Venus Merriwell, the youngest Merriwell sister, would gladly change her name. She much prefers to be called “Vee,” as “Venus,” when paired with her body type, tends to give men the wrong idea. She wants an intellectual man, who will respect her and her dedication to the orphanage in Covent Garden. Sadly, she has experienced disappointment after disappointment when it comes to men—her father included—and the last thing she wants is a man involved in gambling.

Galahad (Gal) Sinclair is used to looking out for himself. Sure, since moving from New York to London, he has been pulled more into his cousin’s family, but he just does not feel comfortable opening up to others. He has carefully crafted different personas over the years, and he wears them like armor.

When Gal finds the perfect deal on a building in Covent Garden, he imagines his dream coming true: a pleasure palace full of gambling and shows of his very own. What’s the problem? Well, Venus’s beloved orphanage is located next door and is hoping to expand into his newly acquired building.

I enjoyed the Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice-Benedick dynamic between Vee and Gal, the banter, the tension, and the electric attraction between the two. Some of my favorite scenes between them take place around the whist table. I adore when a male main character realizes he is developing inconvenient feelings in a romance, and the way Virginia Heath handles Gal falling for Vee is delicious.

Vee’s character is a bit grating at times. I understand why she is the way she is but found myself wanting to reach into the book on occasion to shake her shoulders and to tell her to get out of her own way.

It was fun to see the other characters from the series, especially Olivia with her matchmaking tendencies. There are some standout moments with the orphans, and the rivals-to-lovers vibes between Vee and Gal are just plain fun.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Never Wager With a Wallflower was a fitting end to a fun historical romance trilogy! This time, we get to spend time with the youngest Merriwell sister, Venus (aka Vee), who I was the most excited to spend time with, as she's been a fun side character in the first two books. Vee has been unlucky in love and has settled on the fact that she will have to marry someone she does not love. At the same time, Galahad, her brother-in-law's cousin (who helped save the day in the 2nd book) happens to buy up the buildings beside the orphanage at which Vee works in order to open a gaming hell. Suddenly the two are thrown together more often than they're used to, and they realize that their initial impressions of each other weren't very correct.

It's a real sweet book, and I enjoyed both characters a lot. I loved Galahad's interactions with the orphans the most. It wasn't terribly stand-out as far as the series goes, but I'm glad to have read it!

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

Venus and Galahad -- what a lovely couple! But before the two reach an HEA they are squabbling, disagreeing and otherwise getting on each others' nerves. She wants to help children through her orphanage; he wants to run a gambling hall. Since they are next door to each other -- and she needs his space for expansion -- they are bound to continue clashing. How they resolve their differences and finally make up is a rollicking good story. A worthy end to a lovely series, with all the sisters safe and happy — finally. Virginia Heath knows how to tell a grand tale! (I received an advance copy from NetGalley. Opinions mine.)

Tender, sweet and lightheartedly romantic! A good read for the heart that enjoys romance with a little bit of romantic humor

Miss Venus Merriwell, prim and proper, bluestocking, and teacher. Sisters are Minerva Married to Lord Hugh Standishand Diana. Hughes mother Olivia married to Jeremiah Peabody.
Mrs. Witherspoon, Reverend Smythe run the Covent Garden Asylum for Orphans where He's teaches.
Claypole twins, Sydney and Tommy along with the new member Billy Tubes are the mischievous ones at the orphanage.
Lord Marmaduke Dorchester, windbag, egotistical, condescending upstart that Miss Venus has her eye on for a husband.

Lord Mallory, nephew to philanthropist Mrs. Leyton-Brown, who just passed away. Receive property instead of money because he gambles too much.

Galahad, Gal, Sinclair, godfather toGiselle—Cousin Giles Sinclair, Duke of Harpenden and wife Diana’s daughter, business man, entrepreneur, and a private quiet person.
Father, Gervais is dispecable, cheat, good for nothing person.


Join in the madhouse fun that involves a secretative person against an opinionated do gooder. As Venus tries to find someone for herself and allow her to keep teaching at the orphanage. Gal tries to not get his hopes up on buying the building from Lord Mallory while hiding from his cousin and extended family.

As the two are crossing paths more often the witty quips fly, a rousing game of cards, and family meddling round out this enchanting story. Who knew butting heads to be a catalyst to true romance for two totally opposing combatants could be so exciting and laugh out loud

Cute little historical romance. I had not read the first two installments, but thought this one stood fine on its own.

Venus and Galahad seek to ignore the other, but no such luck for either of them. Forced proximity and a want for the same property put them square in front of each other, with nothing left but to face their budding feelings for one another.

