This is the first book I have read, from this author. With the understanding, it was a Historical regency romance novel, I was excited to read it. The beginning was pretty good, but quickly turned to nothing of real value or necessity, and I became quite bored. I also became tired of everyone being called a wretch. There were also some phrases that weren’t historically accurate and used out of reference. But I trudged on, about 65% of the way through, I could see the story starting to pick up the pace and become interesting. I really like the character Giles, he was well defined and personable. Diana just irritated me. Some of the jesting was fun and entertaining, but at times just rude and insulting. As I was really looking forward to solving the mystery of rightful heir, I came to chapter 30. It was a very intimate and descriptive sex scene. Now one may call me a prude, but I don’t need a play by play. I had searched prior to getting this book, to determine if it contained sexual content, and found nothing that lead me to that conclusion. If a book is labeled steamy or beyond, I don’t read it! There were innuendos throughout the book that threw up some red flags, but I hope they would all be discrete. I ended up skipping chapter 30 and some of 31, for steamy romance So in a nutshell, I think it was a good story, but I would tighten up the dialogue, revamp Diana, and make it a closed door romance. Then I would have given it 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As soon as I started the book I knew I was going to like it. Diana and Giles’ banter was to die for!! I loved Diana’s character and how fierce she was and loved her storyline. I enjoyed the book and I thought it was such an easy and fun read! If you enjoy romance and want to start reading historical romance as well, I would recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a nice story. It's considered an enemies to lovers trope but I don't really believe that Diana and Giles were ever enemies. Diana is a very independent, strong willed young lady whose learned to take care of herself. Her father abandons her and her sisters, leaving them to fend on their own.
Giles is the son of a Duke, whose father completely ignores him growing up. So their relationship is non existent. Giles also has a very scandalous secret his father is trying to keep quiet.
So both have daddy issues. Both have secrets. And both are attracted to one another.
They end up trusting each other enough to tell each other their secrets. They then work together to solve Giles's problem. The adventure begins.
As I said it was a nice story. But I found it a little predictable, a little boring. I felt it lacking in chemistry. I liked the banter between the two, but that was the extent of their chemistry.
3 ⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

What a swashbuckling good time this regency romance is!
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This is book two of the Merriwell Sisters series and I loved this one even more than the first.
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For fans of:
Romance
Rogue who really isn’t a rogue
Women who want to make a difference
Acquaintances to lovers
Swashbuckling adventures
Open door adventures
Family relationships
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I had this read before pub day but the election has had me on the bird app a lot lately so I apologize for the late review. This one was so fun and I just loved Giles and Diana. I cannot wait for book 3 for a peek back at these two.
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The hugest of thanks to @netgalley and @smpromance for the e-ARC.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

If there is a Bridgerton-shaped hole in your life that needs filling, then look no further than Virginia Heath’s sparkling Regency romantic comedy, Never Rescue a Rogue.

Their nearest and dearest might think that Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair belong together, but the two of them can barely stand to be in the same room together, let alone contemplate the thought of spending the rest of their lives joined in holy matrimony! Besides, even if they could pause long enough not to exchange scathing comments to one another, the two of them are enjoying life far too much to give up their freedom for the shackles of matrimony. Diana adores working at a newspaper and she will not surrender it for the sake of marriage, while Giles loves the bachelor lifestyle far too much to pack it all in and find a suitable bride. However, when fate forces the two of them together, might they realize that their friends and family have been right all along about the two of them being soulmates?

When Giles’ father dies, the true circumstances of his birth risk being revealed by a nefarious miscreant willing to expose him. Giles needs to uncover the truth fast and decides to ask for help from the best investigator he knows: Diana! Giles knows that Diana will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth and he needs her drive and tenacity to discover the secrets of his past. However, the more time Giles spends with Diana, the more he finds himself attracted to her! As resisting temptation soon becomes impossible, will Giles find himself giving into his attraction to Diana? Will he find the courage to tell her how he really feels? Or will pride, fear and a dangerous enemy intent on maximum destruction end up putting paid to any hope he might have had of a future with Diana?

Virginia Heath never fails to imbue her wonderful Regency romantic comedies with razor-sharp repartee, laugh out loud hilarity, intense emotion and swoon-worthy passion and she has outdone herself yet again with Never Rescue a Rogue. Fun, flirty and feel-good, this entertaining Regency tale is spiced with wit, intrigue and sensuality and will enchant readers and keep them eagerly turning the pages as they find themselves falling in love with feisty Diana and gorgeous Giles.

A first-class Regency romance that will brighten up every reader’s day, Virginia Heather strikes gold yet again with her latest novel, Never Rescue a Rogue.

I love the continuation of a good series. Never Rescue a Rogue was just that. Giles and Diana's story is a fun one of friendship, banter and eventually swoony romance. You can tell from the beginning that there's more to their relationship than what initially meets the eye but it takes them a while to give in to their true feelings.

