Virginia Heath became a must-read author for me after I discovered her "Merriwell Sisters" trilogy. Her knack for blending swoon-worthy love stories with headstrong, independent, and witty women creates the perfect Regency romances.

"All's Fair in Love and War" meets my high expectations for a Virginia Heath book and is a stellar start to her new "Miss Prentice's Protegees" series. The story follows Harry Kincaid, who finds himself unexpectedly caring for his sister's three children. He hires Georgina Rowe, a highly trained governess from Miss Prentice's School for Girls. Georgina's belief in untraditional child-rearing methods, including plenty of outdoor adventures, clashes with Harry's strict Admiralty training and rigorous schedules. Despite their differences, they are drawn together by the unruly but sweet children, raising the question of whether opposites really do attract.

Funny, heartwarming, and filled with memorable characters, "All's Fair in Love and War" is a must-read for romance fans!

This was a fun slow burn read, but I didn't really think that Georgie was as strong a female character as those in previous books I have read by Heath. She was definitely outspoken, but just didn't seem as strong.

Harry was a kind of mixed up guy. He didn't really know what he wanted until it slapped him in the face. The children and the dogs were a nice addition to the story. Harry's soft spot was definitely seen in his interaction with the children and the puppy.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ebook. All thoughts are my own.

This was a very fun, if mildly forgettable, read.

All's Fair in Love and War follows Georgie, a young woman who attended a prestigious school for governesses. For her first job, she is hired by Harry Kincaid, a navy captain whose flighty older sister has just dumped her three children on him while she goes on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Egypt. As Georgie and Harry clash over the best approach to raising three children unaccustomed to structure, sparks fly between them and they (of course) end up falling for each other).

Going into this, there were a lot of aspects that I was looking forward to. I love regency romances, I thought that the conflicting attitudes between Georgie and the captain sounded so fun, and I always adore books with children as significant characters (especially when romance book protagonists are thrust together to take care of children, à la The Long Game and Things We Never Got Over). It definitely did deliver on all of those points, and there certainly wasn't much that I disliked about the book. My only real complaint is that the romance is a little insta-love-y for my taste, but even that didn't bother me as much as it usually does.

Georgie is a wonderful protagonist—I loved her values, her conviction and confidence, and her rebellious streak. I also ended up really enjoying Captain Kincaid—he grew on me a lot more than I expected, and becomes much more likable once you understand how his childhood made him the way that he is. The children are all adorable and established as distinct characters, and I really enjoyed the dog character as well.

I think that my primary issue here is just that I can't with all honesty say that I will ever think about this book again. It's an enjoyable read, and I certainly had fun with it, but it's just not going to stick with me. There wasn't quite enough chemistry between the protagonists, character development, or plot to make this book something I will return to. I would still definitely recommend it if it sounds up your alley—I truly do not have any real complaints about it. It just did not click with me enough to make it memorable, and for that I can't give it any more than 3.5 stars.

Harry, an admiral in the navy, hires Georgina, a trained governess, to watch over his nieces and nephew. Many scenes of banter and tension between Harry and Georgie make up this enemies to lovers, forced proximity regency romance. I also appreciated the addition of the plot lines involving the children and their very large dog-it added a familial depth to the main characters and humor to the story. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve read a regency romance with a contemporary writing style…I am so happy to have spent a few days with these characters and be reintroduced to the lifestyle back then.

This is the first book of a new series. It was cute & quaint. Georgie starts a whole new life, but has feelings that about raising children that don’t always mesh with others. Harry is no different. But where there is a will, there’s a way…and a lot of sparks lol

The prologue alone hinted at four books in a series, which is something to look forward to..The next chapters have me laughing out loud as “feral” children and their dog and antics create humorous incidences. I also enjoy the main characters trying to cope with having their lives upended where in the end, to find their HEA, what matters most needs to be determined.

All’s Fair in Love and War is Virginia Heath‘s first story in her new Regency series, a follow-up to her bestselling Merriwell Sisters series. It’s an opposites-attract historical romantic comedy that’s not historically accurate.

Harry Kincaid was raised in a bohemian environment until his grandfather stepped in to raise him. Harry thrived in the Royal Navy and rose to Captain. Now this rigid stick-in-the mud is left in charge of his older sister’s three unruly children and their giant dog while she is in Egypt for an unknown period of time. The chaos in his household is more than he can take so he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies to hire a temporary governess.

