The Merriwell sisters are such a joy to read about. Venus is so delightfully genuine and yet also underhanded in the most delightful way. She and Galahad were perfect together from the start of their acquaintance, but it took them a while to see it. Seeing them both grow and learn in this book is so wonderful. The addition of scrappy orphans breaks down Gal’s walls so easily and makes Vee see him truly. I loved this book and this family. Can’t wait to see what’s next for Virginia Heath!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5 Stars
Publishing: November 7, 2023
Series: The Merriwell Sisters #3
Pages: 320

This is the third installment of the Merriwell Sister’s series. Venus and Galahad are the typical enemies who brings their own points of view to the story. A trope of enemies to lovers and I thought this story can be read as a standalone.

Venus Merriwell has a flaw for falling in love with the wrong men, however none of them can compare to Galahad Sinclair, cousin to Giles, her sister’s husband. On the other hand, there is Galahad who does not trust easily and not one who shows any weakness. He has a head for business, but when he plans to open a gambling den next to the Covent Garden Orphanage where Venus works, things come to a head. There is playful banter between the main characters that sometimes got a bit boring as it dragged on a bit...but that is the angst that builds to their love relationship. The story is witty, engaging with some spiciness thrown into the mix. There are appearances by the first two sisters and loves in this read. I thought the other sisters were a bit more interesting than Vee…my opinion and I was looking for a bit steamier, my typical in historical romances. A delightful and good read and recommend the read of the first two to understand the relationship between the sisters.

Venus and Galahad have never really gotten along--not since their very first meeting, in which she attacked him outside of her family's home, (sort of correctly) thinking he was an intruder. But they're related through marriage and have to spend some time together. Normally, they ignore each other, trading the occasional barb. But Galahad has just discovered that the building attached to the three he's just bought is the orphanage where Venus works. Which may be a problem, considering he's planning on turning the other buildings into a gambling lounge/performance hall/bar. So he decides to butter Venus up. However, the previous owner of the buildings had promised one of them to the orphanage, and when Venus discovers that it has been sold, she's angry. Galahad and Venus had made some headway, but now it seems things are back to how they were before.

Never Wager with a Wallflower is a fun enemies to lovers historical romance, which I loved every bit as much as the two that came before it. I especially loved how Venus and Galahad have some of the same issues (and some adjacent ones) and how they learn to work through them. As always, this was a great read from Virginia Heath.

Liked it better than the second book but the first one was by far the best. I loved Gal very much. I would like to say I liked Vee but no I did not. She seemed a little irrational and immature. But historical heroines are typically like that.

*Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Super cute and easy romance! I have not read the other books in this series but it can certainly be read as a stand alone. It was an easy romance to read and kept me entertained throughout.

This was such a fun read! I loved reuniting with the Merriwell sisters and the entire cast of characters we have grown to know and love from the other books in the series. I so enjoyed spending time with Vee and Gal and seeing how their relationship grew and evolved. I am sad that this series has come to an end-- I love it!

*Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this historical romance. Venus and Galahad lock horns constantly and fight an ever growing attraction, They are certainly fated to be together. Wonderful cast of secondary characters keeps this one interesting.

I haven't read the previous books in this series, but this can easily be read as a standalone. Super cute book, and I will definitely be going back to read the others.

Never Wager with a Wallflower is the third and final book in the The Merriwell Sisters series. In this novel it focuses on the youngest Merriwell sister Venus and her brother-in-laws cousin Galahad Sinclair.

With dual points of view, for me, I was more invested in Galahad then I was in the third Merriwell sister. There was something about her character that was too self-righteous and selfish, especially when it came to Galahad’s future.

However, I did love how Heath set up the slow-burn, rivals-to-lovers trope between these two. It started as a delicious simmer and moved oh-so-slowly, like honey dripping from the honeypot, and then finally began to boil over, where these two could no longer deny each other. And once they plunge into the deep, pulled under, gripped by the all consuming heady taste of “what could be,” readers will be fully engrossed in Venus and Galahad’s love story.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

3.75/5, 4 on Goodreads
I think this was my favourite of the Merriwell sisters books. I expected Vee to be insufferable but she was possibly the most likeable of all the sisters. I LOVED Gal and my only complaint is that I would have loved more orphanage shenanigans. This was super cute!

Miss Venus Merriwell has a knack for picking the wrong men to fall in love with. The first man left her humiliated when he ran off with another after their courtship, and now she was keeping company with the dodgy and much older Lord Dorchester. None of them rile her like the impossibly handsome scoundrel Galahad Sinclair, her cousin with her sister's marriage to Galahad's cousin, Giles. Venus sincerely wants to loathe the charmer and sometimes goes out of her way to be snippy to him, but what's the real reason he vexes her so?

Galahad Sinclair had been taught a series of life lessons at an early age--don't trust easily, never show weakness, and always look for the next best business deal. Now relocated to England after helping his cousin Giles retain the dukedom, he even keeps his newly discovered family at arm's length, including the delectable Venus.

