Thank you to St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for the advanced read. I've been waiting for this book since I finished books 1 and 2 on a reading binge recently. This third installment of the Merriwell sisters was the perfect ending to the trilogy! (well, I'd take more if Virginia Heath wanted to write more!)...I love these characters.

Venus Merriwell & Galahad Sinclair - met in book 1 in an unlikely way - tolerated each other - but now could there be more to the relationship? Or, will a building come between them?

This book was funny, heartwarming (Galahad - strong, attractive, and SENSITIVE!), and a super fun read. I absolutely loved the journal entries by Venus at the start of each chapter. It really brought me back to former plot lines and showed character development of Venus over the course of the years shown in snippets of her journal.

I would highly recommend this book, and the former two books in this series. Very well written.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

- I was initially quite suspicious of having Gal be the MMC in this, as he did not make the best impression in the second book. I was proved so thoroughly wrong! The character depth and development he shows throughout the book is so well done! Vee is understandably suspicious of him throughout, and I loved how much I found myself second guessing his motives (even with his POV).
- the orphanage was such a great addition to this one! It helped keep the plot from feeling too repetitive (as books one and two are much more similar in setting and theme).
- The difference in setting/vibes was balanced by the evergrowing Merriwell family, which was so seamlessly woven throughout the book.
- Sometimes I found it a little frustrating how stubborn both MCs could be (especially Vee), but I thought that Heath did a great job of developing the characters in a way that these traits did make sense.

Rounding up from 3.5

I absolutely loved the other titles in the Merriwell Sisters series, particularly book one! For some reason this title did not grab me as strongly. I really enjoy Virginia Heath's writing, so perhaps I was just not feeling the sparks between Gal and Venus. Or, I felt the conflict was a bit unsatisfying. Gal's building a gambling hall next to Venus' orphanage, and didn't tell her... when this inevitably comes out, she's hurt and feels used. I feel like I would have preferred something else to drive the conflict.

The highlights for me were the absolutely adorable first kiss, and the slapdash rom-com scene at the end of the book. I'll be vague to avoid spoilers, but I laughed. I believe Heath's writing is at its best when there's humor involved. She embodies a wonderful sense of humor that reminds me of The Importance of Being Ernest.

Never Wager with a Wallflower couldn't fill it's sisters' shoes in my mind, but it was a lovely little book and well written. Historical romance readers will enjoy this title even as a stand-alone. It is not necessary to read the other books in the series. (Although I think you should!)

Please note: my review will be posted to Instagram a week prior to publication, and I will update this review with the link once it is live.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for an eARC of the book for review!

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the final story in the Merriwell Sisters series, and I think that Virginia Heath ended this series on such a high note. Honestly, I am sad to leave this series as well, it was so enjoyable.

This installment follows the story of Venus, or Vee as she prefers, Merriwell. The quite, glasses clad, orphanage teacher, Merriwell sister has given up on love. Her history of making mistakes and choosing the wrong suitor has led to her putting the idea of finding love behind her, and she is now perfectly content finding herself an older and respectable partner. It doesn’t matter that he is boring or cares little for her. Galahad Sinclair is the foreigner upstart who runs the a gambling hell, and is everything Vee does not want in a man. But, they are family (in a way, him being her sisters husbands American cousin) and when he buys the building next to her orphanage (without Vee knowing), Galahad makes it his mission to win her over and become friends, for the good of his next endeavor. Little does either of them know, this friendship might just become more than they were expecting.

Honestly, I loved Vee and Galahad. I thought their chemistry was off the charts, and he was the perfect flirty secret gentleman to her quite schoolteacher. The character that really shone for me though was Gal. I loved seeing the levels to him, and knowing that he had a rough childhood, a significant portion of which where he was an orphan, and seeing him interact with Vee’s orphans, really got me on so many levels. I also loved seeing him get flirty with her. I liked Vee as a character as well, however I am not sure she was my favorite Merriwell sister. But, I think in the end, their relationship was up there for me.

I will note that it was not a very spicy book, but I think that the level of spice that existed was good for the plot, and there definitely was some in it. Additionally, I think that it’s important to note while this was a rom-com, there was definitely a heavy emphasis on other aspects of the plot, so it’s not solely romance. I personally really enjoy that in a book, but others who might want just a good ole historical romance might find that slightly off-putting.

Overall, I gave this 4.5 stars, and I think historical rom-com lovers would probably also enjoy this book.

Whew Galahad and Venus Aka Gal and Vee are a fitting end to the Merriwell sister saga!
These two met in a spectacular fashion and have rubbed each other the wrong way ever since!
Vee is very blessed in the bosom department and decides she would rather marry an older bookish gentleman. He is obnoxious, condescending and not even handsome! Vee is convinced it is what’s best for her with her past mistakes.
When Galahad buys the buildings next door to her orphanage the sparks truly fly! If you want to laugh out loud then this is a must read!
There are mischievous orphaned boys and non subtle attempts from Vee at figuring Galahad out! He is a very secretive person and his actions speak so much louder of his honor and integrity! What happens when they stop fighting? Well these two are in for one wild ride! Will they finally get a HEA or will an ice skating tragedy tear it all away!
Well you a get a fiesty heroine and a honorable hero and a combination of nosy relatives and needy orphans that melt your heart!! Bravo!!