The banter was cute, but the pining went on too long for my liking. The little historical British parts were fun to read, and the epilogue wrapped everything up in a neat little bow, though I didn’t feel overly invested in the characters. Those who love skimmable pages and a really quick cute read, will love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you're wondering if you can read this last installment in the Merrill Sisters series without reading any of the previous books, you came to the right review. I'm guilty of starting this series backwards and it did not affect my reading comprehension or enjoyment. Of course there are spoilers about certain events from the series that you may not want to know if you are planning to read the others, but personally, I felt that just enough information was given in order to understand the other couples as well as the cause of Venus and Galahad's animosity. (Yes, you read that right...those are their names) This book has an enemies-to-lovers trope which I haven't been having the best of luck reading lately, but I feel as if the "enemies" portion of the story was not too exaggerated or used simply as a plot device without any realistic background.

Venus Merriwell was a great heroine. She's bookish, which is always a plus, bighearted, very intelligent, and quite independent for a woman of her time. She dedicates her life to taking care of children who need a helping hand at the Covent Garden Asylum for Orphans. Everyone in her family views her as nothing less than a saint for her charitable work, but she's very down-to-earth and humble about herself. All she has ever wanted out of life is a partner whom she could have intellectual conversations with. Someone who enjoys Shakespeare as much as she does, and respects her for her brain rather than her sizable bosom. Having a name like Venus is somewhat of a curse when you're exceptionally endowed like she is. She's like a magnet for men with bad intentions, and she doesn't seem to have the ability to detect these bad traits in them until it's too late and the damage is done.

Venus seems to have been hurt the most by her last suitor, Lord Argyll, but it isn't revealed what offense he committed until late in the book. The author uses short snippets of her journal entries at the beginning of the chapters to help you understand her feelings and experiences a little better. I enjoyed these little windows into what helped form her current opinions of Gal and men in general. I wouldn't call her a man hater, but she's been quite wounded by men and has decided that she no longer has it in her to trust the opposite sex. She guards her heart fiercely now, and has mostly lost hope of ever getting swept away by passion and romance as her sisters did. Now she looks at love pragmatically, and ironically, that has caused her to pick another man who is completely wrong for her. She has been warned by all of her loved ones that Lord Dorchester is an intolerable, pompous, snob, but she's determined to prove them wrong.

Galahad "Gal" Sinclair is the cousin of Giles, Venus' brother-in-law. As they are related through marriage, they cross paths at family gatherings and other social events. After an unfortunate misunderstanding in their first meeting, Gal just can't seem to get along with Venus. The two of them vacillate between pushing each other's buttons with taunts, and avoidance whenever possible. Gal likes to keep his distance from people in general, and he is a very private person who tends to only show others what he wants them to see. From a very young age, his father's betrayal combined with the loss of his mother has forced him to depend only on himself. He has admirably raised himself up from being penniless to owning multiple businesses and being comfortable financially. However, he's always working towards his big dream of owning a gambling establishment that would be open to both men and women of any social status. When a large property opens up in a prime location, it seems his dream can finally be set into motion. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that his dream may turn into a nightmare, because the shabby building right next door is owned by none other than his formidable adversary, Venus.

Gal never lets a challenge defeat him, so he concocts a plan to get on Venus' good side, which will hopefully help him avoid any conflict in the future. Yes, he is being a bit sneaky in his plan, but in his defense, he isn't aware of information involving the property that would have influenced his decision-making process. Of course, whenever a fragile relationship is founded on misconception and secrets, it never ends well. I thought his deception would be the big conflict at the end, but surprisingly it came out a lot earlier. Because of this, Gal had to prove himself to her a second time, and it was much harder this time around because she was just starting to care for him when his lies by omission were outed. At times, I did feel she was being a bit unreasonable by not listening to his side, but I did understand where she was coming from.

Gal was really struggling with losing the woman he was falling for. He didn't want to sacrifice any part of his dreams for the building, but he did feel a responsibility to make things right with her. He is a good man who made a dumb choice, and he had to find a way to allow himself to be honest and vulnerable with someone for the first time in his life. It was sweet seeing them find their way back to each other as he proved his good intentions and open heart.

My one complaint is that when they finally professed their love for each other, I felt like he hadn't opened up to her at all about his childhood and many other personal things. He showed her that he had no bad intentions, and that he was a good man, but did she really know him at a deep enough level to be able to say that she loved him yet? All things considered, I did think they were a sweet couple once they worked out their difficulties and they had a lot in common to bond over.

