Really enjoyed the next installment in the Merriwell sisters series! This one follows Diana, the strong-willed, clever middle sister, while she digs up lots of dirt for a newspaper, and Giles, the best friend of Diana's brother-in-law, whose father just died and left Giles in quite the predicament.

Both characters were so much fun to spend time with. The banter was entertaining, the longing was fun and paid off well, and the story was nice and interesting! This is a perfect cozy read if you're into regency romances and mysteries!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC!

Hilarious banter, gossip and a life changing secret bring Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair closer together. As her alter ego "The Sentinel," Diana has a nose for finding the truth and printing it in The London Tribune. Giles Sinclair is a close friend of the Merriwell family. After his father's death, he needs The Goddess of the Hunt, Hunter of The Truth and Fearsome Kicker of Hornets, Diana, to help with his "Dirty Secret." The banter never gives up as Diana is determined to solve his secret and Giles has another biscuit. What a way to fall in love!
Some steam!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

An extremely funny regency romance filled with swoon worthy romance. Calling all romance readers, this one’s for you!

Just a really fun romp with great banter!

I’ve been in a huge historical romance phase—is it a phase when it’s almost 3 years Long—and this one managed to cut through the noise!

This was a fun sequel to the first book. I look forward to the rest of the series! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Never Rescue A Rogue by Virginia Heath was one of my most anticipated books this year, after adoring the heck out of its predecessor last year.. I just knew I would love this one as well.

Giles and Diana’s story is one that captured me from the very first page and I just couldn’t get enough of these two! They were the perfect match besides both of them claiming that a romantic attachment was simply out of the question for both of them and yet.. they couldn’t help but fall for one another in the end when the circumstances lumped them together at every turn.

Not only is this one a swoony romance but! The drama is nail biting good and you will not be able to let this one go till the very end.

I was interested to read more about the Merriwell family after reading the first book, even though it was okay. I wanted to give the next one a shot to entice me further into the series.

Overall, Never Rescue a Rogue was okay. Enemies to lovers (especially in the regency period) is always fun to me, so it gets a few bonus points for that. However, the issue of the characters I found in the first book continues here. I found them somewhat one dimensional. Each character seemed to be their archetype and little beyond that.

There was some witty banter and a bit of interest with the plot itself, but if I do not love the characters, it is hard for me to get into a book.

Since I finished Never Fall for Your Fiancée I knew I needed more of Giles and Diana and this book delivered! This book feels almost Enola Holmes-esque with all of Diana’s sleuthing and Giles just getting dragged along for the ride 😂

The banter is wonderful, tensions are high, and there is a little mystery thrown in that needs to be solved. Diana and Giles are a treat of a couple!

If you like historical romance I highly encourage you pick up this series! I can’t wait to see what comes next for the youngest Merriwell

“Even if I wasn’t in such a precarious position and I was able to offer something— which obviously I cannot— I’d have to be a fool to have a romantic entanglement with a headstrong and opinionated harpy like you. Talk about incompatible.”
“We come from different worlds.” She nodded, playing with the tassels of her shawl for all she was worth. “Not that I have any interest in a romantic entanglement, either, but if I did suddenly feel the urge, it wouldn’t be with a privileged idiot such as you. I barely like you.”
“And I barely like you, too, harridan.” The forced chuckle grated like rusty nails in his throat.

The Merriwell sisters come from poverty, a father who was an alcoholic and forger, and growing up this way has left a mark on the middle sister Diana. When her older sister Minerva marries an Earl (Never Fall for Your Fiancee) their fortunes change drastically but Diana doesn't lose that hardened shell. I had no problems jumping into the series here but I do wonder if I missed some of the beginning building attraction between Diana and our hero Giles, friend to Diana's new brother-in-law. Diana and Giles have a teasing, sarcastic back and forth that has their family and friends side-eyeing them and Diana and Giles doth protesting too much.

Inside, she would always be the scrappy forger’s daughter from Clerkenwell, more comfortable amongst the flotsam and jetsam than she ever would be here in Mayfair.

Diana works for the London Tribune, she claims she just checks the grammar on articles but her family knows she writes the cheeky society columns, using her ability to blend into the background at functions to get the good gossip. What they don't know is that she is also The Sentinel, a column that outs aristocrats and businessmen for their dastardly deeds, a much more dangerous undertaking. Giles is the heir to a duke but has a very strained relationship with his father, while extremely successful in the business world, Giles hides that and pretends to be a ne'er-do-well. Diana sees past this and even though she sasses him about his rogue persona, she sees behind the mask and Giles may poke at her wallflower persona, he is attracted to her sharp mind. Giles also has a secret, four years ago on her deathbed, his mother told him that she wasn't really his mother. Confronting his father, Giles learns his mother was a “harlot” and that he is illegitimate, endangering his claim to the dukedom with this Dirty Secret.

