Lively Georgian romance!

The last Merriwell sisters’ story. Venus (Vee) Merriwell is a handful. A pocket Venus, a rapacious reader, intelligent, and after being let down so badly by Galahad Sinclair, a confirmed wallflower
Gal is her nemesis ever since she first met him. Very had attacked him in the grounds of their home where thinking he was an intruder.
Returned from America, Gal was looking to invest in a building to turn into a gambling establishment. He’d found one just after the owner had died. The heir needed cash. It was next to an orphanage but Gal had plans for that as well.
However, as he found out later, not just any orphanage but the one supported by Vee Merriwell.
You can imagine how Vee took that!
An enchanting bluestocking, enemy to lovers romance, with some delightful orphans thrown in to bleed us emotionally dry!

A St. Martin’s Press ARC invite via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the final installment in The Meriwell Sisters series by Virginia Heath. I've enjoyed this series, and the sisters love stories but this one is my least favorite of the three.

Heath again treats the reader to Regency England with working women leading the charge for change and acceptance. Each of the sisters has a particular passion, and goes about working to achieve their goal while along the way finding love. Vee and Galahad have both had their lives upended numerous times since their youth, inspiring their passion in adulthood. Vee's is an orphanage and his fortunes and real estate, and this is where they collide.

Vee is a challenging character, and is often self righteous throughout the whole story keeping consistent with her glimpses in the previous books. She spars with the best of them, but has her sisters as sounding boards. The growth and appreciation for their passions draw their hearts together after beings at odds. It is a true enemies to lovers romance. .

Thank you SMP Romance / St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy.

Never Wager with a Wallflower is a good ending for The Merriwell Sisters trilogy. It is a diverting and enjoyable historical romance, although it is my least favorite of the three. I did not like Venus very much in the previous novels, and she rubbed me the wrong way several times during this story. But she went through some character evolution so in the end, I found her more likable. It just made the time to get there drag a bit. Galahad was very likable. Overall, it was an interesting story with some good confused and delicious pining.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and NetGalley for my advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

✨I do love nothing in the world so well as you✨

I did NOT expect to be so emotional at the ending of this series but of course I am!! I love these characters and their chaotic blended/found family so much it hurts. Virginia Heath has such a special way of merging screwball comedy with deeply emotional romance. Like the rest of the series, Never Wager With A Wallflower was no exception.

There were times while reading this book where I really couldn’t contain my laughter. I was listening to the audiobook incognito with a hidden AirPod and I had to turn my laughs into a coughing fit!! I thought that only happened in romance novels! But after the laughs, at its heart, the romance was so touching. Venus and Gal were definitely a long time coming. They felt inevitable.

Gal was down so bad for Venus, poor boy. Whenever a character realizes that they’re incredibly lonely (it’s normally a surprise to them or the other MC), I lose my mind. It’s always so real and sad but also hopeful because it’s romance and they won’t always be alone!! Gal also realized he had a place in their family. That he had people to spend Christmas with. That he had people to care for him.

Overall, I’ll be reading whatever Virginia Heath comes out with next. She’s such a unique voice in current histroms, and I’m really happy with how she approached each relationship in the series. While you could read this book without others in the series, I definitely recommend reading the series in order to feel the most feels.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️/5



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

I am so sad the Merriwell Sisters series has come to an end! It’s been a delightful ride with this family, and I enjoyed all of their stories. But Venus and Galahad might be my favorite one yet! I loved Venus’s and Galahad’s growth as young people and a couple. This book was really sweet (with a hint of cringe.)

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: gambling, homelessness

Venus "Vee" Merriwell is done with men. After being burned by a gentleman in a previous series entry, the youngest Merriwell sister has decided that romance is no longer her goal. She finds a sensible match with an older man who enjoys reading and is pursuing Lord Dorchester when Galahad Sinclair blows back into town.

Galahad "Gal" Sinclair is the cousin of Giles Sinclair, the romantic hero of the previous novel and Vee's sister Diana's husband. Vee dislikes Gal because of his propensity for gambling and ownership of a "den of iniquity" in London. At a ball, Gal offers to dance with Venus to make Lord Dorchester jealous. The chemistry is undeniable. But will Vee reevaluate her beliefs to be with Galahad, and will Galahad be able to convince the lady that he's worth it?