I really enjoyed this first read by Virginia Heath, and I will definitely be checking out other books by her in the future.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Not my favourite in the series. The story dragged, the banter wasn’t my favourite, and there was too much enemies and not enough lovers. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t do much for me. Others may like it however!

As this book opens Galahad Sinclair is making what he believes to be the deal of a lifetime. Three adjoining four story townhouses in Covert Gardens for a less than six thousand pounds. Lord Mallory wants a quick cash sale, his widowed, childless aunt had died, and word had yet to reach London, so Gal knew he was the only bidder since any inquiries into her vast properties would be considered rude. Not to American born Galahad though.

He's already planning out the renovations in his mind, to turn them into a gaming house with unique themes on each floor, open to anyone who has the coin to gamble. The attic will be his office and home. After talking down Lord Mallory another thousand pounds, he sent him off to make the arrangements with the solicitor for the paperwork to be ready for signatures the next day.

He's pacing off the buildings and discovers a fourth at the other corner, it's occupied, but not in much better shape than the others. It's then a carriage he recognizes pulls up, and his cousin Giles sister-in-law Venus steps out. They converse with him pretending ignorance of Shakespeare and enforcing her opinion that he spends every night from dusk until dawn gambling.

When he inquires why she is down in Covent Gardens at the early hour with a blizzard coming, she gives tell him what he really doesn't want to hear. Venus is there to teach lessons at the Covent Garden Asylum for Orphans, that is housed in that forth townhouse he was just eying.

Little does Galahad know that within those walls, the Reverand Smythe is counting on not only cash but also the building next door from Mrs. Leyton-Brown as she told him was in her will.

If they were to be neighbors, Gal would have to find his way into Venus' good graces.

I quite enjoyed the ball he attended, his cousin Giles, Duke of Harpenden, and his wife Diana, who although she is pregnant is working, listening to the conversations hoping to find a lead on her story. Venus arrives on the arm of Lord Dorchester with her sister Olivia and her husband Boston born and bred, Jerimiah Peabody as her chaperones.

Neither of her sisters approve of Lord Dorchester, finding him far too self-important to be worthy of their sister. Olivia enlists his aid to get Venus to see the light.

After being treated rather rudely by Lord Dorchester, Venus finds herself dancing with Galahad in an effort to have Lord Dorchester actually see her.

Galahad finds himself having feelings for Miss Venus, a rather dangerous proposition.

She isn't going to like that his gaming house is next door to the orphanage, and that he purchased the property before the solicitors could put it on the market.

Some delicious pranks by the orphans will keep you on your toes as construction begins on the townhouses.

There are plenty of ups and downs, a wager, laughter, some tears, and romance in this a wonderful tale of years gone by.

I've discovered that I missed reading the first book of this trilogy so I'm going to have to go back and read it.

I was so excited to get this book and then it fell a little flat. It had a really monotonal feel to it and thats not what I enjoy from my books. I did finish it and the ending made up for the lack of pace and tone. The story building was decent enough but I wanted so much more

3 stars

A charming story with strong characters. Venus is the last of the Merriwell sisters to find her HEA with Galahad, her brother in law’s cousin. (I loved the names and so appropriate for their characters!). These two started their relationship at odds with each other primarily because childhood experiences had taught both to be wary. I enjoyed how their real personalities shone through when they let down their guards to reveal their true selves. I laughed at their witty banter. There are some spicy scenes but not over the top. The orphans that Venus helps are hilarious. There was a beautiful little epilogue although I missed what happened to Johnny, the little chestnut hawker who almost drowned.

Quick Breakdown:

Frenemies to Lovers
Working Hero
“It Was Always You” Vibes
Found Family
Slow Burn
Dual POV
Open Door - Mild Details

This is one of those senarios where I STRUGGLE to come up with the words I need to adequately described my affection, so prepare yourself for some word salad.

I've LOVED reading my way through Virginia Heath's Merriwell Sister's series & I'm sad it's come to an end. They're a perfect mix of heartwarmingly charming yet full of this subtle quirky humor I love. Never Wager With a Wallflower was no different.

I fell head over heals for these characters. He’s her brother in law’s long lost cousin, so they’ve been forced to be family friend’s / acquaintances for years but never allowing themselves to get close to the other. The tension this brought when they’re finally forced to face the invisible string pulling them towards each other was everything I look for. Vee & Gal were clearly inevitable & it made their slow burn so much more satisfying.

There’s something about two MCs that don’t realize how similar they are that produces the BEST chemistry. Virginia Heath is a master at this. The banter here is so smart & witty - my favorite!

