check. Fun cast of zany, loveable, but also crazy family? Check. Cheeky servant that’s been with you forever? Check. And, throw in some crazy family secret that’s actually not so secret; how can you not enjoy that? Great start to the series!!

This book was an incredibly fun regency romp! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes historical romances!

I would give this 3.5 stars. I received an ARC from Net Galley (thank you!). It’s a sweet book with some solid laugh out loud moments. It had some echos of the Duke and I (from the Bridgerton series) but not in a bad way. I liked the main characters but I wasn’t in love with Hugh’s obsession with what he inherited. There seemed to be no thought to him being his own man which undercut what a strong character he was right up until the end…

This book was so much fun! I love a good fake dating trope but the added yearning of regency era just put this over the top. The characters were so fun and the smut was pretty great. I loved the side characters as well and can’t wait to read all the books about them. I was a bit put off by how quickly the end wrapped up because it felt out of character but overall great book.

Hugh and Minerva are an interesting take on the fake relationship. Hugh has been lying to his mother for two years in an attempt to stop her from matchmaking. He's gone to great lengths to invent a fiance (along with backstory, side characters, and drama). When his mother surprises him with a visit - he knows he's deadmeat unless he comes up with something. A chance encounter with a woman with the same first name as his made-up fiance gives him an out. That being said - throughout - I couldn't escape the thought that their entire masquerade as an engaged couple was pretty much pointless. It was clear Hugh's mother was totally on to him.

The farce of it all was kind of overwhelming and lost any sense of believability for me. Because the encounters between Minerva and Hugh lost some meaning because of all the lies and dramatics. I also didn't love Minerva.

This was a DNF for me at about the 70% mark - so maybe the end made it better? I can't say!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This historical romance is perfect! I love the tropes used to tell this story and Hugh and Minerva's love story is witty and fun and wonderful. This book is the first in a new historical rom-com series from Virgina Heath. Hugh, a handsome earl hires Minerva, a fake fiancée to keep up a lie he's told to his mother for almost two years.

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep his mother in America. When Hugh learns his mother is on the way he decides he needs someone to play the part while his mother visits.

I loved Minerva and her sisters, both their names and their stories. They are fierce and feisty and full of character and is the perfect foil to Hugh.

This book is just charming. I love a good fake engagement plot, and this one is excellently done, with practically everything going wrong from suspicious mothers to drunk actresses, all on top of the growing feelings both of our main characters are quick to deny or ignore. All of it is a bit absurd, but that's rather the point, isn't it?

I loved Minerva and her sisters. They are all so different, and yet you can tell they've really been brought together by the suffering they've endured, even as they bicker. Their relationships with each another feel very authentic--which was a relief to read, since I tend to be more dissatisfied than not with portrayals of siblings in books.

And, of course, the romance! Hugh and Minerva are so deliciously frustrating as they dance around each other, but their reservations and misunderstandings are always valid. Well...most of the time, anyway. Hugh's hang-up on his "Standish blood" got old very quickly, especially given how clear it is that he's the last man in the world to be unfaithful to someone once he married them, and I wish Minerva was a little bit more forceful when dealing with his insecurities, but he's so genuinely good that it's impossible to stay upset with him for long.

My main criticism is how quickly the novel wraps up. After tangling everything up and getting absolutely everyone involved, Hugh and Minerva get out of the whole mess a little too easily for me. The romantic conflict takes a bit of work (although not as much as I would've liked), but after that point, I think they should've had to struggle more than they did to satisfy everyone. But I am a sucker for a happy ending, and I my stomach was in knots trying to figure out how they'd get out of the mess they'd made, so I can't be too upset that it works out in the end.

This one has all the absolute chaos and miscommunication I'd hoped for in a fake engagement plot, and it sets up the next book in the series fairly neatly. Very excited to see where the series goes!