Recommended for readers of historical romance, especially those who enjoy more independent female characters.

Representation: orphans, homeless

This was another great book in the series of historical romances following the Merriweather sisters. Venus is the last sister to find her happily ever after, and she butts heads with Galahad, the cousin of her sister's husband, whom we meet in an earlier book. They have really great banter and are a fun couple to follow through a few false starts before eventually finding their HEA. I enjoyed the story and the couple, this was a fun one.

Really struggled with this one and had to DNF. I couldn't get interested in any of the characters, and reading it just didn't feel as easy and smooth as I would expect from a historical romance like this. Disappointed for sure.

The final book in the Merriwell series and it was a good conclusion. In this installment, we see Vee grown up and working in an orphanage while butting heads with Galahad - her brother in law’s cousin. There was plenty of charm, humor and romance to make a good regency romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the arc.

1.75/5 stars! I do not get this book. Like there's enemies to lovers and then there's "two people have nothing in common and shouldn't be together." There were a few funny moments, so it'll get almost 2 stars from me, but nothing else was redeeming about it.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the final book in the The Merriwell Sisters trilogy and is an excellent way to conclude a wonderful series. I loved Venus and Galahad and was really rooting for the two of them to get their HEA. While I liked Vee, it was Galahad that made the book for me. He was just the perfect hero and it was so great with the heroine finally opened her eyes to who he really was. Virginia Heath is an excellent author and I've enjoyed all of her books. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this excellent book.

My most favorite thing in any book is humor and of course an HEA. This book made me laugh out loud. Taking orphans to skate is the most fun! No spoilers but if that scene doesn’t make you laugh, you don’t have brothers! Vee and Gal’s story is everything it promised to be in previous books. But if loses nothing if you haven’t read the first two books n the series. Galahad is so protective of his true self I’m not sure he evens knows exactly who he is and Venus needs to know. I love that once Vee decided he was for her, she got straight to it. I don’t like unnecessary strife in books because people don’t talk to each other. Virginia Heath wove this story with it’s conflict with perfection.

Never wager with a Wallflower
By Virginia Heath

This swoons conclusion to the Merriwell sisters trilogy was just what I’d been waiting for. I’d fallen in love with Vee and Galahad in the second book and so was thrilled to find out that I would be able to spend more time with these two well-matched love birds.

For those new to the series, Venus Merriwell is the youngest girl in the family. She’s a hopeless romantic who has been burned before by her alcoholic gambler father and then later by a sleezy Lord who makes and then breaks all sorts of promises.

Galahad ‘Gal’ Sinclair is a self-made American who shows up in London to see that his father gets his comeuppance and also to become an established businessman. He is also broken in so many ways and loathe to trust anyone, most especially Venus who he can’t seem to fully avoid as his cousin marries her older sister.

Then one day Gal, who has been avoiding Venus and his feels, bumps into her outside of the buildings he has just bought for his new club. It turns out that the orphanage where she spends so much of her time happens to be in the last building on the block that he does not own.

I loved the slow slow slow burn that these two characters had going. I felt like I was shown all the way through how they felt about one another, even when they were bickering. Virginia Heath writes steamy scenes where the characters don’t even touch and you’re absolutely aching for them to give in already and kiss. She draws it out so organically that when they finally do give in, it’s magical.

This was a perfect ending to a lovely trilogy of books. I will definitely be reading the next thing Virginia Heath writes. No questions asked.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

TLDR: this book is a delight. Pick it up for yourself on November 7th!

Venus Merriwell has dreamt of her perfect match since she was a teenager. She wants a husband who is kind, intelligent, loves books as much as her, and doesn't have the same vices as her father. After a slew of unlucky suitors, Venus begins to think that maybe her true love is the orphanage she spends all her time at. Galahad Sinclair grew up learning the gambling trade at his grandfather's knee. When fate dealt him a bad hand, Galahad finds himself setting up shop across the pond in England. He's spent years building a respectable gaming hell and looks to expand his empire. The only problem? His perfect real estate is right next to Venus's orphanage. The pair have always butted heads, but this new development pushes them to their limits, and it's only a matter of time before one folds under the pressure.