I loved how we continued to see a signifiant amount from the couples of books past, including the TOP secondary charaters. The found family dynamics are fluffing phenominal & their hijinks brought me ALL THE HUMOR.

This was the first book in the series I listened to on audio & it was damn delightful. Narrated by both Sebastian Brown & Sasha Higgins - a real treat since most historical romances I’ve listened to on audio are single narration. I couldn’t stop listening & easily found myself binging this in just over a day.

I have been on edge waiting for this final book in the Meriwell sisters. I loved the first two so much. In fact Giles is still one of the best book boyfriends ever. While Never Rescue a Rogue redeemed Vee in my eyes from the first book, Never Fall for your Fiancé, I was a little a little worried about her being the heroine and taking center stage this time.

I will never doubt Virginia Heath ever again. Ever. Her final book, Never Wager on a Wallflower, in the Meriwell Sisters trilogy is absolutely delightful.

A Little Bit of Plot
Venus Meriwell is now 22 years old, devoting much of her time teaching and caring for orphans. Galahad (Gal) Sinclair, is a gambler, tavern owner, and :gasp: half American. What started as a meet-pummeling, 4 years earlier, has grown into an irritated friction where neither party can stand the others presence for longer than a few hours. When Gal begins to view her in a different light and Vee learns there's more to him than cards and gaming, they find themselves growing closer. Throw in one big misunderstanding and these two will need to trust one another or remain enemies forever.

The Compliment Sandwich
The Top Bun (The Pro)

The Progression of their relationship

Our first on-page interaction between both Vee and Gal is fraught with tension. He delights in infuriating her and she constantly underestimates his intentions and intelligence. Slowly both begin to see the more positive aspects of the other; all starting with a simple waltz. When they finally touch bare hands it's like electricity. Heath builds the attraction between the two just to tear it down monumentally for the 3rd act. We then again, must slowly build back trust and accept the attraction that has never disappeared even though they've 'broken up' in a sense. We have a constant pull to one another - and the blow up between the two is pretty huge, so to be able to continue to stoke up an attraction despite this is a feat in itself.

The Meat (The Con)
I would have liked a Grand Gesture - we don't necessarily get one here.

The Bottom Bun (The Pro)
The Diary Entries

If I look back at my review for Never Fall for your Fiancé, Venus Meriwell was my con. At the time she read like a very bratty, selfish, teenager, and I just really had no interest in learning anything more about her. I joked that at one point in the novel, Hugh and Giles are going to ship her out to the country and I cheered. Therefore, the transformation she has in the second novel in the series sets up this book so well in preparing the reader for a new and lovable, intelligent, empathetic, and beautiful character. I LOVED Venus by the end of this book. Like she is on my short list of favorite heroines of this year.

To enable the viewer to witness the transformation that was happening off page in the prior books, Heath has included diary entries that perfectly align with progression of the storyline. We have excerpts from Vee at different points in the last 8 years or so. To understand what she was thinking and feeling and how it effected her personality at that moment in time is absolutely vital for her character 'redemption'.

In speaking of this redemption, Heath provides insights as to why she acted the way she did in regard to her father, and why she's still holding on hope for seeing him one last time. The reason she gives is so poignant that I'm not going to spoil it here, but it was like a kick to the chest when you read it. Your heart will hurt for that 14 year old Vee. In this moment, both she and Gal are these fractured broken lonely pieces that realizes they are made for one another. It's a beautiful conversation.

Overall, pick it up - all of Heath's catalogue is awesome. Honestly, these can be stand alones, but to get the full effect, I'd read them in order - the full circle Venus Meriwell rotates will be all the sweeter.

I want to wish a Happiest Pub Day to Never Wager with a Wallflower! Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC. This is the third and final book in the series focusing on the youngest sister, Venus, and Galahad - an American (gasp) in regency England. This book has banter, a slow build (at times maybe a bit too slow), witty orphans, and some steam. The book looks as misperceptions and childhood trauma associated with neglect and abandonment during this time period.
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Our MC’s relationship ebbs and flows from acquaintances, to enemy territory, and finally into lovers. It was a very satisfying end to a series that I’ve really enjoyed.