Aspiring governess Georgina “Georgie” Rowe was raised in a strict environment dictated by her Navy stepfather and was miserable. She believes childhood should be filled with laughter, adventure, and discovery, which has made finding a suitable position difficult. She is happy to be hired by the handsome Harry Kincaid. While the Pendleton children take to Georgie immediately, their staid uncle does not. Harry and Georgie have to figure out how t
o get along until Harry’s sister returns from her trip to Egypt. They fight their mutual attraction while they sort out their differences.
While not historically accurate in terms of speech and women’s freedom, All’s Fair in Love and War is fun to read. The characters are engaging, and the reader can’t help but root for them to find their happily-ever-after. The plot is well-paced, and I had a hard time putting it down. The mischievous Pendleton children and their dog added extra humor to the story. All’s Fair in Love and War is even better than the outstanding Merriwell Sisters series.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's for the ARC of this book. I typically love regency romance and wanted to love this one but it honestly fell a little flat for me. The romance was such a slow burn that I found myself fairly bored for most of the book. Ther were some sweet moments and I did enjoy the characters but I don't think I could recommend it.

All’s Fair in Love and War has been compared to both The Sound of Music and Pride and Prejudice, and while it’s been many years since I last saw the former, the comparisons do seem apt. Captain Harry Kincaid loves his nephew and two nieces, but it’s a complete surprise when his sister leaves the three of them and their dog in his care. Much as he adores them, he’s overwhelmed with his job at the Admiralty and can’t devote his time to the kids. So he hires Georgie Rowe, an outspoken and highly opinionated new governess who goes against all his punctuality and militaristic ways. But the differences between them are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the chaos that will ensue in the couple of months they have together. The three rambunctious kids and their dog bring more than enough energy, emergencies, lies, and shenanigans to keep all the adults busy!

This book might look like an enemies-to-lovers situation, but Harry and Georgie are never really enemies. They have different views on how to teach and discipline kids, sure, and Georgie assumes the worst about Harry due to his unfortunate similarities with her horrible stepfather. But it’s not long before they start to see the merit in each others’ ways, as well as the way the kids themselves are influencing their behavior. Georgie and Harry become friends of a sort soon enough, but as their attraction grows, so do their worries about the kind of future they could possibly have together. His naval career would make a marriage nearly impossible, wouldn’t it?

I love how All’s Fair in Love and War gets into the ways family can alter us, even without us realizing it. Both Georgie and Harry have been negatively influenced by their parents, step-parents, and grandparents in unique ways. Are they in the career they actually want, or just one that was pushed on them? Are they judging others fairly, or forming prejudices because of someone else who had a similar background? Then there are the three children: Felix, Marianne, and Grace. They’re good kids overall… but they’ve learned how to get certain reactions out of people, and it’s not always the best behavior. Sometimes it takes a new set of eyes to see what’s really going on!

Both Georgie and Harry are likable in their own ways. Georgie is opinionated and outspoken, making her fun to spend time with in All’s Fair in Love and War. She knows how to make learning enjoyable, but she’s also not afraid to put Harry in his place when needed. For his part, Harry may seem like a boring, regimented stickler, but he’s actually very kind, generous, and sweet. Georgie and Harry have a good contrast and bring out the best in each other.

And of course, I enjoyed seeing the kids and dogs (yes, plural) in action here. They bring a lot of fun and unpredictability. There is sometimes too much distraction from the romance, but it is an action-packed and enjoyable book.

All’s Fair in Love and War is a light and diverting romance about family, career, and love. From dogs and kids to military men’s (mis)quotes and career problems, it offers both fun and more serious insights. Harry and Georgie are an adorable couple of opposites, and I’m already all in on this new series. Georgie has three friends from Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies, and something tells me that Lottie may be the star of the next book… at least I hope she is!

Thank you PRHAudio, St. Martin’s Press, and Uplit Reads for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been a Virginia Heath fan since I absolutely devoured Never Fall for Your Fiancée!

While I mostly enjoyed this, it was definitely not my favorite book of Heath’s.

Georgie has been unable to find a governess job despite dozens of interviews. Then Harry is left with his nieces and nephew and is in desperate need of a governess.

They disagree over almost everything initially, but slowly develop more of a rapport. I loved seeing Georgie with her charges. Despite her difficulties in securing a position, she seemed to have a way with the children.