The more he got to know her, the more he became convinced she read him like a book, and that really galled. Because Giles liked to think he was always the canniest person in any room and several paces ahead of the crowd— but she was always hot on his heels. Or more often, he trailed on hers …

What I really liked about their relationship was how much of a solid friendship these two had. The author laid out their background, Diana growing up losing trust in the people supposed to care for her and having to support and protect her two sisters, especially the youngest Venus. Diana also has the pain of a sexual assault in her past, we get the full context of it around the last 15%, but what really bonds these two together is the pain of never having a healthy relationship with their fathers. They also are masters of masks and show the mask to the world and keep their private selves hidden. So when they start to see each other's hidden self, we get that great having someone see the true me, which I think can hit the best in reading romance relationships. I did miss seeing some of the attraction heating up and coming to love the person building blocks as I think these two started off already attracted that way. When we get the “I love you”, it didn't feel particularly moving or sparking.

“I am afraid I come as the bearer of grave tidings. Very grave tidings indeed . . . Your Grace.”

The main plot, which has them hopping from London to Shropshire and back, is Diana coming to Giles to tell him she's uncovered that he's engaged to a debutante. Giles, angry, confronts his father and learns it's actually his father who is engaged. His father is fearing something and wanting to shore up the line of succession with a “true” heir; Giles senses someone is blackmailing him. Unfortunately, Giles' father dies before he can learn more as he takes over the dukedom, it becomes his mission to find out who the blackmailer is and find the proof about his birth. Diana comes along on the mission to help because of her skills as a reporter and we have a reason for our couple to be together.

Dukes and forger’s daughters were a laughable combination. Ridiculous in fact. Why on earth would she want to kiss him when he vexed her so? But of their own accord, her lips tingled at the idea . . .

In the later first half, Giles learns Diana is The Sentinel and is furious because of the danger and insists that his valet/friend Dalton accompany her back to London when she has to leave Shropshire, Diana learns his secret of possibly not being the true heir, and they have tipsy late night make-out session that pretty much convinces them their attraction is real. There is some “I can't marry you!” from Giles because of the uncertainty of his birth and Diana not wanting to lose her freedom but that's more or less just lingering in the background. I really liked the side character of Dalton and wouldn't have minded at least a novella of him but he gets a behind the scenes romance here.

She didn’t want him to care, had never wanted any man to care about her nor care about him in return, but now that she knew he did, it ran riot with her emotions.

About midway the, mostly obvious, villain is revealed to be Giles' uncle, who was banished after kidnapping a woman to Gretna Green to marry, and his son, Galahad. It's a race to get the information about Giles' true mother before them and we add Wales to the hopping spots. Diana's younger sister Vee (Venus) gets added and it seems like her and Galahad may have some friction between them that alludes to a future book three couple. The last twenty percent gives us reveals on Giles' mother, Diana giving into her feelings, a bedroom scene, and a heel turn.

Giles studied her with interest. “I am starting to think that my Goddess of the Hunt is as much a rescuer as she is a Kicker of Hornets.”

The last 10% was a very quick wrap-up, too quick for me, and I wonder if the opium case The Sentinel (Diana) was wrapping up will make an appearance in the third. If you're looking for a couple that had a solid friendship and believable connectivity, if not fireworks, Diana and Giles were very warm in that regard. I also enjoyed the world setting in this, the author brought in elements that helped to set the time period and have me feel it. The alluding to who younger sister Vee might be paired up with has me very excited to read her book, some of that sparking that I felt was missing a little here, seems like it could be in her relationship in spades.

Giles and Diana’s banter, and sniping is simply the best. Add in the peg-legged Pirate-turned-butler Dalton and the Merriwell extended family and amazing things happen.

This book was a wild ride of crazy events and utterly enjoyable. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy (in exchange for an honest review) if you haven’t met the Merriwell sisters yet I highly recommend checking out this series. 😊

This is another example of NEVER judge a romance "series" by the first book.
Heath's first book, NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FIANCEE, just didn't really do it for me. Something about Hugh and Minerva didn't jive...but be still my heart for Giles and Diana because SWOON.

rating: 4 STARS
genre: romance, historical romance
tropes: enemies-to-lovers, my brother's best friend (kind of)
steam: open door (lots of pining, one descriptive scene)

The banter here - oh my god. I absolutely loved reading the dialogue between Giles and Diana. I wish I'd been able to hear it in real time because I feel like we'd have another Lizzy/Darcy or Emma/Knightley couple on our hands. The fast-talking jabs were just top notch.

I love seeing how all the other characters came into play matchmaking these two together. Vee with her astute observations of her sister, Olivia with her deep background on Gile's family, and Dalton might have been one my absolute favorites.