Giles has a battle to determine his status as the new duke and Diana is the daughter of a known forger. They've been friends who banter for a bit, but while working together to try to track down a mystery, they are brought together and find they share more than friendship.

I really enjoyed the storyline to this book. In addition, the characters were well developed and detailed. Everything flowed well and made for an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I love stories with strong, independent female characters and this read definitely had that. Not only was Diana, the mc, and intrepid individual but all the other female characters had gumption. I enjoyed the dialog between Diana and Giles as they bounced between love and hate. The story was fast paced with some interesting plot lines that kept me intrigued. I am curious to see how Diana maintains her investigative reporter persona once she becomes a Duchess since she will no longer be able to keep her wallflower identity. I will have to follow up with the next book to see how that evolves! Absolutely no hardship there!

What a fun and interesting book! I wish I had known Virginia Heath's stories had so much humor in them earlier. I would have been reading them sooner. This is an only son who's difficult father suddenly dies and he finds himself inheriting his father's Dukedom unexpectedly. He's been burdened with the knowledge ever since his mother died four years ago that he was not her son but some harlot his father loved. Ack, if his Uncle Gervais suddenly appears from banishment and knows, Giles will be jailed or deported and stripped of the title he doesn't deserve! What to do?

Diana Merriwell is a reporter for the London Tribune correcting grammar and contributing gossip for the scandal pages occasionally. In reality she's one of Charlie Palmer's best investigative reporters in secret. No one knows who the Sentinel is but all assume it's a man. Her sister Minerva married Giles Sinclair's best friend Hugh Standish. Hugh's mother Olivia pretty much adopted Minerva's sisters as her own and they all live with Hugh. She and Giles have a bickering relationship but underneath really like each other. Diana's father was a forger who betrayed his girls and Diana finally blackmailed him to leave them alone. She's highly suspicious of men and never lets one get close...until Hugh.

Hugh is determined to get the estate modernized and profitable once again after his miserly father neglected it. He feels like he's under a ticking clock never knowing if he'll get found out. When the Standish family come to visit Diana finds herself helping Giles sort and organize the estate accounts that a complete chaos. They become friends and eventually secrets get shared. Eventually when his Uncle Gervais Sinclair shows up with his son Galahad it hits the fan. Hugh finds himself spilling everything to Diana and she goes into her Goddess of the Hunt and Hunter of the Truth mode for him. She's fearless and he calls her the Fearsome Kicker of Hornets as well. This tale of finding the truth is exciting and a great read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

Gah! I absolutely adore the Merriwell sisters. In the first book, we met the eldest sister, Minerva; and in this one we meet Diana, middle sister of the trio.

Diana and Giles share witty barbs to each other, adamantly stating how they can’t stand each other; while their friends and family try to get them together, believing they’d be a good match. Diana is to set on her freedom and working at the newspaper to even consider a relationship, let alone with Giles. And Giles is a consummate bachelor. But both have secrets. And now Giles’ secret is threatening his very dukedom. Enlisting the help of Diana, they work together to unravel the truth of Giles parentage. And the more time they spend together, the more their attraction becomes palpable.

So what happens? Will Giles save his Dukedom and win Diana’s affection? You’ll have to one-click to find out.

I can’t wait for Vee’s story… and boy, do I hope to see more of Gile’s cousin, Galahad.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press ad Virginia Heath for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is a fairly generous 3⭐️ for me - Giles was darling and the ending was cute .. However. I found this installment less interesting than the first overall, saw nearly every twist or revelation coming a mile away, and the language was often too modern for the times, taking me out of the moment, as well as repetitive in the extreme. How many times can you say something as hokey and noticeable as “so-and-so wore an expression like butter wouldn’t melt in the mouth” (😵‍💫) in one book and have it not be annoying? (The answer is 1, but it appeared 4 times.) The author also beats the details of the main problem to death, much like the first book, which again = annoying. I won’t be finishing this series and this author’s style is really not for me.

<i>Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.</i>

Title: Never Rescue a Rogue
Author: Virginia Heath
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain—not a hidden attraction. Diana loves the freedom of working at the newspaper too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily married to his bachelor lifestyle. But they do have one thing in common—the secrets they can’t risk escaping.

When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined—and dogged bloodhound Diana is his best hope at sniffing out the truth. As Giles and Diana dive into his family’s past, the attraction that the two of them insisted wasn’t there proves impossible to ignore. Soon, the future of the Sinclair estate isn’t the only thing on the line…

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and this one was a lot of fun, too. Diana is exactly the kind of character I like to read: unashamedly herself, she goes after what she wants to do—no matter what anyone says or thinks about it. She and Giles were a joy to read about, and their witty barbs made me alight several times. This is a fun read!

Virginia Heath lives in London. Never Rescue a Rogue is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I am really loving this series. Book 2 was just as good as book 1, but was more serious. Which is keeping in line with Diana’s personality. This one had a fun mystery built in and a sweet ending. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Vee next!

