Prepare for a charming tale of love, laughter, and unexpected connections. Never Wager with a Wallflower by Virginia Heath transports readers to the glittering world of Regency London.

Meet Miss Venus Merriwell. She has been waiting for her prince charming since she was fourteen. Her ideal man isn't just any suitor. He must be selfless, scholarly, and free from the vices that plagued her gambler father.

Meet Galahad Sinclair. He’s a man whose life revolves around gambling. Fate brings him to London, where he sets up a successful gaming hell in the East End. When he acquires the perfect building for his dream establishment, he discovers it's right next door to an orphanage… run by none other than Venus's family. Can these two adversaries take the ultimate gamble and learn to love their neighbour?

Heath tells a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance, full of sweet moments, complex characters, and witty banter. This is the third and final installment of the Merriwell Sisters series, and I was unaware of this beforehand, but I was not lost in the story and have not read the other two books in this series.

Heath crafted an engaging historical romance. The story reads like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day: comforting and impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a cute and fun ending to the Merriwell Sisters series! I loved seeing Vee all grown up and getting her own happy ending.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never Wager With a Wallflower is the third and final book in The Merriwell Sisters series. Each book was about a different sister and this one was Venus Merriwell's story. Venus is the youngest sister and has no desire to be married. She is the social activist and works with the local vicar running an orphanage. They have survived with the the generosity of their benefactress, who has recently died. She promised them the building next to the house they presently use, but never put it in writing. Upon her death, her nephew who needed money sold it to Galahad Sinclair, who wants to open a Gaming Establishment. This throws Venus into a tizzy, and she vows to do whatever she can to get him to sell them the building. Meanwhile, Galahad finds that he has feelings for the incorrigible Venus. Can these two find their way to each other?

I enjoyed this story, although it was my least favourite of the three. The humor seemed to be lacking a bit. Venus is a bit too righteous and frustrated me at times. Galahad was great. He was honorable, smart, had a great sense of humor and when I learned more about his past, I respected his character a lot more. There were secrets, omissions/lies by omission, romance, arguing, witty banter, orphans, sneakiness, family times and eventually, a Happy Ever After. There are a couple of steamy scenes near the end, but that was it. This book ties together all the sister's stories and there is an epilogue to finish it all. I definitely recommend this series, but also recommend you read it in order.

I have learned that I just really don't love romances set in this era. Plus I didn't realize this was part of a series!

Despite that it was well written, and I would definitely recommend it to readers of historical romance who enjoy reading stories set in this time period. The romance was sweet!

The final book in the Merriwell Sisters series is finally here. With sisters Diana and Minerva's love stories already told it is time for the youngest sister, Venus, to meet her match. Venus is settling for a pompous, older man in the gentry, but will she rethink her choice when she runs into an old frienemy, Galahad? I thinknI may have enjoyed this book even more that the others. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

This was a really enjoyable addition to the sisters' series! I loved the orphanage angle.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I have really enjoyed the Merriwell Sisters series and I’m happy it ended on a high note. I loved the banter, recurring motif of card games, and adorable rapscallion side characters.
There was a point at the halfway mark when I realized that in many other books it would end there. The man would dash into a ball, say he was wrong, and fade to happily ever after. I love that Virginia took the time to really build the relationship between Venus and Galahad, and they had such a believable relationship. I was rooting for them from the start and I love how much plot and character development she packed into the book.
All the major plot elements resolved in a thoroughly satisfactory way and I loved the diary entries at the beginning of each chapter that nodded to prior books and gave us a look at Venus as she aged. This book was so fun to listen to and I particularly enjoyed Sasha Higgins’ narration - I love an accent 🤩.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book is just phenomenal. Virginia Heath captures the heart and soul of Vee and Gal so well + the competition and the BANTER between these two was scorching. The conflict was an honest one and their reunion was full of heart. So sad this series has come to a close!

Thank you to NetGalley and the punishing team for the advanced review copy!

I was grateful to read an ARC of Virginia Heath's latest book. While not my favorite of the series, I recommend it and enjoyed the character development and was rooting for them!

I love this series and I am so sad it's over. This was such a cute conclusion to the series. I loved seeing all the prior characters mature in this story, I loved seeing everything wrap up in a perfect little bow. Adorable.