Honestly, if you like enemies-to-lovers and reading about someone fighting for their Dukedom sounds appealing to you, read this book. I don't think you'll regret it.

What I Loved:

Diana and Giles. Banter, banter, banter. I love good enemies to lovers, and Diana and Giles are no exception. The two of them exchange barbs and sarcastic quips while the tension slowly sizzles underneath. I love how they are fiercely loyal to friends and family, and that drives them together even while they pretend to hate each other. I love how each character grew as a person from the last book, and were fully fleshed out in the best way. Diana and Giles (in my humble opinion) are even better suited than Hugh and Minerva, and that’s saying something.

The Mysteries. I am a sucker for a good mystery (hence half my blog being cozies). While I did not go into Never Rescue a Rogue thinking it would be anything more than a fun historical romcom, the “serious” mystery was delightful. I love Diana’s secret life as a newspaper columnist that seeks and find secrets like its nobody’s business (ha) and it was even better watching her put that to use to help Giles with his dark family past. Giles, in turn, is tortured by a secret, but not for his sake: for the sake of the people suffering around him. As they delve into Giles’s past, it is a match made in heaven.

The Character Development. I loved book one in this series, but basically hated Diana, Giles, and little sister Vee. They were all annoying, obstinate, and one-sided. However here, every character (even Vee) had time to shine. This is not a series that suffers a book 2 slump.

What Didn’t Work as Well:

The Pace. I loved Never Rescue a Rogue, but the pace was pretty erratic. The beginning was a slow burn that I was into, but can see why others would think it dragged, then the middle is a lovely crescendo as the mystery comes together. However, the end speeds through like a train, with the ultimate ending almost feeling like it wasn’t “won.” If you can get through the beginning, it is worth it.


That is really all. This book may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the blend between mystery and romance, hot glances, witty banter, and frenemies to lovers.

I adored the first book, but this one has my whole heart. It was so funny, the banter was great, and I loved the pining. Diana and Giles were everything. Their love story was so much fun and even better than the romance for Hugh and Minerva. I'm extremely excited for the next installment in this series and I highly recommend!!!

I adored Giles and Diana's story! I had a feeling they would be paired from watching them in the first book in the series. Heath did NOT disappoint! Such a fun read!

Virginia Heath is an author I enjoy and Never Rescue a Rogue did not disappoint. I enjoyed the first introduction to the Merriwell sisters and I thought the second book in this series kept the wit and banter sharp and the romance percolating. I was gifted this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Virginia Heath has just proven to me again, that she knows what the historical romance lovers want. This book was absolute perfection, and I was so excited for this story since I first read Never Fall for Your Fiancé and these two characters met for the first time.

Never Rescue a Rogue was everything I hoped it would be and more. Let me start out by saying the banter between Diana and Giles was *chef's kiss* perfection! I have been so excited for their story, because they are
the definition of enemies to lovers. They give off Darcy and Lizzie vibes and were just a perfect duo.

Pair that enemies/rivals to lovers theme, with an investigative reporter and a man with a dangerous secret who team up to learn about all the skeletons in the Sinclair family closet and you get a perfect book. It truly was an epic adventure to go on and along the way the tension between these two turned into passion. While at times you could predict the way the story would go, it still had some twists you wouldn't have expected. Plus the way Giles got so protective of Diana as the investigations continued, truly gave off touch her and you die vibes.

I would also like to point out that Diana as a heroine was incredible. Not only was she in a position not usually given to women at the time, she took it further and was willing to expose the misdeeds of those who harmed innocents and it was absolutely a girl boss moment. And while Giles wished she wouldn't put herself in danger at times, she refused to give up on what she believed was right.

Overall the Merriwell Sisters series just keeps getting better and has place on my all time favorite books list. Not only does Heath develop beautiful romances, but gives us some amazing depth to other side characters (when I tell you I loved the Dalton side romance!) and I love that she gives hints of the next book. All I can say is if Venus is going to have a romance with who I think she is, I will be screaming. It will be everything I want it to be, especially since their first interaction screams enemies to lovers or at least for Venus.

Never Rescue a Rogue is the second book in the clever and romantic series The Merriwell Sisters by Virginia Heath. Not only is this book a historical romance, but it is also a romantic comedy, one which is actually funny. In the first book we were introduced to the oldest Merriwell sister Minerva. This time around the story is centered around Diana, the prickly middle sister who has a secret life she keeps from her siblings. I really liked the first book, but I loved this one!