Harry works for the navy and is very dedicated to his career, despite it not making him happy.

My main problem with this is we were 90 percent into the book and I wasn’t sure I thought they made sense/would find a way to successfully maintain a relationship. I loved when Harry’s sister talks some sense into him once she returns, but I’d have like to see a little more development of their relationship. I’m still excited to see where the rest of the series goes!

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a fabulous fun read! The characters have such great personalities and their interactions and adventures were so entertaining. I love stories where the hero and heroine seem so opposite but learn they are perfect for each other. This is the first novel I've read by Virginia Heath and I'm so excited to read the rest of her works. I am also looking forward to additional books in this new series Miss Prentice's Protegees.

Thank you UplitReads, Virginia Heath, SMP Romance for my #gifted ARC and thank you @PRHAudio for my #gifted listening copy of All’s Fair In Love and War! #PRHAInfluencer #PRHAudioPartner #PRHPartner #allsfairinloveandwar  #virginiaheath

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐥𝐥’𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐯𝐚 𝐅𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 & 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

𝟰.𝟱★

All’s Fair in Love and War is the first book in the Miss Prentice’s Protegees series by Virginia Heath and I loved it! I don’t read a ton of regency era books, but that might change after reading this one. This one was so fun and charming! I found myself smiling throughout the entire book. This book had some of my favorite tropes, including opposites attract and forced proximity, and I loved the single uncle trope too! Overall, this book stole my heart and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for book number two!

After Harry finds himself unexpectedly left with his sister’s three children, he decides to hire an emergency governess to keep everything in order. Prepared to pay whatever it will cost, he goes to Miss Prentice’s School for Girls to get a governesses to get the best governess to bring order to the chaos. Due to her upbringing, Georgina thinks that childhood should be filled with laughter, adventure, and happiness, everything that hers was not. While the three Pendleton children embrace Georgie’s unconventional ways, their uncle, does not. A stickler for the rules, Georgie and Harry start to clash with one another…only to eventually fall for one another in their adorable opposites attract novel.

🎧I alternated between the physical book, and the audiobook, narrated by Eva Feiler and Shane East. I loved my time listening to Feiler and East bring Georgie and Harry to life. I thought they both did an excellent job and I really enjoyed my time listening to this one on audio. If you love audiobooks, I highly recommend this one on audio!

🩷Regency Era
🩷Opposites Attract
🩷Forced Proximity
🩷Slow Burn
🩷Single Uncle
🩷Found Family
🩷He Falls First
🩷Open Door Romance

Posted on Goodreads on May 29, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 30, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 29 2024
**-will post on designated date

I've enjoyed all the books I've read by this author so far, and this was no exception. I really enjoyed the series setup of a bunch of governesses graduated from the same school and the book setup of a governess-master romance. The rambunctious, quirky children and the cute, trouble-making dogs added some great charm, and all the naval history involved was fun too. The emotional wounds the two main characters had to work through to end up together were sincere and well-developed, and overall I just really loved it.

Don’t let this adorable Rom-Com cover fool you, this book is packed with a great story filled with romance, family, and lots of smiles. I really enjoyed reading it and I’m so glad it’s book one in a series because I was left wanting more!
Georgina Rowe is trying and failing at finding employment as a governess. She’s been the best student at Miss Prentice’s School for Young Ladies but after countless failed interviews she thinks she’s destined to failure. When one desperate and strinkly handsome naval captain comes in looking for a governess for his niece and nephew Georgina is told to sit quietly and let the professional take the reins. Henry offers any amount of money to hire Georgina so his life can get back to some order. Off she goes on her first assignment but quickly Henry and Georgina start to quarrel. He will bribe the kids with anything to keep them quiet and Georgina thinks the kids should be active and messy and well…kids.
This assignment is short because the children’s parents shall return in a month, but Georgina finds herself attached to not only to the children and their naughty dog, but also to Henry. The two come from different worlds and have different options on virtually everything but they can’t fight how they feel. Or can they?

I really enjoyed this story with flavors of Sound of Music! It was funny, clever, and entertaining with great chemistry. I wish there was an epilogue as I felt it wrapped up a little too fast, but overall it was a pleasant read.