Omg this was such a cute enemies to lovers regency era read! The snarky interactions and banter were so much fun to read! I liked both their povs, I loved reading their "I won't let anyone in, I've been burned enough" to "I'll let THEM alone in, they get me" arcs. The third act makeup was truly the best, I was screaming 😭

TWs - alcoholic/gambling parent, parent abandoning child, parent/grandparent death, near death because of cracks in the ice during ice skating

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the third installment in the Merriwell sisters series. Venus Merriwell and Galahad Sinclair are the main characters in this enemies to lovers trope. I had high hopes for this story as Venus was my favorite sister from the beginning of book one. The story was good but it just felt a bit forced to me. It had a hard time keeping my focus. It was great getting an update on the two older sisters. Venus is very involved in her charity work which included working with an orphanage and the orphans are very interesting side characters. Overall, the series is a good one and I do recommend reading it!

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy in return for an independent, honest review.

<b> Thank you to Virginia Heath, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review. </b>

In this third and final installment of the Merriwell Sisters, Virginia Heath has rounded out her trilogy by pairing dear Venus with her perfect match Galahad. Galahad is all about protecting himself and the secrets of his past behind a wall of charm and tactical avoidance. How vexing then for him, that he fell in love with Venus at first flattening (see Never Rescue a Rouge - The Merriwell Sisters #2) - for years he has kept her at arm's length by enraging her with needling remarks and a constant battle of the wits. Shakespearian quotes, witty banter, card games, risky wagers, a near-death experience, slow burn, some real laugh-out-loud moments, and working man Pride and Prejudice vibes are just a few things to love about this book.

4/5 stars and 2/5 for spice <spoiler> (because playing strip memory...) <wink> </spoiler>

Note: GoodReads review is posted. an Instagram story linking to GoodReads will be posted tomorrow. An Instagram post with the specific review will be posted closer to the pub-date.

Finally Vee's story! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be my favorite of the Merriwell Sisters books. Vee and Gal's story is an enemies to lovers trope, although I don't believe that they were ever truly enemies in the first place. Vee is portrayed as an intelligent, hard-working young woman who is finding trouble in love and hates that the men around her pounce on her for her looks hoping that she lives up to her name. Gal comes from a rough background but has made a name for himself in England and is doing well on his own. This is until he buys property for his new gaming salon and Vee is suddenly involved. I enjoyed Gal's background and story the most out of the three men in this series. Some of the tension and anger that Vee has toward Gal seemed unwarranted, but that was a minor complaint for me.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”



Absolutely amazing and gorgeous!!!!

♥️ Firstly, yes to anything & everything @virginiaheathwrites writes.
♣️ I loved this story from start to finish! It was entertaining, charming & simply everything I love to read.
♦️ I enjoy a good series & Virginia has many! I need to go back & read the second book, but this was easy to follow even though I haven't read them in order!
♠️ A must for historical romance enthusiasts. I can't recommend this & all her other books enough!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This is the third and final story to the Merriwell Sister's series and is Venus's story. She has grown up from the naive, romantic younger sister who had so much faith in her father. Unfortunately over the years, she has been disappointed by various men in her life, from her father, to others who either used her or failed to live up to her expectations. While she sees the loving relationships her sisters have, she appears to have resolved to aim for less for herself, after her disappointments, and encouraging the courtship of a suitor that she thinks is logically suitable, despite the fact that her family is telling her otherwise.

In the meant time, she gains a lot of satisfaction with her charity endeavours, chief of which is her engagement with an orphanage kept in Covent Gardens. She enjoys her hands on involvement with teaching and raising funds for her ad hoc children and family. Running an orphanage is a costly affair, dependent on the charity of others, and recently they have lost one of their more generous benefactresses when she passed on. They were thrilled to find out however that the orphanage will be receiving a generous bequest from her, and the Reverend remembers that she had promised in front of her heir, her nephew, that she would also be adding one of the buildings she owns beside the orphanage, so they can expand.

Galahad Sinclair is within reach of his goals, when he was able to purchase a row of dilapidated homes in Covent Garden from a wastrel peer in need of funds, who had just inherited them from his aunt. He was quite surprised to learn that at the end of the row, his new neighbour is the orphanage that Venus works with. He and Venus have had a contentious relationship for the past several years, especially considering he is an American upstart who had originally appeared in cahoots with his father earlier on, trying to cheat his cousin, Giles Sinclair out of his inheritance and title (also Venus's brother in law, in book 2 of the series).