Venus Merriwell doesn’t like her name. Vee doesn’t seem to like a lot of things. From her diary and her interactions with others, it is clear she has been hurt and cannot let it go. She does, have a heart, and works diligently with an orphanage. One of the people she really does not like is Galahad Sinclair. Gal is from America, and hopes to open another club in London. He has found the perfect buildings for his project. Unfortunately, it is next door to the orphanage that Vee loves. When she discovers that he bought the building she thought was to be given to the orphanage, she is livid. This is an entertaining, enemies (sort of)-to- lovers story. Gal and Vee have been at odds since they met. Venus is intelligent, well read, beautiful (although she doesn’t believe it), caring, but a bit grouchy and judgmental. Gal is an ambitious and industrious entrepreneur with a good heart. He has much in common with Vee’s orphans. There is an attraction hiding under the animosity, but the harder the family pushes, especially Olivia, the more resistant the pair is. The orphans are a handful and a delight. Their antics keep both Vee and Gal on their toes. Can these two learn to trust each other, drop the facades they show to society, and find love? Anything is possible. An enjoyable conclusion to the Merriwell Sisters Series. The dual narration by Sebastian Brown and Sasha Higgins is quite entertaining.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virgina Heath
3rd and final book in the Merriwell Sisters series. Historical romance, romantic comedy. Can be read as a stand-alone but couples from the prior books do appear in this book.
Venus Merriwell has been writing in her diary about her future prince since she was fourteen. By the age of 23 and after several disappointing potential suitors, she focuses her time and energy on an orphanage in Covent Garden. It’s overcrowded, the roof is leaking and badly in need of repairs and funding. She has her eye on the building next door.
Galahad Sinclair has been scrimping and saving for the perfect building where he can build the ultimate gambling hall. He’s found the perfect block with only one major downfall. The orphanage next door is run by his cousin’s wife’s younger sister and he’s been avoiding her since she flattened him five years ago. Maybe he should rethink his approach to her and see if he can buy her out of that building.

A handsome foreigner (from New York!) who is sympathetic to the rambunctious orphans? Venus doesn’t recognize this man though they’ve been forced to eat around the same table for years! Has she misjudged him or is he simply playing her for some unscrupulous purpose?

A joy to read as these two deal with their lives, dreams and learn more about each other, being secretly attracted. The dialog is fun and the addition of the rest of her family and the orphan boys and their antics ramp up the delightful storyline.
I will go back and read the prior two books in this series. They feel like I’d enjoy them as much as this.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is the third in the series, which forgive me, but I started with this one. I can tell the other two sisters had quite a ride to get to their romances from their teasing, so I am sure those books are just as fun as this one was.
Loved the enemies to lovers and the diary entries. They helped since I got backstory on the other relationships from her younger selves' entries. They also gave us a glimpse into her past with Gal or Galahad (poor guy) and her former infatuations.
They definitely had some issues since they both wanted the same property but for very different reasons and there were trust issues involved with that. They also both had parents that let them down so trust was hard-won from them.
They had good chemistry though it was very slow burn since you know it's historical and they are proper-ish.

Def read if you enjoy:
-Historical romance
-Banter
-Enemies to lovers
-Slow burn

Thank you stmartinspress for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I am participating in the St Martin’s Press boycott. I will not publicly be reviewing this title until St. Martin’s Press addresses reader concerns.

♠️ Never Wager with a Wallflower ♠️

“He could tell she didn’t believe him, so he guessed he would have to spend a lifetime convincing her that she was, without a doubt, the best opportunity fate had ever gifted him.”

Oh swoooon, what a delightful ending to the Meriwell sisters trio! My heart melted, enjoying the antics of Venus and Galahad.

Galahad is finally fulfilling his dream of buying the perfect property to turn into a club. The only catch? It’s right next door to Venus’s orphanage. In an attempt to soften the blow, Galahad decides to improve their relations, only to find himself losing his heart as he gets to better know Venus’s mind. The banter and antics was so delightful! Absolutely loved this one.

Check it out if you’re looking for:
♠️ Found family
♠️ Rivals to lovers
♠️ Mischievous children antics
♠️ Steamy card games 🃏

While this can be read as a standalone, I also highly recommend the first two books in the Meriwell Sisters series:
♠️Never Fall for your Fiancé
♠️Never Rescue a Rogue

Thank you to St. Martins and Netgalley for this ARC! My opinions are my own.

Venus Merriwell's unwavering dedication to the Covent Garden orphanage and her quest for a prince charming is both endearing and relatable. Her determination to find a selfless academic companion, free from her family's turbulent past, sets the stage for a captivating romantic journey.

Galahad Sinclair, on the other hand, is a complex character with a past deeply entwined with gambling, but he's determined to turn his life around and create a brighter future. When fate brings these two strong-willed individuals together, sparks fly, and their passionate clashes provide endless entertainment.

The narrative masterfully weaves together their spirited conflicts, the quirky orphans' antics, and the captivating backdrop of Covent Garden, bringing the story to life. The tension and chemistry between Venus and Galahad make their love story all the more satisfying.