I loved all the banter between Lee and Gal, although I got a little tired of all the internal dialogue. I was losing interest about halfway through, but I truly wanted to see how the author would tie up their romance. It was definitely worth the wait. This was when the internal dialogue was absolutely necessary to understand of what each of them was thinking. After some misunderstandings and a series of unfortunate accidents, Gil and Vee finally get there happily ever after.

Thank you so so much to St. Martin's Press for this ARC of Never Wager with a Wallflower in exchange for an honest review. This is the next installment in Virginia Heath's Regency romantic comedy series and I liked it. Let's just leave it at that.

Venus is still holding out for love; she's looking for her kindred spirit and has been since she was fourteen. Nearly ten years later, though, she is still holding out hope. Galahad is setting up a gambling tavern in London and he's running into some trouble with no one other than Vee (Venus) herself. Romance ensues.

I really wanted to like this and I did at times, but overall it was just... a bit annoying. I don't know what it was but it just felt like it was lacking something. The romance just didn't seem to click and the characters were co-existing rather than existing together.

A Regency rom-com ending a series that I have very much enjoyed reading.

* engaging
* story flows and is an easy read
* enemies to lovers
* playful bantering
* wonderful tension between MC's


I look forward to reading whatever the author writes next.

Despite “getting up there in life” (by Victorian standards) Venus is holding out for love. She is happy to dedicate her time and resources to the kids at Covent Garden orphanage. That is until Galahad Sinclair attempts to open up a gambling den next door.

I come to historical romances for one thing… to swoon like a proper lady. I was definitely snickering instead of swooning here but I’m okay with that because the shenanigans were just too ridiculous. Some characters find themselves in some sticky situations… literally and pure comedic gold ensues. The hijinks were led by a cast of supporting characters who managed to steal the spotlight from the male couple.

Despite the comedic relief the book still manages to nicely build tension between two opposites that produces all kinds of angst. Both Gal and Venus have unfortunate pasts (and names if we are being honest) and Heath managed to create a sweet story about them overcoming their insecurities.

Popular tropes include:

Closed door romance (edit note: perhaps generally being routinely interrupted is a more proper classification of this but IMO still not as open door or spicy as perhaps the rabbit hole of romances I currently find myself reading... to me open door is open and detailed for the entire bedroom scene. Maybe it's my poor memory or my view but I'll let you be the judge...)
Opposites attract
Forced proximity
Miscommunication
Internal Pining

This is the final book in the Merriwell sisters series and while I am sad to see them go, I’m looking forward to reading whatever new characters Heath introduces next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Virginia Heath's Never Wager With A Wallflower, I found out it was the final book in a trilogy, This did not keep it from being an enjoyable stand-alone. I was hooked from the beginning and enjoyed the characters as well as the plot. This is an easy read that will keep you entertained.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to review.

DNF at 44%. I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but I rarely liked the appearances from the third sister, Vee, who seemed quite childish whenever she popped up. Unfortunately, when she takes centre stage in this book, I didn't end up liking her any more than before - she's fairly sanctimonious, and while everyone around her goes on about how smart she is, this seems to be mostly expressed by reading Shakespeare, which isn't a particularly compelling trait. I also didn't fall in love with gambler Galahad - gambling dens and Americans-out-of-water are two things that are a hard sell for me in historical romance, so he was ill-fated from the beginning, and while I found him a good match for Vee in the sense that he, too, is incredibly sanctimonious, I really disliked his point of view. The breaking point for me was a protacted scene between the two leads and an orphan boy from Vee's orphanage, which seemed to be there purely to allow the characters to showcase their hearts of gold, and really dragged. Unfortunately, I think this one just isn't for me.

I absolutely adored this series and I'm sad to see it come to an end. The Merriwell sister were characters that one couldn't help rooting for and Olivia gave these books anjoyable comedic aspect. It's easy to ship Vee and Gal, even though they are the absolute worst at communicating. I loved how much they both cared for the orphans while also following their dreams.

3.5 rounded up

I thought I might like this, but I don't really think that Heath is a strong writer. Also, I hate the way that she tries to incorporate the regency period into these books. It's distracting instead of whimsical.

Scintillating read. The author did not disappoint. Plot was funny and characters were relatable! Great way to end the story of the three sisters.

3.75 ⭐️

I haven't read the first two books into this series but I love a good regency era read! The other sisters and their fiancés make appearances in this book so if you read the first two books and in love with the couples, then you must read this one! This book is an enemies to lover trope with a mix of Vee's journal entry which was so fun to read. There was some time when I was a bit annoyed with Vee but I love the romance between Vee and Galahad! Vee's character was not my full fav and kinda felt flat??? The romance wasn't super spicy and it did have less tension vibes, but that didn't stop me from fully enjoying the book.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!