This is an enemy to lovers story as Gal and Venus navigate changes in their relationship and awareness to each other. But Gal is hiding the fact that he has purchased the buildings beside the orphanage, even when he finds out her hopes to gain it for the orphanage, and when Venus finds out, she feels the fool for letting him charm and seduce her, thinking it was just to cheat and lie to her. Gal regrets the loss of their growing relationship and tries to break down the new barriers Venus throws up. But that means possibly revealing his own secrets, and leaving himself vulnerable to someone else, and that has been something that he has learned not to do in his own past. They both have deep hurts in their past that are barriers to their future together.

This was a bit slow going initially for me, but ultimately I quite enjoyed the dialogue and various interactions of the extended cast of characters in this story. Venus was quite the naive sister in the earlier stories, namely book 1, and has grown out of that and in the opposite direction in this story. Whereas Galahad did not appear to advantage initially, appearing to be a partner to his father in the last book until the very end, but in this one you get much more of his background and why he turned on his own father. I enjoyed his character development in this one and how the two characters complemented each other.

But one thing I think was lacking was the resolution of the relationship with the Merriwell patriarch. There was a glossing over about him in the end, and ultimately I understand that he had nothing to do with their success and happiness. But I think I would have liked a more concrete resolution - not a happy ending for him, but some kind of definitive ending of their relationship I think.

3.25 stars out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-galley of Never Wager with a Wallflower.

Heath knocked it out of the park with the final book of the Merriwell Sisters. I was so excited to read Venus's story and it did not disappoint. The push and pull between Venus and Galahad was superb and I loved every minute of their story.

Will Venus and Galahad be able to reconcile their differences and admit to the attraction burgeoning between them? Or will Galahad's reticence to let others in prohibit them from being together?

Nothing like a good enemies to lovers story and at the start of this book there certainly wasn’t any love lost between Venus and Galahad. They seemed as similar as an orphanage and a gambling den. However as they got to know each other slowly the picking on each other turned into heartfelt conversation. It took awhile for this story to grip me but I enjoyed the final installment of this series and may have had my heart stolen by a pair of orphaned brothers.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the conclusion to the Merriwell Sisters series. I couldn't wait to see Venus and Gal paired up. We get some of their initial interaction in the previous book and it really set the tone for their enemies to lovers story.

Venus was a hopeless romantic until her unfortunate dealings with Lord Argyle in the previous book. She decides to spend her time teaching at the orphanage and finding a book-minded partner to make her match. The American, Galahad Sinclair, has a plan. He can't call himself a true success until he has heaps of money and purchasing a block of buildings in Covent Garden is how he will get there. Unfortunately, the building located next to the future site of his gambling den is Venus's filled to the brim with children orphanage. Gal sets out to try and woo Vee into a friendship and get her to sell her building to him and move the orphanage out to the country. Sparks fly when they go from enemies to friends to lovers and back to enemies.

This was a very fitting conclusion to the series. This book could be read as a stand alone but things will make a lot more sense if you read all three books in the series. I loved Vee and Gal's banter throughout the book. Her teenage orphan's and their pranks had me cackling. It was nice catching up with the rest of the Merriwell clan and Vee's diary entry's at the beginning of each chapter was such a nice touch. I loved this series and it will definitely be one that I go back and read again.

This book is for you if you like: enemies to lovers, found family, jammy slippers and pigeon pranks, bluestocking heroine, American hero, wagers, gaming clubs, and big old brains.

Thank you to NetGalley, Virginia Heath, and St Martin's Press for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #netgalley #merriwellsisters #virginiaheath #neverwagerwithawallflower #stmartinspress

This was a great ending for the Merriwell Sisters. I’ve been looking forward to Vee’s story since the first book and this didn’t disappoint. The story structure and organization was great and the characters felt layered, maybe because we’ve got to know them over several books more than just all the development happening in this one story. My only complaint is that towards the end things felt a little rushed and there were holes that could have been filled with a couple extra chapters or some restructuring. Overall, it was a really fun read and one I’m looking forward to chatting with others about!

And Virginia Heath has done it again! I loved this last installment in this series. Venus was a character who had been mostly relegated to the background in past books (or was given the teenage angst characterization) so it was so fun to see her mature and get her own story now!

I'm sad this series is over but look forward to future books from Virginia Heath!

While I hadn’t read the other two in the series, this book was still able to be read and understood! It started off somewhat slow but picked up quickly. It reads as a good enemies to lovers. There are some typos in the book and omitted words that can trio you up when reading but they are easy enough to spot and move on from.

Thank you NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review! This book was such a cute easy to read romance. It started off a bit slow but picked up and made you fall for the characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC, received in exchange for an unbiased review.

This books was DARLING. The relationship between Venus and Sinclair is so fun, and the tension as they move towards love was excellent. We know the secrets, we want to shake Sinclair for being so dumb (like all wonderful romance heroes), but there's so much sympathy for him. He is such a wonderfully complicated man, trying so hard to be better, and struggling to let anyone in. And Venus is a delight, so confident and sure of herself in almost everything, but so worn down by men not seeing her. And Sinclair does, and is it any wonder she falls hard? I've loved this series and this book was an excellent wrap up.