I am all here for these historical rom-coms! Bring on the wit, sad and fiery competitiveness of enemies to lovers! Plus this cover is absolutely gorgeous

I love this book in the same way I love watching Austenland. Is it completely ridiculous, over the top, and almost like a parody of a fake dating historical romance? Maybe. Did I love the heck out of it anyway? Absolutely.
This was my first book by Virginia Heath, but I'm interested to see if all of her books are this delightfully bonkers.

I quite enjoyed this historical romantic comedy. The fake relationship trope isn’t one I generally choose, but Hugh and Minerva’s story has become one of my favorites. I had many laugh out loud moments, and the chemistry between the characters was spot on! I hope to see Diana get a turn!

Between my historical romance obsession and my love of good book titles, I knew that this novel would be right up my alley. Pair it with the fake relationship trope, and it's bound to be a fantastic read.

Hugh Standish is perfectly content being a bachelor for the rest of his days. Unfortunately, his mother is not of the same opinion. Willing to find him a match from across the ocean, Hugh feels forced to make up a fake fiancee to distract his interfering mother. This plan is all well and good until he learns that his mother is making the journey to England to meet said fiancee.

Minerva Merriwell has had to be strong and self-sufficient in order to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their father abandoned them and left them penniless. When she collides into a strange man who then hires her to pose as his fiancee while his mother is visiting, she has no choice but to agree.

Unsurprisingly, hilarity ensues, as do several unintentional romantic moments. Feelings between Hugh and Minerva grow, but neither believes they can trust the other, especially given how their relationship started.

This book absolutely gets the fake relationship trope right, and mixing in humor and wit makes it the perfect light read for all readers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Fun and frothy take on a favorite trope, sure to please lovers of historical romance. The characters are charming and a great start to a new series.

3.5 Stars

Never Fall for your Fiancee by Virginia Heath is a historical romance and marks the first book in the Merriwell Sisters series. The novel follows Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, a charming, flirtatious gentleman with commitment issues, thinking he inherited his father’s philanderer tendencies. However, his mother, well intentional mother, Olive, who lives overseas in America with her husband Jeremy, is adamant about seeing Hugh have his own happily ever after. She has continued to meddle in his love life even from across the pond.

To make his mother happy and maintain his sense of freedom from his overbearing mother, he created a fake fiancé named Minerva. But when his mother sends an unexpected letter announcing her visit to England to meet her soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Hugh realizes all of his carefully timed lies are due to explode. Until he bumps into a talented artist, creating woodcuts, needing to be paid for her services. Hugh intervenes, saving the damsel in distress.

Hugh can’t believe his luck when the stunning woman whom he helped is named Minerva.

Minerva Merriwell had to take care of her two younger sisters since their father abandoned them years ago. Since he had left, the family had been straddling the poverty line, while Minerva had done everything she could to provide a home for her sister.

Hugh realizes Minevera’s precarious financial situation and presents her with an offer she cannot turn down—forty pounds to act as his fiancée while his mother is visiting from America.

One thing Minevera and Hugh don’t account for is the undeniable chemistry that exists between them. Minerva and her two sisters arrive at the Fareham Estate, unbeknownst to Hugh: bold, intimidating, brass Diana already carries a strong disdain for Hugh. Vee is young, shy, has deep trouble adjusting to her role to play. They both present obstacles for the gang to maintain the charade in front of Olive.

Hugh is trapped in his house with his mother, the fake and two unreliable sisters. The book had witty banter that showcased the effortless banter between Minerva and Hugh. At the beginning of the book, when Hugh first makes the proposition to Minerva, the author omits to show the actual acceptance of Minerva and Hugh. I would have preferred that scene be included and more reliance on that irrefutable chemistry between the two. The supporting characters were all developed thoroughly and set the stage for them to be the main protagonists in the subsequent instalments in the series.

It was a quick read and had me laughing aloud, particularly around Diana and Vee’s antics and their opposition to their sister. Throughout the novel, Hugh struggles with inheriting his dysfunctional relationship patterns from his father. It didn’t seem to fit into the novel and felt illogical as an internal obstacle he was trying to work through. Additionally, I would have liked the end slowed down. It felt a bit rushed.

Overall, the storyline was predictable for this narrative trope. The plot was fun and over the top. 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.

A great historical romantic comedy, which is something you don't really see a lot of.

I really enjoyed the characters and the writing of the story.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC

Never Fall for Your Fake Fiancé is the first of a series about the Merriwell Sisters. Minerva, the oldest, finds herself, receiving a proposition from Hugh, an Earl to stand in as his fake fiancé while his mother comes to visit.

Hugh has been writing his mother for the last two years about his fiancé, Minerva. So it seemed like fate when they bumped into each other. But when they are forced to keep up the act longer than they thought, fake feelings start to cross lines and they both feel unsure about how the other feels. Throw in a little miscommunication, and a family misunderstanding and you have the unwinding of it all.