I absolutely adored All's Fair in Love and War, the first book in Virginia Heath's new series, Miss Prentice's Protegees, which tells the love story of Miss Georgina Rowe, "Georgie", an outspoken governess and her employer, Captain Henry Kincaid, "Harry", an overworked but respected officer in the Royal Navy. Written with her trademark wit and charm, Heath's main characters are reminiscent of Maria and Captain Georg Von Trapp from The Sound of Music as well as Cinderella (aka The Pumpkin Lady) and her handsome prince. Georgie and Harry are sweet and quite well-matched, surrounded by endearing secondary characters that bring them closer together, including Harry's nieces and nephew who are left in his care by his bohemian older sister, when she and her husband decide to travel to Egypt for the summer months. What follows are hilarious shenanigans with the children and their big, ill-behaved dog, Norbert and tender moments that showcase Georgie's and Harry's strengths and weaknesses as individuals - and how they fit together to complete each other. It's about them finding a home in each other - where they are safe, loved and appreciated, and where loneliness is vanquished.

I was charmed by this book, and I can't wait to read the next stories in the series. Kudos to Virginia Heath for giving us a book that offers great chemistry between the main characters, warms the heart and makes us laugh. Hooray for Georgie and Harry - and Cuthbert - and their happily ever after!

A slow-burn Regency romance that was charming and enjoyable. Harry, who was over-worked at the Admiralty had his sister's unruly children and dog unexpectedly dumped on his doorstep. Desperate to get some order back in his household he rushed out to employ a governess and ended up with Georgie Rowe who had very unusual ideas on childrearing but no experiences to back it up. Clashes happened, attraction bloomed, but what about love....

I immediately liked Harry who though wanted order in his life had a soft spot for his nieces and nephew and often gave into their demands. Georgie was a little harder to sympathize with. I agreed with her views on teaching children but she was arrogant in her interviews, arguing stridently with her perspective employers that their ideas were wrong, etc. As Miss Prentice, her own teacher, told her (I liked Miss Prentice, realistic but very empathetic) just go along with the employers and then do what you want with the children because they wouldn't be checking in very much. The parents want results. Plus, Georgie didn't have any real life experience to back up her theories. . I get that Georgie's past with an at least emotionally abuse step-father meant she acted badly when faced with repression but faced with possible starvation should have meant she had a little better grip on her tongue. Ok, that wasn't placed as a possibility in this story, that would be too real, but still the idea should be there.somewhat.. Thank goodness Miss Prentice was there to help her with the interview.

Luckily both Harry and Georgie were able to grow and compromise somewhat. Opposites attract but if there isn't some compromise or agreement on some basic things, no relationship will work. This was were the slow-burn really worked for it allowed them to fall in love in a way that I could buy.

The kids were smart and cute; the dog was sometimes. Other times, his behavior was chaotic and destructive. There can be discipline without being cruel. People who let their dog run consistently wild do not have consideration for other people.

Okay, so the book hit some of my pet peeves but overall it was good. Parts in the middle dragged a bit but the banter between Harry and Georgie with the entertainment provided by the kids and dog made up for it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

4 1/2 stars. I enjoyed Georgie's more modern approaches to education as well as her willingness to speak her mind. She was strong, although she did try to have some self-control around her employer. Harry had his life mapped out until his sister left him her three children to care for while she was travelling. This up-ended his home life so he hired Georgie. His very linear, strict, rule-bound life went against everything that Georgie believed. I found Harry's inner teddy bear so adorable, and I loved how he listened to those around him to figure out whether he was on the right path. I had tears as he plead his case with Georgie. Wonderful story.

I received an ARC through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

Having a real mean stepfather that wants nothing to do with her, Georgina Rowe was dropped off at an exclusive school run by Miss Prentice to become a protégés governess. Only a select few are offered this opportunity and Georgie ended up being one of her finest students. The only thing was her interviews. She just couldn't seem to pass them. Captain Henry Kincaid has come home to his two nieces and a nephew and a huge dog that have been dropped off by their mother, his sister. As they are driving him crazy, he goes to the school to get a governess and with Miss P doing the talking, Georgie gets hired on the spot. It starts out rough as he is a precise man. So precise he carries two watches. Because of her stepfather being military and how they were treated, she didn’t have much for the military. As they find they are attracted to one another, they need to figure out what they really want and how to get there. Along the way, you will find humor with these children and of course the dog will have you chuckling.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy.