Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review!

I love these sort of classical romance. This felt like a mix of pride and prejudice sort of combined with little woman. A typical man and woman not intrested this much in idea of marriage but are being pushed upon it. They don’t start off on the right foot but was than able to find a common ground in which they both can benefit from, that being creating a fake engagement. With the terms of not falling for each other…. But we know how that goes. It seems their fake becomes real.

I adored the main charcaters, especially the female lead because she reminded me so much of Elizabeth from pride and prejudice, I aspire to be as strong such as these woman. The story was articulated and written perfectly I juda couldnt put my hand down.

This is a historical romance with a madcap setup reminiscent of Georgette Heyer's most ridiculous tales. Hugh has been telling his mother for two years that he is engaged to a young woman named Minerva. But now his mother is arriving from Boston and expects to meet his fiancee. He thinks the jig is up until he meets a beautiful, young, well-spoken but down-on-her-luck woman on the street - who happens to be named Minerva.

The book has an almost sitcom feel to it, with Minerva's two younger sisters, Hugh's BFF Giles, an actress hired to play the girls' mother, and two years of backstory to learn - and then (of course!) Hugh's mother shows up. This is a romance, so it's no surprise when Hugh and Minerva fall for each other (fake relationships always turn real in the end, don't they?) and the fun is how they get there. Hugh's ultimate internal conflict is a bit too forced and easily solved, but this is an enjoyable romp with appealing characters, fun dialogue, and even a drop of true pathos along the way.

As an escape from reality this book is an excellent choice. Although the plot was fairly predictable and the characters prone to making their own trouble, I still enjoyed going along for the ride.

This may be my very first Virginia Heath novel, but it most certainly won’t be the last! I found her writing to be absolutely delightful - full of fully fleshed out characters who continue to grow and evolve throughout their time in the novel, a well paced story rich in detail and action, and the best part? A wholly satisfying Happily Ever After. Bravo Ms Heath! You’ve got a new fan in me!

I really liked this one!

It's the first time reading this author and I liked the story from the get go, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Hugh meets Minerva when he comes to her rescue as she's trying to get a payment from a client who doesn't want to pay. When he finds out her name is Minerva, he hires her to be his fake fiancée to show off to his mom.

It's a well paced story with an enticing setting and great characters. Hugh and Minerva are well suited (even when they think they don't), and I also liked her sisters, Hugh's butler, and his mother and stepfather.

Sexual content (not too much, but it's there).

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Virginia Heath is a powerhouse historical romance author. I always look forward to their work, and this one is no exception!

I love the fake fiancé trope but this one was a little frustrating. The storyline is really good but it just didn’t come through fully. The lie from Hugh felt overwhelming and frustrating, the sisters never seemed to be on the same page even at the end and the ending.. well it just ended.
I wanted more from the ending and less BS during the middle.

This was a light and fun read. Minerva and her sisters, along with Hugh and his staff, provided much entertainment. I’m always up for a good fake dating trope however this one fell short of expectations. I found the storyline slow to progress and the writing a little hard to follow. I felt like a lot of things kept getting repeated making the plot seemed dragged out. Overall, it was too slow for my liking but had a good storyline.

Perfect Britiah romance escapism for these crazy times. Familiar storyline of a mother seeking a match for her aristocratic son but hilarious twists and turns ensued. A light read that was just perfectly enjoyable.

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.

I loved this book. , I got sucked in. The character development was fantastic and the between the two main characters was amazing. I could not put this book down.. I cannot wait for the next book!

Although Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath felt quite long, it was a nice read. I love a fake fiancee story, and I love the "will they, won't they" narrative that they bring to the romantic tale. It is a lot of fun!

Thank you for the ARC book. I enjoyed the first three fourths of the book. I really liked all the silliness.
Hugh repeatedly says the same thing over and over about his bad blood and it gets very annoying. It takes too long for him to talk to him mom.

4.5 stars rounded up. Highly recommended for fans of Tessa Dare and lighthearted historical romances. This is a rare instance where the illustrated cover is appropriate to the tone of the story! Virginia Heath puts a fresh spin on the fake fiancée trope, with our hero picking a random woman who happens to have the same name as the fictitious fiancée he invented to throw his meddling mother off of his back about matchmaking. Minerva -- who has fallen in desperate straits after her father ran off and left her and her sisters destitute -- agrees to pose as Hugh's betrothed in exchange for a fee. Complications ensue (of course) with Minerva's dramatic sisters tagging along for the country estate party to meet Hugh's mother, and Hugh's best friend recruiting a drunken actress to pose as Minerva's mother and chaperone.

I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Minerva and Hugh, and appreciated that both characters were a bit flawed and weren't magically transformed by their growing love for each other. Watching them pair up to try to convince Hugh's mother that their relationship was genuine (all the while, obviously, falling in love for real) was entertaining and very satisfying. This was relatively low on angst and high on situational comedic moments as the farce plays out.

My only minor quibble which docks half a star is Hugh's continued insistence that his father's and grandfather's lack of fidelity means he is doomed to repeat their failures. His use of that excuse dragged on too far into the story for my preference, but it didn't interfere with my overall enjoyment.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I am a huge fan of historical romance novels and this book was wonderful! This is a new author for me and I will definitely be reading more from her and the other books in the series!

Never Fall for Your Fiancée falls under one of my favourite tropes and I knew just by the title that I would be hooked. And I was.... kinda. Hugh and Minerva happen upon each other by chance but it was the most perfect twist of fate in Hugh's eyes. After spinning a two-year-long tale about this elusive woman he intended to marry, just to get his mother off of his back, he finds himself in need of someone to play this part just so he can end the lie he's created. It just so happens this fantasy woman Hugh had created was named Minerva. Hugh propositions her with a payment plan while she acts like his betrothed and Minerva cannot help but accept when she has little money but two sisters she must take care of as their mother and father are not in the picture. It seems easy enough as they only plan to do this for a short while, but of course.... it is not often that everything goes according to plan, especially when the plan is so messy.

I did enjoy this, but good LORD HUGH REALLY GAVE ME STRESS OVER THIS LAZILY WOVEN LIE. A very light-hearted story of two people who fake their relationship only to inevitably fall in love at the end. Where this lacked the steaminess I'm used to, it made up for in the sassiness of Minerva and while it's not the full-blown sass I'm used to nowadays, I am to assume that it was quite a lot more than is to be expected of any lady speaking to a man in 1825. I'd say this is a high 3/5 stars in my eyes. If you're a fan of Evie Dunmore, I think you'll enjoy this one!

Woman hired to be fiancee of a wealthy regency man- this story is a trope that runs rampant through fiction, especially romance. This was very much akin to that but with a lot more hijinks which I appreciated. You know it'll all implode and when it does it's a far more delightful twist on the trope rather than drab retelling.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. If there is not a sequel tellings us the stories of the other sisters, I am going to be heartbroken. I fell in love with these characters, and I want to know what happens next. I want to follow them all in the journey to love.

I adored this HR romcom. Hugh and Minerva's romance was the perfect mixture of light-heartedness, sincerity, and humor, and I loved it all. Eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!

I just didn’t connect with the plot or character. She wasn’t relatable and didn’t make me care about her.