I adore this series, but this final installment wasn't it. I didn't love Venus in the previous books, so I was hoping this would endear me to her, but that wasn't the case. She came across as high and mighty and a bit unfair in her treatment of Galahad. As for him, I liked him enough. He had some cute moments, and I liked how he interacted with the mischievous set of orphans, but aside from that, I could take or leave him. Sadly, nothing about the plot or characters gripped me, but I still recommend the series as a whole.

I was initially hesitant on this one just because I had not liked Vee when we saw her in the first book. But she has aged up several years by the time we have arrived at her book and matured and I liked her much better in this one than previously.

I found Vee and Galahad's dynamic in this one to be very fun. They had a lot of chemistry and I love a good bantering couple and Virginia Heath really nailed that for my taste. I found they also just made a very good couple personality wise and watching them as they started to get to know each other behind the facade of their first impression was a delight. I also found myself rooting for Galahad and his business as well as Vee's orphange.

The surprise stand out of this book however were the trio of orphans that end up working with Galahad. I thought they were fun side characters and enjoyed our main characters relationship with them as well

I thought this was a delightful end to this series. Overall if you like historical romance and also like romances that lean a little rom-com this series is one I would recommend.

Wallflower Venus has given up on finding love when all the men she meets are more interested in her physical assets than her mental ones. American Galahad is a gambling den owner who wants to build a new place right next door to Venus’s orphanage. Sparks fly as they and they end up playing cards for very high stakes. Can they admit to their mutual attraction? I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.

“Never Wager with a Wallflower” by Virginia Heath
What are the Odds !!
This was a fun read as Venus & Galahad fight/strive to achieve their goals. I enjoyed my time within this story, maybe especially with a gal that is so very good at cards. I liked all the characters in this story. I think the only villain in the story is just how hard life can be for some, through no fault of their own, just life circumstances. Although this is book 3 in the series it can be read as a stand alone but you just may want to read books 1 & 2 also. Just sayin’. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

I loved this book SO MUCH! 😭 I laughed out loud while reading it and still had all the feelings about the love story.

I'm not even sure where to start with this one, but it just brought me so much joy while I was reading it!

Our heroine is the lovely Venus. She used to believe in fairytales but has had her heart broken and has decided she will never find love like her sister's have. She also has daddy issues thanks to her absent father.

Galahad is our hero. He's an American with tons of ambition and daddy issues.

This is definitely an enemies to lovers situation as they both dislike each other quite a bit.

Gal wants to open a gaming hell next door to the orphanage where Vee works. As you can imagine, this creates a situation, and drama ensues.

These two really grow to love each other, and it's so enjoyable to watch the relationship unfold. They flirt, they fight, they get stitches in their bum (okay, that was just one of them, but it was worth mentioning). There are crazy relatives, meddling orphans, killer pigeons, and a great story on top of all that.

This is the third book in a series. I have not read the previous books (although I plan to!) and had no trouble following the story. The characters from the previous books are included, so if you are familiar with the series, you will get to revisit some of the leads from previous books.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

It comes out November 7th and I absolutely recommend it!

I am so excited to have had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! The opinions are my own.

Okay... Book 3! Finally we are with Venus and.... Galahad! Remember when she tackled him so spectacularly in the 2nd book? You know this is gonna be good. I thoroughly enjoyed this romp... I am not sure if this is my favourite but I loved all the Merriwell sisters and the men who love them. Venus has grown up but still not quite making the right decisions on the men in her life and not trusting anyone to do so. Galahad too has grown up and while he enjoys his new extended family, he still keeps them at arm's length. What I love about this series is that you get a glimpse into all the secondary characters... And then some new ones. It's fairly low angst in a way with plotlines and the humour is so great in keeping the pacing and the mood light, thanks to Virginia Heath's writing style. As you see facets of each of the main characters, you appreciate all the different aspects to their character and how they end up learning from each other as well as their similar upbringing.

I can't wait to see what Ms. Heath has next!

Steam: 🔥 (there is no frisson emoji)
Heart Flutters: ❤️❤️

Amazing story of Miss Venus Merriwell, youngest Merriwell sister and Galahad Sinclair, friend of the family. The immediate attraction and repulsion between these two is very enjoyable to read, and often found myself laughing out loud. Galahad quickly became a favourite MMC. Nice to see characters from this series, but can be read as a standalone.