This worked better for me than Minerva and Hugh's story, mostly because Diana and Giles are both more competent and have better chemistry (and are less annoying). There are still some frustrating moments of miscommunication between the couple, but the underlying mystery of Giles' parentage (fueled by Diana's dogged determination to uncover the truth) buoys the story and keeps it compelling. Plus, the butler-cum-Watson character, Dalton, is a hilarious supporting character.

I appreciate that Virginia Heath foreshadows the next book in her series, so I look forward to reading about Vee and Galahad.

A light-hearted and charming historical romantic comedy. This novel's wit and humour abound as Diana and Giles verbally spar with each other from beginning to end. They hide their true feelings behind barbs and sarcastic comments but when push comes to shove they behave like best friends. They confide in each other and go to great lengths to look after each other's welfare.
There are a few amusing scenes where Diana is working as a journalist and Giles insists on being involved in whatever way he can. Of course, she never listens to his advice and this invariably results in all sorts of hilarity as they get caught up in the consequences of her sleuthing.
Giles's complicated family past provides the pair with an urgent mystery to solve as Gile's inheritance, title and freedom are at stake. The clock is ticking if they are to thwart his uncle's claim.
Friendship soon turns to romance as Giles and Diana work together. Diana's family and other side characters such as Dalton add more humour as they are not shy about voicing their opinions on the budding romance.
Never Rescue a Rogue is a lovely read, guaranteed to have you smiling from start to finish.

This was an enjoyable read. I loved getting more of a look at Diana as well as reconnecting with the whole family. The banter between her and Giles was fun.

I loved seeing them work together to uncover buried secrets. And see them move from “enemies” to more.

Virginia Heath does it again! She proves that she is a master of banter and intrigue in this swoonworthy take on enemies to lovers in a juicy historical romance. There are just enough twists to keep the reader fully engaged. Loved this!

I just loved this latest book in the Merriwell Sisters series.

Diana is the independent and plucky reporter we met in the first book in the series. Giles played the rogue to get back at his father, but now he is the Duke after his father’s death. Giles fell for Diana the moment he met her and hasn’t looked at another woman since.

I really liked this couple together, the hero is very sympathetic and the heroine is independent and likable. They embark upon a mission to try and solve a family mystery that will affect the Duke's future. This brings our dashing hero and lovely heroine into close proximity and a romance novel ensues.

There are some funny scenes in this book along with Diana‘s family who always provides great comic relief. This is the second book I’ve read in the series and I really like the author's writing style. There’s also some great steam in this book.

I’m hoping the next book in the series is Venus and Galahad, which is just the best hero\heroine name combination out there!

Final thoughts: the first book in the series was good and this one is even better!

I don't read very many books of this genre, but I do enjoy books written by Virginia Heath. Her heroines are strong willed, take the bulls by the horns kind of women. They may not be totally informed about the bed side of a relationship, but they are certainly willing to learn when the right man for them comes along.

Dianna fits that mold perfectly. She and Giles have exchanged barbs aimed at each other for years in an effort to deny their attraction to each other. They are funny in their exchanges and insults. Giles suspects/knows what Dianna's secret profession is. He doesn't want to out her, but he really wants to keep her from putting herself in danger. Dianna is determined to do what she thinks she must, no matter what Giles thinks. After he invites himself along on her business foray, all it out in the open...even his feelings for her.

This was a very enjoyable read. I think it is probably more friends to lovers than enemies to lovers. Whatever it is, it was wonderful!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Another book in the like, not love category.

I didn't read the first book in the series, and had no problem understanding or getting into this one, which I count as a big plus. I do want to go back and read the first in the series.

The biggest concern I had going in was that the B-story / mystery they have to solve would overpower the romance. It gets close, but never quite upstages the romance, which was a relief.

Giles was a great character, and I found him pretty funny! The downside was that when some big family revelations came about, his character didn't seem to know how to handle them in a consistent way. Like, his character archetype doesn't have a "sad / confused" setting.

I was very annoyed that Giles kept calling Diana Vixen, Minx, or Helion. I'm not a huge fan of pet names anyway but these really didn't fit her, or his character, for that matter. She is a bluestocking, but her temperament isn't particularly shrewish, more straightforward. There wasn't even a reason for him picking that (that I can recall) and it was so jarring every time he used them.

There wasn't a ton of spice until the very end.

Sometimes you just need a fiery regency romance filed with angsty tension - and this was it!

I was in a bit of a reading slump when I turned to this book as my salvation - and it delivered! I love a good tension filled romance and the tension between Diana and Giles was felt even in the last book of this series!

Was the story a bit outlandish? Yes, but I don't care! I was here for the ride throughout it all and was sad when I got to the last page. I'm so excited to read Vee's book next and can't wait to read about the youngest Merriwell.

Definitely recommend this fun regency romance series!