Everyone thinks that Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair are just perfect for each other. They, however, only put up with each other to keep the peace, as Giles is the best friend of Diana's brother-in-law. Their pointed barbs cannot mean they are secretly attracted to one another...can't they? Besides, Giles loves his life as a bachelor, and Diana loves her job working for the newspaper; she vows to never get married, as she enjoys her freedom. As it just so happens, they each have a secret they cannot reveal. When Giles' father, the hateful Duke of Harpenden, dies, Giles just knows someone will discover the secret of his parentage and attempt to blackmail him. And who appears to do just that but his evil Uncle Gervais. If Giles loses the dukedom, all those who depend on it will be ruined. Diana, the "nitpicking grammarian" and news bloodhound, is his best hope of finding proof before Gervais does. Will their bickering drive them apart as they work together, or actually bring them closer?

If you enjoy romantic stories with witty banter and totally enchanting characters, you will adore this book as much as I did. The story was a lot of fun, but it was the lead characters and engaging repartee that made it special. Diana told her family that she was a grammarian at the newspaper where she worked, but they suspected she wrote the gossip column. Little did they know she was actually the Sentinel, a reporter who digs up dirt and exposes criminals. They would be livid if they knew the danger she put herself in! She was one tough cookie; she had to be with the criminal father the siblings had. With the experience she had with men in the past, marriage wasn't something she was interested in. Giles seemed to be a jovial, carefree and fun loving bachelor. However, his father was a cold and unloving parent; when he died no one shed a tear for him. The Duchess was hateful to Giles before she died years ago. On her deathbed, she told him the truth of his parentage. His father was rich, but didn't take care of his tenants on his estates. Giles was afraid if the rumor about his parents was true and he lost the dukedom to Gervais, once again the tenants would be neglected. He knew Diana would be able to help him track down clues. In the past Diana and Giles acted like they found each other extremely vexing. And they actually were vexing, but it hid their attraction. Their time together forced them to discover their true feelings. I totally fell in love with Giles when he realized how he really felt...and actually confessed instead of keeping it to himself. I just about swooned! The heat between them was extremely hot, yet funny and sweet. The secondary characters were so incredible. Once again, I absolutely adored Dalton the butler, with his scrimshaw peg leg, a missing eye and mangled hand. Oh, and his ever present pistol. This time around I adored youngest sister Vee, as well. She was whip smart, but a rather inept chaperone. I cannot wait for her story. I may be wrong, but I do believe I just might know who her paramour will be... I am totally enjoying this series.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

We tell elementary aged children that when someone is picking on you, it's because they must have a crush... I think it's the entire premise of the enemies-to-lovers troupe (which is my favorite, by the way)… It builds so much chemistry... and, as expected, Diana and Giles need each other as much as they dislike each other. Which begs the question - duty or disdain? Which will win out? Can Giles put things aside and ask for help from Diana? And what happens when they do? They fall in love... duh! It's a romance novel, silly!

3.5⭐️

Never Rescue a Rogue is a frenemies to lovers historical romance, following the middle Merriwell sister Diana, and her brother-in-law's best friend, Giles Sinclair.

While I did not read the first book in the series, this can be read as a standalone, and I nevertheless enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this did mean I was a bit behind on which characters were who, and struggled a bit with keeping up.

Diana was a likeable character to me, she was strong and a clear feminist. Giles was also very charming, but in the end, it was Dalton and Vee that took the cake. Giles' butler and Diana's younger sister provided the real comedy, and I couldn't help but love them both.

I really liked the combination of the family mysteries and the romance. All the detective work led to more action than what I've recently been reading in historical romances, which was a good type of different. In the end, it did come together well, although at times I was confused with all the names and dates going around. There were many revelations right at the end, and while it did give some comedic value (I would pass out if I were Mrs. Townsend), it was a predictable and slightly rushed ending.

I did like the frenemies to lovers trope here. I always love banter, and it was so endearing how the whole family could clearly see what the two of them refused to admit. Giles' love proclamations were very adorable, and there is one spicier scene:)

While a bit slow to get into, this was an enjoyable read! And as many have mentioned, if you liked reading or watching Bridgerton, you may enjoy this as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! Happy release to Virginia Heath!

Diana and Giles are friends and love to tease each other. They are secretly attracted to one another.
Diana is involved in dangerous work as The Sentinel and other newspaper writings!
Giles is told at a ball of an engagement presumably his!?
He confronts his father and his father has decided to wed to produce a legitimate heir?
Giles gets worried as a great many people depend on the Estate for their livelihood.
He knows the next in line is an evil reprobate who would drain the coffers dry!
In a moment of vulnerability Giles confessed the “Dirty secret!” He trusts Diana and she laters shares a secret of her own!
I love how stubborn they are and how Diana is afraid but takes a leap of faith in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty by Giles of his parents ever wedding and his evil uncle threatening to bring charges and take it all!
Can a forgers daughter and a possible Duke have any kind of future!!?
This story has so many layers it takes a while to unpack!
It is a wild ride of nonstop action! Surprises, villains and victories!
Love the chemistry and the subplots! You would have to stay up all night but totally worth it!
I received a Netgalley copy and thankful I did! Bravo!