"For all her charitable deeds, and her habit of trying to see the good in everyone else, she had never once given him the benefit of the doubt."
This was such a lovely conclusion to this series! I loved Venus' strength and passion for caring for others. The banter between she and Galahad was so fun and seeing how they drew each other despite their tendencies to misunderstand each other was delightful! Some of my favorite parts had to do with their interactions while caring for those at the orphanage. I also really enjoyed seeing the way the sisters have grown and how the difficulties they had faced only strengthened their relationships with each other!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the third of The Merriwell Sisters trilogy and features Venus and Galahad, who seem to disagree on everything yet cannot completely ignore the sparks that fly between them. I thoroughly enjoyed their journey and interactions with the children at the orphanage. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it was a great end to the series!

We’ve seen Venus through the previous two books and her sister’s stories. She was younger when the series starts to it was great to see her grown up.

Galahad was nothing like what she expected in a partner but they just worked together despite their initial animosity. As he attempts to overhaul the building next to the orphanage where she dedicates her time, he encounters lots of entertaining situations courtesy of the children next door. I loved the enemies to lovers element. I listened to the narration thanks to PRH audio and throughly enjoyed the audiobook. I can’t wait for more books from Virginia Heath!

This book was more or less what I expected, although I have to admit it wasn't my favorite. It was super cute how Galahad definitely fell for Venus first, but outside of that...this book was just okay. I thought that Venus was dramatic, over reacted to pretty much everything, and was just boring. The author tries to make it seem like her personality is a direct result of her being hurt - but we never really find out what happened there. Additionally, there is a lot of "will they or won't they", and I was kind of over it by the end of the book. We are given one sex scene - which is fine - but it's at the very end of the book, leads to a not overly romantic proposal (which considering how often we're told Venus is a hopeless romantic, it seemed very lackluster...my dude doesn't even have a ring)...and it's just kind of blah from there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy this author and all her fun stories! This book was no exception! I loved the characters, plot, and all the banter! The dynamic of Gal and Venus is great! They are a perfect match! I like how they pushed one another too. It was so great when they finally got together! The writing is wonderful and fun! All in all a great historical romance! I look forward to what is next from this author!

I have only gotten into Historical Romance in the last year or two, and unfortunately, I think Virginia Heath just isn't the author for me. This is generally sweet and quirky. But there was more external plot here and less focus on the romance than I prefer. Or perhaps I just wasn't super invested in the external plot elements with the orphanage. I think this was a cute, but forgettable time.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This is more of a 3.5 star book. Galahad and Vee’s romance is just not as interesting as the other couples were. They have their things but the overall miscommunication over the building thing was aggravating on both sides. But the story was still fun and i loved the orphan boy trio!

Never Wager with a Wallflower was my first foray into the Merriwell Sisters universe and while it is technically the third in the trilogy, I believe it read beautifully as a standalone. I enjoyed the pacing and thought that the enemies to lovers dynamic between Vee and Gal progressed with tantalizing tension. The slow burn was so scorching that I was eagerly flipping the pages waiting for these characters to finally combust. I also loved the banter between Vee and Gal, especially during their intense card game gambles. When it comes to opposites attract I think it’s important that the characters have some moral footing that they can agree on and author Virginia Heath allowed for both of these characters to grow and find the good in one another.

I will definitely be checking out the first two books in this series after falling so in love with the rest of Vee’s boisterous family. If you’re looking for a regency romance that reads with the wit and charm of contemporary, this is a great series to dive into!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

This book provided a satisfying conclusion to the Merriwell Sisters series. I've been intrigued by V's love story since the first book, and I liked how we witnessed subtle character developments in the preceding books. At times, particularly towards the end, I found her character to be somewhat immature, especially in not recognizing Gal's intentions and solely viewing things from her perspective. Gal was truly remarkable—a MMC that you find yourself cheering for throughout, and he's truly admirable. I'm a sucker for characters overcoming adversity and then giving back while remaining incredibly humble. Additionally, I found the unique trait of him being able to count cards quite intriguing, something not commonly seen in many romances. I appreciate how this writer infuses a softer and more humorous tone with the characters and books. Despite having read numerous books in this sub-genre, and while I do have an affinity for historical fiction, there's something about the lightness in this author's style that I always anticipate. I'm eagerly looking forward to her next series!

Vee and Gal are an unlikely couple but they do work. I always appreciate a good he falls first story especially when the book is written in dual POV. But of the trio this is probably my least favorite book. I'm not sure I can pick specifics to use to explain my reasonings, it's more of a vibes situation. I didn't love Vee's character during her interactions with Gal from start to finish. And the third act breakup was honestly weak, I didn't agree with Vee's characterization of events and Gal didn't deserve it. Also the second cards game was just embarrassing so overall this wasn't my favorite.