This book was predictable, but still cute. But the side characters really stole the show. From Minerva’s sisters, to the paid actress for their mother and Payne the butler, those were the parts I loved the most. But even at the end I did find myself wanting to know more about the sisters, so I will prob read the next book about Diana and Giles.

Historical romances are my jam. They are good and bring a bit of romance and loved it. this one was a good one.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful historical romance, there was a lot that made me incredibly annoyed by it and thus knocked it down two stars.

1) Hugh’s big “secret” as to why he didn’t want to fall in love was so laughable. I loved the plot twist about his family, but I was so annoyed as to how he made it all about him and his own personality.

2) Hugh’s mother was incredibly irritating at times, as was Vee. I was tired of them by the end of the book.

3) Minerva was fine and I liked her for the most part, but she kept getting mad at Hugh for not meeting her own expectations when he very clearly stated she should not have high expectations of him from the beginning.

Overall, still a fun Bridgerton-esque read that I do recommend to anyone looking for a quick, fun read, but definitely not one I will go to again. However, I may be convinced to read the sequels to this about the sisters.

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a great light read for fans of Bridgerton. The main characters back-and-forth chemistry is fabulous and could totally translate to a movie adaptation. Lots of fun!

This was a fun read but sadly there were some parts that just dragged me out of the story. When an author decides how to state ages one way, say six and twenty, and then the next page say twenty-six it really draws me out of the story. While this is totally just a pet peeve of mine it was something that sadly made me keep putting this book down over an over again.

This is a good historical romance for those who are newer to the genre. There was not too much historical trappings but the plot was heavily dependent on the norms and cultures on the time.

This book was *heavy* with hiijinx and was wildly unbelievable but if you’re willing to suspend some disbelief, it’s a fun easy read!

I figured I'd be able to plan most of the plot points in this book and was happy to be somewhat wrong. Minerva, Diana and Venus were well written sisters and the line up for the next book to be about Diana and Hugh's bestie Giles was set up perfectly. I'm actually looking forward to the next book in this series and I'm thankful to NetGalley for the change to read an advanced copy!

In the first installment of The Merriwell Sister's series, the Earl of Fareham, Hugh Standish, hires a fake fiance, Minerva Merriwell, to impress his mother while she's in town. What could go wrong, right? This historical rom-com is sure to bring a smile to your face, with a little touch of family drama. Because what is a juicy rom-com without the drama?!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the premise and I'm a huge fan of the fake engagement trope, so I figured why not? Hugh is in a bind having made up the perfect fiancé to get his matchmaking mother off of his case, but the time has come for her to meet this woman who has enchanted her son. The problem is that she doesn't exist. When Hugh happens upon a young woman on the street sharing the same uncommon name as his manufactured paramour, he decides to go all in and hires her to be his fake fiancé.

I wanted so much to love this light hearted read, but the plot was very predictable, the main characters were as expected, though I did like Minerva's sisters, and the comedic dialogue meant to be witty and snappy after a while just felt like a lot of words for not much to actually happen. There were definitely parts that were humorous, which kept me holding on, but as the story progressed it began to feel more like work I had a hard time keeping interest.

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Fun story!

Description
"Filled with fabulously British banter, wit, and heart, this delightful book is one of my must-read rom coms of the year." - Evie Dunmore, USA Today bestselling author of Portrait of a Scotsman

“Virginia Heath’s fun characters and situations will have you laughing out loud! Don’t miss this wonderful read!” - Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author

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.

3.5 Stars I enjoyed Never Fall for Your Fiancee by Virginia Heath while reading, but honestly nothing about the story was memorable.

It was a fun, quick read and I am a sucker for the fake dating trope, romantic comedies, and historical romances in general. It just doesn't stand out among all the others in the genre for me. I would recommend it and will be finishing the series because it was enjoyable. I also bought the audiobook and would recommend it as well.

I want to thank St. Martins Press for providing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC via Netgalley.

Never Fall for Your Fiancee is a Rom-Com Regency Romance book, that was laugh out loud funny, and had me turning pages to see what would happen. Hugh Standish hires a fake fiancee, Minerva, to stand in while his mother visits. Hugh's mother is determined that he marry, so while she lives in the US, Hugh has made up a story about courting "Minerva". When his mother is coming to visit, and Hugh happens to meet a real life Minerva, he hatches a scheme to hire her to stand in for his fake fiancee. I'm sure you can guess where this goes! It is a true romantic comedy, with funny parts that made you want to laugh aloud.

Full disclosure: I'm not a super fan of romance OR regency, but this one really did hold my interest and was funny enough to rate. I still am not a huge fan of the regency style, but if more were like this, I would definitely give them a read. I will certainly read the second book, when it comes out!

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I had a hard time getting into this book. I was intrigued by the fake relationship trope but there wasn't really anything in this book that set it apart from all of the other historical romances. The characters were cute and got into hijinks together but ultimately it wasn't enough to win me over.